Maltese Puppy
May 31, 2011 10:16 AM Subscribe
Maltese puppies? What is a reasonable price to pay for a female Maltese puppy (pet quality) from an ethical breeder? What low or high price requests should be warning signs? Any other tips on buying Maltese for a long-time dog owner who hasn't looked at purchasing dogs since long before the internet became a major market for pets?
Point of clarification: what do you mean by "pet quality"?
posted by The Michael The at 10:27 AM on May 31, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by The Michael The at 10:27 AM on May 31, 2011 [2 favorites]
If you have not looked into getting a pet since the advent of the internet, you may not be aware that there are thousands of Maltese dogs looking for homes, including hundreds of puppies like this purebred pup. Adopting from a rescue is generally less than buying from a breeder (although there are costs) and if you're not planning to breed your pet, the common lack of pedigree papers shouldn't make any difference to you.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:31 AM on May 31, 2011 [14 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 10:31 AM on May 31, 2011 [14 favorites]
I do not have a Maltese, but I do have experience getting a purebred corgi. I suggest you contact the breeders from your state, or one nearby, that are on the list from the American Maltese Association. I found the members I spoke from the list I used for corgis to be friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable even if they didn't have a litter available at the time.
posted by spec80 at 10:36 AM on May 31, 2011
posted by spec80 at 10:36 AM on May 31, 2011
Pet quality generally means that there are some flaws which render the animal not fit for breeding or (sometimes) showing. I have 2 purebred cats which are pet quality - one is deaf and the other's "ears weren't big enough".
posted by lilnublet at 10:38 AM on May 31, 2011
posted by lilnublet at 10:38 AM on May 31, 2011
I would second both considering an adoption, and if adoption isn't viable going through the breed association. I would also expect a serious breeder to ask you lots and lots of questions about your lifestyle. I was basically filling out forms of 5-6 short answer question of 150-200 words when we were looking for a dog.
full disclosure my pure bred is not a rescue, but was adult excess breeding stock - he ended up beinga bit too stocky for the breed standard so they sold him off when he was 18 months old - we didn't want a puppy.
posted by JPD at 11:21 AM on May 31, 2011
full disclosure my pure bred is not a rescue, but was adult excess breeding stock - he ended up beinga bit too stocky for the breed standard so they sold him off when he was 18 months old - we didn't want a puppy.
posted by JPD at 11:21 AM on May 31, 2011
Best answer: disclosure: biscotti occasionally breeds Swedish vallhunds, and I help a little with the stuff you can be smart-like-tractor for.
Maltese have small litters, so as a wild-assed guess you're looking at something north of $2K for a puppy as a break-even price. Vallhunds usually have litters of around 5 or 6, and we figured out that once you include all of the stuff, the puppy price that makes our dogs revenue-neutral over the long term would be about $1200-1500.
Price either way shouldn't be a warning sign. A lower price might just mean that the dog has a mismark.
Warning signs:
*The breeder isn't asking you a long series of intrusive questions, including ones about what you plan to feed, how you plan to train, and so on. biscotti's questionnaire is long and intrusive, and she probably rejected at least as many homes as we had puppies.
*The sire and dam aren't health tested. The national Maltese club can clue you in about what tests are appropriate for Maltese. Ours get a variety of OFA and are CERF'd, and probably more that I forget.
*The breeder breeds more than one kind of dog. The warning doubles in intensity with every additional breed.
*The breeder sends puppies home before 8 weeks.
*You ask to visit where the dogs are kept and the breeder says no. Ours live in our house as our pets.
*The breeder's contract specifies anything other than "If for whatever reason you can't keep the dog, you have to send it back to me. Period."
There are more. biscotti wrote this about choosing a breed and breeder.
Some suggestions:
*Don't fixate on the price too much. Odds are good that you'll put a $1K or more into the dog's health care more than once anyway. The point being that over the lifetime of the dog, it being initially expensive will be the least of your monetary problems associated with it.
*You aren't looking for a "pet quality dog." You just aren't planning to show, and are looking for a companion.
*When you email a breeder to ask if they have or are planning a litter, tell them about yourself, why you want a Maltese, what your plans are for the animal, how you might have heard of the breeder, etc. Don't just send an email (as biscotti gets around once a week on average) that just says "Do you have any puppies? How much is your puppies?" Not a good first impression.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:53 AM on May 31, 2011 [9 favorites]
Maltese have small litters, so as a wild-assed guess you're looking at something north of $2K for a puppy as a break-even price. Vallhunds usually have litters of around 5 or 6, and we figured out that once you include all of the stuff, the puppy price that makes our dogs revenue-neutral over the long term would be about $1200-1500.
Price either way shouldn't be a warning sign. A lower price might just mean that the dog has a mismark.
Warning signs:
*The breeder isn't asking you a long series of intrusive questions, including ones about what you plan to feed, how you plan to train, and so on. biscotti's questionnaire is long and intrusive, and she probably rejected at least as many homes as we had puppies.
*The sire and dam aren't health tested. The national Maltese club can clue you in about what tests are appropriate for Maltese. Ours get a variety of OFA and are CERF'd, and probably more that I forget.
*The breeder breeds more than one kind of dog. The warning doubles in intensity with every additional breed.
*The breeder sends puppies home before 8 weeks.
*You ask to visit where the dogs are kept and the breeder says no. Ours live in our house as our pets.
*The breeder's contract specifies anything other than "If for whatever reason you can't keep the dog, you have to send it back to me. Period."
There are more. biscotti wrote this about choosing a breed and breeder.
Some suggestions:
*Don't fixate on the price too much. Odds are good that you'll put a $1K or more into the dog's health care more than once anyway. The point being that over the lifetime of the dog, it being initially expensive will be the least of your monetary problems associated with it.
*You aren't looking for a "pet quality dog." You just aren't planning to show, and are looking for a companion.
*When you email a breeder to ask if they have or are planning a litter, tell them about yourself, why you want a Maltese, what your plans are for the animal, how you might have heard of the breeder, etc. Don't just send an email (as biscotti gets around once a week on average) that just says "Do you have any puppies? How much is your puppies?" Not a good first impression.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:53 AM on May 31, 2011 [9 favorites]
Just a suggestion. A rescue dog will cost between $250-$500 for a purebred Maltese (the charge covers the rescue's medical and boarding expenses). Take a look on Petfinder and search on "Maltese" as the breed, with your zipcode entered and the "baby" box checked, under Age. You'll find a number of crossbreeds, but you'll also find a lot of purebred puppies.
I help out with an animal rescue: most rescue dogs have ended up there because the owner was a waste of space, not because of a temperament problem. Puppies tend to be there because the owner decided that a pregnant dog was too much trouble, or because a breeder could not sell their puppies and did not want to spoil their market by reducing the price. Reputable rescues will ensure that dogs are healthy and have all their shots before being adopted. They'll be honest about the dog's temperament, so you know exactly what you are getting. And you've saved a dog from being euthanized. Karma - how cool is that?
posted by Susurration at 1:13 PM on May 31, 2011 [3 favorites]
I help out with an animal rescue: most rescue dogs have ended up there because the owner was a waste of space, not because of a temperament problem. Puppies tend to be there because the owner decided that a pregnant dog was too much trouble, or because a breeder could not sell their puppies and did not want to spoil their market by reducing the price. Reputable rescues will ensure that dogs are healthy and have all their shots before being adopted. They'll be honest about the dog's temperament, so you know exactly what you are getting. And you've saved a dog from being euthanized. Karma - how cool is that?
posted by Susurration at 1:13 PM on May 31, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have a Maltilion which is a combination Maltese and Papillion and I think he is a much nicer and sweeter dog. Maybe its just the luck of the draw with the breeder but this little guy is the nicest little dog I've ever met.
He's sweet - you can take his food away from him, he isn't a biter or a nipper as my old Maltese was, he never "humps" or is super sexual as my Maltie was even though he was neutered. He had a stuffed tiger that he humped every night. I don't want to knock him as he was a nice little dog and beautiful, too. But this Maltillion is just something special. He seems to have the best qualities of both breeds.
Like a Maltie he has a regular appointment at the groomer once a month and he is a barker - you have to be able to live with that - your neighbors, too.
Luckily, we live in a complex of dog lovers so we accept their barking if they accept ours - which they do.
One more positive thing about a Maltillion - they are more independent than a Maltese in that they are not constantly in your lap. He can live apart from us and be happy although he's not nearly as independent as our Lhasa Apso was who had his own room!
posted by Tullyogallaghan at 5:42 PM on May 31, 2011
He's sweet - you can take his food away from him, he isn't a biter or a nipper as my old Maltese was, he never "humps" or is super sexual as my Maltie was even though he was neutered. He had a stuffed tiger that he humped every night. I don't want to knock him as he was a nice little dog and beautiful, too. But this Maltillion is just something special. He seems to have the best qualities of both breeds.
Like a Maltie he has a regular appointment at the groomer once a month and he is a barker - you have to be able to live with that - your neighbors, too.
Luckily, we live in a complex of dog lovers so we accept their barking if they accept ours - which they do.
One more positive thing about a Maltillion - they are more independent than a Maltese in that they are not constantly in your lap. He can live apart from us and be happy although he's not nearly as independent as our Lhasa Apso was who had his own room!
posted by Tullyogallaghan at 5:42 PM on May 31, 2011
Also an owner of a purebred (Corgi, fluffy like spec80's!). You might have good luck with a breeder who breeds primarily for show - they will be particularly meticulous about the health of their dogs. They usually have dogs that for whatever reason don't meet breed standard (my dog's coat is "fluffy" which isn't breed standard) so they can't be shown in confirmation but are perfectly suitable for pets.
posted by radioamy at 8:24 PM on May 31, 2011
posted by radioamy at 8:24 PM on May 31, 2011
If you are not looking for a show or breeding quality dog I'd repeat the Petfinder.com recomendations that have already been given. You can search for dogs by age, so still get a Puppy and there are Maltese only rescue groups out there. The dogs are usually reasonably priced, with the money usually just enough to cover vets fees etc and the animals are vet and usually temperament checked before being adopted out. I've got 2 purebred dogs from rescues, though mine were a year old when I go them, so its not only the mutts that end up there all sorts do, usually through no fault of their own.
I know of someone that wanted a female cocker spaniel in particular, and she let her local humane society know and when one came in they contacted her. So that might be an option for you too, let them know you are after a Maltese puppy and could they contact you if they got any in.
If you are set on getting one directly from a breeder I think both jerseygirl and ROU_Xenophobe have offered some great advice.
posted by wwax at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2011
I know of someone that wanted a female cocker spaniel in particular, and she let her local humane society know and when one came in they contacted her. So that might be an option for you too, let them know you are after a Maltese puppy and could they contact you if they got any in.
If you are set on getting one directly from a breeder I think both jerseygirl and ROU_Xenophobe have offered some great advice.
posted by wwax at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
You want to visit the home where the mother, and hopefully the father, still is. You want to know that the breeder isn't breeding 600 different kinds of dogs. For that matter, you want to see a breeder who is careful with the way they breed their dogs - don't let them have too many litters per year, don't let them get too aged, etc.
My mother got a Maltese from an at-home breeder and I went along because my mom wasn't sure about going alone. You could tell this breeder was very meticulous in what she did and how she treated her animals. She limited litters, she was particular about mating, she was careful with who she gave the puppies to and she had very detailed records, she let you see the mom, and the rest of her house. She knew her stuff, she wasn't doing an at-home puppy mill.
On the opposite spectrum, before buying the Maltese with the reputable woman, we visited a house that was essentially a puppy mill. The entire basement was barking, and we could NOT go down there. There were all sorts of dogs and puppies running around and there seemed to be some sort of eye infection running rampant. It broke our hearts.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:26 AM on May 31, 2011