| What is a Maltese . . .  Known and admired for thousands of years, the lovely Maltese with his silky white coat has always symbolized elegance and beauty wherever they go. These little beauties are equally prized as a highly regarded showdog or a loyal, outgoing companion. While they are at home sitting gently by your side they are also playful, cherish a lively walk and can have an adorable mischievous streak. All purebred dogs come with four legs, a tail, and head with ears, eyes and nose. So how do we differentiate a Maltese from these other dogs? We use something called standard. This blueprint is a description in simple words that depict that breed characteristics of a Maltese. However, this standard can sometimes be difficult to fully understand and can sometimes take many years of study to distinguish the finer points. Breeders, judges and fanciers use the standard as a yardstick by which they measure the quality of the Maltese. It should however be remembered that the standard describes the perfect Maltese. But no such dog is ever perfect and no Maltese will posses every quality in the standard. Type refers to the combination of distinguishing characteristics that make a Maltese unique from another breed of dog.
Balance refers to the Maltese overall proportions. A well-balanced Maltese will have no glaring faults or just one outstanding feature.
Style refers to a combination of showmanship, personality and elegance. An outstanding Maltese should possess these traits.
Soundness refers to the absence of any disability that interferes with the gait or movement the Maltese.
Condition refers to the overall health and well being of the Maltese. A Maltese should be neither too fat nor too thin. His eyes should be bright and clear, his coat healthy and well groomed. The Maltese is a toy dog covered from head to foot with a mantle of long, silky, white hair. He is gentle-mannered and affectionate, eager and sprightly in action, and, despite his size, possessed of the vigor needed for the satisfactory companion. The Maltese is distinguished from all other breeds of dogs as the only dog with a long, silky white coat. The standard is very specific in specifying "silky". The coat should have the feel of a finely textured silk fabric, somewhat "cool" to the touch. The Maltese should be gentle manner, but still lively and vigorous. While they may enjoy sitting quietly by their owner's side they still love a romp and play time. There should be no suggestion of terrier-type aggressiveness. The Maltese is a devoted companion to his master but at the same time should not be shy of strangers. Of medium length and in proportion to the size of the dog. The skull is slightly rounded on top, the stop moderate. The drop ears are rather low set and heavily feathered with long hair that hangs close to the head. Eyes are set not too far apart; they are very dark and round, their black rims enhancing the gentle yet alert expression. The muzzle is of medium length, fine and tapered but not snipy. The nose is black. The teeth meet in an even, edge-to-edge bite, or in a scissors bite. The head of the Maltese is one of the most important characteristics of the breed imparting the adorable look that has attracted so many to the breed. There are two distinctive types of Maltese seen today. While the Maltese is not a true spaniel, one type of Maltese has a head that resembles these dogs. The second type is one that is more terrier-type with a longer nose, a narrower head and high-set ears. This second type is the most incorrect type of head and one that serious Maltese breeders have worked hard to eliminate from breeding programs. While lovely to look at the overall balance of the head must be kept in perspective to the standard. Many Maltese people use the term "halos" when describing a Maltese head. While the standard makes no mention of halos they are a characteristic that may enhance the overall appearance of the head. Halos are defined as the darkening of the skin around the eyes. Many times the presence of halos may be connected with good pigmentation, but there have been many outstanding specimens of the breed that do not have extensive halos. "Black points" is another term used by Maltese admires in the description on the Maltese head to describe the presence of black pigment on the eye rims, nose and toe pads. Sufficient length of neck is desirable as promoting a high carriage of the head. That the architects of the breed have singled out the neck and its high carriage is important. This neck carriage is one that gives the Maltese the elegance that distinguishes it from other breeds of dogs. It should also be noted that to have the proper high neck carriage the Maltese should possess proper layback of the shoulders and construction of the front legs.  Compact, the height from the withers to the ground equaling the length from the withers to the root of the tail. Shoulder blades are sloping, the elbows well knit and held close to the body. The back is level in topline, the ribs well sprung. The chest is fairly deep, the loins taut, strong, and just slightly tucked up underneath. The appearance of the Maltese should be of a compact or "cobby" dog. He should be square from the point of the withers (which is where the shoulder meets the back) to the base of the tail, and from the point of the withers to the ground. The ideal layback of the shoulders should be a 45-degree angle. Incorrect toplines will cause a Maltese to have a roached appearance or be high in the rear assembly. Any tendency towards being slab-sided is also incorrect. A long-haired plume carried gracefully over the back, its tip lying to the side over the quarter. The tail should be set high on the croup. A common fault with many Maltese is a low set tail which causes the dog to look longer than it should and destroys the compact appearance. A flag or gay tail is also a serious fault. Legs are fine-boned and nicely feathered. Forelegs are straight, their pastern joints well knit and devoid of appreciable bend. Hind legs are strong and moderately angulated at stifles and hicks. The feet are small and round, with toe pads black. Scraggly hairs on the feet may be trimmed to give a neater appearance. The Maltese is one of only three toy breeds to mention fine bone in the standard so it is important that this characteristic be present. The Maltese is a fine, delicate dog that originally was a "sleeve-dog" of the aristocracy. To maintain this position in the early times it was important that they retained this fineness. Any suggestion of large bones and a larger size is a serious fault. The issue of black toe pads has caused some controversy in recent years among Maltese breeders. Some have suggested that the pigmentation of these points is separately inherited and many have no relation to pigment of the other points on the head. In spite of these opinions the breed standard has not been changed and it still is a requirement that the toe pads be black. The coat is single, that is, without undercoat. It hangs long, flat, and silky over the sides of the body almost, if not quite, to the ground. The long head-hair may be tied up in a topknot or it may be left hanging.  Any suggestion of kinkiness, curliness, or wooly texture is objectionable. Color, pure white. Light tan or lemon on the ears is permissible, but not desirable. There is probably no sight more remarkable than the elegance of a Maltese floating around the ring with his floating white coat flying. This perhaps makes these lovely little dogs stand out from all others. A true "silky" coat is one that falls flat to the body. When picked up it feels much like elegant silk fabric and is "cool" to the touch. Unfortunately many Maltese seen today do not possess this silky coat, but have coats that have been made to appear silky using numerous coat preparations and grooming techniques. Maltese in the United States are typically shown with two topknots that are known has "horns" to some. The appearance of these topknots is enchanted by the use of small bows usually in a dark color.  Puppies are many times shown with a single topknot, as their headfall may not be long enough to be placed in double topknots. Maltese in Europe and Australia are generally shown as an adult with a single topknot. Many Maltese will have blackish or grayish patches on the skin of their bodies and sometimes will have tan colored coat growing from these areas. Some breeders equate these patches with good pigment, but it is just as common to see heavily pigmented dogs that are pure white. It is entirely possible that the dark patches are a throw back to the times that colored Maltese were bred in the early 1900's. Weight under 7 pounds, with 4 to 6 pounds preferred. Over-all quality is to be favored over size. The standard is very clear on the point of size. Maltese are toy dogs and the size must be maintained in this range to meet the overall balance and elegant appearance of the breed.  The Maltese moves with a jaunty, smooth, flowing gait. Viewed from the side, he gives an impression of rapid movement, size considered. In the stride, the forelegs reach straight and free from the shoulders, with elbows close. Hind legs to move in a straight line. Cowhocks or any suggestion of hind leg toeing in or out are faults. Sometimes it is difficult to assess the movement of a Maltese in full coat. However an educated eye can usually spot some of the serious faults such as dogs with limited reach and drive when they give the appearance of wasted energy in their locomotion. Other faults to look for include paddling and crabbing of the front, single tracking of the rear legs and hopping. Hopping can be suggestive of problems with the loose patella's or knee joints on the rear legs. For all his diminutive size, the Maltese seems to be without fear. His trust and affectionate responsiveness are very appealing. He is among the gentlest mannered of all little dogs, yet he is lively and playful as well as vigorous. The Maltese personality is unique among the many breeds of dogs. The temperament of the Maltese is probably one of his most outstanding characteristics. A Maltese that is shy or overly aggressive should be considered to have a serious personality defect. |
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