Archive for the ‘Maltese’ Category
An adult Maltese dog
The white long coated breed of dog is a small dog going in the toy group. The Maltese descended from dogs originating in the Central Mediterranean Area. The breed name and origins are generally understood to derive from the Mediterranean island of Malta; however, the name is sometimes described with reference to the Adriatic island of Mljet, or a defunct Sicilian town called Melita.
A Maltese female puppy
The characteristics of the Maltese dog include slightly rounded skulls, with a finger-wide dome and black nose that is two finger-widths long. The body of the dog is really compact and the length is equal to the height. The drop ears with long hair and very dark eyes, surrounded by darker skin pigmentation (called a “halo”), gives Maltese their expressive look. Their noses can fade and become pink or light brown in color without exposure to sunlight.
A male Maltese with long coat
Adult Maltese range from roughly 5 to 12 lb (2.3 to 5.4 kg), though breed standards, as a whole, call for weights between 4 and 7 lb (1.8 and 3.2 kg). There are variations depending on which standard is being used. Many, like the American Kennel Club, call for a weight that is ideally less than 7 lb with between 4 and 6 lb preferred.
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