Maltese Dog breed. Bow Before You Greet The Majestic Maltese
Article by John Adams
Maltese Prince. Guest Of Royalty. The Maltese dog demands respect!
The Maltese breed of dog is one that is immediately distinguishable. It’s small size and long white fur give it a charming, ornamental appearance.
while aficionados of the breed point to its friendly temperament and its high intelligence as hallmarks of this type of dog.
The breed itself is ancient, and has existed in its present form or close to it for at least a thousand years. In ancient times, the Maltese has been called the Roman Ladies’ dog, the Bichon, and the comforter dog.
Although (as can be seen the name) the breed had its heyday on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean sea, the breed itself was thought to originate in from the Far East. It is supposed the dogs made their way west along with the nomadic people who originally bred them.
There is some indication the Maltese may be a descendant of the similarly all-white working and hunting dogs known as the Spitz breed of dog.
It seems that they were bred down purposefully to be useful for rodent control and then the size was maintained for aesthetic purposes.
Due to the fact that Malta was the heavy trading destination, there is a good chance that the original population of diminutive white dogs were left there as bartering goods.
“The Maltese dog has been popular with nobility and aristocracy all over Europe”
Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria in England and Josephine Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette in France were all meant to have owned one or several at different points in their life.
The Maltese’s pure white coat seems to be a result of Roman breeding practices; before the Romans, Maltese dogs used to be found in several light-colored coats. This can be seen in the fact that Maltese puppies are born with some traces of colour but lose them as they age.
Maltese dogs are known to be extremely intelligent and good with children. Despite this, it is not a good idea to have a new baby in the same house with a Maltese puppy, as the puppy will think of the baby as another puppy, and the ensuing play can be troublesome.
Maltese are extremely brave dogs and do not seem to have an appropriate level of fear or respect for larger dogs or humans.
The flipside of this somewhat dangerous trait is that they are highly sociable and are excellent dogs to keep in concert with cats. Anyone who buys a Maltese should be ready to live with a dog that has something of a mind of its own.
This breed is notoriously difficult to housetrain and sometimes will spend their entire lives using a litter box rather than going outside.
They are high energy, but enjoy enclosed spaces, making them excellent house or apartment dogs, and due to the fact that they are non shedding, are an excellent option for people with allergies.
They are also largely independent dogs, and while they do live up to their reputation as lapdogs by occasionally demanding petting, they are still quite pleased to entertain themselves.
You’ll also find that the Maltese dog is a healthy breed.
This Maltese does not suffer with health problems as bad as some breed, with only their teeth causing them problems when they get to be about 8 or 9 years old.
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By John Adams Dog breeds explained.
The Maltese dog is majestic, sometimes lazy, always proud, spoilt but completely fearless. Is that you:
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