# considering a maltese



## Mari B (Oct 29, 2007)

Hello,
I've been visiting, reading and researching on this forum for a while. I live in the Minneapolis area and I've always wanted a tiny sized dog (4-5lbs) and got very close to buying a Maltese from a local breeder last year. At the last minute and after I had put down a deposit, she revealed that the pup had an open fontenelle. After conferring with my Vet, I got spooked and declined the pup and didn't care that she kept my deposit. 

Well, we recently lost our 11 yr old rescue Chinese Crested girl after having her since she was a baby taken from a puppymill. We'd been treating her with daily meds for 4-5 years for liver disease and pancreatitis. She had emergency surgery at the U of M when she became very suddenly sick and they found her full of cancer. It's a great loss. We also have two young male neutered pet Chinese Cresteds (8lbs each), one a rescue, one from an excellent breeder. Both are very sweet, affectionate, very socialized (we go to small dog playgroups all the time). 

Obviously, I love Cresteds, but healthy Cresteds are not to be found in the 4-5 lb size. I've always been really taken with Maltese. 

My husband and I are in our 40s/50s, I do not work and he is a few years from retirement. We live on a beautiful wooded lot on a small lake with a fenced yard and we also travel back and forth to Chicago where we have a condo and our dogs always come along. We have an excellent in-house dog-sitter for when we travel and can't take the dogs along.

So, to get to the point of my post, I am considering adding a little female maltese to our household sometime in the future. I will only go with a breeder who does liver testing and all the requisite parental health testing. My questions are the following:

1. Would you suggest a female in a household with two males? 
2. Can a maltese be succesfully housetrained to go outside? We have a covered/fenced outdoor "potty area" right off our mudroom in MN and in Chicago, we use a Petloo on our balcony. The balcony is brick-walled and very safe. We just open the door, they do their business and come right back in. 
3. Would it help with the housetraining that there are two boys already trained to set an example?
4. Would a female retiree be compatible with my two males? Do any reputable breeders ever have retirees that are housetrained? Or would that be really hard to find? 

Thank you for your time and assistance.


----------



## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Hi, welcome to Spoiled Maltese!!! Glad you found us. I definitely think you'd absolutely LOVE a maltese, they were originally bred as companion dogs and they are very good at it.  

I'm not so sure it matters if you get a male or female, the personality of the individual dog might be more important. Although it seems in a lot of cases the females are more sassy and the males more calm - but that's not even always the case.

Of course, a malt can learn to potty where ever you teach him/her to go. I have one that uses the pee pee pads AND goes outside. And one who mostly uses outside but will use the pads occassionally. And one who will only go outside.

Having other boys will teach another male to lift his leg, but I'm sure a girl would smell the other dog's pee and go where you want her to also.

Housetrained retirees? I don't really know about that, but I think I (personally) would stick with a girl in that case. I know boys who hadn't been neutered are prone to lift their leg anywhere and mark their territory. ....that would be my luck anyway :bysmilie: 

Good luck with your search!


----------



## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

IN answer to #4, all my dogs have done well when they follow the leader. The only problem, if you can call it that, my female YPoo was trained by male dogs, and to this day she squats AND raises her leg.


----------



## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

IN answer to #3, all my dogs have done well when they follow the leader. The only problem, if you can call it that, my female YPoo was trained by male dogs, and to this day she squats AND raises her leg.


----------



## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

QUOTE (Tanner's Mom @ Nov 9 2008, 05:56 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=667313


> IN answer to #4, all my dogs have done well when they follow the leader. The only problem, if you can call it that, my female YPoo was trained by male dogs, and to this day she squats AND raises her leg.[/B]



So does my neighbors Pom it's the funniest thing seeing her lift her leg when Cody her bf still squats.


----------



## MistysMom (Aug 19, 2008)

Since you have 2 males, I'd go with a female. You won't be sorry if you get a good one. They are great little dogs. As for the house training.....you won't care where she goes once she's wormed her way into your heart.


----------



## coco (Sep 20, 2006)

I tried pee pads with Coco, and she used them when she was younger. Once she got the outside thing going, she gave them up and would only go outside. If I get another, I'll try the pads again. It's so much easier when you travel with them. Last month, we were in San Francisco and had Coco with us. Have you ever tried to find grass in downtown SF? OMGosh. We had to walk her about 3 blocks to Union Square to find grass. Never mind that when you have them in an airport, it would be much easier to just put a pad on the floor for them. I was so excited, because Coco really trained herself. She really never had an accident in the house, but I so wish she'd chosen the pads rather than the grass. 

Whatever you do, I sure hope you have a great experience. You were very smart to give up the other pup. I can't believe she didn't give your deposit back, however. Good luck! <I'd get a female. We had a male, and even though he was neutered early, he still marked on occasion>


----------



## Mari B (Oct 29, 2007)

Both my boys were neutered at 5-6 months of age and neither has every marked in the house. In fact, they mostly squat when they pee outside. 
I was thinking a female just due to the fact that I have two males. I thought maybe a female would be a better balance. 

Thanks for your input


----------



## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

My Hannah is a retiree. She & Boo get along fine. She isn't interested in playing with him, but they do hang out together & are great buddies. Hannah was already pottypad trained, but I had to work with her to reinforce it. She had lots of accidents in the beginning, but now is 99%. I had no luck in retraining her to go potty outside. She knows Boo goes potty outside, but she could care less.  She's been wonderful though, I love her to pieces. I'd adopt another retiree in a heartbeat.


----------



## 08chrissy08 (Sep 19, 2008)

Welcome to SM!

I have a little boy and girl and they get along very well. It really depends on the temperaments of the dogs involved. I think it's more important to find a good temperament match then a specific gender. If you have your heart set on a little girl, I have no doubt you could find one that would get along well with your current babies. 

To answer the potty training question, yes absolutely. A Maltese can be trained to go only outside very successfully. Both of my two do. I got Jazz first and he has been a cake walk with potty training. He got the idea right from the start and as long as he is taken out regularly (he's still a puppy and hasn't quite figured out how to let me know when he needs out) he doesn't have accidents. He hasn't pooped or peed indoors in quite some time.

And yes, having two already well potty trained pups can definitely help with potty training a new baby. Jazz has done most the work potty training little Pixie. She has only had accidents in the house due to diarrhea caused by giardia. Since that has cleared up, she hasn't gone a single time in the house. By watching Jazz and smelling the area outside, she immediately imprinted that as being the potty area. 

A female retiree could fit in well, but again it's totally based on their temperament. I think finding a retiree that is potty trained to go outdoors could be difficult, though that can be retrained. It is more difficult but with lots of patience, supervision, and proper feedback it can definitely be done.

I hope that helps!


----------

