# Is Obedience training possible with a Maltese?



## Liberty

My German shepherd is very well trained and over the years this has really benefited her. Things like learning the down commant has helped if a car suddenly comes down the road when she is running loose have really been beneficial. I have only ever had 2 german shepherds in my life, both well trained. My little Maltese is a new experience completely. 

Now I have this tiny bouncy snowball that whizzes through the house and chases the cats and trots around happily like she is a queen terrorizing the other pets that live in the house. Yes she is cute, but my house has always been an equal place with pets. My dog doesn't chase my cats and my cats respect my dog and that is how it has always been.

Has anybody ever successfully trained a Maltese. I don't mean to do tricks, I mean successfully trained in commands like sit/down/stay/heel e.c.t? Is this possible with a Maltese?


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## k/c mom

Oh, absolutely, yes!!


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## vjw

I'm a HUGE advocate of training any dog. I've been the parent of two maltese and both have graduated from obedience training. The first one named Misty was a therapy dog almost all her life. Here's a picture of my current malt. Karli in her graduation cap.


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## angel's mom

Angel is currently in obedience class, and she's doing pretty good. Sometimes I get the impression that she is quite confused as to why all of a sudden I'm expecting the very spoiled princess to follow instructions. 

I've always been very lax with her and let her get away with far too much. Her lack of discipline wasn't a problem with me. Then, she started growling and displaying aggressive behavior with other dogs, a behavior that is not acceptable. So, I enrolled her in obedience classes mostly so that she would be more socialized. She's doing pretty good with the commands, except the down, and she's being pretty stubborn with it. 

So, yes, obedience training is possible. They are very smart fur-people. I'm amazed at how quickly Angel has learned very commands and behaviors. (Like, be pwissy & my Wynne will pick me up and tell me how pwetty I am.)


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## Liberty

Thanks for the replies. These are certainly dogs with character LOL. We have an obedience class down the road and I think I may join her as she needs to do more socialising. 


Here's trouble! Who would have thought she could chase a cat ..... butter wouldn't melt in her mouth


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## bellaratamaltese

That pic of your two babies together is adorable!

Yes, obedience is definitely possible! I took my first maltese to puppy class and she still remembered the down, sit stay come command two years later. I think the most important command is 'come' and that is one that is VERY ignored in my house.


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## jmm

Sure! They can even be trained for competitive obedience, rally, and agility. Maltese can even be trained to be service dogs of all sorts. 

The key here is that people treat them like spoiled babies instead of DOGS. Well, I'm sorry, but it is a dog and should have the same manners as a 50 lb dog. I don't want your 5 lb dog jumping on me any more than I want your 50 lb dog jumping on me. My Maltese are very well loved...but they also sit when I say sit and stay when I say stay. It keeps order in our house and makes myself and my dogs good citizens.


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## wolfieinthehouse

They can be trained (food is always the key)

They really are different in critical ways to other breeds. I really think they must have some unusual perception condition (visual) from my observation of my maltese and a couple others. My maltese is definitely different from my poodle in how they think things out.

They can definitely be taught to _Come, Down, Sit, Stay_ and in Wolfie's case _Dance!_


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## CocosMom

Maltese are absolutely trainable. In fact, I found that Coco took to training very well. She picked up commands really quickly. She knows sit, stand, stay, come, and others. It helps that she loves treats (but I use her kibble for treats since she likes it so much) and will pretty much do anything for one. 

I highly recomend going to an obedience class. It will help you learn how to best teach obedience training to your pup.


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## camfan

Ollie went to obedience classes. He knows tons of neat tricks but when it comes to the important ones like "come" or "stay" or "leave it" it's like he's deaf. Not sure why--I've used the same persistance and same treats, etc. He likes to be cute but doesn't like to be told what to do I guess, lol.


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## Moxie'smom

Yes...they are very, very smart. 

We began training Moxie as soon as we got him home. At 12 weeks old. They love to learn. You just need to be consistant and follow through. And I'm not talking about tricks either. In fact we don't do tricks..we teach him stuff that will benefit him and make him a great dog. One day I'd like Moxie to actually be a theraphy dog, so we're training him for that. They're never to young to learn. Just be careful to to put a dog in class around other dogs until they've had all their shots.


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## Ellas Proud Mommy

*Oh gosh yes! Ella's been doing her commands since she was about 4 months.
She sits, downs, head downs, rolls over, heals, comes and stays. 
Maltese are very smart from my experience.  *


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## vjw

> Yes...they are very, very smart.
> 
> We began training Moxie as soon as we got him home. At 12 weeks old. They love to learn. You just need to be consistant and follow through. And I'm not talking about tricks either. In fact we don't do tricks..we teach him stuff that will benefit him and make him a great dog. One day I'd like Moxie to actually be a theraphy dog, so we're training him for that. They're never to young to learn. Just be careful to to put a dog in class around other dogs until they've had all their shots.[/B]



Moxie'sMom, I can't find anything (not to say it's not out there - I'm still looking) recent which suggests the puppies should wait until after their last shots to begin training. In fact, I'm finding a whole lot of the opposite. Like these:


ABRI Online


Letter from Purdue


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## MandyMc65

I've always had Labs and now I have Jax! Labs are incredibly smart dogs, but I think that Jax is smarter! 

He KNOWS his commands and "tricks", but he likes to choose when he'll do them. If he doesn't want to, he won't. He definitely knows how to manipulate me to get a treat.  He knows what I am telling him and will most often do it. 

I don't really know why you would ask if it was possible... if you haven't tried, then you haven't seen how incredibly quickly they will pick up things. Jax knew almost every command within 5 minutes of being taught. They have much more of an attention span as a puppy than the lab puppies ever did and aren't as hyper so they are easier to train, imo.

Jax does obedience and agility classes. With the agility, he's only gone a few times and is better than some of the dogs that have been going for a year or more! I am also hoping to have him do the Canine Good Citizen and then become a certified therapy dog. Mostly b/c I want to be able to fly with him on my lap, but also do the therapy as well.

The key is to be consistent and have fun. I'd definitely recommend going to a class (when all shots are completed). The class is more to teach you how to train your dog than anything, and it's totally worth it!


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## Furbaby's Mommie

> Moxie'sMom, I can't find anything (not to say it's not out there - I'm still looking) recent which suggests the puppies should wait until after their last shots to begin training. In fact, I'm finding a whole lot of the opposite. Like these:
> ABRI Online
> Letter from Purdue[/B]


Thanks for posting those Joy. I wish I had seen those when Shoni was 11-12 wks. I waited until he had the three puppy series vacs, then the class didn't start until he was 20 wks.

Now Shoni is almost 9 mo. and only had a few puppy socalization classes and didn't get anything in obedience, so at this point I hope it isn't too late!


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## CloudClan

LOL, Yes it is possible. 

It isn't the same as training a GSD or a Golden. You can see that when you go to obedience classes and see how those breeds dominate the walls with all their pictures. But I enjoy doing obedience with my maltese. Cameo has been through many obedience classes and has become a certified therapy dog. Cadeau went through puppy kindergarten and will go through more obedience when I have time to take him after his conformation classes. 

I also can answer the question of is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks. My Cloud earned his CD title when he was 12 years old. He loved me and would work for me like crazy. Liver treats were also helpful. But of course he learned that in competition he had to do it just to please me (until we got out of the ring). 

[attachment=34501:Cloud2nd...CDATLsml.jpg]


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## MandyMc65

I think that Maltese don't dominate the walls with their pictures at obedience classes, simply because most people don't get a Maltese to train in obedience. I think if they were treated the same as a Golden is, then the Maltese would take over. I love Goldens and all dogs, but I think that Maltese are incredibly smart and just aren't trained as much!

Just my opinion


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## angel's mom

> index.php?act=findpost&pid=535485
> 
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> 
> 
> Moxie'sMom, I can't find anything (not to say it's not out there - I'm still looking) recent which suggests the puppies should wait until after their last shots to begin training. In fact, I'm finding a whole lot of the opposite. Like these:
> ABRI Online
> Letter from Purdue[/B]
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks for posting those Joy. I wish I had seen those when Shoni was 11-12 wks. I waited until he had the three puppy series vacs, then the class didn't start until he was 20 wks.
> 
> Now Shoni is almost 9 mo. and only had a few puppy socalization classes and didn't get anything in obedience, so at this point I hope it isn't too late!
> [/B]
Click to expand...

Dee, it isn't too late. Angel is 2 and she is catching on just fine.


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## ChocoGrace

> Sure! They can even be trained for competitive obedience, rally, and agility. Maltese can even be trained to be service dogs of all sorts.
> 
> The key here is that people treat them like spoiled babies instead of DOGS. Well, I'm sorry, but it is a dog and should have the same manners as a 50 lb dog. I don't want your 5 lb dog jumping on me any more than I want your 50 lb dog jumping on me. My Maltese are very well loved...but they also sit when I say sit and stay when I say stay. It keeps order in our house and makes myself and my dogs good citizens.[/B]



Well said! I am the queen of baby talking with my dogs but they must mind their manners, as well. :aktion033:


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## carolicious

definitely train-able!

Coby learned "sit" within in an hour the first day I tried to teach him a trick. It was amazingg, whenever I say sit he just plops his little behind down on the floor. 

Maltese is a truly clever breed in my opinion.


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## Max & Rocky

I agree with what everyone else has said here... 


We took Max and Rocky to class when they were around 6 or 8 months.

Max was pretty intimidated by all the other larger dogs and spent much of his time trying to figure out how to hide from them.

Rocky, on the other hand, wanted to meet everyone and their dogs and even the people he saw outside of the training ring and he did not seem to have time to bother with learning too many commands...


Anyway... mine were not exactly the best students...  

I do think that their attention span and ability to focus can certainly vary with age and some dogs might do better when a little older...and some might not. But I do think it is something that all can benefit from whatever their age, as long as their owners understand that some learn at different rates and at differnt times.


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## Eli's Mom

I think Maltese are extremely intelligent and need to have their energy channeled into training.
I'm definitely no expert but I think Eli, at almost 4 mos, responds to commands really well for the amount of time we've had him.

We got him a day before 11 weeks. From the time we got him, I took charge in being pack leader. 
He responded to that immediately. We have SUCH a long way to go, but he does stay, come, sit on command. He even pottys and poos most of the time on command. I don't know if that's weird but we seem to 'get' each other and I read him well. He can hold his water well though I don't usually make him more than a couple hours at a time. The longest he goes is 5 hours when I sleep. 

The two newest things I'm working on are heeling and lying down. He's starting to get the lying down part. My biggest problem is I'm home alone most of the day w no visitors except when husband comes home so his socialization is low. He wants to jump on him and I won't allow that. Husband thinks it's cute but I've finally convinced him it's an issue because company will find it a nuisance and NOT cute. Thankfully, he finally gets it and is on board.
He calls me 'wolfmother'. 
But Eli minds me, not him. 

I can't afford a trainer, but I read read read everything I can find and then take out MORE books at the library to learn. I think it's a blast and find that Eli gains from it too.
Okay, off my soapbox. 
I just think our breed is spectacular in the intelligence department and there's no reason for them not to learn! 
xo
kelly


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## newpup

any tips anyone can give? Mali's been with us for 3 days now, and she doesn't come when I ask her to. She kinda just stands wherever she wants. I'm trying treats right now. I give her a little piece and tell her to come. I slowly start backing up or moving around the room. In the end she just kept following me, even when I don't call her :bysmilie: . Well at least until she realizes that I'm not giving her a treat for that behavior. Then it's back to step one. But i'm not giving up :smmadder: ! I am determined to have her 'come' when called, and eventually sit when I ask her to. At least she stays still when it's grooming time, although my top knot needs ALOT of work


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## CloudClan

She is a baby. 3 days is a very short period of time to teach a baby anything. Just like human toddlers, you can't expect instant understanding. 

This is the time to be working, but don't make it seem like work. Make it seem like fun. Try puppy recalls. Two people she adores calling her and "throwing a happy little party" each time she comes. Also, running away is a good idea. It gets the chase instinct going and it is fun. 

Learning has to be fun at this stage. Really at any stage. Treats help, but be careful not to overdo them.


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## Max & Rocky

> any tips anyone can give? Mali's been with us for 3 days now, and she doesn't come when I ask her to. She kinda just stands wherever she wants. I'm trying treats right now. I give her a little piece and tell her to come. I slowly start backing up or moving around the room. In the end she just kept following me, even when I don't call her :bysmilie: . Well at least until she realizes that I'm not giving her a treat for that behavior. Then it's back to step one. But i'm not giving up :smmadder: ! I am determined to have her 'come' when called, and eventually sit when I ask her to. At least she stays still when it's grooming time, although my top knot needs ALOT of work [/B]


Pardon me for being a little direct here but your level of expectations needs some "adjustment". If you have had her 3 days, she has come no where close to settling in and getting used to where she is at... much less, respond to commands and her name. Don't misunderstand me. It is fine to be teaching her commands, but you need to realize that it might take many months before she learns some things. Let's face it... most Maltese less than a year have pretty exuberant personalities and that fact works against them learning things quickly at such a young age... In fact, I would go so far to say that your baby will go through a stage before 1 year where they may well understand EXACTLY what you want... but they will willfully disobey. 

Equivalent to the teenage years I guess.


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## vjw

> any tips anyone can give? Mali's been with us for 3 days now, and she doesn't come when I ask her to. She kinda just stands wherever she wants. I'm trying treats right now. I give her a little piece and tell her to come. I slowly start backing up or moving around the room. In the end she just kept following me, even when I don't call her :bysmilie: . Well at least until she realizes that I'm not giving her a treat for that behavior. Then it's back to step one. But i'm not giving up :smmadder: ! I am determined to have her 'come' when called, and eventually sit when I ask her to. At least she stays still when it's grooming time, although my top knot needs ALOT of work [/B]




Yes. I've started a new thread titled "How To Train Puppies".



Joy


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## Eli's Mom

I wouldn't underestimate them. They're a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
I only use treats in the most special times.
Eli responds so well to praise. He thrives on it.
Any training book you can get by Barbara Woodhouse is an excellent guide. I also like Carol Lea Benjamin.
The one thing I don't agree on with BW is choke collars. May be others, but that one sticks out most in my mind.
I think one of the most important things you can give your puppy is eye contact.
I'll actually tell Eli to "look at me" and he will. He knows I mean business.
He's so smart. :wub: 
(I know, I do go on)

I do agree that you need to be patient and not expect miracles quickly. 
It takes time and repetition, repetition, repetition...


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## Carla

I would give her sometime to adjust to her new surroundings before embarking on training her to come and sit. It's great to do these for fun and bonding but don't expect her to learn anything just yet. Try to think of her as a newborn baby, they don't respond to their names consistently until they are around a year old, let alone come to you when called.

You may want to consider puppy classes or find a good dog training book. Training should always be done in a positive, non punitive manner. Then your little girl will want to learn.

Don't get discouraged when she doesn't respond the way you want her to. I adopted Shotzi 3 years ago when she was 7 yrs old. She was afraid of everything and everyone. She has since completed beginning, intermediate, advanced obedience classes. She's also passed her therapy dog exam and received her AKC Canine Good Citizen certification. Along the way I had to modify how I was teaching her new skill. Just as with people, dogs have their own learning style and what motivates them. Some respond better to a toy instead of a treat, some are frightened of a clicker but like a bell, etc.

Hang in there, she will learn to come when called.

Carla & Shotzi


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