The Maltese is a small breed of dog in the ‘Toy Group’. It is exclusively used as a companion. It descends from the dogs originating in the Central Mediterranean Area. The Maltese is also known as ‘Roman Ladies Dog’, the ‘Maltese Lion Dog’ and the ‘ancient dog of Malta’.
Description:
Maltese are small dogs with slightly round skull and a finger wide dome. It has a black button nose and chocolate brown eyes. It has drooping hairy ears surrounded by dark skin pigmentation. Lacking exposure to sunlight and in winter season, its nose can fade and become pink or light brown in colour. But it can again get its original colour i.e. black with increased exposure to sunlight.
The Maltese are generally pure white, though cream or ivory coats may occur. The coat is long and silky but does not have an undercoat. It has hair and not fur. It sheds less hair and so hypoallergenic. It makes a good choice for people with dog allergies.
The male Maltese is 8-10 inches at the shoulder and the female one is 8-9 inches. The male string weighs about 3-8 pounds but the female Maltese weigh nearly 2-7 pounds. The average life span of Maltese is 12-15 years.
Maltese are bred to be cuddly companion dogs. It is lively, playful and energetic. It loves attention and adores humans. It gets strongly attached with its owner and the family. It is an intelligent dogs and keen to learn tricks. It is very active in the house and prefer enclosed spaces. So they well in apartments.
Health and Care:
Maltese have a long, silky and smooth coat. So it needs regular gentle brushing. It should be combed twice a week with a fine metal- toothed pet comb moistened with hot water.
The dog can have more or less tear staining which is a function of how much the individual dog’s eyes water and the size of tear duct. Tear stains can be removed either with warm water or a commercially prepared solution. The snout should be wiped after eating. The Maltese can be given a ‘puppy cut’, to save the grooming time. This involves trimming or shaving the whole body to an inch length. This cut makes the dog looks like a puppy.
Maltese are liable to reverse sneezing, that sounds like snorting or honking. But this is not a matter of great concern as it generally goes away after a minute or so.
Maltese have delicate bones. So they need proper care to prevent them from injuries to skeletal structure. They can suffer from eye infections or irritation in eyes caused by hair turning into the eyes. So hair around their eyes can be trimmed. Also they have a sensitive digestive system and thus care in feeding should be observed.
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