length of snout? Color?
by Doris
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
I've recently bumped into other maltese and boy do they come in different shapes and sizes!!! I've noticed that some maltese have somewhat of a pugs snout --meaning they look rather short in the face and not at all like a small border collie's snout. What is the apropriate appearance for the maltese breed???( What is the appropriate head shape?) My maltese has a rather racoon appearance---What gives her the flat in the face look is when her fur around her snout puffs out....also she has black spots through out her body like a dalmation ...is this normal or do I have a mixed breed?? She does have black brimmed eyes and nose and yes her tail curls over---but only when shes feeling high spirited. Can anyone answer the head shape and body color questions????(Not the color of the coat but her actual skin tone) Simply curious!!!
DISCUSSION:
Doris, I feel the best way to answer your question about what a Maltese should look like is for you to go to the photo album and have a look. There are many pet and show Maltese represented there. As you will see, white is the only color that the Maltese comes in. Yes, your dog is a mixed breed.
April B
Yes, you can find Maltese that look very different from one another. However, if you want to know what one is supposed to look like then go to Jays' photo section and look at all the ones with Ch. in front of their names - look at all the others - there is a standard and this is the goal. However, genetics is tricky business and while anyone can put a mael and female together and get pups - the result can be very surprising. The snout issue - well no way should a Maltese have a 'pug' face. The AKC Standard is also accessible from this site. The spots or patches of pigmentation on your dog are simply signs of deep pigment - as long as the hair is all white and the points black this is rather common.
Leslie R
Hi Doris - the first breeder I went to (a bad, bad experience) had maltese with HUGE snouts. I went on the endless search to find Bailey (like yours, kind of raccoon face & tiny). I asked the breeder if her dogs had any bichon in them and she snapped out - call me silly, her bitch must have weighed at least 15 lbs, who knows what the sire looked like, and her snout looked like my old german shephard. Like you said, I guess they do come in all shapes and sizes. As for the dark spots on your babies skin, Bailey had one, and the overprotective mom I am, called the vet, shlepped him in (thinking he had some kind of skin cancer) and it turned out to be a little birthmark (there was a well spent $60 vet visit LOL).
Mary & Bailey
My Sparkey is pure Maltese and he has three little black spots on his nose. There on the skin, not hair. They look like little freakles. I believe it is common. So, this alone doesn't mean your baby isn't purebreed.
Amie
Hi Doris! Even if your little angel turned out not to be purebred, so what! She sounds just adorable! Give your furbaby a big hug!!!
Karen
My Bear is an AKC registered Maltese, but he looks suspiously like a Bichon. I don't care...he's the sweetest little boy I've ever known. (I can say that without any guilt because my other Malts have all been girls - LOL)!!
KATY & BEAR & DOLLY
Doris, you said your dog has "black spots throughout her body". I assumed you meant her hair. If I misunderstood, I'm sorry. Your dog may, in fact, be purebred. A lot of them have black freckles on the skin. This is normal.
April B
HI.Black spots on the skin are very common. It usually means that the dog has a lot of pigmentation. Bee gets black spots on his skin during the warm months. In the winter the skin turns pink again.
Bernadette & Bee Bee
You will see a great variation in the heads of Maltese show dogs. The little boy, Bentley, that won BOB at the Garden this week has the tiny head with a very short nose. His breeder is Barbara Merrick of Raliegh, N.C. Bentley's dam, Paloma, was a top winner a couple of years ago. Her head had a slightly different shape and a slightly longer muzzle. The Standard says 'moderate' but each person has the right to prefer the look they like the best. The word moderate is up to each persons definition. Both Bentley and Paloma have wonderful coats and all the other good things we are looking for. Many 'moderate' muzzles are longer than Bentley's. Some wonderful Maltese have broad rounded skulls with a well balanced muzzle that is not short at all. Read the Standard, provided by Jay - thank you Jay - and you will see how they can vary and still be correct.
Mary Lou
Thanks, everyone for your response! I'm convinced my little 8lb
girl--who happens to be getting spayed today--poor thing, is actually a pure breed maltese! Yes, I'm happy that I paid for what I actually wanted. I'll admit on my behalf I stubbornly didn't do my research before purchasing from a breeder. As for the spots on the skin I guess you all say this is normal...I couldn't find this information in a book. Thanks again!
Doris
I'm glad you brought this subject up. I've always wondered what the breed standard means when it says "muzzle...fine and tapered but not snipy." What is snipy? - too pointed, or turned up, or what?? I guess I just don't know my snipe well enough to make a good guess!!
Tricia R.
Tricia, snipey refers to a muzzle that is more pointed at the tip like a poodle nose. The Maltese is refined but not as long and pointed as a Poodles. The nose tip is more squared off looking. Sometimes it helps to compare with other breeds. Neither breed has a turned up nose.
Mary Lou
All of my malts have patches of brown on their pink skin which is camoflaged by hair, but when wet is quite visible. It wasn't present as a tiny puppy but appeared some weeks later. Their coats are still pure white everywhere.--KathyD
KathyD
Well, I had to check out this snout thing....so went to the malteseonly slide show to see of my Taffy looks like a poodle! She was called that again today. She is definately a Maltese, whew! Maybe I will let her hair grow out on top and give her a topknot after all! She also has large "freckles" on her skin :)
Robin M. & Taffy
My first Maltese, whom I thought at the time was the most beautiful dog of all time turned out to be rather large, very long in foreface and definately not a good represention of the breed. However he displays the wonderful, loving temprement of the breed and sleeps with me every night. He is now 13 years old and still going strong. I might add that my more recent Maltese are small, pretty and true to type, the thing that they all have is that wonderful loving nature that makes them Maltese.
JUDY LEES
| Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advice. |
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