hello everyone

[kellywmulligan]

Hi there, my name is Kelly and we are about to adopt our first Maltese, a 3 year old boy from a very nice breeder. I am so excited to be a Malty Mama!

I am a little overwhelmed, though, with trying to prepare for him. I want to get all the right supplies, but it sure adds up!

I'm wondering if y'all could give me your opinion about supplies that are absolute essentials. What are the supplies every new Malty owner should absolutely have on hand when she brings her new fluff home?

He's pad trained, and I'd like to do most of my grooming (I plan to keep him in a puppy cut), and will be taking him on walks. I have no idea what kind of pads, grooming supplies, collar/harness, leash, toys, crate, bed etc. I should use.

I know the breeder we are working with will help direct me to supplies, too, but wanted to check with you guys and see what you think.

So glad this community exists! I will post pictures just as soon as we bring our boy home at the end of October. I can't wait! :D

[JiJi's Mom]

:mtwelcome:

How exciting :D

It will be a good idea to know what type of personality he has. My furkids love toys that squeak. But some dogs are terrified of them.

Check to see what your breeder is feeding him. If it's a good quality food you might want to stick with that. If she's feeding him Purina, Science Diet or those type of brands you might want to get some from her and mix it in with the new food you choose.

If you want a kissable face everyday there's Spa Blueberry Facial Scrub we MT'ers love :tongue:

With pads I really just use the cheapest one since I always throw them away. Many here use washable pads. Theirs a recent thread about that subject.

I use a steel comb and a brush. Many love the CC products but those are a little to expensive for me right now. A shampoo with oatmeal is great and a conditioner is a must.

I'm sure the girls here will cover more.

[Emma's Mama]

"Baby" shopping...how fun!! Here are some essentials:

Harness - toy breeds are very susceptible to collapsed tracheas so harnesses are a must over collars.

Chew toys - you want him to chew on something appropriate, not your furniture, etc.! Nylabones and Kongs are great for the teething pup... (if he does take an interest into chewing things that he shouldn't, try Bitter Apple spray - they don't like the taste at all so it discourages chewing on whatever you spray! I threatened to put it on my ankles for awhile - Em was truly an anklebiter!)

Food - the breeder should send you home with some food. Depending on what it is, you may want to switch. If so, it must be done gradually to avoid tummy troubles. You'll get many different opinions here, but some "good" ones to look for are Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold...I feed Emma Innova small bites. Stay away from Purina and other "grocery store" brands.

Nutri-Cal - toy breed puppies often have a hard time regulating their blood sugar. They play hard and sometimes "forget" to eat. This supplement is a good thing to keep on hand. I gave it to Emma regularly until she was about 6 months old.

Spa Lavish Facial Scrub - this is gentle enough to use on puppies and does wonders in keeping those little fuzzy faces nice and white!

Shampoo/Conditioner - find a nice "mild" puppy shampoo. I even used J&J No More Tears baby shampoo on Emma.

Steel Comb - you don't need anything fancy to start out but a steel comb is still my favorite grooming essential!

Detangling spray - combing dry hair can cause breakage so I light mist Em's hair with a detangler first. I use PetHead Furball.

Food/Water dishes - don't buy plastic!! Go with stainless steel or ceramic. The plastic ones are more porous and encourage bacteria growth.

Puppy Pads - I typically order mine from PetEdge. They're about $5 for 30. I ran out and bought some at Wal-Mart instead. And now I've been cleaning up messes where they leak and kicking myself...

Crate/Ex-Pen - it's important for puppies to have a nice, quiet place to rest and to feel safe. Coming home can be exciting...maybe too exciting! They need a place to go to take a break and not be stressed out. Emma is two and a half and still sleeps in her crate every night. My best advice would be to either cover it with blankets (or buy a crate cover) so that it's "cozy" and put it beside your bed. You can get a crate pad for the bottom or buy a small bed that will fit inside.

Blankets - I actually buy baby blankets for Emma. I use the thin receiving blankets in the warmer weather and the fleece ones during the winter. They're the perfect size for a little Maltese!

Sweaters/Hoodies/Coat - this may not sound like a necessity but we're heading into colder weather. So, unless you live in a really warm area, your little guy will likely need a winter coat and at least a sweater or to just to stay warm! They're such delicate little things... :)

Car Seat - this is probably the priciest item on the list, but I think one of the most valuable. Emma's car seat is my single most favorite thing that I've bought for her (and I've bought a LOT!!). It not only keeps her from distracting me while I drive, but it also restrains her and stops her from being a 4.8 pound hairy projectile in the car should we be in an accident. I don't take her anywhere without buckling her into her seat. There are many different styles and options to choose from, depending on the size of your pup and also your car (for instance, the console seat is not an option in my Beetle!!)

[Morkie4]

"Baby" shopping...how fun!! Here are some essentials:

Harness - toy breeds are very susceptible to collapsed tracheas so harnesses are a must over collars.

Chew toys - you want him to chew on something appropriate, not your furniture, etc.! Nylabones and Kongs are great for the teething pup... (if he does take an interest into chewing things that he shouldn't, try Bitter Apple spray - they don't like the taste at all so it discourages chewing on whatever you spray! I threatened to put it on my ankles for awhile - Em was truly an anklebiter!)

Food - the breeder should send you home with some food. Depending on what it is, you may want to switch. If so, it must be done gradually to avoid tummy troubles. You'll get many different opinions here, but some "good" ones to look for are Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold...I feed Emma Innova small bites. Stay away from Purina and other "grocery store" brands.

Nutri-Cal - toy breed puppies often have a hard time regulating their blood sugar. They play hard and sometimes "forget" to eat. This supplement is a good thing to keep on hand. I gave it to Emma regularly until she was about 6 months old.

Spa Lavish Facial Scrub - this is gentle enough to use on puppies and does wonders in keeping those little fuzzy faces nice and white!

Shampoo/Conditioner - find a nice "mild" puppy shampoo. I even used J&J No More Tears baby shampoo on Emma.

Steel Comb - you don't need anything fancy to start out but a steel comb is still my favorite grooming essential!

Detangling spray - combing dry hair can cause breakage so I light mist Em's hair with a detangler first. I use PetHead Furball.

Food/Water dishes - don't buy plastic!! Go with stainless steel or ceramic. The plastic ones are more porous and encourage bacteria growth.

Puppy Pads - I typically order mine from PetEdge. They're about $5 for 30. I ran out and bought some at Wal-Mart instead. And now I've been cleaning up messes where they leak and kicking myself...

Crate/Ex-Pen - it's important for puppies to have a nice, quiet place to rest and to feel safe. Coming home can be exciting...maybe too exciting! They need a place to go to take a break and not be stressed out. Emma is two and a half and still sleeps in her crate every night. My best advice would be to either cover it with blankets (or buy a crate cover) so that it's "cozy" and put it beside your bed. You can get a crate pad for the bottom or buy a small bed that will fit inside.

Blankets - I actually buy baby blankets for Emma. I use the thin receiving blankets in the warmer weather and the fleece ones during the winter. They're the perfect size for a little Maltese!

Sweaters/Hoodies/Coat - this may not sound like a necessity but we're heading into colder weather. So, unless you live in a really warm area, your little guy will likely need a winter coat and at least a sweater or to just to stay warm! They're such delicate little things... :)

Car Seat - this is probably the priciest item on the list, but I think one of the most valuable. Emma's car seat is my single most favorite thing that I've bought for her (and I've bought a LOT!!). It not only keeps her from distracting me while I drive, but it also restrains her and stops her from being a 4.8 pound hairy projectile in the car should we be in an accident. I don't take her anywhere without buckling her into her seat. There are many different styles and options to choose from, depending on the size of your pup and also your car (for instance, the console seat is not an option in my Beetle!!)

Well Said.......even better than I could have said it myself!!!

Oh and Kelly, welcome to Maltese Talk!!!
I am sure you will be very happy with your new boy. I am personally fond of the "older" fluffs and haven't had a puppy in over 20 years. My last fluff came from a breeder and she was five years old so I'm thrilled to hear that you are going to be adopting an older dog......even they need homes.

Do you have a name picked out already or are you going to wait until you get him and name him then????

Again, congrats and welcome to the forum!

[Zuly4034]

Welcome to MT, Sooooo happy for you.:hearter: My name is Zuly and I have a 2yrs old female malt named Sofia.

I think the ladies cover you question. Can't wait to see the pictures of your new baby.

[kellywmulligan]

Wow! Thanks so much, everyone, for you warm welcome and thorough, thoughtful advice! :)

I am so happy I found this lovely community!

We are going to call our boy Huckleberry. I can't wait to show you pictures of our handsome boy--he is a real beauty! Very well bred and well loved! I cannot WAIT to bring him home!

I have really enjoyed everyone's pictures! I am so in love with this breed--they are so beautiful.

Thanks again!

[Emma's Mama]

Wow! Thanks so much, everyone, for you warm welcome and thorough, thoughtful advice! :)

I am so happy I found this lovely community!

We are going to call our boy Huckleberry. I can't wait to show you pictures of our handsome boy--he is a real beauty! Very well bred and well loved! I cannot WAIT to bring him home!

I have really enjoyed everyone's pictures! I am so in love with this breed--they are so beautiful.

Thanks again!

Can't wait to see him - we love pics! Also, I'm so sorry - when I read your post last night, I thought that you said a 3 month old instead of 3 years! Pretty much everything that I said still applies, though, but the Nutri-Cal isn't quite as important and he hopefully will be past the "chewing" stage (although my Emma will be 3 in January and is still a destructive little chewer!)

[love.my.babies]

:mtwelcome: Welcome to this lovely forum! You'll learn so much information here on how to care for you baby, groom him, train him! The ladies here are very nice and loving! I can't wait to see pictures of your baby.

I think Emma's Mama basically covered everything you will need... One thing I learned is that it's very important to keep their little faces clean as they can get staining and then that's hard to get rid of!

Good luck and congrats! :D

[Nikki's Mom]

Hi Kelly and :welcome:!!! So glad you joined us!!! :D You will love it here. :D As you can see, we are a very friendly group who absolutely love our fluffs and love to talk about them and share lots of pics!

Looks like you already have some great advise from all the ladies but if there's something else we can help you with, please just ask away! We are more than happy to help!!! :D

Looking forward to seeing pics of Huckleberry and hearing all about him! It's SO exciting getting a new fluff! I have 3 and we just got the 3rd one about a month ago. She is 4 1/2 months old and is a little wild child!! She keeps us hopping but she is an absolute joy! She makes us laugh everyday!

Again, welcome to Maltese Talk!!! :)

[MalteseJane]

Everybody covered a lot of stuff here but failed to realize that you are adopting a 3 year old and not a puppy.

You mention he is pad trained. He probably is and doing well were he is right now. But don't expect him to do as well at your place. You might have to potty train all over again. I just adopted a 1 year old who was pad trained. They know what the pad is for but forget to do their business there. They have to get used to a new environment. So don't be surprised if there are accidents.

You can buy underpads for people. Sometimes they are cheaper than the pet pads. Compare size and absorbency. It's better to pay a little bit more for better pads that don't leak. Especially if you have to put the pads on top of carpet. You don't want them to leak. I just ordered 100 pads for 52.40$ at TotalHomeCareSupplies. Those are big pads 30 x 36.

Don't go overboard with toys. They will play as much with a sock of yours. Since your little guy is already 3 you don't know if he will even play with toys. If they are not used to having toys they don't know what to do with them. My daughter adopted a 3 year old chihuahua and he does not play with toys. Some will like to play with balls, others don't.

One thing you will need for sure is a harness and a leash. Don't use a collar. Maltese have a susceptible throat.

Depending on how much grooming you want to do, you will need a brush, a comb, nail clipper, teeth brush and tooth paste (I use Petzlife gel). If you want to cut his hair yourself a shaver comes handy. Then there is shampoo, conditioner and a hair dryer. You can use a people hair dryer.

At his age I would not put him in a crate unless he is used to it. But of course he needs something to sleep on it. There is a lot of choice out there for beds.

I am not one to advocate Nutri-cal. It's not always a good thing. And your dog at 3 years old should not need it. I had a Maltese before for 14 years and never needed Nutri-cal and I got him when he was 10 weeks old.

I have a car booster seat left from my other baby. He never liked it. This one does not mind. So this is something to think about but not a necessity. And for safety I would not recommended it. For a dog to be safe in a car he really needs to be in a pet carrier.

Clothes. I don't put clothes on my dog at home and extremely rarely when going out unless it is a special occasion. My husband even thinks it's dog abuse. I don't take him out when it is freezing and the house is warm enough that nobody needs a coat inside. But that's up to you. One thing I do, I let his hair grow during the winter time.

Food & water dishes : avoid plastic. Ceramic, glass and stainless steel is ok.

Food : ask the breeder what he is feeding. You cannot change his food drastically from one day to the other. You need to do it gradually. I am not feeding dog food normally, I make his food myself. I bought Arcana Grassland to get him accustomed to both in case we are going somewhere and I cannot take home cooked food with me.

Waiting to see some pictures of your little one.
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[angeleyes]

:wave: Hi Kelly, welcome to Maltese Talk. You will really enjoy it here as we are all like family and you should be able to get all the answers to questions you may have. We love talking about our babies and love pictures and videos of everyones little ones too. I know you must be excited about getting your little boy. It's a big step for a family but one we never regret and usually end up with more than one. I'm Sue and I have a 3 year old Morkie female named Belle and an almost 1 year old male Maltese Sammy. We are also looking to aded a little female to our family sometime soon. Looking forward to seeing pics of your new baby boy.:D

[Tebow's Mom]

Welcome Kelly. I have a 10 month old Morkie named Tebow. Can't wait to see pictures.

[Punky]

Hi Kelly welcome to MT! Lots of fun helpful people on the site grats on your new family member! Cant wait to see some pictures of your new love bug

[JesBred]

WELCOME TO MALTESE TALK KELLY AND HUCKLEBERRY!

LOVE his name! How adorable! New babies are always so much fun! :D

For the harness I would recommend a step-in harness. I really like the silk harnesses or rolled leather. Here's a link where everyone provided their favorite harness :D Harnesses (http://www.maltesetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11487&highlight=harnesses)

I have no idea about pad training so I won't even attempt to give you any advice :tongue:

I have done all my own grooming since Mitzy was a pup and in the long run it really saves you a lot of time. I just have a basic set of clippers that I bought 4 years ago (after running out of a bad grooming session LOL) and they are still going strong. So I don't think you need to spend a fortune on them. I use the butter combs from Chris Christensen and they are pricy but SO worth it. I also like the wooden brush from CC but I like the Madan brush too if your looking for a less expensive option.

Clothes I would see if he even likes wearing them. I have SO many outfits for Mitzy but she really doesn't like wearing them. I do make her wear them when its really cold out but I don't think they are a necessity. Maybe buy a cheap little shirt at Ross or something and if he likes it get him some cuter stuff :D

You got some great advice from our members just wanted to add my two cents :tongue: Can't wait to meet the little guy!!

[JiJi's Mom]

Is he here yet :D

[kellywmulligan]

He's not here yet :( I had to push back my trip a little--I will get him mid-November. I'll let y'all know just as soon as he's here and I can snap a couple of pics!

[JanG]

Welcome to you and Huckleberry! Forgive me for being a little behind as life as been crazy lately.

I'm Jan and my fluff is CiCi who we adopted from a rescue agency. I'm a first time Maltese owner so had lots of questions too. The people here are just great with all the help they provide!