Maltese Breed Standard

© The Kennel Club - Unauthorised Reproduction of Text and Images Prohibited.

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed. From time to time certain conditions or exaggerations may be considered to have the potential to affect dogs in some breeds adversely, and judges and breeders are requested to refer to the Kennel Club website for details of any such current issues. If a feature or quality is desirable it should only be present in the right measure.

To view photos of this breed please visit the Kennel Club Picture Library

 

General Appearance
Smart, white-coated dog, with proud head carriage.

Characteristics
Lively, intelligent, alert.

Temperament
Sweet-tempered.

Head and Skull
From stop to centre of skull (centre between forepart of ears) and stop to tip of nose, equally balanced. Stop well defined. Nose black. Muzzle broad, well filled under eye. Not snipey.

Eyes
Oval, not bulging, dark brown, black eye rims, with dark haloes.

Ears
Long, well feathered, hanging close to head; hair to mingle with coat at shoulders.

Mouth
Jaws strong, with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Teeth even.

Neck
Medium length.

Forequarters
Legs short and straight. Shoulders well sloped.

Body
Well balanced, essentially short and cobby. Good spring of rib, back level from withers to tail.

Hindquarters
Legs short, well angulated.

Feet
Round, pads black.

Tail
Feathered, carried well arched over back.

Gait/Movement
Straight and free-flowing, without weaving. Viewed from behind, legs should neither be too close nor too wide apart.

Coat
Reasonable length, never impeding action, straight, of silky texture, never woolly. Never crimped and without woolly undercoat.

Colour
Pure white, but slight lemon markings permissible.

Size
Height not exceeding 25 cms (10 ins) from ground to withers.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - October 2009

Glossary of Canine Terms

Some links to health information and resources that may be relevant to this breed:

Veterinary screening schemes - The Kennel Club operates these with the British Veterinary Association.

DNA screening schemes - detect disease-causing mutations in a number of breeds.

Current Accredited Breeder Scheme health screening requirements and recommendations - for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder.

Breed WatchBreed Watch - a tool aimed at dog show judges and exhibitors to highlight and tackle any current concerns in a breed

Health Test results Finder Tool - access results of any official KC health testing scheme for Kennel Club registered dogs

2004 Purebred Dog Health Survey Results - Individual summaries are available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available to order from the Online Shop.

Breed Standards

Kennel Club Breed Standards

Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve.

The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.

Breed Clubs and Societies

 

 
Date page created:
Categories:
Toy Group 

This article has been read 48639 times.

Bookmark and Share