Maltese

The length of this dog exceeds its height. They have a silky fur which is long and shining. They have pungent nodes on their forehead. The frontal lobe is stressed as are the eyelashes. They have a black snout, big, dark eyes. These dogs are lively and smart. Their bodies are “by the book”. The tail is thick, however, it is strong at its base and thinner and pointy at the tip. It is covered with long hair – forming a real fan. That thick fur can be as long as 20cm. The fur is white or ivory-white. Their shoulders are 21-25cm from the ground, and these dogs weigh 3-4kg. They live long.

This dog doesn´t originate from the isle of Malta, their homeland is Dalmatia (island of Melitaea – today named Mljet). The Maltese dog was mentioned in the old Greek literature. These dogs were popular with old Greek ladies.

The Maltese´s fur reminds us of glass wool. On their backs, usually, a crosspiece appears. The fur is fully developed only after 3 years of age – it’s very rich. It needs regular care with a wooden or a plastic brush. You need to regularly remove the discharge from their eyes – otherwise, the skin, wetted by those “tears”, becomes irritated.

The Maltese create a strong bond with people. Appropriate for children, very obedient, kind and not nervous. They are lively and love to move around. As all bichons, this is a typical dame´s dog – suitable for apartments as their fur doesn´t fall off. They don´t have many illnesses and rarely get ill.

There are a few Maltese in Slovenia. Lately, their numbers have increased, however, they are expensive and therefore for many inaccessible. When buying them, you must be careful that they don´t originate from a “mass-producing” couple. Sadly, this is the reality because of the high prices. This means, that the puppies lose on their quality – they might be even frustrated.

Before you buy them, we recommend you to take a look at all the puppies (at the age of 1 week), the environment in which they live, the conditions in which their mother is, the people that live with them – think it through and only then buy.