Maltese Dog and Puppy Checks
About Maltese Dogs
If you are looking for a toy dog, get something that is completely adorable like the Maltese. This small breed of dog has silky white hair that is usually cut short by most Maltese owners.
This ancient breed is called many names such as Roman Ladies' Dog, Maltese Lion Dog, Ancient Dog of Malta and the Bichon. The Kennel Club however settled for the name Maltese for this breed.
Many people think that the Maltese is a Spitz but its history reveals a different story. There is evidence that the breed must have come from Asia and reached Europe through Central Asia. The toy dog may be related to the Tibetan Terrier but this is unconfirmed. The oldest records mentioning the dog can be found in a Greek town called Vulci where a dog much like the Maltese is portrayed as a Melitaie. According to archeologists, this record dates back to 500 BC making it a rather old breed.
These toy dogs are even mentioned in Roman and Greek literature. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first person to mention the name of the breed Melitaei Catelli. This record dates back to 370 BC. Older texts mentioning the Maltese have also been found giving a rather colorful history for the breed. In the first century, Martial a Roman poet wrote about a Maltese named and said that it is a small, white dog. The dog was owned by Publius of Malta, the Roman governor at the time the text was written. The dog's long history links it to Malta even in the writings of Abbe Jean Quintin d'Autun in the year 1536.
By the 17th century, breeders started making the breed much smaller. Later on it was bred with other small dogs such as and Poodles which resulted to 9 different types of Maltese dogs by the 19th century.
Maltese are always hungry for attention and love. They are playful, lively and very friendly. Some of these toy dogs however are not very friendly with children so adult supervision is needed when your Maltese is playing with kids. Enrolling your Maltese in training is a good idea so he or she will learn how to treat children. Socializing them with children at a young age is also recommended by experts.
The breed is easy to train but be sure to give them rewards whenever they do something right. Lots of love and attention keeps the Maltese happy so spend time with your toy dog and you will be rewarded back.