Fun Teacup Maltese Facts For Kids

The teacup Maltese dog breed is the smallest dog in the toy dog group. It is a size variant of the fully grown teacup Maltese dog. The regular-sized dog is a miniature dog too. Despite being the name Maltese, this dog does not have any verified sources to prove its connection to Malta. But historians believe that their breeding and development may have carried out in Malta. To date, the traces of its roots are not known clearly. The Maltese breed is considered to be a member of the bichon family.

The dog has been seen frequently with members of the royal family, including Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the standard Maltese in the year 1888. This dog breed is known for its charming and cute looks, lively and spirited personality, loyalty, alertness, and intelligence. Teacup Maltese dogs need to be given mental stimulation for further development. Unfortunately, they get stuck as ornamental dogs, only used for showing.

Read on to learn more about this dog breed. You may also check out the fact files on the Poodle and Labrabull from Kidadl.
 

What type of animal is a teacup Maltese?

A teacup Maltese is a small dog and a variant of the Maltese dog breed. This mini Maltese teacup dog is one of the popular choices for pet dogs, especially for children.

What class of animal does a teacup Maltese belong to?

Mini teacup Maltese dogs belong to the class of mammals since they give birth to live Maltese puppies and feed them.

How many teacup Maltese are there in the world?

There is no exact estimate on the number of teacup Maltese dogs left in the world. The mini Maltese teacup dogs are not endangered currently, nor there are any instances of their population decline.

Where does a teacup Maltese live?

Teacup Maltese dog breeds are ordinarily found in European countries as well as the United States. They are also found in regions with moderate weather conditions. The favorable weather in which to raise teacup Maltese dogs is moderate weather. They have only one layer of fur or hair on their bodies. There is no double coat underneath. This factor makes the tolerability of mini Maltese teacup puppies for extreme climates quite low.

What is a teacup Maltese's habitat?

Miniature Maltese dogs or teacup Maltese dogs are pet dogs that are favored by numerous dog lovers and dog owners. A teacup Maltese dog's habitat is usually its owner's house or a dog shelter or a rescue home until it is adopted and sold. These dogs are bred by reputable breeders for further sale.

Who do teacup Maltese live with?

Teacup Maltese dogs live with humans since they are bred or adopted and domesticated by humans. They are one of the popular dog breed choices. They can also live with other dog breeds provided the owner is an avid dog lover and tends to keep more than one pet dog. The teacup Maltese dog breed is a friendly and calm dog that goes along with almost every dog breed.

How long does a teacup Maltese live?

Teacup Maltese dogs can live a healthy and long life. They have a lifespan of 12-15 years or more. To ensure they meet the lifespan, proper care must be taken of the dog to keep it healthy. The reason for the same is it is prone to a number of health problems and health issues due to its small size.

How do they reproduce?

Teacup Maltese dogs are tiny dogs who are a size variant of the breed of regular Maltese. The miniature Maltese is infamous for its style of breeding since the regular Maltese breed is already a small dog belonging to the toy dog group. It is said that the teacup toy Maltese dog is actually bred as a premature puppy from an unhealthy mother who is not physically fit to reproduce.

The process of reproduction is the same across species. This species of dog breed is a purebred dog. Miniature Malteses are brought into the world by breeding Maltese dogs.

What is their conservation status?

This breed of dog is not endangered or nearing extinction. The purebred dogs are bred in enough numbers to meet the demands. So their conservation status is stated as Least Concern, declaring no major threats to this species.

What do teacup Malteses look like?

The regular Maltese dog breed is a small dog belonging to the toy group of dogs. Teacup Maltese dog breeds are miniature dogs or toy dogs belonging to the same breed. Teacup Maltese dogs are even smaller versions of the dog breed.

They usually come in a solid white color or pale tan with lemon markings over their bodies. They have furry, floppy, and droopy ears that do not stand upright. They have dark black eyes that stand out on their speck-less white bodies. The coat of a teacup Maltese dog has a velvety and smooth texture. The region around their eyes and toe pads are the only regions on their bodies where the colors may differ slightly.

The teacup Maltese dog breed can fit right into your palm or your pocket or your purse! They make ideal lap dogs because of their size, temperament, and snuggly nature.

How cute are they?

Teacup Maltese dog breeds are the smallest dog in the toy dog group. This dog breed is known widely for its adorably cute size, features, and personality. It can easily fit into palms or pockets or purses.

One of the reasons that it is popular among dog owners, particularly first-time dog owners is its looks, behavior, and affectionate personality. Apart from their miniature size and stature, these dogs have elegant, rich, and velvety white coats. The coat is naturally wavy but with proper grooming they can look sleek and suave. They have a small round head and small ears that always droop downwards. They have large, black eyes and small noses that stand out vividly on their white and furry body. They make ideal show dogs, majorly because of their cuteness and charm.

How do they communicate?

Teacup Maltese dog breeds communicate with their owner or breeder by barking loudly. They are vocal small dogs, despite their small miniature size.

How big is a teacup Maltese?

A dog breed is considered to be teacup when it is less than 7 in (17.7 cm) tall and weighs less than 7 lb (3.1 kg). These dogs are two times shorter than a Maltese Shih-Tzu. Teacup Maltese dogs grow as tall as 3-6 in (7.6-15.2 cm) and can weigh between 3-5 lb (1.3-2.2 kg). They are miniature toy Maltese dogs who are a smaller version of a small toy dog breed. However, the only difference between the regular Maltese dog and a teacup Maltese dog is merely the size. Regular Maltese breeds grow up to 10 in (25.4 cm), which is nearly 3 in (7.6 cm) more than the teacup dog version.

How fast can a teacup Maltese run?

Teacup Maltese dog breeds cannot run at an impressive pace because of their size. When these small dogs run or walk fast, it looks like they are bouncing. They have a decent speed but they are at a disadvantage due to their smaller and fragile legs.

How much does a teacup Maltese weigh?

Teacup Maltese dogs weigh as much as 5 lb (2.2 kg) maximum, accounting to be nine times smaller than a miniature golden retriever and eight times smaller than a mini Labradoodle. Their weight can range between 3-5 lb (1.3-2.2 kg) in their lifespan. It largely depends if they are healthy considering the breed quality, food, life, exercise, and health problems.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate terminologies or names for female dogs and the males of the species.

What would you call a baby teacup Maltese?

A baby teacup Maltese would be called a puppy or puppies (plural) like every other dog breed.

What do they eat?

Teacup Maltese dogs can be fed dog formula, high-quality dog dry food, and certain types of meat with the confirmation of the vet. The dry dog food quantity must be properly monitored to maintain their good health. Only one-quarter or half cups of dog food must be given to them per day. The breed of teacup Maltese is prone to obesity.

Are they hypoallergenic?

Teacup Maltese dogs are considered hypoallergenic despite their furry coats. Their tendency to shed is quite low even if they have long and sleek coats. So dog lovers who have allergy issues can consider keeping teacup Maltese dogs without any hesitance.

Would they make a good pet?

Teacup Maltese dogs are excellent choices when it comes to first-time dog owners, those who have small-sized condos or apartments, people who have allergy issues, and those who do not want to spend hours cleaning hair from their furniture and floor.

This breed does not have high shedding tendencies. It requires regular basic grooming. It does not take up a lot of space. Teacup Maltese dogs are friendly, socially accepting, calm, loyal, alert in presence of strangers, smart, intelligent, quick learners, and excellent companions.

Their temperament is calm and playful. They are natural watchdogs and they look adorable and unbelievably cute. Teacup Maltese dogs are chosen by parents who want to introduce their children to dogs. A teacup Maltese can cost you between $750-$2000 USD. Their temperament and people-orientation make them easy to train. The white face of these dogs makes eye staining more common due to epiphora or excessive tear production which keeps the region under the eye wet constantly.  

Did you know...

Teacup Maltese dogs do not have any historic or scientific evidence of hailing from Malta. Their roots of breeding always go back to the English breeders in 1800.

Teacup Maltese dogs can have tear stains around their eyes. Due to this, the color of the coat around the eyes could differ.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the standard Maltese in the 19th century.

Teacup Maltese puppies suffer from separation anxiety.

Do teacup Malteses bark a lot?

Teacup Maltese dogs are vocal and loud dogs. They tend to bark in presence of threats or strangers. They are natural security dogs. The temperament of this dog breed, however, is calm, energetic, lively, and playful.

Do teacup Malteses have health problems?

Due to their size, teacup Maltese dogs have plenty of health problems including heart problems, fragile bones, and more. When introducing them to young children, care must be taken at all times since one single drop can end in bone-breaking for these miniature dogs.

Some of the common health problems endured by teacup Maltese dog breeds are: hypoglycemia, heart defects, seizures, collapsing trachea, dental problems, digestive issues, respiratory problems, and blindness.

Another health problem is also obesity which is due to the neglect and ignorance of the dog owners or breeders. Since this dog breed is extremely small in size, dog owners tend to carry them in purses or in hands everywhere. They do not get to walk or run or exercise. This breed tends to gain weight if adequate exercise is not given to them.

They should be trained using reward-based training and must be allowed to socialize with other animals and people.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our sperm whale facts and kangaroo facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our Teacup Maltese coloring pages.