Maltese Breed description: Character & Co

Breed characteristics of the Maltese

The dog breed is recognized by FCI and belongs to FCI Group 9 (Companion and Society Dogs), Section 1.1 (Bichons). It is listed as Standard No. 65 without working test.

The Maltese shows short and very quick steps when trotting. However, his gait is generally even, free and close to the ground gliding.

Maltese males have a height of about 21-25 cm, bitches grow to 20-23cm. The weight is usually 3-4kg.

The head

The head is relatively broad and the skull itself is slightly longer than the muzzle: the width between the zygomatic arches is equal to its length. In sagittal direction it is of slightly ovoid shape (ovoid). The sides of the skull are almost convex. The upper part of the skull is flat, the occipital process is not very pronounced; the projections of the frontal bone and the superciliary arches are well developed.

The Maltese has no or only a slight frontal furrow, the stop, however, is strongly accentuated.

The muzzle

Situated in the prolongation of the bridge of the nose, the front of the round nose, seen in profile, is vertical. It is large with open nostrils and pigmented black.

The area below the eyes is well chiselled. The height of the muzzle is much less than its length, yet when viewed from the front, the muzzle must not appear square, as its front curves into the sides. The bridge of the nose should be straight with well defined furrows in its central part. Viewed from the front, the upper lips have the shape of a very open arch at their junction. They are not very developed in depth and the corner of the lips is not visible. The upper lips completely match the lower ones, so that in side view the muzzle is bounded downward by the lower jaw bone. The edge of the lips must necessarily be pigmented black.

The dentition

The lower jaw bone, whose branches are straight, is neither prominent nor receding in its frontal part. The dental arches fit perfectly together and close as scissors ("scissor bite").

The eyes

The Maltese has lively, alert eyes, which are unexpectedly large and the eyelid opening is almost circular. The eyelids are in close contact with the eyeball, which may never lie low, but protrude very slightly almost flush with the head. The eyes lie forward on almost the same plane. When viewed from the side, the sclera (whites of the eyes) must not be visible; they are dark ocher; the edges of the eyelids and the nictitating membrane are black.

The ears

Almost triangular, the width of the ears is approximately 1/3 of their length. They are set high above the zygomatic arch, barely detached, and are carried hanging, while resting against the sides of the skull.

The trunk

Although the neck, which is carried erect and has a slightly curved topline, is covered with abundant hair and has no loose skin, it is clearly distinguishable from the nape of the neck. The length of the neck is about half the height at the withers.

Measured between the point of the nose and the point of the buttock, the length of the body exceeds the height at the withers by one third. The upper profile line is straight to the base of the tail, the withers are slightly above. The length of the back is more than half the height at the withers. Situated in the extension of the back lumbar line, the croup is very broad and long.

The deep rib cage should be roomy good, reaching down to the elbow with ribs not very arched. The sternum itself is very long.

The tail

The tail of the Maltese is set in the extension of the croup, thick at the root but thin at the tip. It forms a single large arch, the terminal point of which falls between the hip bones and touches the croup. A tail curved sideways towards one side of the torso is tolerated.

The forelimbs

When viewed as a whole, the legs lie well against the body and are vertical. The length of the well laid back shoulder is equal to 1/3 of the height at the withers with the tips of the shoulder blades standing apart. The upper arm is longer than the shoulder blade, the forearm should be dry, with hardly visible muscling, but rather strong boned compared to the size of the breed. The fore tarsal joint is in the perpendicular of the forearm and is mobile, without thickenings. It is also covered by thin skin. The pastern has the same characteristics and is vertical due to its short length.

The round front paws have closely knit toes that are arched. The pads of the Maltese should be black, the claws also or at least of dark color.

The hind limbs

The hindquarters have a strongly muscled thigh, the posterior border of which is convex. The stifle joint shows free mobility. The lower thigh has a barely visible furrow between the Achilles tendon and the bone, inclined to the horizontal by 55°, and is slightly longer than the upper thigh. The anterior angle of the hock is 140°. The hind pastern is low and completely vertical and the distance between the ground and the point of the hock is slightly longer than 1/3 of the height at the withers.

The round hind feet should be with closed and curved toes and have black pads. The claws should also be black or at least dark in color.

The coat

The dense coat of the Maltese is shiny, lustrous, falling heavily and of silky texture. It should be long over the entire body and remain smooth throughout its length, showing no traces of curl or frizz. On the body it should be longer than the height at the withers and fall heavily to the ground, like a well-fitting cape, clinging to the body without opening and forming whirls or tufts. These are permitted only on the front limbs from elbow to paw and on the hind limbs from knee to paw.

The Maltese does not usually have an undercoat. On the head the hair is very long, as well as in the foreface, which blends with the whiskers and on the skull it becomes so long that it even blends with the hair of the ears. On the tail, the hair falls back on one side of the body, i.e. on the flank and thigh, and reaches down to the hock.

The Maltese is basically pure white, but a light ivory tint is permissible. Traces of a pale orange shade are also tolerated in breeding, but are undesirable and represent an imperfection.