Breed · Dog
Maltese
Ancient Mediterranean companion breed, lapdog to the Romans, unchanged in job description for two thousand years.
The Maltese has never had another job: no herding past, no hunting past, no guarding pretensions. Pure companion, all the way down, which is why it is so good at it and why it takes separation so personally. The white coat that makes the breed is silk, not wool — it mats if ignored and stains if unmanaged, so between the gentle temperament and the fifteen-year lifespan, the honest cost of a Maltese is measured in grooming hours. It is one of the best small companions in the world for someone who is actually home.
At a glance
- Lifespan
- 13–16 years
- Adult weight
- 3–4.5 kg
- Daily exercise
- 30–45 min, plus play
- Trainability
- Good; house-training takes patience
- Alone time tolerated
- Poor — companionship is the whole breed
- Shedding
- Minimal, but the coat needs daily work
- Noise level
- High if under-occupied
- With children
- Gentle older children only
- With other pets
- Good with calm ones
Colours · 1 listed
White, and that is the breed. Pet owners sensibly keep the coat in a short puppy clip; the floor-length show coat is a hobby in itself.
-
White
Right for you if
- Someone is home most of the day and wants a shadow.
- Daily brushing, or a standing grooming appointment, fits your life.
- You want a genuinely long-lived small companion.
- The household is calm — adults, or gentle older children.
Wrong for you if
- The house empties for the working day; this breed does loneliness badly and loudly.
- Grooming will be skipped. A matted Maltese is a welfare problem wearing a bow.
- Toddlers and a three-kilogram dog share a floor.
- You want a low-maintenance dog. Low exercise, yes; low maintenance, no.
What to ask a breeder
- Ask for the parents’ patella grades in writing, and ask about heart checks — named tests with paperwork, not “vet checked”.
- Ask at what age the breeder’s dogs typically need dental cleaning and how they manage teeth — tiny jaws crowd teeth, and a breeder with no dental answer has not been paying attention.
- Ask to see where the puppies live. A companion breed raised in a shed is being taught the wrong trade from birth.
Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.