Male or female, need help
by Claudia
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
We are about to purchase our first Maltese puppy (had Golden Retrievers all my life) and we're going crazy about the male or female decision. I've spoken to many breeders and most of them have told me that the males are more loveable and affectionate than the females. But males have a tendency to lift their legs on furniture. Is that really true? Are females really more sassy and need to be begged to come up to you? We're just going crazy here not knowing what to do. All answers are appreciated.
Thank you,
DISCUSSION:
Hi Claudia...I'm partial to males. Buster is my second Maltese. He is a very lovable little boy and very smart. He had his marking and humping phase but is ok now. He is 14 months old and no amount of money in the world could ever make me part with him. I think both sexes are lovable and very smart in a Maltese. So whichever you go with you can't go wrong. Good Luck and keep us posted.
Libby & Buster
I don't know about the rest of the country but around here females cost more than males and I've seen 6 month old males for sale at really low prices because they don't sell as quickly as the girls. I have a sneaky hunch it's the thought of breeding causing it. We have 1 female and 2 males and they're all cuddly. Kelley, the female, is the 1 usually on my lap. Trinket, male, would be but he's a rescue who's just figuring out what laps are for. Bubba, male, is 10 months old and the biggest of the 3. He loves affection but he has to stop bouncing off the walls to get it.
Dottie S.
We have a 4 month old female Maltese who is as affectionate as they come. Very generous with puppy licks and kisses, gets along great with our female 21 month old Silky, and 4 month old female Himalayam kitten, and just basically loves everybody offering attention. I think it is just a personal decision. As a child, we always had males, and that's because everyone just always thought unspayed females were "messy." I love my females!! Good Luck!!
Gail
I personally found that a female is just as loveble as a male. I own a female and she is just wonderful to both my husband and I. Most of the time she lies in our laps and loves to be caressed.
mfj
I had a male Maltese that I lost last May and now have a female. I love them both, and both have been devoted to me. But I have found that my female loves EVERYONE..gives everyone she meets kisses and is thrilled to see everyone. My male loved me to pieces, but didn't like men! It was a real problem....he would bark and often go for the ankles of my male guests! My suggestion would be to go visit some pups and one will pick you! They each have their own personalities. I also had breeders tell me that males are sweeter, but it is not true in my experience.
Sue & Sophia
I have a female Maltese and she is so sweet and always affectionate. She is never stand offish. I got a female because my good friend had a male maltese and although he was fun and sweet, he still lifts his leg to mark his territory in the house...something she has not been able to break. I had my female spayed and she is totally house broken...never has an accident. It's a big decision but our little girl is an angel. Good luck!
Barbara
Both my male Gizmo and my female Niki are very generous with kisses and both love to sit with me. However, Niki tends to want to snuggle NEXT to me in my chair while Gizmo prefers to be actually IN my lap. I've also noticed that when you pick them up, Gizmo sort of "goes boneless" or totally relaxes and snuggles, while Niki tends to "stiff arm" me if I try to turn her toward me, but she does it so that she can reach me for kisses. Gizmo loves to get under the covers in bed and snuggle next to me with his head on my shoulder, while Niki would rather stay on top of the covers. In the morning when I wake up, Niki is usually on my pillow lying on my hair, while Gizmo is lying beside me watching for my eyes to open so that he can give first kisses. However, Niki is deaf, so I think that she is waiting for me to move and wake her up. Over all, I would have to give Gizmo the edge on cuddliness - if I'm in my chair in the living room, he's in my chair too - if it's daylight, over half the time Niki is on the back of the couch looking out the window!
Tricia R.
Hi. I, too, have one of each; Lucy and Carty. Carty is a rescue, so didn't grow up with me for a mom and had experiences that could account for his personality. However, in our house, Lucy is the sweet, loving one (also the brat one--full of mischief). Carty is more of a loner, although he will give kisses and lie beside me when I'm sitting on the sofa. Lucy, however, is always (and I do mean always) either on my lap or waiting to get on it. She loves the whole world as well, from the cat next door to the school children waiting for the bus, to complete strangers out for a walk in the neighborhood. Carty is much more stand-offish. I don't know if this is "male" of him or just the result of his previous environment. Both of them are 100%, no accidents, housebroken--although when I was away for a few days and left them with a housesitter, Carty decided to "pay me back" by peeing all over the rug in my dining area, and Lucy once expressed her displeasure at me cuddling a foster maltese by looking me in the eye, walking across the floor and peeing right in front of me. Carty has NEVER so much as tried to hike his leg in the house with the exception of the week I was gone. (I still had to buy a new rug though!). I suspect that male or female, the adult dog you end up with will be a product of how you "parent" it when it's a puppy. With Lucy, I used my lap as a "crate," keeping her on my lap while I worked and whisking her outside at the first sign of need to go. So now my lap is "her" place. She also was cuddled and cooed to, hugged and kissed, etc. I believe that the amount of affection she got translated into permission for her to return the favor. So as someone else suggested, go to look at the fur babies and let YOUR puppy find you. Lucy was "mine" from the minute we saw each other; no question. Carty needed time to decide whether we were "right" for each other, and sometimes he's still working that out. I do think he noticed that unlike his other family, I didn't throw him out when he peed on the rug so that was a point in my favor [ggg]. Whatever puppy you choose, love it and enjoy it, and most importantly do the up front training necessary to have a well-behaved, housebroken adult. Too many rescues are the result of lack of work on the part of their humans.
cathy brown
Katie is the first female dog I have ever owned. I have had two male Golden Retreivers and two male Yorkies at one time or another, and loved them dearly. I have to admit, my little female is so needing of my love and approval, and she is sooooo dainty and feminine. Females are more expensive in my area as well, and seemed to be in demand. I had to be placed on a waiting list to get my little Katie. But, no matter which you sex you decide on, I believe you will fall in love with them to the point it hurts (a good hurt) and they in turn will love you more then anybody in your life. I will always have a Maltese!
Julie & Katie
The $64,000 question! The Yorkie I had for so long was a male - his devotion to me alone was absolutely unequivocal. We had a German Shepherd - male, who was positively wonderful. I had a Shih Tzu female who simply loved everybody and everything. Mostly I have had males in my life, but I decided from the get go that if I had a choice I wanted a female - yet figured the best thing would be to see which dog would be right. Well my Phoebe is extremely affectionate - follows me around, loves to be held and carried around, laps are simply not allowed to remain empty. She loves everybody and thinks the world ought to love her! Generally she is either in my lap or next to me, but she will visit my husband and any guests who come get very exciting welcomes. She also loves our three year old cat and new kitten, adored the grandkids.... See which one you "click" with and that should solve the problem!
Leslie R
As you can see, it really makes no difference which you get. Both males and females make excellent companions. I have a male who is paper trained to the wee-wee pads. We have a very large home(3000 plus sq.ft.) and I keep one pad in the kitchen. He has never lifted his leg in my house. Maltese are generally very clean little dogs but good training is the key. Also, you will want to have your Maltese altered. Most marking problems are associated with intact males and even some females will do it. The main advantage of geting a male is that they are less costly then the females. Make sure you deal with a reputable breeder, no pet stores! Let us know when you get your pup as many of the folks here are experienced owners and are always happy to assist new Maltese moms and dads.
April B
Maltese as a breed doesn't have the difference in temperment between males and females that is found in the larger breeds you have been used to. The males get along and don't fight even if not neutered unless there is a girl in heat right there. The females all get along together too. I did find that my males, while they adore me, do not cozy up to my husband as much as the girls do. They are disgraceful in their fawning to the 'boss'. Of course he gives them pieces of his toast so what do you expect! They cuddle to him in bed more than to me. I often accuse him of 'stealing' my girls. The leg lifting thing in my experience is an individual difference. If you paper train them just make sure there is always a usable paper available or they will lift their leg on any tiny stamp like sized paper. Remember that girls who make puddles are just not housebroken yet while the boys may be saving some to 'mark'. Try to get them to 'mark' where its allowable, like outside in several places, and praise them when they do.
Mary Lou
Claudia :) The very best way to settle your dilema is to have one of each! LOL I have Chiclet & Gizmo & they have very very different personalities. I adore both of them & the feeling is mutual. Maltese are very intelligent, faithful, & loving. I absolutely agree, visit the breeder and your furbaby will choose you! You should be able to tell the general personality by observing them at play. There are some helpful tips on this site about aptitude tests, perhaps you could do some of that when visiting the breeder. It could help you decide on an aggressive or submissive personality, etc. You absolutely cant go wrong with a furbaby! The love they give is heaven sent! :)
BeeGee
I have a wonderful male - 16 months old now. He grew to be huge (12 pounds!) so I tell people he's my "Giant Maltese" and some people actually believed the joke and wanted to know where to get one. Because he's so big, we've had a lot of fun with obedience training and we're now doing agility work. Many people have asked us to get into flyball because they would like a small quick dog with endless energy, which he has to burn. We have had, and continue to have, marking problems. I do like Nature's Miracle to clean it up and I'm hoping that if it's an adolescent problem maybe he'll grow out of it. (Belly bands have helped.) We also just got a new furbaby - a 2 lb. little girl. My big boy has so far been pretty good with her, but I watch him very closely. They're both adorable - maybe you should just get one of each and enjoy watching them grow and play together. :-)
Peg, Zorba, and Cricket
Peg
Wow, thank you all so much for responding so quickly to my cry for help. I think we will, as so many of you said, let the puppy pick us. Also observing the litter for a while will tell us something. And yes I do know about apptitude testing, so all that combined, how can we go wrong :-) I did that 4 years ago when I adopted my cat. Ran from one shelter to the next until my beautiful Calico found ME. She was already 4 years old and is the best cat in the world. I will let you know what we've decided on when we have him/her.Thank you again,Claudia
Claudia
I'm with Sue and Sophia, visit a breeder and let one new love pick YOU! That's what I did with my Lexi, and I (I mean she) couldn't have made a better choice. Kami was the only child in the litter, so not only was she the first born, the runt, but also the "pick" of the litter. I couldn't be happier with her choice either!Lots of luck! Whatever you decide, it won't be the wrong decision.
Lisa Wolfe
I've got a female, and she's about as loveable as they can get, also with my other female, both very affecianate. It's a matter of choice, with a female you would probley want to have her spayed {added expense} I don't think you would regret wheter you got a little boy or a little girl. I only stick with females as I don't care for the males "marking" their territory. Good luck. 
Dottie & Tasha
We have MORE fun wrestling and chasing each other. We vote that you get a boy AND a girl! When Mommy & Daddy are not home, we don't get separation anxiety. We just watch the house together and have a good time.
Sassy & Benji
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