Maltipoo Breed Guide
Affectionate | Alert | Playful. Although the Maltipoo isn’t overly common in the UK, its popularity in the USA has been increasing since the inception of the breed in the 1990s. Come about by breeding a Maltese with a toy or miniature poodle, the Maltipoo is an affectionate and playful pooch that suits all furmilies, from those with young kids to elderly couples and everything in between. If you want to learn more about this cuddly pint-sized pocket rocket, here’s a complete guide on the Maltipoo and everything you need to know before making the leap and adding one to your fur fam.
Maltipoo Basics:
Average Lifespan: 10-15 years
Average Weight: 2.2 – 9kg
Average Height: 24-35cm
Colouring: black, white, brown, cream, fawn, gold, grey, bicolour, tricolour.
Trainability: High
Shedding: Low
Maltipoo Origins
Like with many designer crossbreeds, the exact origin of the Maltipoo is a bit hazy. What we do know is that they originated in the USA in the 1990s and are a mix of a purebred Maltese and a toy or miniature poodle.
The Maltese is an ancient doggy that originated as the name suggests in Malta thousands of years ago. Bred as silky-haired lap dogs for Maltese nobility and royalty, they were considered symbols of wealth and prosperity in Mediterranean cultures. The breed continued to flourish across Europe before taking fancy in ancient China and eventually garnering popularity in the UK in the mid-1800s.
Poodles originated in Germany in the 1500s as duck and waterfowl hunting dogs. In the 1800s, poodles started to be bred smaller into what’s now known as the miniature poodle variety and were adored as affectionate yet energetic lapdogs by the French, eventually becoming known as a floofy symbol of France. In the 20th century, miniature poodles were again bred smaller into the toy variety where they have continued to harbour popularity due to their petite size being perfect as apartment dogs for city-dwelling pawrents.
The idea of crossbreeding these dogs was to combine the favourable qualities of the two such as their low-shedding characteristics as well as their bubbly and affectionate personalities. The result is the Maltipoo, a crossbreed that’s small in stature, but big in love and full of energy.
What Does a Maltipoo Look Like?
Maltipoos vary in size depending on whether their poodle parent was a toy poodle or miniature poodle. Their height ranges from 24-35cm (only just taller than a ruler), and they weigh between 2.2-9kg.
They have rounded heads with floppy ears, big wide-set puppy dog eyes, and a short muzzle with black lips and noses. Their coat type and colour can vary depending on what dominant genes they pick up from their pawrents so can be anything from straight, wavy or curly and can range in a variety of colours. What they all have in common is a low-shedding easy to maintain coat that is favourable to allergy-prone hoomans.
Maltipoo Personality
As Maltipoos were bred specifically as lap and companion dogs, they’re perfect for any furmily who wants a loving, loyal and adaptable pooch. Their small size and affectionate personality make them great city-slicking dogs and do well in apartments so long as they are kept stimulated with plenty of exercise, toys, and games.
Maltipoos make strong bonds with their furmilies, making them great for those with young children, other fur babies and also singles or elderly couples who want a best friend to hang out with. With this loyalty comes an alertness that gives them no qualms about barking if they hear someone coming up to the door. Therefore early training is a must to prevent excessive barking. As Maltipoos love their furmilies immensely, they can be prone to separation anxiety, so puppy training them and teaching them early that it’s okay for you to leave from time to time is impawtent to help them grow into well-rounded adult doggies.
Are Maltipoos Easy to Train?
Maltipoos inherit a high intelligence from their poodle lineage and are thus easy to train. They revel in learning new tricks and have an eagerness to please their owners. Maltipoos are sensitive doggies, so should never be scolded during puppy training, and do well with positive reinforcement using delicious dog treats.
How Much Do Maltipoos Cost?
Maltipoos can cost anywhere between £1000-2500 depending on the breeder. If you’re looking for a Maltipoo breeder, always do your research and make sure that the breeder you’re looking into is responsible. They should be happy to answer all of your questions, be a breadth of knowledge in everything Maltipoo, and be able to provide you with face-to-face meetings, breeding licences, and genuine paperwork, certificates and vaccinations.
Adopting from a shelter such as the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, or Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is a great way to adopt a doggy from a trusted organisation and provide a loving home to a needy pup. Dogs from shelters are also much more cost-efficient so will put less of a dent in your wallet too!
Are Maltipoos Hypoallegenic?
Unfortunately, no breed is truly hypoallergenic as dog allergies actually come from a pooch’s saliva and dead skin cells called dander. Nevertheless, Maltipoos are still a great fit for owners who are allergy-prone due to their low-shedding quality which can reduce the amount of dander left on your carpet and furniture.
How to Feed a Maltipoo
Small dogs have a faster metabolism than larger pooches, meaning they burn energy quickly. Therefore it's impawtent that what they’re eating is nutritionally dense and made with high-quality ingredients. If your Maltipoo is particularly little, it may benefit from eating a smaller kibble size that is specifically designed for toy breeds with smaller mouths.
Scrumbles, The Pawfect Match for Maltipoos
If you’re lucky enough to have a Maltipoo in your fur fam, choosing Scrumbles dog food is the best way to maintain their health and happiness, and here’s why:
- All of our recipes are nutritionally dense and made with only high-quality natural ingredients to provide your Maltipoo with bounds of energy and everything they need to thrive.
- Made with gut health in mind, all of our dry dog food, wet dog food, and dog treats incorporate either gut-loving probiotics or prebiotics to improve healthy digestion and reduce tummy upsets.
- We never use artificial additives, fillers, or added salt or sugar which many low-quality brands do to bulk up their dog food or improve its taste (and in doing so turn it into junk food!). All of our recipes score 100% on palatability testing without any of this added fluff, meaning they’re naturally pawsitively delicious!
- With a variety of flavours and kibble sizes such as our Chicken Dry Puppy and Toy Breed Food, there’s an option for even the smallest of Maltipoos.
· And, with a commitment to making a pawsitive impact on the environment, with eco-friendly packaging and a pledge to reduce our carbon footprint, choosing Scrumbles doesn’t have to go against your values!
