Hi everyone!!!

[GirlieGirl]

:) :) Hello :D
I am also from yorkietalk and I loove Maltese also ,and have been researching both yorkies and malts in my search for a new furbaby(s).

I would love to hear from others about the care and personalities of your maltese and also about tear staining and if it is true that if a puppy doesnt have it by a certain age that he/she will not tear stainas much or at all.

I cant wait to see more maltese owners here and see pictures and stories to help me in my search.

Chellie :)

[Kristy]

Hi Chellie. Glad you found us. I, too, love Maltese and want to learn more about the breed before I get one!

[Mystify79]

Welcome! :D

[cdenn]

I guess us 3 are all in the same boat! Nice to meet you and how exciting it will be when we find our little ones!

[Chloeandj]

HI and welcome!

I personally wouldn't believe that about the tear stains...As they start for different reasons. But don't get me wrong, you may get one that doesn't have tear stains.

[luvmypupster]

Welcome! I have one of each, love them both to pieces. Good luck in your research and your search.

[Mystify79]

HI and welcome!

I personally wouldn't believe that about the tear stains...As they start for different reasons. But don't get me wrong, you may get one that doesn't have tear stains.
Yeah, I totally agree about the tear stains.. Tuffy had them briefly as a puppy and then he didn't have them at all for the longest time and lately they've been coming and going.

[Sassy's Mommy]

:) :) Hello :D
I am also from yorkietalk and I loove Maltese also ,and have been researching both yorkies and malts in my search for a new furbaby(s).

I would love to hear from others about the care and personalities of your maltese and also about tear staining and if it is true that if a puppy doesnt have it by a certain age that he/she will not tear stainas much or at all.

I cant wait to see more maltese owners here and see pictures and stories to help me in my search.

Chellie :)

I can share a little about Maltese... :D
I normally bathe Sassy once a week whether she needs it or not. haha She never smells like a little doggie but I like to keep her coat nice and soft/silky. Eventhough she is in full coat I do NOT wrap her coat. I let her be a happy pet and let her hair fly in the breeze. Keeping a long coat requires a certain amount of dedication to say the least. I spent a lot of time brushing. Oh bath day it takes me about 20--30 minutes to bathe and condition her. Then it is straight to the dryer. I comb her hair as I dry it and that process takes upwards of an hour. The entire process takes almost 2 solid hours. I know, call me crazy but I just like the way she looks. Also about once a month I trim her pads, pluck her ears and trim her nails. Sassy is very patient about her grooming so it makes the task less of a chore.

As for personality and temperment.....Sassy has personality personified. She is so sweet and loving. She is a mommy's girl and takes good care of the mommy. Maltese in general are loyal, little people doggies. The thing they like best is being with their people. The do not tolerate extreme temperatures, hot or cold (even in full coat they can not tolerate the cold.) They are playful; however, just playing in the house is normally enough exercise for the little fur balls. They tolerate older children pretty well. I would not trust small children picking the doggie up because of possible injury. They are sturdy little dogs eventhough they are very fine boned. Pretty easily trained if you take the time to teach them. They want to please so therefore are eager to learn.

As for the tear staining, it is anyone's guess. As the other members have said, tearstaining can be caused by any number of factors. ie teething, allergies (both food and environmental), stress, genetics, illness, clogged tear ducts. Even if you purchase a baby that is stain free he/she could develop stains at a later date. The stains are caused by red yeast growing in the wet tears on the hair. A lot of people only treat the cosmetic appearance of the staining. Personally I think one should tackle the inner problem that is causing the excessive tearing in the first place. I have read countless articles that suggest that once a doggie has all of it's adult teeth then giving a Rx of Tetramycin or a like antibiotic will clear up staining problem. Then as the hair grows out the tear stains are gone. (Never give this antibiotic while your baby is still developing it's teeth. It can/will cause the adult teeth to be discolored). I know first hand that Sassy developed pretty bad tear stains when she was teething, then almost overnight she stopped staining once she had cut all of her teeth. I never gave the antibiotic. Even now, sometimes when we visit at my moms Sassy's little face will get wet from the stress (visitors in and out and in a strange place). I keep her face washed everyday so it doesn't stain. TIP: I use human baby wipes (no fragrance/no alcohol) on Sassy's face and hiney to keep her fresh and odor free. The tears have a slight odor and will cause the baby's face to smell a little doggie if not kept clean.

I could go on and on about things I know and have learned since becoming owned by a little white angel. Let me know if you have other question. Hope this info is helpful.