Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Maltese Breed Overview
- History of the Maltese Breed. Where Malteses came from
- What the Maltese Looks Like
- How Much is the Maltese Puppy?
- Best Maltese Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Maltese
- What Colors do Malteses Have?
- The Temperament of the Maltese
- How Long Malteses Live
- Maltese Litter Size
- How Fast Malteses Can Run
- Good Names for Malteses
- How Intelligent are Malteses?
- How Popular are Malteses with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Malteses and How to Prevent Them
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Malteses
- Other Things to Know About Malteses
Maltese Breed Overview
The Maltese is a tiny-sized dog.
The adult Maltese stands 8 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Maltese belongs to the Companion Dogs group.
Dogs in the Companion Dogs group, like the Maltese, were bred to be companions for humans. Their main goal in life is to be with people, and they will be very sad if left to themselves for long hours day after day.
The fact that the Maltese belongs to the Companion Dogs group is one of the reasons why Malteses have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Maltese is generally described as:
- Active
- Affectionate
- Docile
- Easygoing
- Fearless
- Gentle
- Intelligent
- Lively
- Playful
- Responsive
- Sweet-Tempered
History of the Maltese Breed. Where Malteses came from
The Maltese, named after the breed`s original home in Malta, has several different names.
While the Maltese Terrier is the most common, others include the Melitae dog, Ye ancient dogge of Malta, Roman Ladies dog, Comforter, Spaniel Gentle, Bichon, and Maltese Lion Dog.
These unique names perfectly capture the little white dogs` interesting and playful personalities.
With their long fur and refined demeanor, it`s easy to see why the Maltese were so popular among ancient royalty and artists.
Perhaps the Maltese`s most well-known duty was as a “comforter” to the sick people of Egypt and later, Europeans.
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What the Maltese Looks Like
When one sees the Maltese trot across the floor with their long, white, silky fur, they may be reminded of a graceful cloud.
The dogs appear to float across the ground with ease when shown.
This is because of their gentle demeanor and light step.
The Maltese are heavenly when paired with fur that touches the ground.
The eyes of this breed are bright, black button eyes that sparkle with mischief and fun.
A black nose completes this breed`s appearance, and small black lips poke through a white beard.
Despite their small stature, Maltese people are full of spirit and energy.
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How Much is the Maltese Puppy?
The average price of a Maltese puppy is $2580. The price of a Maltese puppy ranges from $1800 to $3000.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Maltese. These factors include what health records the Maltese puppy has, the lineage of the Maltese puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Maltese based on the many factors that determine the price of the Maltese puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Maltese puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Maltese breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Maltese Breeders
We have researched reputable Maltese breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Maltese breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
KayDee`s Maltese
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Michele Gebhardt
Puppy Price: $1800
Melitica Maltese
Puppy Price: $3,000.00 -$ 3,500.00
Alexis Maltese
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Avante Maltese
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Maltese
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Malteses included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Maltese named Frosty that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Malteses like Frosty on pefinder.com.
Bogey is the name of another Maltese (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Malteses that are available for adoption on petfinder.
What Colors do Malteses Have?
Malteses come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Apricot / Beige
The Temperament of the Maltese
The temperament of the Maltese based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Maltese for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Maltese here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 72.5 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 68.6 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 66.5 percent |
| Energy Level | 63.4 percent |
| Excitability | 61.1 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 58.7 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 55.9 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 52.0 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 50.2 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 47.9 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 46.0 percent |
| Stubbornness | 44.4 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 35.4 percent |
| Prey Drive | 34.1 percent |
How Long Malteses Live
The lifespan of the Maltese is typically from 12 to 15 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Maltese. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 42 pet Malteses lived.
From the study, it was found that Malteses have an average lifespan of 12.2 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Malteses to live as long as 19.1 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Maltese to live long.
Malteses live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Maltese to improve your Maltese`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Maltese live long.
Maltese Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 9 different Maltese birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Malteses can have is 2 puppies. Also, the Maltese can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 4 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Maltese will have depends on factors such as the age of the Maltese, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Maltese will have and how the litter size of the Maltese compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Malteses Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 9 different Malteses, the average speed of the Maltese is 14.7 mph (23.6 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Maltese ran in a race is 24.41 mph (39.3 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Maltese is 8.18 mph (13.2 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Maltese compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Malteses
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Maltese ranked by popularity:
- Max
- Dog
- Happy
- Walter
- Tofu
- Doc
- Frosty
- Merlin
- Foghorn
- Buddy
How Intelligent are Malteses?
| Maltese | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 59 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Maltese has an obedience intelligence rank of 59 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Malteses in the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Malteses tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 12 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 13 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 14 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 24 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Giant Schnauzer | 28 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Manchester Terrier | 32 |
| Ibizan Hound | 53 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 56 |
| Chinese Crested | 61 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 62 |
| Bull Terrier | 66 |
| Shih Tzu | 70 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Bloodhound | 74 |
| Borzoi | 75 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Malteses with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Maltese.
The popularity of the Maltese averaged over the years is Number 33 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Malteses and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Maltese is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Maltese puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Maltese breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Malteses for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Malteses here.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Malteses
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Maltese.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Maltese:
- Pomapoo (80 percent match with Maltese). Learn more about the Pomapoo here.
- Chorkie (79 percent match with Maltese). Learn more about the Chorkie here.
- Peek A Poo (81 percent match with Maltese). Learn more about the Peek A Poo here.
Other Things to Know About Malteses
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Maltese that you need to know about the Maltese breed: