Maltese

Maltese dogs shed very little, which is better for allergy sufferers, but that may be the only thing easy about grooming them. If you want your Maltese to have a long, flowing, white coat, be prepared to comb it every day and wash it often. You may need to restrict your dog from running where it can get mud, twigs, and leaves in the coat. More likely, you’ll find the ease of caring for a clipped Maltese preferable. This way your dog can run and swim without worry. Most people have a professional groomer clip their Maltese every 4 to 6 weeks. Groomers usually clip the body short but leave more on the head to give the dog a cuter look. They may also leave more on the tail, or clip to a uniformly shorter length all over to resemble a puppy. You still need to comb the longer hair every few days, and wash between grooming appointments. Keeping the pure-white maltese coat can be a challenge. The long hair around the mouth and beneath the eyes can easily become stained from saliva and tears unless you keep it clean constantly. You may elect to clip hair beneath the eyes and mouth shorter for easy maintenance. Clip the nails as needed, examine the ears weekly but clean only if necessary, and brush the teeth to provide dental care daily. Small dogs are prone to dental disease so keeping them clean and healthy will help your Maltese throughout their life.

Although energetic, Maltese owners can meet their exercise needs in a small area. They can tire themselves out running around a small apartment, playing games like fetch and find, or running from room to room. Just because they can exercise indoors, doesn't mean they always should. Like all dogs, they relish the chance to go outside, roll in the grass, sniff the sidewalk, and meet the neighbors. Although you can carry a Maltese in your arms or doggie purse, in safe areas let them walk so that they can get mental and physical exercise. The Maltese is generally a well-behaved dog park attendee, but only if the park has a separate section for very small dogs, as they could be easily injured by larger dogs. If you plan to let your Maltese spend time in the yard, make sure your area is free from roaming wild animals, such as coyotes, or large birds of prey that could carry your dog away (especially as a tiny puppy). A covered run or porch may be a good option.

Tiny dogs need to eat more per pound of body weight compared to larger dogs. When feeding tiny dogs the balance of the diet becomes harder to maintain. A few unhealthy handouts won’t greatly affect a big dog’s total nutrition, but the same amount will make up a much larger percentage of your tiny dog’s total nutrients. They can unbalance the diet or add way more calories than you planned to feed. So you have to be extra careful when feeding tiny dogs. Their coats and energy levels can be taken into consideration when selecting a diet. Additionally, tiny Maltese teeth may have difficulty crunching up some kibbles. The answer is to get a high quality commercial food especially formulated for small dogs. When choosing treats, beware that some dog treats are choking size for small dogs. So be sure to select a treat that is appropriate for a smaller pup. Maltese puppies, especially very young or very small ones, must be guarded against hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia occurs when the level of sugar in the blood drops too low. Aim to feed your young Maltese puppy about every 4 hours. Don’t have your puppy exercise before bed, when no food will be available overnight. Hypoglycemia is potentially fatal, and a real emergency. Signs start with the puppy being hard to rouse, and acting wobbly. You can help to increase blood sugar by rubbing a small amount of corn syrup on the puppy’s gums and rushing to the emergency vet. As your puppy ages, you can gradually cut back to three meals a day. Fortunately, most Maltese will outgrow this danger as they mature, and then go to two meals a day. Ask your veterinarian about special diets should your Maltese develop a medical condition that a diet can help manage.