Maltese Complete Guide: Grooming, Health Issues, and Companion Care

Tiny, Fluffy, and Full of Love — The Ultimate Maltese Owner’s Handbook

The Maltese embodies elegance and refinement in a tiny 4-7 pound package, captivating hearts with their floor-length pure white coats flowing like silk creating almost ethereal appearances, large dark eyes and black button noses contrasting dramatically against pristine white fur, gentle expressions conveying sweetness and intelligence, and graceful movements suggesting nobility befitting dogs whose history traces back over 2,000 years as pampered companions of aristocracy throughout Mediterranean civilizations including ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians who treasured these tiny white dogs as symbols of luxury and devotion. Their portable size makes them perfect for apartment living and traveling, their affectionate temperaments create intensely bonded relationships with their people, their relatively low exercise needs suit less active owners or seniors, their lack of undercoat means minimal shedding appealing to those sensitive to dog hair, and their longevity with lifespans reaching 12-15 years provides extended companionship making them beloved family members for over a decade.

However, beneath that gorgeous flowing white coat and sweet demeanor lurks a breed requiring extraordinary grooming commitment that shocks unprepared owners expecting low-maintenance lap dogs, facing serious health challenges including liver shunt, luxating patellas, dental disease, eye problems, and various conditions requiring vigilant care and substantial veterinary expenses, displaying surprising stubbornness making training challenging despite their toy size, showing potential aggression particularly toward strangers or other dogs without extensive socialization, and suffering from severe separation anxiety creating destructive, anxious behaviors when left alone. The grooming commitment alone makes Maltese among the highest-maintenance breeds requiring daily brushing taking 20-40 minutes preventing their continuously growing hair from matting into painful tangles that must be shaved completely, professional grooming every 4-6 weeks maintaining coat health and appearance costing $60-100 per session totaling $720-1,200 annually, meticulous facial cleaning preventing tear staining that creates rusty brown discoloration particularly visible on white coats, and constant coat maintenance removing debris, checking skin condition, and managing the tangles that form incredibly quickly.

Many owners opt for shorter “puppy cuts” reducing daily maintenance time to 10-15 minutes but still requiring professional grooming and vigilant brushing preventing mats. Their health challenges include portosystemic shunt (liver shunt) affecting 2-5% of Maltese where abnormal blood vessels allow toxins to bypass the liver causing neurological symptoms, stunted growth, and requiring $3,000-7,000 emergency surgery or the dog dies young, luxating patellas (dislocating kneecaps) affecting 15-20% requiring surgical correction costing $1,500-3,000 per leg, severe dental disease with most Maltese losing multiple teeth by age 5-7 despite preventive care due to overcrowded teeth in tiny mouths, progressive retinal atrophy causing hereditary blindness, hypoglycemia threatening tiny individuals under 4 pounds, collapsed trachea causing breathing difficulties, and numerous other conditions requiring ongoing veterinary care throughout their 12-15 year lifespans.

Their famous “Maltese attitude” manifests as excessive barking at everything creating constant noise that drives owners and neighbors to distraction, potential aggression toward strangers, other dogs, and even family members without proper socialization, stubborn independence making training require extraordinary patience despite their intelligence, and separation anxiety so severe many destroy homes, bark non-stop, and make themselves sick when left alone. House training proves notoriously difficult as their tiny bladders hold virtually nothing, their stubborn streaks convince them certain indoor spots make perfectly acceptable bathrooms, and their weather sensitivity causes refusal to go outside in rain, cold, heat, or any conditions they find uncomfortable. Lifetime costs typically exceed $25,000-50,000 including purchase price, intensive grooming expenses accumulating to $10,000-15,000+ over their lives, routine veterinary care, and inevitable health interventions for breed-specific conditions. This guide provides complete information about Maltese ownership including their grooming reality with specific time and cost commitments, health challenges with prevention and management strategies, training approaches for stubborn yet sensitive dogs, daily care requirements, costs for USA, UK, and Germany, and honest assessment helping you determine whether this ancient companion breed matches your lifestyle and capabilities.

The Maltese Personality: Devoted Companion With Big Attitude

Maltese possess personalities defying their diminutive 4-7 pound size as they display confidence, assertiveness, and fearlessness making them act like much larger dogs, approaching life with enthusiasm and determination that’s both endearing and occasionally challenging when directed toward inappropriate targets. Their devotion to their people is extraordinary as they bond intensely often selecting one person as their special human while tolerating others, following their chosen person everywhere including bathroom visits, demanding constant attention and physical contact, becoming genuinely distressed when separated, and showing obvious joy when reunited even after brief absences. This single-person attachment creates wonderful companionship for solo owners but can cause problems in families where the Maltese only truly accepts one member while snubbing or even snapping at others, and it requires careful separation anxiety management through gradual alone-time training from puppyhood, providing enrichment during absences, and accepting they’re genuinely not suitable for people who are away from home extensively.

Their fearlessness borders on recklessness as Maltese confront perceived threats without considering consequences, barking ferociously at dogs ten times their size, standing their ground against strangers entering their territory, and generally acting as if they’re intimidating guard dogs rather than 5-pound fluffballs that most people could literally carry away. This boldness means owners must constantly protect Maltese from themselves by preventing confrontations with larger dogs who could injure them with one snap, keeping them leashed and supervised outdoors, and managing their territorial behaviors preventing them from charging at perceived threats they cannot possibly handle. Their vocal nature creates constant barking at doorbells, footsteps, passing dogs, delivery drivers, and seemingly random stimuli, making them excellent alert dogs but potentially problematic in apartments or with noise-sensitive neighbors requiring training “quiet” commands that help manage though never eliminate their natural alertness and tendency toward vocalization.

Their intelligence is surprisingly high for toy breeds ranking in “excellent working/obedience intelligence” category meaning they learn commands quickly, understand household routines, problem-solve finding creative solutions, and can master impressive trick repertoires when properly motivated, though their stubborn independence inherited from their ancient heritage means they evaluate whether obeying commands benefits them and sometimes decide their own agendas take priority over your instructions. This selective obedience frustrates owners expecting automatic compliance from such small dogs who theoretically should be easily controlled, but Maltese possess iron wills wrapped in silky white coats and they absolutely will not be bullied into cooperation. Training requires patience, high-value rewards, positive reinforcement, and acceptance that perfect obedience may never materialize no matter how much effort you invest.

Their playfulness persists throughout life as they enjoy interactive toys, gentle games, training sessions, and basically any activities involving their people, though their size and fragility limit rough play or activities with large dogs. They’re entertaining companions whose silly antics, expressive faces, and generally charming personalities provide daily amusement. Their adaptability to apartment or house living, with active families or sedentary seniors, in urban or rural environments makes them versatile companions adjusting their activity levels matching their owners’ lifestyles while remaining content as long as they’re with their people receiving adequate attention.

The Grooming Reality: Beautiful Coats Demand Extraordinary Commitment

Understanding Maltese grooming requirements before bringing one home is absolutely critical because their gorgeous pure white coats come with maintenance demands exceeding virtually every breed and creating significant ongoing time and financial commitments throughout their 12-15 year lifespans. Their coat consists of continuously growing hair without undercoat, creating low-shedding dogs appealing to allergy sufferers but requiring constant maintenance preventing matting. Left natural, Maltese coats grow floor-length requiring daily brushing taking 30-45 minutes using proper tools including pin brushes, slicker brushes, metal combs, and detangling sprays, working systematically through the entire coat from skin outward in small sections ensuring you reach down to the skin rather than just brushing surface layers. Skip even one day and mats begin forming behind ears, under legs, on chest, around rear end, and anywhere friction occurs, with these mats tightening into felt-like masses pulling skin painfully and creating skin infections underneath where moisture and bacteria accumulate.

Professional grooming every 4-6 weeks is essential maintaining Maltese health and appearance, with skilled groomers bathing thoroughly, completely drying, brushing out all mats or shaving them if too tight, trimming coat to desired length and style, cleaning ears, trimming nails, expressing anal glands if needed, and addressing any skin issues. Full appointments cost $60-100 per visit depending on location and coat condition with badly matted coats costing significantly more, totaling $720-1,200 annually for standard maintenance. Most pet Maltese owners choose shorter “puppy cuts” keeping entire coat trimmed to 1-2 inches reducing daily brushing to 10-15 minutes and making maintenance more manageable, though professional grooming remains necessary and even short coats mat quickly requiring vigilance.

Beyond coat care, Maltese require intensive facial maintenance as their white coats show every speck of tear staining creating rusty brown discoloration around eyes particularly visible on pristine white fur. Daily face cleaning involves wiping around eyes removing discharge, using tear stain removers specifically formulated for white dogs, trimming hair around eyes preventing irritation, and monitoring for eye problems requiring veterinary attention. Dental care is equally critical as their tiny mouths create severe overcrowding where teeth jam together allowing bacteria to flourish, resulting in periodontal disease affecting most Maltese by age 5-7 despite preventive efforts. Daily teeth brushing using dog-specific toothpaste, professional cleanings under anesthesia starting around age 2-3 continuing annually costing $500-1,200 each, and extractions of diseased teeth costing $50-150 per tooth become necessary for most dogs throughout their lives.

The total time commitment for grooming includes 10-45 minutes daily depending on coat length, professional grooming every 4-6 weeks, dental care adding 5-10 minutes daily, weekly ear and nail maintenance, and constant attention to their faces preventing staining and monitoring for problems. Financial costs exceed $1,500-2,500 annually when combining professional grooming fees, home maintenance supplies, dental cleanings, and various grooming-related expenses, creating substantial ongoing investment throughout Maltese lifespans.

Health Issues, Training, Daily Care, and Costs

Portosystemic shunt (liver shunt) affects 2-5% of Maltese where abnormal blood vessels allow blood to bypass the liver preventing toxin removal, causing stunted growth, neurological symptoms including seizures, poor appetite, increased thirst, vomiting, and without treatment death by age 2-3. Treatment requires $3,000-7,000 surgical correction or medical management providing inferior outcomes. Luxating patellas affect 15-20% causing intermittent lameness requiring surgery costing $1,500-3,000 per leg in severe cases. Progressive retinal atrophy causes hereditary blindness. Hypoglycemia threatens tiny Maltese especially those under 4 pounds where blood sugar drops dangerously low causing seizures or death. Collapsed trachea causes honking cough and breathing difficulties. Dental disease is nearly universal. White Dog Shaker Syndrome causes tremors requiring medication. Various other conditions require ongoing care.

Training using positive reinforcement works best with this sensitive breed who shuts down with harsh corrections. House training proves extremely challenging taking 6-12 months or longer with many never achieving full reliability requiring crate training, frequent breaks, enzymatic cleaners, and acceptance that accidents may continue. Socialization during the critical 8-16 week period is essential preventing fear and aggression. Daily care involves feeding 1/4 to 1/2 cup high-quality food split into 2-3 meals, extensive grooming maintenance, exercise through 20-30 minutes daily gentle walks and play, and constant companionship as they suffer from severe separation anxiety when isolated extensively.

Purchase prices from reputable breeders providing health testing average $1,500-3,500 in USA, £1,200-3,000 in UK, €1,500-3,500 in Germany. Rescue adoption costs $300-600 (USA), £200-400 (UK), €250-500 (Germany). Annual costs average $2,500-4,500 including food, routine veterinary care, professional grooming ($720-1,200), preventive medications, pet insurance essential, dental care, and supplies. Major health expenses for liver shunt surgery, orthopedic surgeries, or other interventions add substantially in years when problems occur, pushing lifetime costs to $25,000-50,000+ over 12-15 years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are Maltese good for first-time owners?
A: Maybe with realistic expectations about grooming demands, health challenges, training difficulties, and costs. Their size seems manageable but intensive grooming, stubbornness, potential aggression, and separation anxiety challenge inexperienced owners.

Q: Do Maltese shed?
A: Minimally due to lack of undercoat, making them better for allergy sufferers, but their coats require constant maintenance preventing matting which is far more time-consuming than managing shedding.

Q: Are Maltese easy to train?
A: No, their stubbornness makes training challenging. House training is particularly difficult taking 6-12 months or longer with many never fully reliable.

Q: How long do Maltese live?
A: 12-15 years average with some reaching 16-18 years, making them among the longer-lived breeds.

Q: Are Maltese good with kids?
A: Not recommended for families with children under 10 due to extreme fragility making injury likely from rough handling. Older children who understand gentle interactions can coexist with well-socialized Maltese under supervision.

Q: Why do Maltese bark so much?
A: They’re alert watchdogs who bark at everything. Training reduces but doesn’t eliminate barking given their territorial instincts and environmental sensitivity.

Q: Can Maltese be left alone?
A: Poorly. They develop severe separation anxiety and suffer when regularly left 8-10 hours. They’re unsuitable for full-time workers rarely home.

Q: Are Maltese hypoallergenic?
A: No dog is truly hypoallergenic, but Maltese shed minimally making them better for some allergy sufferers. However, people react to dander and saliva, not just hair.

Q: How much grooming do Maltese really need?
A: Daily brushing 10-45 minutes depending on coat length, professional grooming every 4-6 weeks ($720-1,200 annually), plus facial cleaning, dental care, and ear maintenance. This is genuinely high-maintenance.

Q: Why do Maltese have tear stains?
A: Their prominent eyes produce excess tears that oxidize creating rusty brown staining particularly visible on white coats. Daily cleaning, special diets, and tear stain removers help manage but rarely eliminate completely.

Maltese suit experienced small dog owners, those prepared for intensive grooming commitments, individuals home frequently providing companionship, and people wanting devoted lap dogs. They’re NOT suitable for families with young children, busy people rarely home, those wanting easily trained dogs, anyone unprepared for $25,000-50,000+ lifetime costs, or people seeking low-maintenance pets. For owners meeting their needs, Maltese provide 12-15 years of devoted companionship, elegant beauty, entertaining personalities, and ancient royal heritage making every grooming session worthwhile. 🐕👑💕