# Do you prefer Small Maltese or Large Maltese?



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

All things being equal (personality, health, conformation, beauty), if you were getting a new Malt, would you want it to be on the small side or large? Why?


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

I have both, a 3.25lb'er and a 8lb'er I love them both to pieces but like the small size the best. So light to carry, so much easier to groom. Hard to believe such an amazing creature can be in such a tiny package.


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

Around 4 - 4 1/2 lbs is my dream size.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Just to add, 4-5lbs is pretty cute and small too, I just happen to have the extremes.


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

Maureen -- I've got 4 and their weights are all over the place.

Secret is 3.7 lbs.
Breeze is 5.5 lbs.
Lacie is 6.8 lbs.
Tilly is 10.8 lbs.

As I always say about clothes -- if it doesn't fit the fluff I brought it for -- it will fit one of the others - LOL. 

Like you -- I love each of my girls, no matter the size, but for taking with me, one that is under 4 1/2 lbs is easier, imho, but I want one that isn't too delicate so I don't have to worry about them all the time.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Mine are both around 6#s Feels just right to me! I love all sizes though.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I love the breed standard. The smaller ones are too fragile and anything larger than Tessa (8 pounds and a mix) is too difficult to carry and bathe.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

I like the 7+ lb. sized babies myself. They seem like they are tad bit sturdier and can more easily play with us, my nephews, neighbors etc. All sizes (just like us humans) are fabulous though!


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## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

I always loved my malts to be around 6-7 pounds until I got Suki~at nearly 3 pounds she is so much easier in every way for me.

Fragile~she is not! She is stronger than any malt I have ever owned. She walks miles every day, plays much harder than any of the malts in my neighborhood. She reminds me of a gymnast~so flexible and her legs are as strong as a race horse...that being said I prefer smaller.


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

I wouldn't want one under 5lbs. 5-6lbs is what I like. Milo is around 6lbs and he's the perfect size to me. Not too tiny that I'd worry about his safety, but still pretty small


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

I think the 5 to 6 lb range is perfect. That said, Riley is a whopping 10 lbs. and Sissy is 6 1/2 lbs. Sissy is so much easier to carry and bathe. But I must say Riley is one handsome boy!


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

Pipper is 11 pounds and for me that's a good sturdy size because I have lots of young grandchildren. Smaller would be so adorable too. I guess I don't care what size they are as long as they have the Maltese look, personality and temperament. That's the important thing. :wub:


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## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

We wanted a larger one because of Zach, but the standard size -sure are cute. I don't like the real small ones - they look too frail.


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

I like the 5 to 6 lb range - easy enough to carry, but they don't seem as fragile as the 3 pounders.


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

My first maltese Chardy was 7 -8 lbs. I thought she was perfect size- She always seemed so small to me!! Then I got McC and Bimmer who both are about the same weight at 4 lbs. I did not request a certain size when I was researching to get a new pup. Actually, McC came available to me after someone else was not able to take her and I did.

I do agree that it is much different with a smaller dog regarding jumping on and off of furniture- McC has such short little legs that she is very skeptical about going down the stairs so we built her a ramp from our family room to our kitchen (tri-level) With that being said, she isn't more fragile in any other area. Fearless.. as all Maltese are... 

So now I do like the smaller size! I can carry the two of them around together with little effort! 

But most important to me is how healthy they are-


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## kilodzul (Oct 7, 2013)

It's always funny for me that in USA 7 lbs is already huge.  European standard is 6.6 to 8.8 lbs (3-4 kg), so anything below is tiny for me. I like this standard, it's perfect little but not fragile dog. One of the reason I got Maltese and not Yorkie is because of this size.

Cashmere weights just above 7 lbs and I like her size, I can grab her in one hand and carry her, but she also can walk and play for hours just like bigger dogs. I wouldn't mind if she was a bit bigger though.


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

We like sturdy. More to cuddle with. 

When I got Gustave, Cindy had two puppies available. One she said would be 4lbs all grown and second she predicted 6-7lb. I went with the bigger pup because 4lb just sounded too small. 

That being said I could totally see how the smaller size is more convenient. Gustave and Mieka can give me a bicep workout if I carry them for too long. I also baby sat my friend's 9.5lb Maltese and didn't think that was too big either. 

If I were to get a third dog(very hypothetically), I would go for the same size again. Our lifestyle works better with malts of that medium range.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Ava is my most portable malt at 3.8 lbs.

Abbey is my most kissable malt at 6 lbs (she is a really good size)

Archie is easiest to do cool stuff with like kayaking, biking, etc. at 10 lbs.


They all perfect in their own ways. We tend to "baby" Ava more though (because she's smaller) and she has become such a spoiled Diva!!! :w00t:

I think if I had tried it a long time ago, Abbey may have been a good show dog.


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## maltese manica (Nov 6, 2012)

I like my malts to be 4-5 pounds. But first part and partial is the health! Plus I would need it to be the size of my guys not to big not to small................!


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## justagirltv (Jun 3, 2014)

Bentley is 9lbs and he's 7months old. At first I wanted him to stay tiny, he was 4.2lbs at 13wks, but I like that he's on the bigger side I can rough around with him and he can hold his own with his Mini Poodle BFF. 

I just want him to stay a baby puppy fluff forever...


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

I like the 5.5-6.5 range...Georgie is definitely easier on my lap at 5.5...Bayleigh now feels super heavy at 7 lbs, lol!


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

I prefer malts that are within the breed standard. I do not care for the look of the super itty bitty dogs. I have my Frank who is almost 7 lbs and Emma who is 6ish and Truffles who was 5.8 forever but has recently gone to 6 even. My vet says they are all perfectly weighted and healthy! I love the look of my dogs, and their movement is gorgeous. Can't ask for more than that.


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## Ann Mother (Dec 18, 2013)

I like the standard size also. Mine is 6 lbs. I can't imagine a smaller dog.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Summergirl73 said:


> I like the 7+ lb. sized babies myself. They seem like they are tad bit sturdier and can more easily play with us, my nephews, neighbors etc. All sizes (just like us humans) are fabulous though!


I like mine in the 7 pound range a little sturdier with play... Those teenie weenies are easier to carry though.... But Rylee has to be careful, at 4.5 pounds, can't jump on or off the sofa ,I built him steps to get up on our high bed.
I wouldn't consider 7 pounds large really...


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

I like the Maltese standard and think that anywhere between 4-6 pounds is a great size. For me, other things like finding the right temperament are much more important than finding a certain size. Emma turned out to be in the lower end of the standard (she’s right around 4 pounds) and she has a really tiny frame but she is tall. I think even within the same weight, different body structures make the Malt feel more or less “sturdy” or “fragile” (to me anyways). Emma can be wild and crazy, go for long walks, go up and down stairs, get on and off furniture, and keep up with her big brother BUT she is built small and kind of skinny so she feels super fragile to me. I definitely need to be really careful with her and I do worry about her safety a lot. With that said, I do enjoy the fact that she is really easy to take out and about, and to travel with (I could carry her in a sling all day long and not even feel it, LOL) – though I can’t imagine that a 5 or 6 pound Malt would be that much harder. I think if I were looking for another Maltese, I’d be fine with one anywhere within that 4-6 range.


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## KAG (Jun 1, 2006)

Normally I would say within the standard. Since my beautiful Fallon is my sweet love polar bear, and my beautiful Darla is my midget, I really don't care. Lol. 

My girls are littermates. Darla shops at the children place and Fallon shops at Lane Bryant. I used to say my Crisse shopped at Eileen Fisher. Lol

Xoxoxo


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

Bailey&Me said:


> I like the Maltese standard and think that anywhere between 4-6 pounds is a great size. For me, other things like finding the right temperament are much more important than finding a certain size. Emma turned out to be in the lower end of the standard (she’s right around 4 pounds) and she has a really tiny frame but she is tall. I think even within the same weight, different body structures make the Malt feel more or less “sturdy” or “fragile” (to me anyways). Emma can be wild and crazy, go for long walks, go up and down stairs, get on and off furniture, and keep up with her big brother BUT she is built small and kind of skinny so she feels super fragile to me. I definitely need to be really careful with her and I do worry about her safety a lot. With that said, I do enjoy the fact that she is really easy to take out and about, and to travel with (I could carry her in a sling all day long and not even feel it, LOL) – though I can’t imagine that a 5 or 6 pound Malt would be that much harder. I think if I were looking for another Maltese, I’d be fine with one anywhere within that 4-6 range.



I realized how much easier a smaller dog would be because of Emma. Believe me, 2lbs doesn't sound like a big difference, but I'm sure carrying Emma for a 3 mile walk is a lot easier than carrying Mieka for the same distance.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

You know I totally adore MiMi, but I do wish she weren't so huge. She may be a little overweight, but she is now at nine pounds. I don't think she could fit in an airline carrier to ride in the cabin. She is too heavy to carry for any length of time. Here breeder guessed that she would weigh 6.5 pounds fully grown, and I was fine with that. She followed the charts to be six to six and a half up to a year, but she just kept growing and growing. Sometimes, I think I will get another Malt when Ru goes to heaven just so I can have a baby to take everywhere with me.

I think about five pounds would be perfect.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Jodi is 9 to 9.5 lbs and about perfect for me, not too fragile. Heavier would be too heavy since he gets carried sometimes on the last leg of walks. It would be fun to have a smaller one to fit in a snuggly.

I think any less than 7lbs would be too fragile for me to be comfortable with.


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## elly (Sep 11, 2006)

Whitney is about 4 pounds and she is much easier to carry she is also more calm and that really helps. Mercedes is 6.5 to 7 not a bad size to carry but she is so friendly and wants to meet everyone so it can be hard to hang on to her. I love her outgoing personality but sometimes enough is enough lol....


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

eiksaa said:


> I realized how much easier a smaller dog would be because of Emma. Believe me, 2lbs doesn't sound like a big difference, but I'm sure carrying Emma for a 3 mile walk is a lot easier than carrying Mieka for the same distance.


Haha yes you're probably right Aastha! I guess since my only other dog is Bailey (12 pounds) anything within that Malt standard feels a whole lot easier than him. I'm sure I would feel that 1-2 pound difference on a 3 mile walk though...if I ever took 3 mile walks, LOL.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

So far the results here are very interesting because this does not seem to be the norm in the calls I get. More often than not people want them small and it is a rare call indeed that asks for a bigger Maltese. 

I have had the range myself. My first Maltese was over standard at around 8 pounds. Having never had a dog his size before we thought he was super small. My Cameo (who was a foster dog we kept) came from a breeder deliberately trying to produce "teacups" though her specialty was teacup poodles. She was a 3 pound girl. I have to admit, it was fun to have Cameo out and about because she got so much more attention. At times I loved it, at other times it would annoy me when everyone would look at her and ignore my older bigger boy. Cameo was truly more fragile, some of that may have been her poor breeding, but it was harder to treat her medically. The doctors said dosing drugs in one so tiny was much more difficult than even doing so in a 5 pound dog, just due to the fact that so many medications were reduced down from human proportions or large dog proportions. I was specifically told by one specialist he would much prefer to deal with something 5 pounds or more when trying to figure out dosages. 

At the moment with my show dogs everyone is in the standard. I have the upper end and the lower end of the standard, and my favorite for sure is smack in the middle. I love a 5 pound or a 5.5 pound dog. Most of my girls are right in that window and it seems pretty perfect to me. :wub2:


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## Fee (Oct 26, 2013)

My boy is around 8.5 lbs and I am sooo happy because of that! I adore smaller Maltese but personally I would be worried because I take Boycie everywhere with me and he also sleeps in my bed and if he were smaller I would be terrified of crushing or hurting him. Same goes when we are outside.


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## mylittleleo (Jan 23, 2014)

My vote is biased because I think Leo's on the bigger side! When he was younger, his estimated weight at adulthood was 6lbs (mid/high-standard?), but I'm pretty sure he's around 7-8lbs by now. We're going to the vet for a check-up this month, so we'll know for sure then!

I've seen a teeny tiny Maltese in my neighborhood before (at 2-2.5 lbs?). Super little (albeit adorable...), but I think he came from a BYB  But he did seem super fragile, so I'm ultimately glad that Leo's turning out to be a bit more hardy!


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

I would like a smaller one, Matilda is almost 10lbs, I have a bad back, I can only carry her for a short, so most times she's in the stroller. 
I think 4-6lbs would be perfect. I do love the little ones:wub: but would worry more.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

KAG said:


> Normally I would say within the standard. Since my beautiful Fallon is my sweet love polar bear, and my beautiful Darla is my midget, I really don't care. Lol.
> 
> My girls are littermates. *Darla shops at the children place and Fallon shops at Lane Bryant. I used to say my Crisse shopped at Eileen Fisher.* Lol
> 
> Xoxoxo


LOL!!! Love this, Kerry. :HistericalSmiley:
I like the medium range. Tyler is around 5-5-1/4 lbs which is small enough but also quite sturdy. When I got him there was another puppy who was larger and my breeder thought Tyler would be a better "fit" for me with my small build. He was right. Just the other day I was holding him in one arm for a really long time...and my arm went to sleep afterwards. :w00t: I think that smaller would be better for carrying around, but I also think I would worry about the fragility, so I'm happy with his size.


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## Alexa (Aug 6, 2009)

Every size that's in the standard is my opinion.
When I was searching for my special puppy I've been looking for good health and specific look. For me the size was a second factor, the main thing anyway in the maltese standard.

To me my Ullana has the perfect size. She's 6 pounds but rather small and her body is delicate. I can carry her easily in a bag and I'm not a huge person, Lol. I wish I would be a big taller but all my family isn't huge in height.
Vanessa, Ullana's cousin has more a muscular body compared to her. She's a bit bigger and weighs 7 pounds. 
But she doesn't like to be carried around as she never got used to this in her earlier life. 
Therefore she enjoyes sitting in a stroller when my parents take her to other places.

When the dog is healthy I wouldn't care too much of the size as long as it's in the maltese standard.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

I prefer within the standard. I don't understand why you would want a dog larger than the standard-there are so many larger breeds that look like maltese I would think it would be easier just to change your breed preference. Their personalities are not that drastically different. If you want something larger than the breed standard you could look at a havanese instead.


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## kilodzul (Oct 7, 2013)

shellbeme said:


> I prefer within the standard. I don't understand why you would want a dog larger than the standard-there are so many larger breeds that look like maltese I would think it would be easier just to change your breed preference. Their personalities are not that drastically different. If you want something larger than the breed standard you could look at a havanese instead.


I think there's nothing wrong with wanting a Maltese, with its unique look and personality, just a bit bigger/sturdier. Following your train of thoughts, I could say, from FCI standard perspective, that I don't understand why y'all want a dog smaller than a standard.  (in the end, our standard is older and much closer to original look of Maltese)
From what I see puppies in the litter usually varies in size and built, so if someone's looking, like I was, for a dog to go for long walks, hiking and other forms of exercise - they can choose bigger puppy. If someone's looking for a dog that easier to carry and handle - they can choose smaller one. Both of them, even if one is smaller than standard, and the other bigger, are equally Maltese.
It's easy to forget but standard is not something given by God, it's human created rules, and it's not the same everywhere in the world.
So, sorry, I'll go with my 7 lbs Maltese, and will not exchange it for Havanese.


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

Well I love my 12 pounder, but I think it would be fun to have a smaller one that would fit in a bag. 6-7 lbs seems like it would be fun size, I don't think I'd want one smaller than that with our lifestyle.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

I'm reading this thread and thinking about it as I have a 6, 7.5 and 9+ one. I can't come with a decision on which size I like the most! 

Dominic, the 9lb one, wasn't supposed to be as big as he is but I love how strong he looks, he plays rough with my husband without me worrying about it but is so heavy to carry him around. He does think he's little tho and loves to sit on my shoulder. 

Benjamin, the 7.5lb, he looks gracious, strong and also handles a good playtime. Carrying him around it's easy if not for too long. 

Elena, the 6lb, she's little! She looks more like a 5lb dog and I've carried her on my fundle for over 3 hours going on the subway, walking around the city and it was easy. 

They all play great together and little Elena puts the boys to run, she handles big Dom as she's the big dog! 

So with that I don't know which size I prefer as long as they are well breed and healthy. The Maltese temperament and beauty has stole my heart.


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## miemie (Aug 22, 2014)

I choose medium only because mine is 4.8 and I love him so much. XD I don't care if he shrinks down or grows up!


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## SookiesMom (May 8, 2013)

Sookie is 7 pounds and I love her to death. I do think she would be 6.5ish but she loves to eat!!!!! Ive never had a smaller maltese so this size is perfect for me


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## SA_GC (Oct 14, 2013)

My Sugar is about 11lbs at just over a year... She turned 1 on 10 August. That's just over the 5kg mark. I love that she is a bigger girl. More to love and suits me better. I also have a little boy of 8 and although he is a gentle child and has never and would never hurt any dog - it's just better with a more sturdy dog and they can play more safely together.


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## brendaman (Mar 7, 2006)

I do like the sturdiness of a middle of the standard (about 5 lbs.). Our dearly departed Shayna was 5.5 lbs. When we first got Kayla, the breeder said she would probably be about 4 lbs max, and I worried that we would have a delicate little Malt. Now she's nearly 3 years old and weighs about 5.3 lbs, but she is quite small in stature. It's only when you carry her that you realize she is a solid little pup.


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