Overview: The Maltese breed is considered by many to be the ultimate companion dog, as it is a truly people oriented breed that thrives on the attention it receives from close family members. While the Maltese will generally form a specifically close attachment to one family member, it also tends to create strong bonds with all family members, making it an ideal dog for many situations. Small and intelligent, the Maltese has been known to steal the hearts of those who own them.

If you are considering a Maltese for your family, keep it mind that it is very small (between two and six pounds is the breed standard), and so it may not be a good idea to bring a Maltese into a home with very young children, as they could easily injure the dog by accident. Unlike some small dog breeds the Maltese is generally quite patient with children, and so older, respectful children can do quite well with a dog of this breed. As a companion dog the Maltese is not suited for people who are not home often, as dogs of this breed require a good amount of attention to be truly happy.

The Maltese breed is exceptionally long lived, and is is not uncommon for them to live fifteen years and beyond. For that reason, it’s important to be sure of your continued commitment to a Maltese before bringing them into your household, ensuring that you will be able to care for them for many years.

Exercise Requirements: While Maltese are lively little dogs, they are able to satisfy the majority of their exercise needs through indoor play sessions. Provided they receive a daily walk, Maltese can do well in a variety of living conditions, and make a good choice for individuals living in apartments and townhouses. They should be closely supervised when in rural areas, as dogs of their small stature can fall victim to attacks from birds of prey.

Shedding: The Maltese breed has a long, white coat that should be rushed daily, to prevent tangles or matting. Many Maltese owners choose to have their dogs hair clipped or professional groomed in order to keep it easy to manage. However, despite this breeds abundance of luxurious white hair, it is actually a very low shedding and so is a good choice for people prone to allergies. It’s also importance to regularly clean around the eyes of your Maltese in order to prevent tear staining from occurring.

Training: Maltese dogs are intelligent, and will quite quickly learn basic commands such as sit, down and stay. They are ideal obedience training students and are often the star of any dog obedience classes they might attend. However, like many of the toy breeds the Maltese can be challenging to house train (possible due to their smaller bladders) and will require consistent and patient training until they are able to overcome this hurdle. It may be a good idea to pad or litter train your Maltese as they are often reluctant to go outside in very cold or warm weather.

Health Concerns: The Maltese breed is overall generally healthy, provided that you purchase your dog from a reputable breeder that performs health testing of their breeding stock. It’s important to ensure that the breeder has a firm understanding of the breeds health issues, as Maltese that are not well bred can be prone to an eye condition called retinal atrophy, which in its worst cases leads to blindness. Also, like many miniature dog breeds, poorly bred Maltese can suffer from a knee condition called luxating patella, which often requires an expensive surgery to correct. Furthermore, these dogs should not be raised in damp conditions, as this can cause otherwise avoidable respiratory issues.

Exercise Requirements: The Yorkie breed is relatively low maintenance and will do fine in an apartment provided that it is given a daily walk of at least thirty minutes. Ideally however, they would do well with an hour of outdoor exercise daily. These dogs are also quite active indoors, and will be able to meet much of their exercise needs through indoor play, such as tug-o-war or some fetch in the hallway.

Shedding: Despite the Yorkie’s long and abundance coat, this breed is not know to be especially heavy shedders. However, they should be brushed (twice weekly) and even trimmed regularly to avoid tangles and mats, as well as bathed whenever an odor is present. If you are interested in acquiring a Yorkie for dog show pursuits, be warned that their coat will require drastically more work to be in proper show condition, and you may want to consult an experienced groomer for assistance with this.

Training: Like many terrier breeds, the Yorkie is smart but stubborn, so training a Yorkie can be quite challenging. Firm consistency is a necessity and starting on training from an early age is beneficial. Unfortunately, this breed is also known to be difficult to housebreak (most toy breeds are), so it may take some time and a lot of training efforts before your Yorkshire Terrier is the model, obedient dog that it can be.

Health Concerns: Health Concerns: Yorkies generally live long lives, most commonly in the twelve to fifteen year range. They generally healthy animals, however are prone to certain health conditions, including luxating patella and dental issues, which are common in many toy breeds. Also of note is that the Yorkie breed is sensitive to the cold weather, and would benefit from a doggy jacket when the temperature is frigid.

Temperament wise, this breed is one of the most affectionate there is, oftentimes to the point of being clingy. The Chinese crested breed can definitely be described as a “Velcro dog” that becomes very attached to one person. This extremely loyal breed is even known to suffer severe emotional distress should their “chosen person” for any reason no longer be in their life.

It is very important that this breed is socialized from an early age, and taken out as soon it is deemed safe to do so. Failure to adequately socialize the Chinese Crested breed with strangers and other dogs can lead to a very timid and fearful adult dog.

Exercise Requirements: While most Chinese Crested dogs will be happy to spend the majority of their day indoors as long as they are in close proximity to their owner, they do enjoy the outdoors and should be provided with a long daily walk. The stimulus and exercise that a walk provides will make for a better behaved, well adjusted dog.

Grooming: Being almost entirely hairless, the Chinese Crested is naturally very easy to groom, and can do with only an occasional brushing of the hair they do have. This makes them an excellent choice for those who suffer from allergies. Of course, the Powderpuff variety does require additional grooming, and should be brushed at least once weekly.

Training: Smart and eager to please, dogs of the Chinese Crested breed are able to learn many tricks, and tend to pick up things quickly. However, like many miniature dog breeds they may take a bit longer than average to housebreak, as they are all small breed with an equally small bladder.

Health Concerns: Like many small dog breeds, the Chinese Crested breed has a long life expectancy that frequently exceeds thirteen years. However, the Chinese Crested breed is known to be prone to a variety of potentially serious conditions, such as deafness, acne, skin conditions, dental issues, Legg Perthes diease, allergies and luxating patella.

Special Note about The Chinese Crested: Owners of the non Powderpuff Chinese Crested should take special care in a variety of weather conditions. For example, the Chinese Crested can experience sunburn in especially sunny weather conditions, and will undoubtedly feel the cold on even moderately chilly days. It’s important to provide the Chinese Crested with a full coverage sweater or coat when taking it out in the fall and winter.