Maltese Size Guide (Teacup, Toy, Mini & Standard)

The Maltese is a purebred dog originating from the Mediterranean island of Malta. There are four sizes of Maltese that breeders refer to including Teacup, Toy, Mini & Standard. While it may seem like there are so many sizes in reality there are only two distinct sizes. Teacup, Toy and Mini Malteses are all the same size and Standard is the largest size.

If you are interested in Teacup, Toy, Mini or Standard Malteses keep reading this article to find out the all the answers to your questions about these sizes!

Table of Contents

Teacup Maltese

What Is A Teacup Maltese?

The Teacup Maltese is the smallest size of the breed. They are created by taking the runt of the litter and breeding smaller and smaller sized Maltese puppies until the breeders consistently get the teacup size.

Most breeders call the size that is smaller than the Standard Maltese “teacup” however others call them “toy” or “mini”. There is a lot of debate about how ethical teacup breeds are as they are often suffer from debilitating health issues due to their small, fragile size.

Teacup Malteses usually have long, silky white coats on a body of a small stature. they have rounded faces with dark button eyes and a dark nose. They also have short floppy ears and fluffy, curly tails.

Teacup Maltese Size

Teacup Malteses get to 4 to 6 inches (10.2cm to 15.2cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh between 4 and 5 pounds (1.8kg to 2.3kg) when fully grown. They are the same size as a Toy and Mini Malteses which are the smallest sizes of Maltese.

Teacup Maltese Temperament

Teacup Malteses have a very similar temperament to Standard Malteses however they are sometimes described as being more sensitive, anxious and fearful. This is mainly due to their extremely tiny size that may make them more suspicious of other people and dogs than the typical Maltese. Overall, Teacup Malteses are friendly, gentle and affectionate.

Teacup Maltese Lifespan

Teacup Malteses have a lifespan of 7 to 9 years. They have a very short lifespan because they suffer from many health issues due to their tiny size. They are also highly likely to suffer from a fatal injury as they have very fragile bones and not much muscle mass to support their skeletal system.

Teacup Maltese Price

Teacup Malteses cost between $2500USD and $5000USD. Despite their high risk of suffering with serious health issues due to their small size, they still sell for exorbitant prices as they are a designer dog breed. Another reason why they are so expensive is because there are so few of them in each litter.

Teacup Maltese Breeders

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Toy Maltese

What Is A Toy Maltese?

Toy Maltese is another name for the Teacup Maltese and Mini Maltese. They are the smallest size of Maltese. Toy Malteses are made by breeding the smallest dogs of two different standard size Maltese litters until they consistently create the Toy Maltese size.

Some breeders prefer to call their smallest Malteses “Toy Malteses” rather than “Teacup Malteses” as teacup breeds have a bad reputation. Hence, it is used as a marketing tactic.

Toy Maltese Size

Toy Malteses get to 4 to 6 inches (10.2cm to 15.2cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh between 4 and 5 pounds (1.8kg to 2.3kg) when fully grown. They are the same size as a Teacup and Mini Malteses so they are the smallest size of Maltese.

Toy Maltese Temperament

Toy Malteses have a very similar temperament to Standard Malteses however they are sometimes described as being more sensitive, anxious and fearful. This is mainly due to their extremely tiny size that may make them more suspicious of other people and dogs than the typical Maltese. Overall, Toy Malteses are friendly, gentle and affectionate.

Toy Maltese Lifespan

Toy Malteses have a lifespan of 7 to 9 years. They have a very short lifespan because they suffer from many health issues due to their tiny size. They are also highly likely to suffer from a fatal injury as they have very fragile bones and not much muscle mass to support their skeletal system.

Toy Maltese Price

Toy Malteses cost between $2500USD and $5000USD. Despite their high risk of suffering with serious health issues due to their small size, they still sell for exorbitant prices as they are a designer dog breed. Another reason why they are so expensive is because there are so few of them in each litter.

Toy Maltese Breeders

Mini Maltese

What Is A Mini Maltese?

“Mini Maltese” is another name for the same size dog as a Teacup Maltese or Toy Maltese. They are the smallest Maltese size. Mini Malteses are produced by breeding the runts of two different standard size Maltese litters together until they consistently get the Mini Maltese size.

Like Toy Malteses, some breeders call their smallest Maltese puppies “Mini Malteses” instead of “Teacup Malteses” as teacup breeds have a bad reputation for being unhealthy. It is therefore used as a marketing tactic.

Mini Maltese Size

Mini Malteses get to 4 to 6 inches (10.2cm to 15.2cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh between 4 and 5 pounds (1.8kg to 2.3kg) when fully grown. They are the same size as a Teacup and Toy Malteses so they are the smallest size of Maltese.

Mini Maltese Temperament

Mini Malteses have a very similar temperament to Standard Malteses however they are sometimes described as being more sensitive, anxious and fearful. This is mainly due to their extremely tiny size that may make them more suspicious of other people and dogs than the typical Maltese. Overall, Mini Malteses are friendly, gentle and affectionate.

Mini Maltese Lifespan

Mini Malteses have a lifespan of 7 to 9 years. They have a very short lifespan because they suffer from many health issues due to their tiny size. They are also highly likely to suffer from a fatal injury as they have very fragile bones and not much muscle mass to support their skeletal system.

Mini Maltese Price

Mini Malteses cost between $2500USD and $5000USD. Despite their high risk of suffering with serious health issues due to their small size, they still sell for exorbitant prices as they are a designer dog breed. Another reason why they are so expensive is because there are so few of them in each litter.

Mini Maltese Breeders

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Questions To Ask Yourself Before Getting A Teacup, Toy or Mini Maltese

Owning a Teacup sized breed comes with a lot of responsibility. Before getting one ask yourself some of these questions:

Can you take care of a Teacup Maltese?
Is everyone in the family on board and ready to welcome a tiny dog breed into the house?
Are your children responsible and old enough to live with a Teacup breed?
Can you afford the medical bills if your Teacup Maltese becomes sick?
Do you have the flexibility to work from home and spend time observing your dog for health problems?

Standard Maltese

What Is A Standard Maltese?

Standard Malteses are the largest and most common size of Maltese. When a breeder advertises that they are selling Malteses, they are most likely standard sized ones.

Malteses are typically pure white with a straight, silky coat that will grow all the way to the ground if they are not given a haircut. They can come in other colors but most of the time they have white coats. Malteses have black noses, dark eyes, short legs and fluffy, curled tails. You often see them with bows in their hair after a visit to the groomers as their hair can grow so long.

Standard Maltese Size

Standard Malteses get to a height of 7 to 12 inches (17.8cm to 30.5cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh around 7 pounds (3.2kg) when fully grown. They are the largest and most common size of Maltese.

Standard Maltese Temperament

Standard Malteses have an affectionate, gentle and trusting temperament. They are very people oriented so they make a great addition to families that have older children. Standard Malteses don’t shy away from showing their affection and will likely lick you and try to get lots of cuddles.

A downside of Malteses is that they can suffer from separation anxiety. This is especially the case if they are left at home for extremely long periods of time. Standard Malteses crave companionship and may express their dissatisfaction through barking or chewing up things.

Standard Malteses have a poor reputation when it comes to intelligence. They are ranked as the 111th smartest breed for obedience and working intelligence. Nevertheless, they are very emotionally intelligent which is why they are a great companion dog. They are also quite keen to learn which makes them trainable, especially with positive reinforcement techniques.

When training your dog it is important to use positive reinforcement techniques as dogs repeat good behavior when it is followed by a reward such as a treat or their favorite toy. Clicker training is another type of positive reinforcement training that is a good method for learning new tricks. You use a clicker device so your dog can associate a new behavior with a click and then a reward.

Standard Maltese Lifespan

Standard Malteses have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years. They have the longest lifespan of all Maltese sizes as they suffer from less health issues. You can give a Standard Maltese the best chance of living a long life by giving them plenty of daily exercise, feeding them a healthy diet and keeping on top of vet appointments.

Standard Maltese Price

Standard Malteses cost between $2000USD and $5000USD. They are sometimes slightly cheaper than Teacup Malteses as they are more common however they are still very expensive as they are an extremely popular breed. Another reason why Standard Malteses are so expensive is because they are a part of very small litters and Malteses can only have one or two litters each year.