# potty training??



## carolina24 (Mar 18, 2011)

Hi 
I might be getting a Maltese soon, but before I make a decision I want to know more about them.
I've read that they are hard to potty train... is that true?

Also, are they good with children? No children live in my house but I have little cousins that i babysit atleast 2 days a month.


Thanks


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I found Maltese to be a bit harder to potty train than my cockers. They're great w/ children ,but I would supervise them at all times with small children as they're delicate and can easily be hurt or killed when children play too rough with them or around them,and hurt them accidentally .

We've had members trip over and fall on a Maltese and kill them,it's so awful but it does happen w/ small dogs.

I have 4 Maltese,1 Cocker and a cat,they get along pretty well.

Welcome to SM,we love to see new members and piccies of fluffs....

We have a contest we all participate in a shelter challenge we vote in. Voting is easy,free and no sign ups. We vote everyday for an agreed upon shelter. This time it's Northcentral Maltese Rescue Inc. in Racine Wisconsin. If you click on the link below for the shelter challenge,you can put in "WI" for the state and "Racine" for the city... It will give 7 choices,#5 is Northcentral Maltese Rescue Inc,...hit the vote buttton,the next page will show an animal,you type in the name of the animal and hit "confirm vote".
After that,each time you go back to the page to vote ,it will generally remember which shelter you voted for towards the bottom,you click the vote button and confirm.
You can vote 12 hours apart,so if you vote at 9am,you can vote at 9pm.

Please consider voting, it's important since it means donation money for animal rescue...

If you have any questions,feel free to post them or PM me or any member.

Thanks!!!!! Welcome to SM!

Link http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/c...e_leftnav_logo

Look for the Shelter Challenge tab on the far right,click on it and look for the state and city info and fill in WI for state and Racine for city,look for Northcentral Maltese Rescue Inc. and VOTE button,confrim on next page...just that easy!


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## wolfieinthehouse (Dec 14, 2007)

Love my maltese but
as mentioned....they are tiny and kids might be too rough with them if they are not gentle by nature.
They are quite a job to groom....their hair matts if not picked and combed through daily and they need to be taken to a groomer unless you learn how to do it yourself (I haven't in four+ years yet!)
They generally tend to go up stairs but not down them if you have a house with stairs. I didn't know this and have to carry the dog down each time he has gone up....lol (a bothersome thing to have to do). It also has interferred with his housetraining. At my house, there are stairs to the back door and he will pee and poop indoors if I don't remember to take him out regularly. At my folks house, it is level and he asks to go out there!

Great dogs but different in some ways from all other breeds.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

It really depends on the individual maltese and the consistency with potty training by the owner. This is a great breed of dog who does well with well-mannered (and supervised) small children and even better with older kids. There is no definite answer because there are so many variables and no two maltese are alike. 

Welcome to SM! Hope you get your maltese baby and please make sure to share pics!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

You are smart to ask questions before getting a dog. Both of my girls were hard to potty train, but my first Malt, a boy, was fairly easy. They need daily brushing and combing, and most will need a weekly bath. You will need to supervise them around children because of their small size.


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## sadiesmom (Sep 14, 2008)

My girl (first maltese) was the easiest to house break than my previous house buddies. However, lately, she often does think she is on the pad but sometimes misses and gets the outer edge (I never let her outside). With children, still unsure but I really feel that she would bite if a little one grabbed her hair, just a natural instinct I guess but I do see some aggressiveness in her compared to my past poodles who were very mild mannered. A maltese tugs at your heart and with proper care and patience, you will have your very best friend snuggled next to you. Wouldn't change it!


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