The Maltese is an enormous, stupendous, all white toy dog. Its silky, radiant, pure white hair beckons visitors to its side. Its seductive look was particularly interesting to women that often carried them around and even took them to bed. Of course, men like philosophers and nobles also favored the Maltese. One Roman governor had portraits and poetry commissioned for his Maltese. The dog is covered with a silky mantle; some might call it a frock, of white hair that flows to the ground. The hair looks uniform from head to toe, over the whole body. The dog's energy, liveliness, and fearlessness are present throughout its life, even into old age. Aggressive dogs shouldn’t influence it because it will obtain that trait by mimicry. The Maltese does not shed its hair whatsoever. The Maltese, unsurprisingly, is a descendant of Malta, an island in Southern Europe on the Mediterranean Sea. It's an old dog, having retained its appearance for thousands of years. Supposedly, island climate has been good for it because it has a lifespan approaching 18 years in top condition. 12 to 15 years is a common lifespan marker. Males are 8 to 10 inches high at the withers, and females are 8 to 9 inches high. They can weigh anywhere from 4 to 9 pounds, fully matured, and 5-6 pounds is normal. Their furry coats are often about 9 inches long. Their white or ivory coats flow downward in a flowing, fluid, mesmerizing way. The Maltese is a companion dog, but it's no lap dog. No sir, this dog has almost as much as energy as a Jack Russell Terrier. It's vibrant, vigorous, and carries a lot of energy in its small frame. It can be a hassle to housebreak. It needs a daily walk to avoid troublesome behavior. It prefers to play and run rather than play with a toy. It does not need a lot of exercise, but a once-daily walk is necessary. Don't let it around young children because it might assume that they're puppies to roughhouse with. Toddlers are of sufficient age, but infants are a no-no. The dog is impervious to larger dogs and people, and it seems unafraid at all times. The Maltese definitely experiences discomfort in damp, cold, and hot weather. It needs a temperate climate, and it prefers to be paper-trained. Paper-training is not only more amenable to the breed, but it will avoid the unnecessary risks of going outside during wet or cold weather. This dog can also get sunburn along the spine because the hair parts in the middle there. They are prone to skin, respiratory, eye, tooth, and digestive problems. The Maltese is an excellent watchdog that will alert you to intruders or visitors. It has a prompt bark when a noise is heard in the night.

Also called Bichon Maltaise.

Common misspellings are maltease, malteases, malteese, malteeses, mahltese, mahlteses, malltese, mallteses, malltese, mallteses, malteze, maltezes, maltees, malteeses, malteez, malteezes, malteaz, malteazes, maltsee, naltese, kaltese, jaltese, msltese, mzltese, mqltese, maptese, mamtese, maktese, malrese, malgese, malyese, malteee, malteae, maltede, maltewe, maltexe, maltsees, nalteses, kalteses, jalteses, mslteses, mzlteses, mqlteses, mapteses, mamteses, makteses, malreses, malgeses, malyeses, malteees, malteaes, maltedes, maltewes, maltexes.