Premier Pups > Dog Breeds > Maltipoo
Maltipoo Breed Information
A cross between the loving and joyful Maltese and the clever and agile Poodle, the Maltipoo puppy is one of the most popular and sought-after designer doodle dogs in the country. Checking all the boxes for brains, looks, and personality, the Maltipoo puppy can turn any house into a happy home. This Maltese Poodle mix is affectionate, fun, easy to train, and even easier to love.
Puffy like a cloud, friendly, loving, playful, and brilliant, the Maltipoos are certainly as gorgeous in appearance as they are in personality. They have classic puppy eyes, endearing floppy ears, a cute button nose, and a soft fluffy coat.
BREED TYPE / MIX
Doodle Hybrid / Poodle crossed with a Maltese
ENERGY
Moderate
SHEDDING
Minimum
TRAINING
Responsive
TEMPERAMENT
Affectionate, Energetic, Gentle, Intelligent, Loving
ADULT WEIGHT
5-10 lbs
ADULT HEIGHT
9-12 in
LIFE SPAN
10-14 yrs
Characteristics
- The Maltipoo is also commonly known as Maltepoo, Multipoo, Maltese Poodle mix, and Teddy Bear Maltipoo. It is currently one of the most popular designer breeds in the United States.
- Patient, kind, with a calm temperament and a sweet disposition, the Maltipoo is an excellent therapy dog
- The Maltipoo is best suited for large and small families, with or without children, singles, and seniors
- Maltipoo hypoallergenic qualities. The Maltipoo sheds very little and is considered one of the best hypoallergenic dog breeds.
- These small dogs tend to not show favorites. As family-attached dogs, Maltipoos love every family member equally. They are excellent companion dogs
- Loving, outgoing, and playful, the Maltipoos make fast friends with everyone they meet – they are friendly with cats, other pets, children, and even strangers
- Maltipoo hybrid vigor. The breed's lifespan is 12 to 15+ years
- The Maltipoos are highly adaptable – whether it’s a small apartment, a big house with or without a yard, the Maltipoo is quick to adapt to any living situation
- Easy to train, groom, and love, the Maltipoo dogs are an excellent choice for first-time pet owners
- The Maltipoo size is small to toy with the rarest being Mini (Miniature Maltipoo), Toy Maltipoo, and Teacup Maltipoo
Appearance
True to their parent breeds, the Maltipoo dogs inherit the small size of both the Maltese and the Poodle. Acording to their breed standards, they stand at 9 to 12 inches tall and weigh between 5 to 10 pounds fully grown. Depending on which parent genes dominate the most, a full-grown Maltipoo can stand on either end of the scale, with the most common size being 10 inches and around 8 pounds for a Maltipoo adult. This dog can also be up to 14 inches tall when fully grown. A full-grown Teacup is on the lower end of the scale with a height of up to 8-9 inches and a weight of 5 to 7 pounds.
With a sweet puppy face, beautiful dark round expressive eyes, an adorable dark button nose, and endearing floppy ears, the Maltipoo is one of the most sought-after doodle puppies and it’s easy to see why. These dogs appear joyful and friendly, and their attitude inspires affection. Their step is bouncy and they always seem ready for a cuddle and a friendly chase.
The Maltipoo coat is hypoallergenic and low–shedding has a fluffy soft wool-like texture, varies in length from medium to long, and in appearance from slightly wavy to curly. The coat can have different colors such as cream, white, black, brown, chocolate, red, apricot, and silver, or combinations of these and other colors. Maltipoo colors are split into two categories:
Common and popular:
- Apricot
- Blue Merle
- White
- Black and white
- Brown
Rare and sought-after:
- Black
- Golden
- Chocolate
- Silver
With their cuddly puppy-like looks and happy demeanor, the Maltipoos are truly gorgeous companion pets for any lucky family. These delightful forever-young toy breed dogs also retain their puppy-like appearance well into their teen years.
Photos
Temperament
A beautiful, small breed of dog, Maltipoos have kind and loving personalities. Their nature is caring and gentle and their behavior adoring. These sweet dogs lack aggression and are cuddle-oriented pups that make the perfect companions for children, singles, seniors, and everyone in between. Thanks to their friendly nature, these puppies are very fond of social interactions, especially when they happen during their daily walks. They love being doted on by strangers and family members alike and are very enthusiastic about being involved in every family outing.
Easy to train, groom, and love, with an easy-going eager to please personality, and a sweet gentle nature, the Maltipoo is an excellent candidate for first-time pet owners as well.
The Maltipoo puppy is clever as can be and easy to train. A quick learner equipped with sharp intelligence, an eager-to-please attitude, and a curious nature meant to impress even the most experienced dog trainer. Maltipoo puppies love their training lessons and are fond of the praise that comes with a well-performed trick or command.
Patient, fun, and playful, the Maltipoos are natural-born entertainers. They are known to be fantastic with children, other pets, cats, and strangers. These dogs love to play games and very much enjoy showing off their new tricks.
The Maltipoos are loyal and kind dogs. They are charming and they make the best family dogs that are dedicated to loving and entertaining their humans.
Gentle, confident, loving, and happy, the sweet Maltipoo has the ideal temperament to be trained for therapy work.
Insights
Maltipoo vs Yorkipoo Comparison
Choosing between doodles can sometimes seem like an impossible task, as there are so many pawrfect and unique Doodle Breeds out there. At Premier Pups, two of our most adorable small Doodle Breeds are the Maltipoo and the Yorkiepoo. If your choice comes down to Maltipoo vs Yorkiepoo, here are a few things to consider that might help you with the decision.
A puppy’s love is a pure thing and, here at Premier...
Poodle Mixes 101: An Introduction To Doodles
Poodle mixes, or doodles as some endearingly call them, are crossbreeds between a purebred Poodle and another purebred dog from a different breed. To give a few examples, Goldendoodles, Cavapoos, and Poochons are all Poodles mixes. They have a Poodle parent and a parent from a different breed.
What makes Poodle mixes so special is a subject that we could talk about for hours. But to simplify things, these dogs are unique, friendly,...
Care
Grooming
Maltipoos have moderate grooming needs. Their gorgeous coats should be brushed daily or at least every other day, and they should be bathed monthly in order to keep their coats clean, healthy, soft, and tangle-free. They also require their teeth brushed, nails trimmed, and ears cleaned regularly, preferably once a month. Maltipoo puppies will benefit if their grooming sessions start as early as possible, as it will give them time to get used to the grooming tools and smooth out the transition between home grooming and professional grooming.
Exercise Needs
Maltipoos are moderately active dogs. They much prefer some quality playtime indoors as opposed to active play sessions outside. Cuddles, canine games of hide and seek, treat hunts, and puzzles are among their favorite activities. A short walk or two every day coupled with some fun indoor activities are enough to keep the Maltipoo fit and happy.
Health
The Maltipoo is generally a very healthy dog with few possible health conditions. Like most mixed breeds, these dogs are less prone to the health issues that affect their purebred parent breeds. Although they benefit from hybrid vigor and better health, there are a few common conditions Maltipoos can be prone to such as:
- Epilepsy
- Vision loss
- Cataracts
- White shaker syndrome
- Patellar luxation
- Hypoglycemia
Life Span
The Maltipoo lifespan is between 12 and 15 years. The Maltipoo life expectancy can increase to 18+ years if the dog is healthy, well taken care of, and fed high-quality dog food.
Training
Maltipoos are easy to train. They inherit the intelligence of their Poodle parent and the eagerness to please of their Maltese parent. They are attentive students and eager learners who can pick up on just about anything when it comes to training. They are quick to learn basic commands and tricks and can take on more difficult tasks in obedience, rally, and agility training. It is recommended to use positive reinforcement methods when training these adorable dogs.
Leash training and socializing Maltipoos should go smoothly as they are easy-going and open to making new friends.
Maltipoos are not overly dependent dogs and can be left alone for up to 8 hours a day. Supplying them with interactive canine toys and puzzles is a great way to ensure they don’t get bored when home alone. Maltipoos are not generally prone to separation anxiety, but it is best to start training them early and getting them used to some alone time when they are still puppies in order to avoid potentially destructive behavior.
History
During the 1990s in the United States, breeders aimed to gift the world with a sweet, playful, loyal, and brilliant little dog by crossing the agile and intelligent Miniature Poodle breed with the joyful and loving Maltese breed. The Maltese Poodle mix impressed from the get-go with an abundance of qualities inherited from both parents. And also additional qualities that develop as a result of crossbreeding like better health, a longer lifespan, and minimal shedding.
Because the Maltipoo popularity has been on a steady rise since their debut, they now come in three size variations:
- Mini
- Toy
- Teacup
Although highly popular, the Mini, Toy, and Teacup Maltipoo are very rare. Other rare variations of Maltipoo Poodle mixes are:
- Malchi Poo
- Malshi-poo
- Morkie Poo
Because the Maltipoos are very new compared to other dog breeds, they don’t have a well-documented history. To learn more about this designer dog, we can take a look back at the history of the small dog breeds that make up the new breed - the Maltese and the Poodle dog breeds.
The Maltese, a member of the canine world aristocracy, has been represented in paintings, ceramics, and literature around the world for centuries. Sweet, joyful, loving, and eager to please, the Maltese has always been highly appreciated and loved at royal courts and among noble and royal families, often being referred to as “a living piece of jewelry”. Known to be extremely friendly and sociable, the Maltese dogs pass on their outgoing nature to the Maltipoo puppy. Other traits that the Maltipoo puppies get from the Maltese parent are their forever-young looks, eagerness to please, and playfulness.
The Poodle, which now holds second place as the most intelligent dog, has been depicted in paintings and other artworks since the 13th century in both France and Germany. Highly intelligent, proud, agile, and elegant, the Poodle has been a favorite at royal courts throughout history. The Poodle is now an adored companion pet, a famous star in movies and cartoons, and a champion in dog sports. Miniature and Toy Poodles have been at the top of the popularity charts in many countries for hundreds of years. For this reason and for their many exceptional qualities, they have been selected for the creation of Doodle dogs like the Maltipoo, Cavapoo, Goldendoodle, Cockapoo, and over 40 other dog breeds.
Poodle and Malteses are two of the most popular smaller dog breeds around. Because of their size and agreeable personalities, they are often crossed with other dogs to create other amazing hybrids. Among the most popular Poodle mix and Maltese mix breeds are the Cavapoo, Goldendoodle, Havapoo, and Maltipom.
Other names the Maltipoo goes by are Maltepoo, Multipoo, Maltese Poodle mix, and Teddy Bear Maltipoo.