# Critique My Dog Please :)



## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Hi everyone! 

I'm interested in getting into the Maltese show would and would like some opinions on a specific boy of mine. I understand the breed standard but, as a newbie, its not easy to judge your own dog. We've recently began conformation training , whether he shows or not, so that I can learn the process. I've eliminated my other 2 Maltese as not being show quality. 

This is Kingston. He's 4 months old and just over 3 lbs. He's estimated to be 4 - 4.5 lbs full grown. He has a silky coat and a very calm and sweet personality. Keep in mind, he's not stacked in any of these pictures. His back is straight when he is. We're currently working on reducing tear stains but he's still teething. The breeder trimmed his rear hair so his back side looks a little funny since his hair hasn't grown back but his legs are straight. His bite isn't fully developed yet but is even so far.

I would love HONEST feedback and critique! Thank you!


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I would just say *(I am not a breeder) that it would be wisest to socialize the pup at this age & not think about showing. He has developing to do before you can even know, and waiting to see what kind of bite & personality he will have, etc. You can read, read, read, start some elementary but more playful training, go to lots of dog shows & observe & learn. Get a mentor if you want to show---you can learn so much from someone who is in the "dog world." 
A well-socialized dog is the first order of the day!


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Hi Sandi,

Thanks for the response 

He goes to work with me every day and gets held and spoiled by about 25 people. He loves it! We also go to training classes every week so that he's around and getting used to other dogs in a ring setting. I have 3 kids and 2 other Maltese that he's around daily also. He's been getting lots of love and training. "Spoiled" is an understatement. :wub:


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Without watching his movement, putting actual hands on him, feeling his coat, etc., it will be very hard to evaluate him. I would suggest that you meet breeders (of Maltese and other small breeds) in your area and take with them about evaluating him.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

From what I've seen, having a mentor is very important. Who's his breeder? What does she say about his potential? Can she make some introductions for you?


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I agree with what everyone else says..did you buy your pup as a show dog? Ethical breeders will not sell a show prospect until at least 6 months of age to ensure bite, etc., and it would be sold with a show contract. Looking at your pics, although very cute, he does not have the look of a Maltese that my breeder friends would show..


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Thanks for the responses!

I didn't buy him as a show dog, just a pet. I recently became interested in shows and his pedigree is full of show dogs. He seems to fit the breed standard but that's all I know about it.

You mentioned that he doesn't look like a dog your friends would show. That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. By that, do you mean his face or something else? I'm trying to learn how to judge them. 

I've looked at hundreds of pictures of show dogs but they are all in full coat and older than mine. Other than having a body that meets the standard, I'm not sure what else to use to compare.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Did you not have a contract with the breeder? Usually, ethical breeders have a contract where you agree to have the pup neutered and the AKC papers will be for limited registration...meaning you cannot breed them and have papers for the offspring. Limited registration would also mean that you could not show them in conformation.

All this is with the assumption that you are in the United States. Have you been to any Maltese specialty shows?

It is a good idea to put your location in your profile. We could give you better advice if we had an idea of where you are.

But, no you can't evaluate show potential from a picture. It is a moot point anyway if you don't have your breeders approval. I'm guessing that you got the dog from someone who bred their pets, and it isn't likely the puppy will be show potential. You might think about rally or obedience.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Hi. I'm not sure I understand why the purchase agreement of the dog determines its quality. I have full rights and am able to show in confirmation. The dog has a great pedigree with a lot of Champions. The person I purchased from does not show but she has quality dogs with quality pedigrees from show lines and that is why I purchased from her. Since she does not show, she cannot supply me with show information but that wasn't a concern to me when I bought the puppy. My interests have evolved and given that he appears to meet the breed standard, has a quality pedigree, and a good ring presence and personality, I am considering his options.

I am in Texas.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

The lines include Risqué and C and M lines between his mother and fathers pedigree.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

"Hi. I'm not sure I understand why the purchase agreement of the dog determines its quality."
In general, show breeders assess a puppy and either sell it as a pet, or hold it until it is old enough to determine if it can show. That doesn't necessarily mean that all puppies sold as pets will not be show quality, but they will come with a spay/neuter contract. 

Most people enter the show world with a mentor. I think it would be helpful for you to go to shows and try to meet some breeders who can give you advice.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Okay, thank you. The show I went to recently had the major already broken and the few dogs entered didn't stay to show. I was bummed. 

Thank you!


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

It would be a great experience if you could go to Maltese Nationals in Spokane this May. Here is a link for more info. You would get to see some of the top Malts in the country, as well as some handlers and breeders. You would also be able to watch rally and obedience trials.

American Maltese Association | A National Breed and Member club of the American Kennel Club


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

And you'd get to meet fellow forum members...win/win :chili:



Sylie said:


> It would be a great experience if you could go to Maltese Nationals in Spokane this May. Here is a link for more info. You would get to see some of the top Malts in the country, as well as some handlers and breeders. You would also be able to watch rally and obedience trials.
> 
> American Maltese Association | A National Breed and Member club of the American Kennel Club


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

That's soooo far away! When are y'all coming to Texas?? :w00t:


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

You are lucky to be in Texas. There are a number of folks showing Maltese there. That is not true in many parts of the country. 

If you purchased your puppy from a show breeder they often can help introduce you to the show world, that's the typical path. 

Looking at his pictures it is hard to say if he might be show quality. His top line doesn't look level, and his rear doesn't look correct, but both of those things could be just the result of a bad stack. It's sooooo hard to pose them in a great stack and then take pictures as well. 

The other thing I notice is it looks like the hair is trimmed around his eyes. If you plan to show him do not trim that at all. The coat must be left untrimmed except for feet and minimal trimming in the rear to keep the area sanitary. 

Showing is difficult and there is so much to learn, this is why it is so important to find a good mentor. If his breeder is not available going to shows and meeting folks would help. If you go to a show and find no Maltese go find the Yorkies or the Shih Tzu handlers or Havanese people. They ought to know the local Maltese folks, and they also may be able to help. 

Don't be quick to dismiss the idea of going to the national specialty in Washington. It's a great chance to meet maltese breeders and fanciers from all over the country. It can be a great experience.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Carina has given you great advice...I just want to add that showing a Maltese may require that you travel to shows outside of your state in order to find other Maltese to compete against..it can be expensive and time-consuming..there is a lot of work involved, but it can also be fun and rewarding for the dedicated..:thumbsup:


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

CloudClan said:


> You are lucky to be in Texas. There are a number of folks showing Maltese there. That is not true in many parts of the country.
> 
> If you purchased your puppy from a show breeder they often can help introduce you to the show world, that's the typical path.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the feedback! We have just started to learn to "stand" and he isn't anywhere close to mastering it yet. You're right, taking pictures AND keeping a puppy still is virtually impossible! :smilie_tischkante: His topline is straight when he's in the right position but my only helper with the pics was a 7 year old so I wasn't going to push my luck. lol

I'm expecting puppies in 2 weeks from a lady that shows. I used her CH sire for my girl. She's been nice enough to answer questions here and there and I take him to conformation training classes every week too. I've met lots of people that show and some handlers go there but none are Maltese. There are some other toy breeds there though and the people are very friendly. I'm thinking of joining my local club as well. Even if this boy doesn't end up showing, I'm planning to buy a show potential puppy in the near future.

The two ladies that run our conformation class are judges (conformation and others) with AKC. I was able to ask one of them last night what they thought and she said, "It's still a little early to tell because he's still a little young but so far, he's looking great. And you are doing an excellent job in raising him. I'm very impressed. All Maltese should have that personality." 

If nothing else, he's teaching me a lot and I'm learning by trial and error on the grooming. He had really bad tear staining because the corners of his eyes were always getting hairs in them. I shouldn't have trimmed them but I felt sorry for him. I need to find an alternative to keeping the hair out of his eyes as it grows back.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

aprilb said:


> Carina has given you great advice...I just want to add that showing a Maltese may require that you travel to shows outside of your state in order to find other Maltese to compete against..it can be expensive and time-consuming..there is a lot of work involved, but it can also be fun and rewarding for the dedicated..:thumbsup:


Hi April,

I'm hoping to use a handler initially until I learn a little more and they are always traveling. I did look at AKC events in Texas last night and was surprised to see how many there actually are in Texas! That helps.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

CloudClan said:


> Looking at his pictures it is hard to say if he might be show quality. His top line doesn't look level, and his rear doesn't look correct, but both of those things could be just the result of a bad stack. It's sooooo hard to pose them in a great stack and then take pictures as well.


By-the-way, his rear looks like a disaster! The breeder shaved his rear and went too far over into the legs and it makes him look distorted. It's growing back a little but I think she must have shaved it down to the skin because it has a long way to go. It makes his coat look funky from behind. I wish there were a magic potion to hair growth. (Men everywhere have said the same thing lol)


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## LovelyLily (Mar 26, 2013)

Monica, Kingston is so adorable! 

Wow, I learned a lot from this thread. I found it very interesting. Never knew any of this about showing, breeder contracts, etc. 

Love this forum!


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Thank you!


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

You sound like me 10 years ago! I bought a maltese puppy and knew NOTHING about the breed or having a small dog but then i got bit by the show bug  I was also wondering how to get into showing, etc and luckily I found some great people to help me. 

I was in the same boat as you though, not knowing how to interpret the standard to evaluate my own dog so I had some help with that! I met with the owner of my dog's sire and she evaluated Lucy for me and we went from there. If you can get a video of your boy moving, that would be really helpful in evaluating him. He looks cute but Carina is right, hard to see his true outline in the pics you posted. How is his tail when he is moving? Over the back?

Is he missing eye rim pigment? That will hopefully fill in, if not! 

My kids were 7 & 8 when I got my first maltese and my daughter and I have had SO much fun showing dogs (my son never got into it). I never did show my first maltese in conformation (we had her on a pet contract so she was spayed) but my daughter showed her in junior showmanship for years. You should look into that with your kids!! We go to Florida every year for Eukanuba and Westmister (New York) so we have those trips to look forward too together!




One thing I can say - make every effort to attend the Maltese National Speciality show each year. I absolutely would not have the breeding program i have today if I didn't go and meet people! Haven't missed a speciality show in 10 years  This year it is in Spokane, Washington. You can bring your pup too, it's like one big maltese party every year! 

The biggest piece of advice I can give you right now is to NOT take your potential show dog to a groomer, any groomer (unless they happen to show maltese). As carina said, trimming is minimal.

There are some very helpful grooming and show groups on Facebook - feel free to friend me (if you are on FB)!

https://www.facebook.com/stacy.nagatani











My daughter showing our pet maltese a few years ago. In Lucy's case, she was a very show quality pet!


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Thanks for sharing your story  I'm happy to hear that you got involved that many years ago and are still going! Even better that one of your kids is in it too. My daughter wants to show calves she she gets into middle school so maybe she'll feel the same about dogs.

I would post a couple of videos that I took today if I knew how to do that on this forum with my phone. 

I sent a friend request. Thank you!!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Well, this is my advice. If you are truly interested in showing and have the breeder's blessing, I'd continue with the confirmation classes. Take the pup with you to some local dog shows and let him get used to the environment.

He will be old enough to show in puppy classes in a few months and it can be a lot of fun!! Enjoy it, it's a great experience.

This way, you can have maltese breeders/handlers evaluate your pup and you get the experience at the same time.

Hey, who knows, maybe he'll end up being a champion, and if not, maybe the time put in will give you the incentive to look for a show puppy. no dog is perfect, every one has a flaw. I showed Ava for a year or so, and then my long coat chihuahua for a while. Neither were going to amount to much in the ring, but I had a blast!!!

You don't need to have the most perfect dog to enjoy showing, but I've gotta tell you, it sure can get expensive!!!!!!! :blink::blush:


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

The A Team said:


> Well, this is my advice. If you are truly interested in showing and have the breeder's blessing, I'd continue with the confirmation classes. Take the pup with you to some local dog shows and let him get used to the environment.
> 
> He will be old enough to show in puppy classes in a few months and it can be a lot of fun!! Enjoy it, it's a great experience.
> 
> ...


Are you allowed to take a dog to a show that isn't showing? When I went to an AKC show a couple of weeks ago I noticed that it said you're not allowed to. I don't know if they are all the same or not.


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

bellaratamaltese said:


> You sound like me 10 years ago! I bought a maltese puppy and knew NOTHING about the breed or having a small dog but then i got bit by the show bug  I was also wondering how to get into showing, etc and luckily I found some great people to help me.
> 
> I was in the same boat as you though, not knowing how to interpret the standard to evaluate my own dog so I had some help with that! I met with the owner of my dog's sire and she evaluated Lucy for me and we went from there. If you can get a video of your boy moving, that would be really helpful in evaluating him. He looks cute but Carina is right, hard to see his true outline in the pics you posted. How is his tail when he is moving? Over the back?
> 
> ...


:goodpost::goodpost::goodpost:


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

Monica said:


> Are you allowed to take a dog to a show that isn't showing? When I went to an AKC show a couple of weeks ago I noticed that it said you're not allowed to. I don't know if they are all the same or not.


Most AKC shows say no pets allowed, but I've taken mine to dozens of shows. It's pretty easy when you have a Maltese. I take mine in a bag or stroller and have never been asked whether my dog is showing or not. With a Maltese, I would always keep him contained since not all show dogs are well behaved, or well supervised. Maltese look an awful like rabbits to hunting dogs.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Monica said:


> Are you allowed to take a dog to a show that isn't showing? When I went to an AKC show a couple of weeks ago I noticed that it said you're not allowed to. I don't know if they are all the same or not.


You just tell the people at the ticket counter that you have a show puppy that your are socializing, you'll be allowed in.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

Good idea! The local one I just went to was indoors but in sure it's easier to take them to outdoor shows.


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## Monica (Apr 4, 2016)

It's funny about the rabbit comment. There's a dog like that in our confirmation class. Yikes!


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