# Thoughts?



## Dream Brandy (Aug 20, 2017)

I was supposed to be getting a girl but sadly that did not work out she was bigger than I thought she was but I guess everything happens for a reason I found this tiny little guy. Looking for thoughts about him maybe you guys can spot something in the pictures that I'm missing because of his adorable fluffiness is blinding me. He's 13 weeks btw and both his parents are 4 pounds he's supposed to be 3.5-4 pounds full grown.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I would, personally, not be so fixated on weight as on personality & health. Small dogs sometimes have health issues or have been deprived of correct feeding by the breeder. Please read here how to choose a pup based on important issues & good breeding. Also, consider having a liver test done before purchasing. All pups should be w/the mom until a complete 12 wks. Good luck & stay tuned w/us.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

edelweiss said:


> I would, personally, not be so fixated on weight as on personality & health. Small dogs sometimes have health issues or have been deprived of correct feeding by the breeder. Please read here how to choose a pup based on important issues & good breeding. Also, consider having a liver test done before purchasing. All pups should be w/the mom until a complete 12 wks. Good luck & stay tuned w/us.


Sandi is absolutely right. Also be certain you are working with a responsible breeder who strives to meet breed standard (4 - 7 pounds and other physical and temperament characteristics) and not someone who is just trying to breed tiny dogs. The latter is more fixated on tiny size which can lead to health issues; there are several people on this forum who have had horrible experiences (finding out the "breeders" were actually not feeding the puppies to keep them tiny, etc.). What information do you have about the breeder? Has anyone on this forum had experience with him or her?

I understand you want a smaller fluff for "portability." Rather than looking for a puppy, I'd suggest talking to show breeders about older dogs who are "retirees" or who they were holding for show and now for some reason won't show them. This way you will have an adult dog who is the size you want and from a quality breeder.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Daisy is 3.8lbs at 2 years old. The last 0.2lbs were hard to gain but even then they made a big difference in her health, activity, and the quality of her hair. She had to have bilateral knee surgery at a year old for luxating patella as the natural remedies were not an option and she still has extra movement in the joint. She could not run without dislocating her knees. She also has some teeth problems because she's so small, she doesn't have enough room for all her teeth. We were told she would be 5-6 lbs but she is a Korean Maltese and they have a tendency to be smaller I think. I know that these are problems common with the breed, but I feel like the smaller the Maltese the more likely there are to be problems.


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## LexiMom (Feb 7, 2012)

I agree with everyone above - personality and health as well as lines are surely more important than than the weight of your puppy.


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## Dream Brandy (Aug 20, 2017)

Of course health is important. The reason I want a tiny dog is because it will be a travel buddy for my mom when she's on the road for work. Everyone knows it's easier to travel with tiny dogs and they're not in the way as much she can easily have him in her lap while driving or set up a little dog bed in her center consol for him to relax in. I have a 4lbs toy poodle who was the perfect size for her but sadly my poodle is a homebody and life on the road wasn't for her we got my poodle when she was 8 months old and it was a lot of work getting her used to the way we work so we only want a young puppy no older retired dogs. I barely got my mom to agree to a possibility of a male puppy she was set on a tiny female.


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

I agree with everyone else. Size shouldn't be the biggest factor when getting a puppy. You're talking a 3 lb dog vs a maybe 7 lb dog which is still a very tiny dog. Pipper weighs 10 lbs and is still a VERY small dog and there is no problem taking him places. I do have to recommend that your Mom NEVER drive with the dog on her lap. Dogs need to be seat belted in the backseat for their safety and your Mom's safety. There are many different car harnesses or car carriers available. I use a car harness that the seat belt goes through and it keeps him secure in the backseat.


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## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

Not much I can add to all the good advice already given. He is indeed an adorable little guy.


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## Dream Brandy (Aug 20, 2017)

pippersmom said:


> I agree with everyone else. Size shouldn't be the biggest factor when getting a puppy. You're talking a 3 lb dog vs a maybe 7 lb dog which is still a very tiny dog. Pipper weighs 10 lbs and is still a VERY small dog and there is no problem taking him places. I do have to recommend that your Mom NEVER drive with the dog on her lap. Dogs need to be seat belted in the backseat for their safety and your Mom's safety. There are many different car harnesses or car carriers available. I use a car harness that the seat belt goes through and it keeps him secure in the backseat.


 3-4 pounds makes a huge difference when you're carrying around a dog for long periods of time. We had a senior miniature dachshund that passed away earlier this year and she was 9 pounds and carrying her in a purse would start to hurt our shoulder we would frequently have to switch arms or trade the bag back and forth between us but we never once got tired while holding my 4 pound poodle she is light as a feather and we would forget she was there until someone would notice her sticking her head out the bag and ask to greet her. But thank you everyone for the helpful comments I'll make sure to check his mouth when I see him but as of right now it definitely seems like we're getting him and bringing him home Saturday he has the look we want, coat we want, size we want, he had a vet check up today and got another shot vet said he was healthy he weighed in at a very chubby 2 pounds so we'll have to only give him 0 calorie treats so he doesn't get too porky which can be bad for his joints. We're thinking of naming him Sebastian we wanted a musical name to match with my Melody's name.


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## summergirl1973 (Oct 24, 2016)

I'm a little concerned that that a Maltese may not be the best breed for you. Frankly I'm surprised a reputable breeder is allowing it knowing your weight needs. The reason is because of how particular you are about the weight issue. The standard is around 6 lbs. To be concerned about the weight to the point where you are already thinking about zero calorie snacks is disheartening. A chubby 2 lbs .... oh my smh. It doesn't sound like the best situation for. Malt. Sorry I wouldn't normally say anything but I just worry that a Maltese is too large for your needs. Perhaps a Pom or Chi would be a better size?


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Limiting calories as a puppy will only malnourish the dog. While you don't need to over feed him, zero calorie treats seems a bit extreme. Genetically he has a size that he is supposed to be, whether it's 4lbs like the breeder said or 6 lbs like the breed standard (or anywhere in between). Starving him won't give you a dwarf or teacup dog, it'll just get you a sick dog. It's like saying you should limit how much a baby eats so that they're easier to carry around. If you need a smaller dog then go for a smaller breed that works for you.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Sorry my response may be harsh. Just as a piece of reference, Daisy was 1.3lbs at 14 weeks and has an adult weight of just shy of 4lbs. I would just be wary of a breeder telling you that 2lbs at his age equates to 4lbs full grown and that all you have to do is limit treats. Some breeders will say anything for you to buy a dog. There are growth charts you can look up to see what the estimated adult weight is based on the puppy's age and current weight but even mine was bigger than what those estimates said.


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## Dream Brandy (Aug 20, 2017)

summergirl1973 said:


> I'm a little concerned that that a Maltese may not be the best breed for you. Frankly I'm surprised a reputable breeder is allowing it knowing your weight needs. The reason is because of how particular you are about the weight issue. The standard is around 6 lbs. To be concerned about the weight to the point where you are already thinking about zero calorie snacks is disheartening. A chubby 2 lbs .... oh my smh. It doesn't sound like the best situation for. Malt. Sorry I wouldn't normally say anything but I just worry that a Maltese is too large for your needs. Perhaps a Pom or Chi would be a better size?


 first the standard is 4-6 pounds I want a 4 pound dog 5 pounds at the MOST which is in standard. It's not like I said I want a 2 pound dog. I said he is a chubby 2 lbs because that is what her vet said he said and I quote "he is a chubby fella and that's fine for right now but when he gets older I wouldn't recommend him being overweight because it can cause problems with his joints later down the line" Second I said zero calorie treats because being overweight can affect his growing and joint health like the vet said but he's going to be going through a lot of training and that requires rewards so the only way to ensure he doesn't become overweight and unhealthy is for us to use zero calorie treats which will allow us to treat him as much as we please without causing him to be rolly Polly. I'm not with the overweight pet society who thinks because their dogs are fat they are well loved I see it as you are slowly killing your pets. You are only seeing one part of my search I've been searching and waiting for a puppy for awhile I already interviewed breeders about the health of their dogs I searched and searched I have a narrowed list of breeders who I'm comfortable with. All of them told me the same thing since I'm very particular about what I want they said size isn't guaranteed and to get on a couple of different breeder lists incase they don't have what exactly I'm looking for. 1 breeder I was thinking about getting a puppy from she ended up keeping the female I wanted which I knew there was a chance that could happen the other puppy in the litter was a boy charting to be 7-8 pounds I passed as I had other options the girl I first posted about was bigger than I expected plus the family seemed really attached to her and her to them so I went to my last option all she had were males but she had one who has everything I wanted but I wanted to wait until he was older so I could be sure and see how he grew and developed over time she agreed to hold him for me so I could decide and she did it without a deposit many would've asked me for a deposit to hold the puppy until 14 weeks. It seems he's doing great and he's the one, health wise as far as I can tell and according to her vet he's healthy, personality wise he's a complete sweetheart from what she's showed me, hair wise it's still growing straight and silky, size wise he's still charting to be what I want. Now if by some miracle he ends up 10 pounds (which I'm hoping and crossing everything I have that that doesn't happen) we're not going to rehome him or take him back to the breeder we'll still love him it won't be ideal but we'll just have to improvise and make things work. We're meeting him Saturday for the first time she's about a 9 hour drive away hopefully in person he'll be everything I'm expecting and we'll be bringing him home that day otherwise we'll be sad and disappointed making the 9 hour journey back home puppy less and starting the search all over again.


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## Dream Brandy (Aug 20, 2017)

I don't want a chi I'm not a fan of the breed at all plus there's waaay too many of them in shelters and I only buy from breeders. Pom's aren't for me. I wanted a single coated breed who's hair will grow until I cut it like a poodle but I want straight silky hair unlike the poodle so I can do creative groom styles such as Korean hairstyles for example. I want it to be white so I can dye it's coat like I do my toy poodle who loves it but is a light brown color so certain colors don't show as well as they would on a white dog. And I want a breed that is Tiny-small size. The Maltese fit what I wanted groom wise and size wise it also fit what my mom wanted personality, size, and health wise. It was a no brainier when we met a Maltese at a show that it was the perfect breed for what we wanted otherwise I would get another toy poodle.


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## Dream Brandy (Aug 20, 2017)

Just thought I would give an update. I sadly couldn't make the trip up Staurday. Had a small family emergency had to cancel the trip to visit my cousin in the hospital. Luckily my boy's breeder was understanding so this weekend I'm bringing home my boy. Still haven't quite decided on the name we liked Bailey for a little bit but now I think we're leaning towards Bossa Nova and we'll just call him Boss or Nova but we also like Frank Sinatra and the call name would be Frankie. Or maybe we'll do a fashion theme for him and name him Michael Kors and call him Korrie since we'll be carrying him around in a MK purse.


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