Hello everyone. I'd like to seek some advice on getting a new pet dog. Currently attracted to the Maltese and Toy Poodle. Which one would be a better buy? From what I know, Toy Poodles are much brighter dogs compared with the Maltese. And also any tips before buying them?

Please do comment/give advice. Thank you

This post has been edited by nayte: Jan 16 2010, 01:21 AM

I have a maltese. He's adorable. Don't know if poodles are smarter, but I would say there are many other factors like the individual dog, the quality of food, the time owner spends with him/her, genetics, environment etc. I don't think my dog is dumb but not super smart either, sometimes he will do things that appear really smart (like he knows to go to his carrier on command because he likes to go out), or do things that seem retarded (like he likes to bite his own tail fur, maybe he's bored).

The most noticeable thing about a dog is his/her personality, not intelligence. If you're lucky you will have a pleasant sociable dog (but the owner has to play a part to socialize the dog too), and if unlucky you could end up with an unfriendly jealous dog. Sometimes dogs might turn out like that because of some traumatic experience in their past, or again, it's genes. I know 3 Maltese dogs who are siblings, and they can be quite unsociable, but my maltese is very friendly.

The pro of having maltese is this breed does not shed fur, so they are clean and don't cause allergies. Not sure about toy poodle. The other thing, poodles have a kind of 'official' hair cut (which I think looks dumb), some poodle owners prefer it (or maybe are under pressure to cut like that), but if you cut their hair differently they can look much cuter in my opinion.

One general tip for new dog owners, don't assume a dog thinks like a human, in many ways they see the world differently, so read some books to understand dog behaviour and how to train your dog. Look for 2 books called "Before you get your puppy" and "After you get your puppy", good starting points.

This post has been edited by ronzo: Jan 16 2010, 01:51 AM

Research properly before you get a dog.
Know the breeds' characteristic, known genetic problem and temperament.
Pure bred dogs which is in-bred too much have alot of behaviour and genetic problems, please take note.

Try to take home the dog during the beginning of a weekend or long holiday.

Get new dog > go vet get a general health checkup ASAP.

This post has been edited by mecharojak: Jan 16 2010, 02:58 AM

haha yeah poodles and maltese do not shed fur. and yes i agree with you maltese looks better. the "official" hair cut you mentioned, what are you referring to actually? cos the short and curly fur looks pretty alright

maybe he meant the bear cut?
and do u have any budget for buying this dog?
because maltese have a higher price compared to poodle.
if i'm not mistaken,maltese cost u rm 2k+ and poodle rm800+

This post has been edited by ky.sunmi: Jan 16 2010, 02:16 PM

Not to forget that maltese is white in color, u need to do a lot extra work to maintain their shiny white fur compare to poodle. Oh ya, and the common tear stain problem too..

Not everyone able to wipe their mouth, wipe feet, clean this clean that everyday.. and u hav to do it for a lot years...

Poodle u can get @ 800+ because without MKA, usually all maltese comes with MKA, that's y the price slightly higher. If u got a poodle with mka, i believe it cost u over thousand too...

I think the 'official cut' meant by ronzo is the poodle standard cut.. shave off the hair surround nose wan... I don think got people will think bear cut is ugly lo...poodle look so cute in that~

Erm. Compare between Maltese and Toy poodle ah. I will choose Maltese lo because it's a very handsome/nice pet which you can always see in a dog poster. But yeah, it's quite pricey compared to toy poodle. I dont really like toy poodle now because I encountered bad experience with toy poodle but yes, toy poodle are way smarter and active. For me, best toy dog is Shih tzu lo (Cus they are way lazier, stupider and less aggressive which dont really care when you dress them up but there are fierce shih tzu too! BEWARE! haha) . So you should read all article about the pet before buying them.

I personally prefer red toy poodle since they look so much like cute little teddy bears!

I agree with Eric, you need to put lots of thoughts and commitment to ensure your Maltese's white fur is kept clean. Tear-stained Maltese don't look as adorable

Official haircut for poodles ?

I'm in love with Maltese!!!

But i bought a Miniature Schnauzer lol! A MS is high maintainance too (grooming and time) but Maltese is even higher!

Better be prepared for all that hair drying and combing sessions before you make your decision to buy either a maltese or poodle... both need lots of time and care.

if u keep short hair for maltese... its okay.. im having one... no tear stain prob... cause i keep cutting the hair near the corner of the eyes... no shit... no stain... only the mouth part more yellow.. saliva ma... then the paws... shave lorr.. then ok lorr... don nid say keep it white la... mostly only mouth and eye dirty maa others are fine ^^

i guess it depends on the owner's preferance. Long fur come with more maintenance.

Hi there,

Glad to hear that you are soon to be a dog owner Well,all kinds of breeds and dogs have their own temperament. No matter which dogs you choose,the most important thing is you are prepare to take care of the dog as they are like human babies that need a lot of love and patience and as well sacrifices your time too

Good luck in finding your dog

Thanks everyone for the useful comments and advice really appreciate it
MKA is a registration with the malaysian kernal association right? i don't see alot of benefits in getting a dog registered with the mka. correct me if i'm wrong.

i have a toy poodle and i love it , its super smart and could understand human language easily . Be wary though it is really fragile compare to other dogs .

You need to get a MKA registered dog if u plan to go for dog show/competition.

Otherwise, for companion dog only, the dog temperament and characteristic are much more important than the piece of paper.

I prefer Maltese. Poodles are too common in m'sia. But Maltese is more expensive.