Malteses - Breeders - Pictures

Thousands of dog pictures, such as Malteses; other pets and dogs for sale.

www.gotpetsonline.comAdvertise here

Malteses - Breeders - General Appearance

Malteses disarm with their innocent-looking face, elegant appearance and childish behavior. The Maltese's long white coat, black nose and dark eyes make this toy dog easily recognizable. They are adorable little things with nice temperament: playful, curious and smart.

As the AKC standard goes, the Maltese Dog should weigh 4-6 pounds. Preferable height is 10 inches. The standard says, the overall quality is highly valued and is favored over size.

The Maltese moves with a flowing gait, which is referred to its long mantle of silky hair, hanging long over the sides of the body.

Life Span: Malteses live around 12 years on average. With proper care and genetic predisposition, Maltese Dogs can be long-livers and enjoy the age of 20 years.

Malteses - Breeders - Grooming Requirements

The beautiful silky coat of the Maltese Dog must be well cared for. Bathing and brushing the coat should be done regularly to avoid mats. Use a special canine shampoo and a conditioner to maintain the beauty of your Maltese's silky coat.

The Maltese's ears should be checked rather frequently as the dog has drop, hairy ears. Signals to some ear infection in your Maltese would be heavy wax buildup, inflammation, odor and general nervousness. Excessive hair should be removed. Otherwise, the air will not circulate and this will provide a habitat for bacteria.

Clipping the Maltese's nails is also very important, as long nails can interfere not only with the dog's gait, but can harm the Maltese. If your dog does not have a chance to walk on hard surfaces, like concrete, carefully clip its nails with clippers with sharp blades. Malteses are high maintenance dogs, but the grooming process will give you or your Maltese no trouble with experience.

Malteses - Breeders - Is This a Healthy Breed?

These "ladies' companions" are considered basically healthy. However, Malteses, like any other breed, are susceptible to some genetically linked diseases. For instance, buildup of fluid in the brain, or so-called water on the brain is hydrocephalus. Normally, Malteses that have this genetic disease, unavoidably show the signs of it in their first year of life. These signs may vary: seizures, blindness, hyperactivity or unconsciousness. Some appearance deviations can indicate that the Maltese is severely affected: the head of a weird dome shape and eyes set very wide apart. Treatment depends on how serious the case is. Medication or surgery can be applied.

Another neurological disease, which is in a strange way associated with many white-coated dog breed, is White Shaker syndrome. Due to an inflammatory disease of the brain, affected dogs have body tremors. Such diseases as glaucoma and ulcerated gums are also to be watched in Malteses.

Mouse over the thumbnails to view image and photo credit