Frequently Asked Questions
©2001 "Always Maltese", All
rights reserved.
Q: Can you tell
me a little about the Maltese breed in general?
A: Maltese are a
beautiful toy dog. Their ideal weight is 4 to 7 lbs. when full grown. They are
clean and easily trained. Maltese do not shed, making them ideal pets for families
with allergies ar asthma. Maltese are even known to be odor free. Maltese are
alert, intelligent, loyal, sensitive and above all extremely loving.
Q: Do they
require alot of grooming?
A: The Maltese
coat is unique to the breed and does require some special attention. Their hair
grows much the same as human hair. They do not shed. A thorough
brushing/combing daily, will prevent matts and tangles, enabling one to grow
the coat to full length. With proper grooming, conditioning and nutrition, the Maltese
coat can be grown into a silky mantle of white. Many Maltese owners prefer to
keep their Maltese in a shorter style known as a "puppy cut" or
"pet clip", which is also adorable.
Q: Are Maltese
good with children?
A: Maltese are a
very loving, playful and gentle natured pet. They are not the type of dog to
react aggressively to a child. Therefore the first part of my answer would be,
Yes, Maltese are great with children...Are children good with Maltese??? We as
breeders, with the best interest of the puppy in mind, are very cautious about
placing Maltese into homes with young children. The Maltese puppy is such a
small, delicate creature that we feel they are at a VERY high risk of injury in
a home with a young child. It is for that reason that we prefer not to place
our puppies into homes with children under the age of 8 years old. We also feel
that puppies which are expected to mature over 5lbs are more appropriate than
smaller Maltese when there are children in the home.
Q: Where are you
located?
A: We are located
in Northern Alabama, near Huntsville.
Q: Is there a
difference between the temperament of males and females?
A: Maltese are
especially wonderful in the personality department, males and females alike. I haven't
noticed a clear difference based on gender alone. Just like people, they as
individuals have their own unique personality. Some people have the mistaken
belief that males would be less affectionate or more rambunctious than females.
This may be true with other breeds, but certainly not with Maltese. Some of my
sweetest, most well mannered, loving Maltese are males. My boys hold a special
place in my heart!
Q: What is AKC
registration? What is the difference between full and limited registration?
A: A.K.C. stands
for American Kennel Club. The purpose of the AKC is to maintain a registry of
purebred dogs. All of our Maltese are registered with the AKC. Our Pet Puppies
are placed with AKC limited registration.
Limited
registration means the puppy comes from fully registered, purebred Maltese
parents and can be registered with the AKC. If they were to have offspring
however, their offspring would not be eligible for registration. Limited
registration does allow for participation in AKC sanctioned obedience and
agility competetion, but they cannot compete in the conformation ring.
Basically, they are pets rather than show dogs. Full registration allows
participation in all these AKC sanctioned events. It also allows future
offspring to be registered with the AKC. Full registration would be important
to someone interested in breeding or showing. Our Pet Puppies are sold as pets
with limited AKC registration. Show prospects are placed with full registration
to approved "show" homes only.
Be sure to visit the rest of our "Always Maltese"
website.
There's many more adorable pictures and Maltese information
on the following pages:
Customer Quotes
......
All of the
pictures displayed on the "Always Maltese" website are of Maltese
Dogs and Puppies that belong to or were bred by Alan and Veronica Fawcett of
"Always Maltese". Contents of this website, including all pictures
are protected by Copyright and may not be used or reproduced in any fashion without
written permission from Alan and Veronica Fawcett.
©2004 "Always Maltese",
All rights reserved.