If you ever see a little, cute, cuddling dog with curly hairs it’s a Maltipoo. This breed is the cross of two small sized breeds Maltese and toy or miniature Poodle. Bringing a crossbreed to your home is like having a surprise gift. You will never know what’s inside.
It is said that cross breeds get the best qualities from their parent but this law is not applicable always as you can’t predict about a new gene. The nature of affection and love is in their inheritance. The quality of looking forever young, even in their elder ages have made Maltipoos more popular in past few years.
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If you are thinking to get a Maltipoo at home, it will be a great choice because they are fun loving, active and charming dogs. They love having dog games, walks and playing in the garden. They are a perfect fit for your apartment and house whether you live alone or with kids in a family.
Origin and history of Maltese Poodle mix
Breeders have been crossing various genes to get specific qualities of color, size, and temperament for many years. This is the way many breeds like an Australian shepherd, black Russian terrier were originated. Breed of maltipoos got popularity in the last 20 – 30 years when people started looking for a dog with specific qualities other than poodles.
Maltipoos with a charming personality and fluffy coat had enjoyed the company of many celebrities and brands. It has been recognized as an official country dog of France. With their unique characteristics of love and loyalty, they always won hearts of many.
Personality and temperament of Maltipoo:
This is a fun loving and intelligent dog which shows affection, love, and obedience to its owner. It gets attached with everyone as soon as it meets someone. This dog loves to be around its owner and will chase you wherever you go in-house. They are active and sharp naturally and will alert you about something unusual.
The temperament of Poodle Maltese mix depends on the behavior of its parents as well as surroundings. Both of its parents MALTESE and POODLE are fun loving, friendly and active so, these characteristics are inherited in its nature.
Maltipoo enjoys playing with toys and having walks along with the owner. If you train him about what to do and what not he will learn it quickly and will entertain you with its playful tricks. This dog gets so much attached to its owner that it may suffer separation anxiety if left alone. It may get depressed and can harm himself by scratching its coat and chewing skin.
No doubt this dog will make you alert about something, but its habit of consistently barking can irritate you or can create a problem for your neighbors. To avoid this problem u have to train your dog accordingly. Start training him the day you bring him home. You can take him to puppy training classes or simply socialize him with friends and family members.
The physical appearance of Maltipoo:
The physical features of this crossbreed may vary according to what they get from their parents. There is no specific standard for Maltipoo. Some common characteristics they share are soft and fluffy coat which grows in curls or waves. They are available in white, cream, silver, grey and brown color. They have small round eyes and small ears. The average weight of Maltipoo lies between 3 to 9 kg’s and these dogs measure 20 -30 cm tall to the point of shoulder.
Taking care of Maltese Poodle mix:
As we know that Maltipoo is a cross breed and health and behavior are inherited in it from both of parents. Many crossbreeds share some health issues and need training to live in human families. Proper care of health, skin, and exercise is a must thing to do.
Diet:
This small dog loves to run and play as a result its metabolism works fast. So, this factor of speedy metabolism should be considered while setting diet scheduled of Maltipoo. These dogs tend to have 30 to 40 more calories than their weight. Give them high quality, clean and protein full food. Provide them a bowl of meal two or three times a day.
Exercise:
This dog is a pack full of energy and wants you to play with him. His parents are not fond of long walks so a 30 minutes’ walk in the morning and evening will be more than enough. This little creature loves to play with toys and balls and will happily spend hours playing with balls. This can be a good exercise for it. Daily walks and playful activities will help to keep it away from the boredom that can lead a Maltipoo to self-injury.
Training:
As we discussed above, Maltese Poodle mix has an annoying habit of barking that may disrupt the daily working of your family or neighbors. It can harm itself in case it gets boring or feels ignored. To prevent or lessen these habits training is required. It is better to train this dog the day you bring him home. Do not wait to grow it up for training because these dogs learn more and quickly at their puppy ages. Train them about how to socialize with others, when to bark and when to not and most importantly about its cleanliness.
Grooming:
The basic part of Maltipoo’s grooming is maintaining growth and cleanliness of its coat. It depends on the fluffiness of the coat. However, almost all Maltipoo have curly hair so regular brushing is needed. For proper growth, cutting and grooming you may hire services of professionals or can learn yourself about how to use clippers. Irresponsibility about coat grooming may lead to skin infections.
Other than the coat, trimming of nails, brushing teeth and keeping its ear dry and clean, is a must thing to do.
Health issues of Maltipoo
All dogs, whether they are mix breed or crossbreed get some health problems from their ancestors. Just like human beings inherit the diseases. If a breeder is not providing any guarantee about the good health of Maltipoo or claims that he never witnessed any illness in this breed it is better to look for another reputed breeder.
Maltipoo may inherit health diseases from both of its parents MALTESE and POODLE. In some cases, it is possible that cross breed nature help to diminish the chance of illness. However, it is better to find about health issues present in parents of Maltese Poodle mix that are more likely to adopted by him. Some common health issues found in this breed are:
- Cryptorchidism
- Epilepsy
- Hypoglycemia
- Pancreatitis:
- Patellar luxation
- Sebaceous adenitis
- White shaker syndrome
Finding a Maltipoo puppy
Whether you thinking about getting a Maltipoo from a breeder or from a shelter home few are some tips:
Find a good reputed breeder who is ready to give you all answers about temperament, and habits of Maltipoo. A good breeder will provide you health certification of dog and should inform you about illness or any other problem, if it has any. Before you buy a puppy keep it in mind that whether it suits your family and lifestyle or not.
Web: there is a lot of websites providing services of online delivery of dogs. But always consider a registered and valued website, because once you made payment there will be no option of recourse.
Local experts: you may contact some local person dealing in dogs or who can arrange a dog for you.
Rescue groups: these people or organizations often have a lot of trained and well-groomed Maltipoo. It is better to contact them to get a good puppy.
Before buying a Maltipoo make certain things clear, that will ultimately help you in grooming, training and diet routine of your dog.
- What is the age of a dog?
- What he likes and what not?
- Has he ever hurt or bite someone?
- Any health issue.
Frequently asked questions:
- How much should I pay for Maltipoo?
- Are Maltipoo hyper?
- Is a Maltese Poodle mix good house dog?
- Does Maltipoo have a health problem?
Picture credits: pixabay.com,
