Janet808
Posted : 10/9/2007 1:11:36 PM
Well neither one will shed. Maltese have hair, not fur, so there's no shedding, but grooming is a biggy. It also depends on exactly how big a dog your looking for. You mentioned toy poodle, which would be really small, Maltese are only supposed to be 5-6 lbs., but a lot of breeders breed them with larger dogs so they have more puppies and make more money. I have a Maltese who is 12 yrs. old and weighs a whopping 3 1/2 lbs. Her mother was 5 lbs. and father about the same. Her sister was also about 3-4 lbs., but her brother I was told was BIG, in comparison. Little dogs aren't usually real good with "little" kids, they tend to nip. I think they get scared, because lets face it, what kid, especially a small one can resist picking up a dog (just their size). Once the kids get bigger, though, the problem usually goes away. Just be careful in you picking if you truly are looking for that type of breed, not to get them too big. Since they're supposed to be small. Hope this helps! Good Luck!