Maltese
Height18–25 cm (7–10 in)
Weight1–3 kg (2–7 lbs)
TypeToy
Life Expectancy12–15 yrs
OriginMalta
An aristocratic toy breed with a flowing white coat and gentle, playful personality. The Maltese has been a cherished lap dog for millennia and is surprisingly spirited for its tiny size.
Breed Ratings
Personality
Intelligence
4/5
Trainability
3/5
Playfulness
4/5
Energy Level
3/5
Social
Good with Kids
2/5
Good with Dogs
3/5
Good with Strangers
4/5
Lifestyle
Apartment Friendly
5/5
Exercise Needs
2/5
Watchdog Ability
3/5
Barking Level
4/5
Care
Shedding
1/5
Grooming Needs
5/5
Health Robustness
3/5
Where Are Malteses From?
The Maltese is one of the most ancient toy breeds, with a documented history spanning over 2,800 years. Phoenician traders likely brought them to the island of Malta, where they became prized companions throughout the Mediterranean world. Aristotle mentioned the breed around 370 BC, calling it “perfectly proportioned.” Roman nobles kept them as status symbols, and they appear in Greek pottery, Roman poetry, and Egyptian tomb paintings. Unlike most breeds that went through radical redesign, today’s Maltese looks remarkably similar to its ancient ancestors.
What Is It Like Living With a Maltese?
Maltese are charmers with unexpected depth. They bond with a fierce single-mindedness to their primary person and can be surprisingly protective despite weighing under seven pounds. This devotion occasionally tips into jealousy if attention goes elsewhere. Maltese are livelier and bolder than their delicate appearance suggests — they play enthusiastically, bark with authority, and hold their ground around much larger dogs. Training goes well when kept upbeat; they respond to encouragement but shut down under pressure.
How Much Exercise Does a Maltese Need?
Twenty-five to 35 minutes of daily exercise keeps a Maltese content. Short walks, indoor play sessions, and interactive toys are sufficient. They’re genuine apartment dogs who don’t need outdoor space to thrive. Maltese are playful indoors and enjoy games of chase and fetch scaled to their size. Heat and cold both pose problems — their tiny bodies and single-layer coat offer little insulation in either direction.
How Often Do You Need to Groom a Maltese?
Grooming is a significant commitment. The long, silky white coat mats within a day or two without brushing, and tearstaining below the eyes requires daily cleaning. Many owners keep a shorter puppy clip for practicality. Professional grooming every three to four weeks is typical for a Maltese in full coat. Health concerns include patellar luxation, dental disease (crowded teeth are nearly universal), portosystemic liver shunts, progressive retinal atrophy, and collapsed trachea. Hypoglycemia can be dangerous in very small Maltese puppies.
Are Malteses Healthy?
Maltese are perfect for apartment living, seniors, couples, and anyone who wants an attentive, portable companion. They’re not ideal for families with rough young children (their small bones break), owners who dislike grooming, or people away from home all day. The surprising fact: Maltese dogs were believed to have healing powers in ancient times. Sick people would place a Maltese on their chest or stomach, believing the dog would draw out illness — making them perhaps the original therapy dogs, thousands of years before the concept was formalized.
Our Honest Take on the Maltese
The Maltese is one of the most ancient companion breeds in existence and genuinely earns the designation — they're gentle, loving, and adaptable to almost any living situation. Their one non-negotiable demand is a grooming commitment that many owners dramatically underestimate.
Common Mistakes New Owners Make
- 1Letting the long white coat go without daily maintenance. Maltese coats mat at the skin level within 48–72 hours without brushing. Hidden mats are painful and require shaving under anesthesia at the groomer — a distressing and expensive consequence of neglect.
- 2Not brushing teeth regularly. Maltese have severely crowded small mouths and are among the most prone breeds to dental disease. Without weekly brushing and annual professional cleanings, dental disease causes pain, infection, and tooth loss by age 5.
- 3Overlooking portosystemic shunt as a purchasing concern. Liver shunts (abnormal blood vessel bypassing the liver) occur in Maltese more than in most breeds. Symptoms in puppies include stunted growth, post-meal disorientation, and seizures. Ask breeders about family health history.
- 4Carrying them constantly and skipping socialization. Maltese that never walk, explore, and interact with the world on their own terms develop anxiety, excessive barking, and dependency that becomes difficult to manage.
Who Should Think Twice
Maltese are wrong for families with very young children who can't respect small dog boundaries, owners who view grooming as optional, anyone who wants an outdoor adventure partner, or people drawn to 'teacup' sizes sold at inflated prices by irresponsible breeders.
Real Costs in 2026
Maltese puppies from reputable breeders: $600–$2,500 in 2026. Annual costs: food ~$25/month (tiny mouths eat tiny amounts), professional grooming ~$500/year (every 6–8 weeks), routine vet ~$450/year. Dental cleanings under anesthesia: $300–$700/year — a real and unavoidable line item. Total annual costs of $1,500–$2,200 are realistic, which is moderate for a small companion breed.
Living With a Maltese: Year by Year
Maltese puppyhood (0-12 months) is deceptively easy in some ways and brutal in others. They housetrain slowly because their bladders are tiny and they hide accidents under furniture - expect 8-10 months before reliability, not 5. Adolescence (1-3 years) brings the velcro phase: separation distress sharpens, barking at windows escalates, and resource guarding of laps emerges if not addressed. Prime adulthood (3-8 years) is the payoff - calm in the home, alert without being frantic, capable of 30-minute walks and then a full afternoon of horizontal contentment. Owners are surprised at how little they actually need beyond proximity. Senior years (8+) commonly bring tracheal collapse symptoms (the honking cough), dental disease requiring extractions, and luxating patellas that flare on stairs. Many go gently deaf around 12. The cliche that they live to 15-16 is true, but the last three years are high-maintenance medically.
The Training Reality
Maltese are smart but not biddable in the Border Collie sense - they train for relationship, not for work. Marker training (clicker plus high-value treats - boiled chicken, not kibble) outperforms food-only bribery because they fixate on the marker sound. Lure-reward fails fast; they get bored and disengage. Most are reliably housetrained by month 9-10, not 5, and a sizeable minority never become 100% reliable in unfamiliar homes - keep a pee pad strategy as backup. The biggest training failure is treating them as untrainable lapdogs and letting barking, leash pulling, and growling at strangers go unaddressed. Reactivity at 18 months is the predictable consequence. Realistic ceiling: solid sit, down, recall in low-distraction environments, decent leash manners, and one or two parlor tricks. They will not become off-leash reliable around squirrels. Stop trying.
A Day in the Life
A Maltese day starts with them already on your pillow. Morning walk needs are modest - 15-20 minutes is genuinely enough, and pushing past 45 minutes in heat triggers tracheal coughing. They eat tiny amounts (half a cup of food daily for an adult) and will refuse meals if anxious or overfed on treats - skipped meals are common and usually not a vet emergency. Mid-day they sleep 14-16 hours, often pressed against a leg or wedged between cushions. They sulk visibly when ignored - turning their back, sighing audibly, refusing affection for an hour after a perceived slight. They will bark at every UPS truck and most birds. Evening brings the zoomies window around 7-8pm, then bed. Owners are routinely surprised by the tear staining (porphyrin pigments oxidizing on white fur, requires daily face wiping) and the volume of fur in laundry despite being called hypoallergenic.
How Malteses Compare to Similar Breeds
Versus the Bichon Frise: Maltese are quieter underfoot but more vocally reactive at windows; Bichons are bouncier and slightly more dog-social. Versus the Havanese: Havanese are notably more biddable, less prone to separation distress, and better with kids - if you want a small white dog that trains well, get the Havanese. Versus the Yorkshire Terrier: Yorkies have terrier prey drive and stubbornness that Maltese lack; Maltese are calmer indoors but Yorkies are scrappier and longer-lived on average.
Great For
- Apartment living
- Allergy-conscious homes
- Social, outgoing lifestyles
Think Twice If
- You want low grooming effort
- You need a quiet dog
- You have young children
Are Malteses Prone to Health Issues?
Malteses are predisposed to: patellar luxation, portosystemic shunt, progressive retinal atrophy, dental disease. Regular vet visits and a healthy diet help prevent common issues.
Health Robustness
3/5
How Much Does a Maltese Cost?
Purchase Price
$600–$2,500
Monthly Food
$25
Annual Vet
$450
Annual Grooming
$500
Est. First Year
~$2,800
Est. Annual
~$1,250
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Maltese cost?
A Maltese puppy typically costs $600–$2,500. The estimated first-year cost including food, vet visits, and grooming is around $2,800, with ongoing annual costs of approximately $1,250.
How long do Malteses live?
Malteses have an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years. Common health concerns include patellar luxation, portosystemic shunt, progressive retinal atrophy, dental disease.
Are Malteses good with kids?
Malteses score 2/5 for being good with children. They may not be the best choice for families with young children and require careful supervision.
Do Malteses shed a lot?
Malteses have a shedding level of 1/5. They are minimal shedders, making them a good option for people concerned about pet hair.
Are Malteses good for apartments?
Malteses score 5/5 for apartment friendliness. They adapt very well to apartment living and don't require a large yard.