About the Maltese
Discription
Life Expectency
Size
Possible health problems
Grooming
Personality traits
The maltese is an elegant looking, beautiful little dog. They have long straight hair, some silky, some more like cotton. The hair is one layer, like human hair. It needs daily grooming to avoid tangling. The hair color is pure white with some ivory commonly found on the ears. The maltese have short legs and a tail that curves up and over the back. The true maltese have black points, which is dark rims around the large round eyes, a solid black nose, and solid black paw pads. These little dogs get cold very easy and many people choose to train the dogs on puppy pads rather than to take them outside too often in the cold weather. They're small size makes them a perfect choice for apartment dwellers.
The maltese have fairly long lives, they can live 15 years or longer if they are well cared for and healthy.
The maltese requires daily brushing and weekly bathing.  If the coat is allowed to become too tangled, the only solution is often shaving the maltese hair very short and regrow the hair.  A good conditioner is a must or the hair can easily break. The eyes need daily cleaning since they have a tendency to stain from tearing. The ears are prone to infection if the inner ear hair is not gently pulled out regularly.
The maltese are extremely loving, loyal little dogs. They require lots of attention and often attach themselves to one person in the family. Most maltese are very trusting and gentle. They do very well with children and other animals. They must be closely supervised when they are around children, the delicate bone structure and desire to play, play, play, make them vulnerable and they can easily get hurt. They love to be with their masters and make wonderful travel companions. Their small size is a plus for travelers. The maltese are smart and most are fairly easy to train.
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