Breeds / Small
Maltipoo puppies
The Maltipoo is friendly, outgoing and gentle with children and other pets when socialised early. It is sensitive and eager to please, and is prone to nuisance barking and to separation anxiety.
The facts
- Size class Small
- A cross of Maltese and Poodle
- Adult weight 2.3 to 9.1 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 5 to 20 lb
- Adult height 20 to 36 cm
- Energy level Moderate
- Grooming High
- Typical lifespan 12 to 16 years
A cross, not a breed. The Maltipoo is a cross rather than a standardised breed, so size, coat and temperament vary and can favour either parent, and a first cross of two purebred parents is less predictable than a later generation bred back to a Poodle. Adult weight in particular depends on whether the Poodle parent was a Toy or a Miniature.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Maltipoo puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get it socialised before the vaccination course finishes. It will still need four meals a day. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming needs are high. Start daily brushing and short, positive handling sessions at eight weeks, well before the adult coat arrives, or the first professional groom will be traumatic. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Patellar luxation, graded on orthopaedic examination
- Legg Calve Perthes disease, diagnosed by hip radiographs in a young lame dog
- Periodontal disease, found at annual dental examination
- Progressive retinal atrophy and cataracts, detectable by DNA test and eye examination
- Idiopathic epilepsy, diagnosed from witnessed seizures with other causes excluded on blood work and imaging
- Portosystemic liver shunt from the Maltese side, screened with a serum bile acids test
From Maltipoo breed information at https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/maltipoo. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Maltipoo puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a Maltipoo.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 2.3 to 9.1 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other small breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.