# How old was your maltese when you got him/her?



## passionfruit23 (Jun 23, 2012)

And what are the advantages of buying a malt at 12 weeks versus say 7 months to a year old? I am a first time puppy owner and looking for a maltese. I have always thought I wanted one around 12 weeks of age but a 7 month old sounds good too because it's already housebroken and you can see what the personality is like more. Opinions?


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

passionfruit23 said:


> And what are the advantages of buying a malt at 12 weeks versus say 7 months to a year old? I am a first time puppy owner and looking for a maltese. I have always thought I wanted one around 12 weeks of age but a 7 month old sounds good too because it's already housebroken and you can see what the personality is like more. Opinions?


7 months already housebroken ? Lol. Don't kid yourself. Each time a dog goes to a new environment there is an adaptation time. I got mine at 1 year old. Yes he was housebroken at the house he used to live. But he wasn't anymore at MY house. I think they go through stage. There is the puppy stage and then there is the teenage stage. I thought getting a 1 year old will be easier than getting a puppy but really it is not. There is not much difference. Personality wise, maybe yes you can see it more but I am not sure. Personality will really come out the day the dog feels at home at your house. And how much you accept the silly things he is going to try on you to test you.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

If I were to rescue my next dog, age wouldn't matter. If I were to purchase from a show breeder, I would insist on a 12 week old. But that's just based on my experience. I know lots of people who have gotten wonderful "teenage" pups.


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

Let's see, Tanner was 7 weeks, yes SEVEN weeks old, but I got him from a BYB, grrr! Frankie was 1, Jamie was 3, & Kelsey was 2. I think that's right. For what it's worth, all 3 of them are as close and bonded to me as Tanner.


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

Mine was 10 months old, from a rescue. He came vetted, neutered, crate trained, and leash trained (not house broken though). My kids are young though, and I did NOT want a puppy, even if I got from a show breeder. I felt like I had just been there done that!! But puppies are adorable! Lots of work but adorable! I wouldn't worry about bonding, they'll bond to you just fine no matter what age you get them. Do you work full time? Are you home a lot? Might be a couple of things to consider when making your decision.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

To me there is no greater joy than having a puppy. Well, having a baby is pretty sweet too, but I only got to do that once. I have had several puppies and I don't even think about it being hard, because in my mind there just isn't anything better than a fluffy, sweet smelling little tiny idiot. If you aren't head over heals in love with puppies, then you might find one you love who is older...maybe one the breeder was holding as show potential.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

All three of mine were 9 weeks old. They came from BYB( I didn't know any better) I've had several puppies, and I just put my life on "hold" for about a year, until training and puppy stage was done! Wait a minute... I think they're still in the puppy stage! I've only had puppies, so I don't know how different it would be to begin with an older pup.


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## MaxnMinnie (Aug 5, 2010)

passionfruit23 said:


> And what are the advantages of buying a malt at 12 weeks versus say 7 months to a year old? I am a first time puppy owner and looking for a maltese.  I have always thought I wanted one around 12 weeks of age but a 7 month old sounds good too because it's already housebroken and you can see what the personality is like more. Opinions?



Minnie was either 10 old when I got her (BYB). Raising a puppy was a great experience. I gained a lot of knoweledge and she brought joy to each and every day (still does). It was also *very hard and time consuming.* If you have that time, than definitely go for it.

I got Max when he was 2 years old. He was a rehome. I had to train him to be house broken but it did not take as long as training Minnie. I also think I became very lucky with Max, he is very well behaved and absolutely sweet.

I have bonded with them both. Raising a puppy is a roller coaster ride but also getting an older aged dog is great


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

My Zoe was 5 1/2 months old. She was originally bought by someone who wanted to use her to breed but said she was too small for a maltese to breed. I don't really know if that was the reason but I had just lost a little girl and was ready to love another one....so I jumped in to buy her and have her shipped to me since she had her living in a cage for several months.....I was devastated. Now that I know better I would not do that again but so happy I have my little girl. I feel as if I saved her a lifetime of misery.

I had to train her for everything....but she did very well....pee pee pad trained in a week. She is a very precoious girl. :heart:


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## lmillette (Apr 23, 2012)

Welcome to SM!! This is great site filled with such wonderful information. I don't really have any advice because Opey was my first dog and he was 10 weeks old. Loco was my husbands dog and she was just a few months old when we met. I believe there are few members who just got teenage pups so maybe they will chime in. But I wanted to welcome you.


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## maltese#1fan (Feb 20, 2012)

Bella was 12 weeks old when we got her. In my opinion, the only bad thing about getting a puppy is the teething. Until the baby teeth fall out, watch out. Those little teeth are sharp and they hurt. But I do think all the good things about having a puppy outweighs that.


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## Kaiser (May 10, 2012)

Based on my experience, a pup that is 8-12 weeks old is a little harder when it comes to potty and bite inhibition training (But they are soooo adorable at that age). 

I got Kaiser at 8 weeks old (he's a Siberian Husky) and I can't tell you how many cuts/scrapes I got because he was very mouthy. Being so young and away from his littermates/mom, it was up to me to teach him that biting hard is a no-no...which took awhile because he's very playful and mischievous. I also needed to take him for potty breaks at least twice in the middle of the night. Same with Casper, who I got at 12 weeks old. Finally, I just recently got my little princess, Casey, at 19 weeks old and I have to say that those 7 weeks more than she stayed with her mom/siblings seems to be a good thing because her bite inhibition is great. Whenever she would 'play bite', she's always very gentle and never bites hard enough to hurt. Sometimes she would even lick where she bit as if to say "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you". She can also sleep through the night and her potty training is going much faster/better than the previous two.


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

Welcome to SM!

There was a recent thread on this topic: 
here is the link: http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/50-...arding-older-pup-mella-malta.html#post2031331

I will copy an edited version of my response since it's a bit long:


I adopted my Obi at the "teenage" stage. Obi (now 14 months) was 9 months when we adopted him from his breeder, Stacy (bellaratamaltese). Obi was very well-socialized by Stacy and Marina and is wonderful/playful with other dogs because he was raised with other dogs around. He has been very trainable with many things and house-breaking to our home was SO much easier compared to a young 12 wk old pup since he was older and already pad-trained. The bladder capacity is naturally larger but you still have to be consistent with training as dogs do not generalize (ie. housetrained in one home does not generalize to ALL homes). He is trained to ring bells when he needs to go out to pee outside now. A dog can learn things at any age!

In my honest opinion, getting an older teenage pup *really *depends on how the pup was taken care of by the individual breeder and the dog's individual temperament. If you can meet the dog in person, that's the best opportunity to interact before adopting. I wouldn't let cost push you towards an older puppy if that is not what your heart truly wants- if you really want a younger puppy (12 wks old), then save and wait.

Also, I think it's important to understand that maltese, in general, are a playful breed who stay "puppy-ish" their whole life and since they (generally) have a long life-span, you're not missing out on time spent with your fluff. Another advantage of an older puppy is that you already know what it will look like for the most part. However, an advantage of a younger puppy is that you can really socialize it to a very specific environment during those critical fear imprinting stages (can be a benefit for special situations, certain environments, etc...). Also, 12 wk old puppies do adapt very well into new homes and are just darn cute!

It's a very personal decision and I got very lucky/blessed with my pup :wub2: Would I say a teenage pup is for everyone? no. You have to search your own heart and look at your situation.


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