Exquisite Angels

 

A word about this "History": Anyone who has a friendly interest is welcome to help me add to or change anything, if need be, presented on this page.
First of all let me say that there is NO "official" History of the Maltipoo. I would advise that anyone looking into this popular mixed breed to read the History of both the Maltese and the Poodle. The Maltipoo can have all the traits of one, all the traits of the other, or a nice mixture of both. This page of Maltipoo History is based on what I personally have learned and information that I have collected from the few people I've found who have owned Maltipoos from puppyhoood until they passed away naturally of old age. I myself grew up with the cockapoo (a favorite of mine despite the cocker's noted bad reputation as a biter). There are a lot of people who feel that purebreds should not be mixed. Period. Being a fan of the purebred I have to agree but I also know that each purebred (all recognized AKC breeds) was developed by people who wanted certain traits in a particular dog. This means that dogs were mixed & carefully bred by people who understood the physical confirmation & hereditory traits & bred towards what is commonly known as a "type". We know that both the Poodle and the Maltese have a hunting history but an even longer history as being bred solely as companion animals. Both have uncanny abilities when it comes to understanding and interpreting human emotions and vocalizations. Both were bred with non shedding coats that can be hypoallergenic (the Maltese coat does tend to break like human hair does and so you do get a small amount of broken "ends" on clothes and furniture). I have lived with both Poodle and Maltese purebreds and found both to be enchanting canines with almost human understanding. Going back to my childhood history of the Cockapoo I became facinated with the sudden rise in the popularity of the Maltipoo. Little did I know that I would be in on the ground floor of what I believe will eventually become an AKC recognized purebred. Personally, having worked with Maltipoos for over five years now, I find that the second and third generation Maltipoos loose the sharpness of the blend in both looks and personality. I call them "watered down". I hate to see this charming little dog become the victim of mass and or careless overbreeding and sincerely hope that a National Maltipoo Club will be founded (hope I can find the time to start this myself as I have a keen interest in staying in on the groundfloor of this breed). So, I am firmly set on the breeding of a purebred Maltese with a purebred Poodle & have a keener interest in the personality traits over the physical confirmation. Health and temperament, of course, are FIRST in the mind of anyone who seriously wants a future for the Maltipoo.
Why mix a Maltese with a Poodle?
I strongly feel that the only person who could answer this is someone who has lived day to day with both breeds. Having owned both I was curious about this myself. I have a hard time finding fault in EITHER breed. My only complaints would be that the Maltese can be aloof with their owners (choosing when to and when not be be your best friend which at times can be frustrating...but I LOVE my Maltese!). Owning Poodles was such a pure pleasure that when I lost my girls to old age I felt in my heart that no dog could EVER replace them. Doing what people sometimes do I've avoided the Poodle breed because of wonderful memories (you just have to be me to understand why I feel this way). The only fault I could attribute to my Poodles were that they could be obsessive. There's a difference between "I'd like to get in your lap" and "I'm getting in your lap or else I'm going to sit here and stare at you until I DO get in your lap"...lol. Now that I've been around the Maltipoo from puppyhood on up, including obedience classes, I see that they lack, in most cases, both of these "bad" traits and retain all of the things that make both breeds so lovable. They have a "look" that is utterly adorable (including that non shedding hypoallerginic coat) and they seem to retain a puppy like playfulness for their entire lives. Gone, in the Maltipoo, are the extra hyped up little barkers. The majority of Maltipoos, if well trained, have the most laid back sweet personalities. They almost remind me of that childhood Lab that everyone wanted. Just kicked back and so SWEET. Great with kids, seniors, active families or stay at homes this breed is flexible & seems to be able to adjust to almost any situation. They are extremely intelligent and once they've got the idea of what you want from them, they've GOT it. I think that the Maltipoo should be a welcomed addition to the dog world. Fitting in the needed catagory of intelligent lapdog. Bred to be a people pleasing greeter and a ray of sunshine in any home.
Health
To date I've seen a few problems with the Maltipoo, both related to the health issues of the Poodle and the Maltese. Liver shunt is a serious issue and should be covered by any Maltipoo breeder for the first year. It occurs in both the Poodle and the Maltese breed. It can occur at anytime in a Maltipoos life and there is no way to "wean it out" other than to NOT breed animals known to produce puppies with the trait. Sometimes it can be dealt with by changing diet but any dog that produced a puppy with a liver shunt should NEVER be bred again and removed from any breeder's program. Tiny puppies, teacups, seem to be more at risk and can be tested BEFORE sale ( I offer this at the buyer's expense). This test does NOT mean that your puppy will never develop a shunt or have problems with a shunt. Other issues include eye cataracts and skin problems. Otherwise the Maltipoo is relatively a healthy breed with few known health issues. They have a long lifespan of 13 to 18 years and tend to age with grace.

The "Look"
Maltipoos vary, GREATLY, in looks. Some people crop tails like a poodle, some leave the tail, some are going to a "half crop". Quite a few of them look more like either a Poodle or a Maltese. A few have that "perfect" blend of looks (what I call a Plush Babydoll Maltipoo). I have noticed that some of these perfect blends grow up, still, to look more one or the other. Since to me the primary reason to own a Maltipoo is for the personality, looks come second. A lot of people prefer one or the other but I've found that reguardless there are NO UGLY MALTIPOOS. I have yet to see one from two purebred parents! If you like the lower maintenance of the plush coat (more poodle, and when I say lower maintenance I just mean you keep them clipped often!) or the silky locks of the Maltese single coat then that's YOUR CHOICE as both appear reguarly in this breed. I have no preference myself and like characteristics of both coats. To help people catagorize which "look" they prefer I label puppies as:
"Plush Babydoll"
and
"Silken"
One is not better than the other and a Silken CAN have a babydoll face (as it occurs in the Maltese breed). Again it's a personal choice. I would not let a puppies look discourage me if the personality is what was needed in my home.

The Fad
Started in part by Jessica Simpson and her Maltipoo Daisy the "idea" of the Maltipoo has been widely accepted and sought after Worldwide. They haven't fallen into an inevitable "rut" like the Labradoodle (too big and too high maintenance) and the Puggle ( a large, though good tempered, once popular mixed breed). Maltipoos just continue to grow in popularity. Before you jump on the bandwagon, though, I highly suggest that you do your homework and make absolutely SURE that the Maltipoo is the right breed for you and your family!

Size
Probably one of the biggest problems with the Maltipoo is that you absolutely cannot predict an adult weight. All you can do is give your best GUESS. Since both the Maltese and the Poodle usually breed to size ( somewhat easier to predict) mixing the two is an unknown science and must be understood by anyone wishing to own one. If one or two pounds in the opposite direction is a huge problem for you DON'T buy a Maltipoo! The weight range is 3 to 15lbs and while most can "somewhat" predict don't hold any breeder at fault over a few pounds. The Maltese has an odd growth pattern which can throw some for a loop. For instance:
I raised a Maltipoo (Missy) that weighed 10 oz at eight weeks with a Maltese (Pirate) that weighed 2.5 lbs at eight weeks.
Missy was without doubt THE SMALLEST PUPPY of any sort that I had ever had the pleasure of knowing. That tiny little angel had an APPETITE!!
She ended up at 6lbs while Pirate is just under 4lbs! In most cases my puppies stay within 2lbs of their predicted adult weight. I've had one puppy to go 12lbs (was estimated at 9) and another that went 4 instead of the 6lbs she was supposed to be. Any HONEST breeder will let you know that size is something that's left up to the Good Lord.

I will be adding to this page as more information comes in. You can see the History of the Maltese on this site and you can look up the History of the Poodle on your browser...Good Luck & happy reading!