Males vs Females in the maltese breed?

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a maltese puppy but am undecided between a male or female.

I do not intend to breed and will spay the puppy at the appropriate age. The puppy will be a family pet in a medium sized home with a well-fenced large front yard.

I would especially love to hear from maltese owners who have more than one maltese dog who are different sexes, so that would be a lot easier to compare the two sexes! Any suggestions much appreciated!

From what I've gathered from other resources;

- the male breed tends to mark their territory by peeing around the house. They also tend to be a lot more active and dominant during their hormonal adolescent months.

- on the upside, the male maltese dogs tend to have a more stable personality, less mood swings than the female. The male tend to be more outgoing and more vigorously affectionate.

- Females on the other hand tend to learn quicker than the male. Are less active and hyper, tend to be more passive.

- females are known to be clever and can be manipulative at getting it their own way. are prone to mood swings.

I'm not 100% sure on these points, but I guess it all depends from different breeders and most importantly how YOU train your puppy!

Thanks for reading - any input would be greatly appreciated!

Have a good day!

 

Hi since you are looking for a small dog, I would post this on the the small dog site here, they are experts there and can really help with the mix breeds and such

good luck

honeybear

 

Personally I wouldn't go in with the intent of getting a male or a female, I would pick the puppy whose personality is best suited to my life.

 

I agree with Aqueous. Choose the pup that seems to be the kind of personality you want. A good breeder should be able to help you choose. Evaluate what you want in a dog so you know what to look for.

And some of the "problems" you mentioned - like marking around the house - can be avoided if you spay or neuter early enough.

 

Good advice up above so far. Be aware there are always myths you'll hear about any given breed(s) - some of what you've stated are myths, as well what holds for one, two or a handful of dogs of the same breed or mix may not be true for every dog. Two main factors determine characteristics a puppy has: genetics and environment. Get to know the parents this will be a good indication of the temperament of the pups.

This should not be true for a healthy, properly house trained dog, male or female. Activity level and dominance is going to depend on the individual pup and its upbringing (socialization/training etc), not just because it is a male.

Again, I'd look to the parents before making generalized statements as such. Females can be just as outgoing and affectionate. Hormones can influence mood, but shouldn't be a worry if female is spayed.

Not necessarily.

Dogs generally do not think this way. If a dog is getting its "own way" it is not sex-related but an establishment of leadership and training (or lack of) on the owners part.

Any decent breeder will help determine the best puppy for your lifestyle and activity level. Before you purchase a dog spend some time reading books written by Jean Donaldson (Culture Clash is a good simple read), Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, to name a few authors.

 

Welcome! I'm getting a female Maltese puppy in December!
To be honest, aside from physically obvious differences, there is no behavioral differences between a neutered male and a spayed female. I really don't believe that gender has anything to do with it and is a poor way to attempt to judge a puppys outcome or personality, since there really is no way to guess. Pick out whichever puppy, male or female, wins your heart!

 

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions, especially Jas!

I agree, it probably comes down to which one is most suitable when I see the litter of puppies. Thanks again.

Some of the breeders though, do not show the parents or have sold the parents by the time they sell the puppies (which I find rather shocking)

 

be very cautious of those types of breeders. :shock: I would not get a pup from a breeder that I could not see the parents of the pups.

I am just wondering... what are the prices they are asking for a pup? And do they give any health guarantee? If they do...(which I would most likely want if it were me...) Make sure if you take the pup to YOUR vet.. not thiers to get a health check. Some states allow 14 days for this, some more some less. So be aware of your rights. :y_the_best:

 

Heck run the other way! It is I would say critical to see the parents of any dog you are buying from a breeder!

 

I've had many dogs for their entire lives of different breeds over the years, and overall I'd say I've been happiest with the females. Depends on your personality too. Some people like males better. I have to agree that it depends more on the INDIVIDUAL than the gender. Personally, I found the males to be too dominant and overbearing at times. Of course this is
handled nicely with obedience lessons, but the females do seem more quiet and they seem to learn faster for me. They have also been more protective of my home and property. Just one more small thing - on a small dog, when they go pee and come back into the house and you pick them up, you inevitably end up getting your hand damp from their wet pee-pees! This is something to consider too. With a female this is much less likely to happen. With any dog, spaying or neutering early will almost always make a better pet out of them.