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.
Natural Flea Control For Dogs
Keeping our dogs free of fleas protects both us and them from being bitten by the little pests and is an important part of the care of any dog. While many will purchase commercial flea control products from their veterinary, it is important to remember that most topical flea control products are essential pesticides, and that we do not know the long term effects these products may be having on our pets. With a large amount of dogs and cats being effected by potentially fatally diagnoses such as cancer, it may be wise to consider more natural ways to take care of our animals, such as natural flea control. Also, do remember that veterinarians stand to benefit from expensive commercial flea control pesticides, so in all likelihood they are what your vet will (naively or not recommend).
Would you put something marked “poison” on your body? Odds are if you take a look at your pets package of commercial flea repellent product it will have the sign for poison on it, along with the word poison. I think most of us can agree that we would not put something with that warning on our own bodies, so why would we deem such a product to be not only safe, but beneficial to our pets? Is it because we are more concerned with keeping our own homes free of fleas than the long term health effects such products could have on our dogs? It is more likely that we blindly accept the advice of our veterinarian, and naively believe that commercial pesticide flea controls our best for our dogs, rather than consider the possibility of natural flea control options.
Natural Flea Control Options:
Natural flea control can be as easy as carefully selecting our dog’s diet, as well as maintaining a regular grooming/bathing schedule of our dogs. Also, it is important to note that most fleas do not lay their eggs on our pets, but rather in our homes. If you find that you have an infestation of fleas, it may be best to increase both the frequency as well as blank of cleaning your home.
Dog Foods Role In Natural Flea Control
Feeding your dog a nutritious high quality dog food helps to aid in natural flea control as it keeps your pet’s immune system functioning at a high level, which in turn plays a role in naturally repelling fleas and other insects. If your dog appears to be particularly prone to fleas, it could be a sign that their immune system and general overall health is not as strong as it could be. Consider switching to a higher quality food which will provide them with a much stronger base of nutrition, you can view our dog food ratings for some suggestions.
Furthermore, you can add known natural and safe flea repellents such as yeast and garlic to your dog’s diet. These natural flea control foods have been used for generations and are proven effective. Take head though that this advice is geared toward dogs, as garlic is not a safe food to feed to our feline friends. While these foods are generally safe and well tolerated by dogs, if you do notice your dog experiencing any intolerance to either garlic or yeast, be sure to lower the amount fed and discontinue use if intolerance continues.
Grooming and Bathing our Dogs As A Method Of Natural Flea Control
First of all, please note that there is no need to use harsh chemical flea shampoos in order to give your dog a “flea bath”. Regular dog shampoo and a medium stream of water is enough to drown and eliminate fleas and their eggs. Use a flea comb to thoroughly remove any fleas while grooming.
As you can see truly natural flea control is inexpensive and not particularly time consuming or difficult. While it does take more effort than applying chemical flea control pesticides to your pet, it is also a safer option for both the short and long term health of your dog.