# Is my puppy a purebred maltese?



## Coco23

For those of you more experienced than i, my husband and I wonder if our puppy is a purebred maltese he has tan over his ears/head but the top part of his head is turning completely white or has gotten whiter as well as a faint very light tan area/spot on his back, he weighs 3.7 pounds at 11 weeks, his tail you can't tell in the picture but his tail completely rolls and falls to his back like a feather and falls to one side. Would my puppy be a purebred maltese? I read in the AKC website that although not desired the tan is permissible but he has tan very faintly on his back.

any thoughts?


----------



## jane and addison

I don't know but it sure is cute. Could be a Maltese mix like mine.


----------



## Brick's Mom

He is very cute. My dog Brick has a light beige spot on his back and light beige ears and I had his DNA tested and he is a level one maltese. (Purebred)

You could always get his DNA tested if you wanted to know for sure.


----------



## Malt Shoppe

The tan is called lemon and is normal on some Maltese. It usually fads away in time.

The tail set sounds normal for a Maltese too.....he looks like a very nice, fluffy little Maltese! Enjoy!


----------



## Coco23

Brick's Mom said:


> He is very cute. My dog Brick has a light beige spot on his back and light beige ears and I had his DNA tested and he is a level one maltese. (Purebred)
> 
> You could always get his DNA tested if you wanted to know for sure.


Thank you Brick's mom, which DNA test did you use or recommend? Your dog brick seems to have the light beige spots where my puppy has them. Thank you for the feedback!

Thanks everyone, we love him regardless we were just curious since there are so many mixes that look like our puppy we were just wondering if he was pure maltese.


----------



## Matilda's mommy

Awww he's adorable, I wish I could see his face closer, he looks Maltese to me


----------



## Sylie

MiMi had a tan streak on her back and ears when she was a puppy. I can trace MiMi's pedigree back into ten generations, and I know for sure she is not only pure bred, but well bred. Don't worry about it.


----------



## MalteseObsessed

I have one girl with faint vanilla on her ears !

You puppy sure is cute and the fur looks really straight and pretty! Sure got a cute patootie on your hands! Thanks for sharing your adorable pictures!


----------



## kilodzul

Very very cute! What a fluffball! 
Looks like Maltese to me, some puppies has lemon tan on ears. Cashmere did, though it was more light, and it got white as she aged. Then around 7 months, when she changed coat, slight tan appeared on her back, then vanished too. I've read somewhere that Maltese used to be spotted, before they started to be bred to be entirely white, and that those genes still can appear in them. One Maltese in my neighborhood has very dark lemon/beige ears that stayed, and I think it looks adorable - give dog unique look. 
His weight is the same as Cashmere's this age.
Did you get him from the breeder? What's his history?


----------



## Brick's Mom

Coco23 said:


> Thank you Brick's mom, which DNA test did you use or recommend? Your dog brick seems to have the light beige spots where my puppy has them. Thank you for the feedback!
> 
> Thanks everyone, we love him regardless we were just curious since there are so many mixes that look like our puppy we were just wondering if he was pure maltese.


I used DNA My Dog: Fast, easy and completely painless.. Really great customer service. They send you two cotton swabs to harvest DNA from your pup's cheek and after you send it back you get your results in about 10 days. The lab is located in Toronto Canada.

Cost was under $100 CDN.


----------



## Furbabies mom

My Laurel has some lemon on her ears. It's more noticeable when wet. Yours looks like a Maltese to me! A very cute one!!


----------



## educ8m

What a cute puppy! My Ella has lemon on her ears. It hasn't faded as she's aged, but it's pretty. I get compliments about her coloring all the time.


----------



## Snuggle's Mom

She sure is cute and the "lemon" color is normal in Malts. Chrissy has "lemon" on both of her ears but only noticeable when her ears are wet.


----------



## Coco23

kilodzul said:


> Very very cute! What a fluffball!
> Looks like Maltese to me, some puppies has lemon tan on ears. Cashmere did, though it was more light, and it got white as she aged. Then around 7 months, when she changed coat, slight tan appeared on her back, then vanished too. I've read somewhere that Maltese used to be spotted, before they started to be bred to be entirely white, and that those genes still can appear in them. One Maltese in my neighborhood has very dark lemon/beige ears that stayed, and I think it looks adorable - give dog unique look.
> His weight is the same as Cashmere's this age.
> Did you get him from the breeder? What's his history?


Kilodzul, I also think it looks adorable and gives him a unique look, we were just curious but he does look maltese, his hair is so straight and gorgeous its shiny and his tail curls up to his back and falls to one side and he is just so cute, we love him regardless. He was not from a breeder he was actually given to us by someone, they were moving off the island and couldn't keep him, we were more than happy to take him and give him a home, that is why we got him so small at 6 weeks, but he is doing so great and healthy, He has 3 of his puppy shots and the last one with the rabie shot should be coming up next month. 

thanks everyone for the kind comments! after taking him a bath today i did notice he looks so much whiter, the top where the lemon markings are at its getting so much lighter his forehead a little to the back is really white his ears are still pretty tan but light tan its rather cute. the spot of tan on his back is pretty light barely visible. I do feel the light beige gives him a unique look. He is just such a gorgeous dog, we had him out yesterday and we kept getting stopped by others to see him closer. never owned a maltese before and i am just in love :wub:


----------



## StevieB

He's so cute! Something about his head looks like a mix to me. But I love his lemon ears and straight fluffy coat! I was curious as to why you were asking until I read he was given to you by a friend, which tells me you weren't seeking out or purchasing a dog under the guise he was purebred. My dog is a maltese/maltese mix rescue and I have no idea what his total breed makeup is, so I understand the curiosity. I have often been tempted to do a DNA test but then I find a ton of other stuff I'd rather spend that money on. I say just enjoy the mystery and enjoy your precious pup!


----------



## Sophia&Tucker

is MY dog Tucker a full maltese???? he's only 1 year and very trim at 12 pounds........... ???


----------



## maggieh

Sophia&Tucker said:


> is MY dog Tucker a full maltese???? he's only 1 year and very trim at 12 pounds........... ???


Puppy mill or poorly bred (back yard breeders) can easily exceed the breed standard and still be pure bred. Where did you get your boy from?


----------



## LOVE_BABY

He's adorable & will be a wonderful fur child & companion no matter what his ancestry is although I do think to me he looks like a Maltese. We had the same worry when we first brought home our boy & wondered if he was 'a full Maltese'. The breeder had cut most of the hair off of the bottom of his face due to red staining {from food & tears} & it made him look funny & very un-Maltese like. Also the breeder had told us he was older than he really was so he looked different than an older dog would have & this made us question his breed. My boy had lemon on his ears & a small patch of lemon on his back when he was a puppy like yours does.

Since that time his ears have now grown out white, but the small patch on the center of his back is still very faintly lemon. He became whiter as he has gotten older. As Baby matured he grew into a beautiful looking mostly all pure white Maltese, when his fur is long he looks similar to a show dog. I'm pretty sure he is 100% and he has papers too. Just for Kicks I may one day go to Petsmart.com & buy the *Wisdom Panel Breed Identification Dog DNA Test* just to see what comes up. 

*:Sunny Smile:Here is a 'link' you might want to check it out:*

Wisdom Panel Breed Identification Dog DNA Test | Breed Specific | PetSmart

_:heart:No matter what your boy turns out to be_ {although he looks like a Maltese to me} he will be lovable!:wub::heart:


----------

