# Introduction and a question about Maltese!



## Maltmom (Feb 6, 2006)

Hello all! It's nice to be a part of this wonderful forum of maltese lovers! My name is Elizabeth and I live in Virginia with my husband, my two kitties and the love of my life, my maltese, Clifford. No children, just our pets. We adopted Clifford when I was doing rescue and he was an owner turn in. We fostered him and fell in love. He was about two years old at the time and now he's 4. I'm getting the itch for a little girl reeeaaally bad! lol. I had NO idea how expensive Malts were! Wow! And I spend a lot of money on our pets. They get the best of vet care, they eat Innova and California Natural foods, they have a million toys and beds, so it's not like I'm a tightwad with money! lol. 

I've emailed quite a few breeders. I tell them about us and if I do say so myself, we have the perfect malt home. I'm 34 years old and I have a home based business so I'm home all day. We have a nice sized house and large fenced yard. Clifford doesn't like the yard though. He prefers to use his pee pee pads so we let him







But I have plenty of time, love and affection to shower on a puppy. The very few breeders that have emailed me back have had prices from 2k-2800 for a female pet puppy. I only want a pet and I will have her spayed. I don't even care if she's a "larger" sized malt. But gee whiz, I had planned on spending 1k on a pup but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

My questions are:

1) I came across a couple of breeders, one here in VA, who sell "Imperial" maltese. The pictures she had showed the most gorgeous dogs that looked just like malts but they had a mask of darker colored fur. They really were adorable but I have never heard of an Imperial. Anyone here know what that is?

2) when I asked about a pet quality puppy, one breeder told me that pet quality means that the maltese would be 10lbs or over and that is not what I want. She said that the bigger malts are not the same as the smaller ones. I thought pet quality just meant I did not want to show or breed. I figured it meant that maybe the dog's bite was off or it had a lot of lemon colored fur or something. I didn't think pet quality=10 pounds or more. 
Also, are bigger malts different than smaller ones as in, not as good of a personality? Clifford is pushing 10lbs and he is 100% love. 

Sorry for all the babbling. I appreciate any and all feedback. This search is much harder than I thought.


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Welcome to SM! No all "pet" Malts aren't over 10 lbs.! and No Malts who are 10 lbs. don't have different personality just because they are larger. Not if they are purebred. My Frosty who is 14 is 10 lbs. and every bit Maltese! There are so many reasons a pup gets sold as a pet. Maybe a breeder doesn't need another show dog of that sex. It could be that a female is too small to breed (usually they are over 4 lbs) a male with only 1 decended testicle, the bite wrong, wrong personality for the ring---many different composition variances like length of back, straight topline, etc., many to do with coat....like too cottony or curly. Go to the AMA website and read the Maltese Standard, or on the AKC site.

Boy this Imperial Maltese is a new one on me! There is no such thing as a purebred registered Malt with any color on them, except for a very faint lemony color on ears. Show breeders will want to keep a near perfect pup until the permanent teeth come in to check the bite(6 mo.), otherwise the pups don't go home until 12 wks. There are many threads here that have been written about how to choose a breeder, how to choose a puppy, Maltese standard, etc. I don't have time to search for them, but they should be easy to find with our "search" feature.

Happy hunting!


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## Maltmom (Feb 6, 2006)

Here is the website for the one place that sells "Imperials". I've heard of imperial shih tzus as well. You never know these days what is real and what is just a new backyard breeder term.


WWW.ROYALWOODBINEKENNELS.COM 


The pet quality dog being a dog over 10lbs didn't make much sense to me either. Funny thing is, it came from a breeder whose name has been mentioned here a few times. I'll just type it and if it's a problem, I'll delete, but it was Crystal Elegance that told me that. Here exact words were "you say you want pet quality but to me that means a dog that is 10-15lbs and to me this is too big. They become like regular dogs at this point."

But to be fair, this email came from someone else whose name I did not see on the CE website. I don't know who exactly she was or her connection to the breeder but she is the one answering the breeder's emails. 

I don't know if the internet has made finding a puppy easier or harder lol


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

[attachment=2753:attachment]

Scooby sends a smile to welcome you.

Hi







Elizabeth it's nice to meet you and I love the name Clifford, can't wait to see some pictures. I am not familiar with breeders but just wanted to welcome you and Clifford to SM


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## msmagnolia (Sep 8, 2004)

Welcome to SM. Thanks for posting the website. Imperial Maltese is a new one for me. 

My two maltese are pet quality, obtained from a small show breeder who sells the pups that don't have show potential. My girls are 19 months old and weigh a bit under 5 pounds. You should be able to find lots of info here about breeders in your general area. There seem to be quite a few people looking for pups right now.

Good luck and welcome to the site.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

I don't believe I have ever heard of Crystal Elegance but the female puppy she has available on her site is totally darling!

http://www.crystalelegancemaltese.com/puppy


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## Maltmom (Feb 6, 2006)

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies!









Crystal Elegance sent me a couple of pics of their adult dogs and pups. I have to say, they are so exquisite looking, they make poor Clifford look like a totally different breed. (we think he's not pure malt anyway and that he's one of those infamous malt/westie/bichon mixes, but shhhhh we won't tell him) But really their dogs are breathtaking! I think they are really a good, responsible breeder. I was just a bit perplexed by the comment that pet quality means a dog over 10lbs. It confused me a bit. 

I'm hoping that now that spring is coming, finding a pup will be easier. It seems like around Christmas is when everyone wants a puppy. We'll see....


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

O.K.-----I went to the Royal Woodbine website to try and figure out what they mean by "Imperial" Maltese. She explains it on the page I'll link to. She even calls that page "Designer Dog Registry"







Anybody can mix breeds and name their own so called "breed", which is what she did. But that doesn't make it a real recognized breed, so she created her own "registry". Designer Dog Registry . It looks to me like she is mixing her Japanese Chins and Maltese. They are darling looking, but they aren't Maltese.


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

"Imperial" is another one of those red flag words! You see this term often with other breeds like Shih Tzu. It means smaller than standard and is used like "tea cup". I don't know of any breeders in your area, but you could do a bit of research. If you check on the American Malt Association's website, they'll list breeders by state. That's at least a place to start. Good luck in your search, and welcome to our site!


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

Listen to SaltyMalty...


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## Carla (Aug 30, 2005)

> "Imperial" is another one of those red flag words! You see this term often with other breeds like Shih Tzu. It means smaller than standard and is used like "tea cup". I don't know of any breeders in your area, but you could do a bit of research. If you check on the American Malt Association's website, they'll list breeders by state. That's at least a place to start. Good luck in your search, and welcome to our site![/B]


Saltymalty gave you some excellent advice. I personally would not purchase a dog from someone that used the term imperial or teacup to describe a Malt.

Secondly;

















Carla & Shotzi


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## ConnieVa (May 9, 2005)

First of all let me add my welcome to you. I am also from Virginia. There are several of us Virginians here. What part of Va are you from? 

I searched well over a year for a reputable breeder. I had several tests done on him by the breeders Vet before I even saw him. Even though I was not impressed with the number of different breeds of dog, (Yorkies, Pugs and Malts) she bred he has turned out to be a handsome boy. She only had 3 Malts so that did make me feel better. I told her I wanted to see the Mother and the Father but after a long drive we got there only to only get to see the Father.

My Vet did know the breeders Vet and the two of them communicated several times.

I know of two people from my town that got unhealthy pups from what they called a "expensive" breeder with a wonderful home in which they raised their pups in. You can't always tell a book by it's cover.

I like you did not want a show dog but a healthy dog and one which fit breed standards. My little guy is 11 months old and weighs 5 lbs. I am not sure what age they stop growing. He has a silky coat and beautiful eyes.

If I can help please email me.


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## Maltmom (Feb 6, 2006)

thanks all for the kind replies!

Hi Connie! I live just outside Richmond. First I want to say that your baby is beautiful!
I'm going to send you an email because I am having a hard time finding a breeder here in VA.
I'm actually going to start a post on the "reputable" breeder topic. I love being in a forum with so many experts who love the breed as much as I do!


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## Fenway's Momma (Dec 6, 2005)

welcome!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

You might contact Susan Bates (Mystique Maltese). I don't personally know her but she is in VA.

There is no such thing as an Imperial Maltese - run if you hear it. It is a red flag for an unscrupulous breeder. 

While some dogs are pet quality because they are over-sized, most from reputable, responsible breeders are not. They are pet quality because of other minor flaw like a bite that went off, loose tail set, cow hocked in the rear, not enough neck, top line not level - all things that don't affect the dogs ability to be a great pet one bit. 

That price range is about right for a female pet from a good breeder. 

I usually recommend people go out of state if the prospects aren't promising (which in Virginia, they aren't). There are some good breeders in PA or you could pick one further away and fly.


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## Maltmom (Feb 6, 2006)

JMM Mystique was actually one of the few that replied back. They seem very nice and I was so happy to get a response from anyone, however, their girls start at 2800. I was a bit taken back by the price. I really thought only show dogs went that high. Maltese prices have skyrocketed in the past two years. I have no idea why. It used to be 1,000 would get you a nice pet quality dog from a good breeder. Now the byb ads in our local classified want 800 and up. It's crazy.


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

I of course agree with Saltymalty about running from words like teacup, imperial, or anything else added to a Maltese name. However, that website that you mentioned and I referred to in my post above , is referring to a "designer" breed she says she *created*. It's a black and white dog, mixed with I think a Japanese Chin--not a regular purebred Maltese. The other exception to running from the name Imperial is there is a Maltese kennel named "Imperial Maltese". I don't know anything about them, but they aren't saying imperial to describe their dogs except because that is their kennel name.


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## Maltmom (Feb 6, 2006)

Frosty's mom, I know who you mean. I saw the Imperial Maltese website after I saw the site of the woman who breeds imperial malts. That is when I was thoroughly confused.








I could not figure out what exactly an imperial maltese was. Someone had told me on another message board that imperial shih tzus are another word for t cup so at first I thought that is what imperial meant for a malt. But now I see that it's just that one breeder who is using that word to describe her mixed breed dogs.

On a side note, anyone ever hear of a Mi-Ki? They are adorable dogs. I came across them while breeder hunting. According to research, some people say they originated in China and are relatives of paps, pekes and maltese but other people say they originated in the US in the late 80's and are basically a mix of paps, pekes, and malts and that they are not a "real" breed kind of like an imperial malt is not a real breed.

I don't know what to think but man are they cute!
(I still want a malt though. They're better







)


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

I attended a Rare Breed dog show last year and met a lady showing Mi-Ki's. I agree they are darling. I came home and immediately started reading about them. I've forgotten most of what I read but came away thinking they are too new here in the States to trust the breeding. I'm not certain if they are an old breed or just another mix. The ones I saw were too small for me--about 2 lbs. I think the ones I read about were bigger, maybe 7 lbs. I couldn't find out much about their personality or health. If I get anything other than a Malt next time, it will probably be a Havanese. Their breed club is very active in genetic and other testing to keep them healthy.


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## brendaman (Mar 7, 2006)

This is an excerpt of something I posted this under another subject heading ("Puppies Available Now & in June/July").

I found my baby through Crystal Elegance Maltese which is a breeder (Amy Kulander) in West Virginia (a six hour drive from Washington, DC). Amy has a friend, Joy, who lives in Fairfax, VA, who will sometimes transport and hold Amy's puppies for people in the DC area. Joy does all the computer/email work for Amy. My little Shayna is just the perfect little thing . . . good temperament and sooo smart. I was lucky that Joy happened to have her available in Fairfax. If I had to do it over again, I would drive the six hours to get one of Amy's puppies. Check out my Gallery for pics and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozHCs6ID2SA for a video of Shayna.

Did you get your puppy? Under the earlier post, I found a number of breeders within an hour or 2 of the metro DC area. Most of the breeders show and know or know of each other. Amy does not show, but has had her puppies in the show . . . I was told she used to be midwife to Chrisman Maltese once upon a blue moon. In fact, when I spoke to Amy, she was quite excited as she was going to see Christopher at a nearby dog show (near her place in West Virginia, that is) . . . supposedly she had not seen him for 4 years.

Good luck!!

Shayna's Mom, 
Brenda


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## MissMelanie (Feb 13, 2006)

> Here is the website for the one place that sells "Imperials". I've heard of imperial shih tzus as well. You never know these days what is real and what is just a new backyard breeder term.
> 
> 
> WWW.ROYALWOODBINEKENNELS.COM
> ...


YIKES!!! She lets them go at SEVEN WEEKS!?!?!?!?









<div align="center"><span style="color:#0000ff">) ticks -earmites and any other kind of critter you can think of. You can bet they are free of everything when you get them to your house !! She also starts them pee peeing on paper at 4 weeks of age so they know what that is ,too. And she makes sure they are eating real good before they leave. She will let them go to their new home when they get 7 weeks old but if she has to keep them longer than that, she puts them in the "Playhouse" and they learn to use a doggie door to go outside and pee pee. And they are so smart that they learn to use that door in about a week.</span>[/B]


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