For several years, there were only a few of us of us breeding and selling maltese dogs in Georgia. Now it seems that there are hundreds of maltese breeders, newspaper ads, online ads, websites, etc. etc. etc. This can make it a very confusing affair to find a maltese breeder who you can trust to give you a puppy who is the proper size for a maltese, and has the looks that the AKC standard for the breed states that the maltese should have, not to mention even more important factors such as health. With so many different breeders to choose from, who do you buy a pup from? Although people's taste varies as to how they would like their dog to look, there are some things about your new puppy that are a must, such as good health, proper socialization, and of course, none of wants to support the puppy mills, which are really nothing more than concentration camps for dogs. Over the ten years that I've been breeding maltese, I've had some very canny buyers approach me looking for just the exact dog that they have in mind, and here is a list of things that I have picked up from them to help you find just the perfect maltese for your family.
1. References-Always ask for at least 5 references from previous buyers. If the breeder claims to have
been breeding maltese for 5 years, ask for references from both some of his older and newer buyers.
Do contact at least 3 of these, and ask them to send you pictures of their dogs now that they're grown.
Most maltese owners are very proud of their dogs, and more than willing to show them off to anyone
who will listen, just like a proud parent. Ask these references about their dog's health.
2. Parents- Ask to see both pedigrees and pictures of the sire and the dam of the litter. Do not buy a pup
unless the breeder is willing to allow you to view both parents in person. All maltese puppies are cute,
this will give you some idea as to whether your puppy will still look like a maltese when grown. Also, if
your breeder tells you that this pup will be 4lbs grown, but you're looking at a ten pound mother, ask for
an explanation. Sometimes a ten pound mother will throw a pup who only grows to be 4lbs, but your
breeder should have a good reason as to why they only expect this pup to be 4lbs grown.
3. Prior litters from these parents- One of these wisest things that a buyer can do is ask to see pictures
of some of the prior pups from these parents, if there have been prior breedings. This will give you a
good idea how your 3 week old pup that you've just put a deposit on is going to look at 3 months of age.
If they have pictures of grown pups from these parents, this is even better!
4. Years of experience breeding- If your breeder claims to have been breeding maltese for 5 years, they
should have some documentation to prove it, vet bills, buyers who've had their dogs for 5 years, or
just registration papers of some of the first dogs that they've bred (these papers will have a date of birth
on them. I know everyone is not organized with paperwork, I'm very guilty of being disorganized myself,
but I know that I could lay my hands on some sort of paperwork to back up my claims of length of time
breeding.
5. Veterinarian- Ask for their veterinarian's phone number. Call him and ask him about the condition of
your breeder's dogs, or if he's aware of them breeding maltese, and how long he's been treating their
maltese.
6: Questions- This puppy that you're buying is going to be a member of your family for many years, and
will own a piece of your heart, you have the right to ask as many questions as you want, if you feel that
the breeder is not very knowledgeable about the breed, you may be dealing with a backyard breeder.
Your breeder should be very knowledgeable about the AKC standard for the breed, any health issues
that may run in your breed, care of your puppy, housetraining, and just anything else that you feel is
important.
7. Size Guarantees- Experienced breeders can make an educated guess as to how big the pup will get
when grown, but it is very irresponsible to guarantee size. Even if you have two parents who weigh just
4 lbs, you have to take into account all of the other dogs in this puppy's pedigree also. No experienced
breeder will guarantee that your pup won't get over ______ lbs. He can look at parent's size, size of
past litters from these parents, skeletal structure, size at birth, and make an educated guess, but never
can he tell exactly what this dog will weigh when grown.
8. Tiny T-cup- No experienced maltese breeder would ever claim to sell a "tiny t-cup maltese." There is
no such thing as a t-cup maltese. These are toy dogs, from 4-7lbs grown, and an ethical breeder will
try to stay within these guidelines. Anyone who is breeding specifically to get dogs below 4lbs grown
is flirting with health disasters. I'm not saying that a good breeder won't occassionally have a dog who
doesn't get over 4lbs, sometimes we do have tinies born, I'm just saying that an ethical breeder won't
deliberately TRY to breed dogs under 4lbs grown, nor will they make this claim. I feel that overall health
is much more important than tiny size.
9. Conditions the dog is kept in- Don't ask, demand, to see the environment in which your breeder's dogs
live and are kept. Puppymills couldn't exist if everyone who were buying a pup did this. IF you feel that
the pup that you're looking at is too timid and shy, he's probably been kept in a cage and rarely
handled. This causes personality disorders that often last a lifetime. You want a confident, friendly,
outgoing dog, just like the standard for the breed states. IF your pup has been handled and pre-loved
from birth, he will develop the sweet, affectionate, extrovert personality that the breed is so famous for.
10. If the price is too cheap, and the overall picture sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Look
deeper! Don't be one of the horror stories that I've heard from people who spent over a thousand
dollars for their puppy, only to have it die at a very young age. This is a member of the family you're
looking for, don't let your decision be based on price alone.
