Bichon Maltais

The Maltese Bichon belongs to one of the oldest breeds, cited by Aesop in the fable The Monkey and the Dolphin, Aristotle in his History of Animals speaks of the Μελιταῖον κυνίδιον - Theophrastus in The Characters, and Lucian of Samosata, among others. The Maltese Bichon is known from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, Strabo speaks of it as the lap dog of matrons. In Theophrastus' The Characters, the Poser pushes ostentation so far as to have engraved at his death the name of his Maltese Bichon, a very expensive dog breed and a sign of luxury.

This companion and pleasure dog (group 9, section 1) has a standard from the International Cynological Federation (FCI) under the patronage of Italy published on November 27, 1989. Small dog, elegant with a proud and dignified head carriage, 21 to 25 cm at the withers (hag = height at withers) for males, 20 to 23 cm for females and weighing between 3 and 4 kg, with an elongated trunk more than a third longer than the height at the withers. The curved tail, tapering, is 60% of the height at the withers (hag) in length. Its silky textured hair without waviness is white but it is accepted that it can tend towards pale ivory. Its skin has spots of a rather dark red color and the exposed skin, at the eyelids with opening close to a circle, at the well-joined lips, at the bulbous nose and at the pads, is strictly black. Its head is rather wide equal to 6/11 hag. The length of the muzzle to the rectilinear chamfer and with parallel lateral surfaces, makes 4/11 of the head's length. The almost triangular ears are drooping, the width makes 1/3 of the length. The eyes, located on the same frontal plane with globes flush with the head, are dark ocher in color. The limbs, well-applied to the body, well-aligned and parallel to each other, muscled with robust bone structure: shoulders 33% hag, arms 40-45% hag and forearms 33% hag, thighs 40% hag and legs a little more than 40% hag. It is hypoallergenic. The personality of the Maltese Bichon has been shaped by its long history: Initially employed to hunt mice in Italian ports, it also became over the centuries an appreciated companion dog. It has a lively and playful temperament and learns tricks readily. It is intelligent, affectionate and very attached to its master which makes solitude difficult for it. It also shows guard dog qualities despite its size, and gives voice if it hears suspicious noises.

It is an indoor dog that fears the cold. It is generally robust but can sometimes present small health problems such as dermatitis or dental or joint disorders. Its tear ducts can also become blocked requiring daily cleaning especially during its teething period. Its life expectancy is at least 15 years.