What is the difference between maltese and shih tzu

Canine intervertebral disc disease — Occurrence by age, breed, and sex among 8, cases. Itoh Y et al. American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Bagley RS. Tremor syndromes in dogs: Diagnosis and treatment.

Journal of Small Animal Practice. Get Pippa's free dog training tips delivered to your inbox. All my family and friends absolutely love her and she loves them. I really could not be happier with my choice. My sister has 2 Shih Tuzs and the three together are best friends. Also i exposed my dog to every customer who enters our busyness, this has made her so loving to everyone she meets.

The only drawback is now i want many more and my girlfriend said just 1. I combined male Maltese with my female shihtzu. Precious 2 litters with total of 8 pups. I rescued a Maltese Shih-tzu 2 yr old female 2 months ago. She is a perfect mix of the 2 breeds.. She is long like a Shih-tzu but with the the longer legs of a Maltese..

I rescued one that is a mix of both at the age of 7 months. I put her food and water under there with her and 7 years later that is where she still likes to eat. She is the most lovable dog I have ever had. If your looking for a snuggly dog this is definitely what your looking for. Why pick get the mix. You get the best of them both. I just lost my Maltese due to liver failure, she was 5, I miss her dreadfully. She was the kindest, sweetest natured dog I have ever owned, not a minutes bother, all she wanted was to be with me, she was my rock and we adored each other.

Shedding little, their coats continue to grow in length and can vary from pure white to slightly yellow, especially around the ears. However, the Shih Tzu is still a small dog with white, brown, and black markings.

The Shih Tzu has a short snout and tends to be more stubborn than the Maltese. Also, both of these dog breeds are very energetic and considered outgoing breeds, but Shih Tzus is calmer. Protective of their owners and possessions, the Shih Tzu and Maltese both embody the best qualities within smaller dog breeds.

This article will fill in all the important details about the Maltese vs Shih Tzu while comparing their temperament, health, and other unique characteristics. Other articles you would like: Goldendoodle vs Labradoodle and Cavapoo vs Malipoo. The Maltese looks somewhat like a Pomeranian and seems to have originated from a common ancestor.

This breed shows up in Greek and Roman ancient texts. In addition, Aristotle mentions the Maltese in some of his writings which means they likely come from royalty. This breed has been around for a long time, yet its popularity continues to grow. The Maltese is one of the lower shedding dog breeds due to the quality of their hair.

They also tend to be less jumpy than Pomeranians, preferring to snuggle instead. They are golden yellow, brown, and white mixed together for a wonderful look. A common color expression for Shih Tzu is an almost all-white coloring with darker features around the head and behind the ears. The Shih Tzu, as you might have guessed, originates from China and was bred for the upper class originally. Now that their popularity is widespread, many families from around the world can enjoy their uncanny looks and relaxed attitudes.

In fact, they are the 20 most popular dog breed according to the AKC. Shih Tzus tend to have separation anxiety when their owners left them alone at home because they bond very closely with them. Malteses are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality. Shih Tzus are good for novice owners, due to their easy-going personality. A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses mostly its smell to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.

The use of dogs in search and rescue SAR is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people. A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling. The Maltese is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly. The Shih Tzu is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly.

Calculate dog years to human years by breed here. Malteses have an average energy level, so if you live a semi-active life, this breed can be a good choice for you. Malteses sleep hours a day as an average dog and they're not considered as a lazy breed. The Maltese is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency. The Shih Tzu is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency. Sharing is caring.

Help our free service by spreading information about dog breeds. Despite the best intentions, there may be errors. If you find one, please let us know and we will fix it as soon as possible. Contact us here.

Companion Dogs. American Canine Association, Inc. Average: The Maltese requires average grooming effort. Malteses shed none to minimal. They are very affectionate dogs but do have a mischievous streak. Which I am sure is funny at times.

With appropriate mental stimulation and exercise these can be reduced, albeit I tend to encourage it and barking can be trained out of the run. They are perfectly willing to please and capable of following positive, repetitive reward based training for basic commands such as sit. They just want to please you! The main concern with this breed is that they are notoriously hard to house train. The Shih Tzu definitely meets the requirements of a teddy bear and can be as stubborn as one.

Short, praise based training should work as remember they are lap dogs so are not known for a high energy level. They still need exercise to prevent them getting fat whether they like it or not! They are considered less yappy than the Maltese but still a firm hand is required to prevent excessive barking.

A similar trait with all toy breeds is the difficulty in house breaking the breed. This is something you will likely need to be prepared for if you are getting a puppy. Training this can take over eight months for a Shih Tzu , so make sure you read up on potty training and how to remove that urine smell we have an article on this to link to? It is even recommended that all variation is minimized so even take you dog to the same place in the garden to pee to ensure they know what a good doggy is.

Toy breeds are not bred for intelligence and obedience like other working dogs but training, although may take a little longer is definitely possible. With some prior reading and preparation creating a perfectly behaved member of the family will not take too long.

If you need extra help training check out our article here! Both these dog breeds are very popular. The kennel club had registrations for Shih Tzu placing this breed as number 16 th on the list most popular dog breeds in The Maltese may not have made the top 20 but is still popular with registrations in Remember this is just registered dogs and there will be many more that are not purebred.

On a different ranked list, the mirror, ranked Maltese dogs 48 out of of most popular dog breeds in voted by the public in Britain and the Shih Tzu ranked 12 th.

It is clear that many people choose the Shih Tzu over the Maltese , but both breeds are relatively widely available. Even older dogs of a couple of months if you rather avoid that awkward potty training stage are available. The popularity of Shih Tzu dogs means that although there are purebred dogs available there are also many more cross breeds.

This means that you will need to check the characteristics of the breed as well to make sure the dog is a right fit for you. This is because no characteristics are guaranteed with crossbreeds and is likely to be a blended appearance and personality of both breeds.

Both breeds offer a luxurious coat which demands a high-quality dog food, most people recommend a dry food over wet. Treats are essential for training purposes.

This is not anything different to that of any other dog breed. Toy breeds in particular are more prone to hypoglycemia or low blood sugar especially in puppies so a good diet being fed at the right times is important.

It is recommended that initially to help the move of your puppy from the breeder to your home to continue on the same brand of dog food that the breeder has been providing to encourage your puppy to keep eating and minimize stress.

It is also important to remember that small dogs tend to have sensitive stomachs and due to their size even small amounts of harmful foods can do a lot of damage. This means to be sure to check out which are harmful human foods for your dog, whatever dog you get. The fast growing nature of these dogs fur also mean that the food should have a high good fat content such as omega three and six and vitamin A to ensure a healthy, silky coat. A hypoallergenic diet will also help determine if your puppy is allergic to any flavors if you are worried about this.

It is recommend that you read the instructions on the food you are provided or listen to your vet especially if providing home-made food. Roughly a Shih Tzu will require approximately 35 calories per pound, and reduced down to 30 for a less active, more senior dog. This means that if your Shih Tzu weighs 12 pounds, you will need to feed it calories a day, usually spread across two to three meal times.

A Maltese may require a few more calories per pound as they are a bit more active. This is recommended at approximately 45 calories per pound of body weight and more in puppies.

So a seven pound Maltese will need calories across the day. These are only rough guidelines and the exact amount will represent the actual weight of the dog and vet recommendations. Do you have or planning to have a family with young children? Then a Maltese is probably not the right dog for you, whereas a Shih Tzu is known to be very affectionate with children.