Maltese
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Maltese. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Maltese photos.

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Intelligence | ![]() |
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Shedding | ![]() |
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Watchdog | ![]() |
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Guard Dog | ![]() |
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Popularity | ![]() |
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Size | ![]() |
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Agility | ![]() |
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Good with Kids | ![]() |
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Maltese Temperament
The Maltese is a best friend and an accessory, all in one. They will surely attract attention from everyone you meet. The Maltese is an ideal companion, as they are so gentle and affectionate. They are sensitive and responsive and love to cuddle. They will want to be by your side at all times, and will demand to go with you wherever you go. They love to go for walks and rides. These funny little dogs are lively, playful, and entertaining. They have no idea how small they are, and they are fearless. That's why they need you to protect them. They will sound an alarm when someone is at your door, but as soon as you invite that someone in, the act is over. Maltese love children, but because they are so small, they are easily injured by a well-meaning toddler who thinks he's just discovered the world's best stuffed animal. For this reason, many breeders will not let a Maltese go into a home with children under the age of 7. They get along well with other dogs and pets. Maltese are devoted companions with a contagious zest for life.
Maltese Training
The Maltese is moderately easy to train. He learns new commands at the average rate. He is neither difficult nor easy to train.
Maltese Shedding
The Maltese sheds practically no hair at all. You'll virtually never find a hair in your home!
Maltese Grooming
Pet coat (less work): Cut his coat short every few months and then it only needs to be brushed every so often.
Show coat (more work): Professionally groom his coat to the breed standard. Brush it daily.
Adopt a Maltese
Maltese Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.