Maltese Chihuahua Mix (A.K.A Malchi) – Quick Overview

The Maltese Chihuahua Mix, also known for its nickname Malchi, is a small crossbreed dog that results from mixing two parents, one Maltese dog and one Chihuahua dog.

The Malchi should not be confused as being its own distinctive dog breed, as it’s not officially recognized by any authority as a dog breed on its own.

Maltese Chihuahua Mix dogs are only cross-breed dogs, like one of the many dozen cross-breed dogs available out there today. Other examples are the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix the Chorkie and the Pomchi a Pomeranian Chihuahua Mix.

Maltese Chihuahua Mix Recognition

The Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog is recognized by the following entities as being a designer mixed-breed dog.

• International Designer Canine Registry (IDCR)
• Designer Dogs Kennel Club (DDKC)
• American Canine Hybrid Club (ACHC)
• Designer Breed Registry (DBR)

Maltese Chihuahua Mix Appearance

Depending on which of the two parents this dog takes the majority of its genes from, it can look more like its Chihuahua parent, more like its Maltese parent [1] or a bit of both in very similar percentages.

Size, Height & Weight

On average, the  Chihuahua Maltese Mix dog will weigh around 4-7 lbs and will stand at around 10-13 inches tall when it becomes an adult, which is a ridiculously small size when compared to the average dog.

But then again, we can’t expect anything else when mixing together two of the smallest sized dogs in the world  [2] !

Coat

First off, let’s talk about this dog’s coat length and density, as this depends on what the coat of their Chihuahua parent looks like.

If their Chihuahua parent has a fairly long coat, then chances are that this dog will have a long one as well, while if their Chihuahua parent has a short coat, then chances are that this dog will have a short one as well.

Why are we focusing so much on the Chihuahua parent when it comes to the Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog’s coat?

Well, most of them take their coat from their Chihuahua parents and not their Maltese parents.

This dog’s coat is known to come in a wide variety of colors and not just be limited to one or two colors, which is a very nice thing to see as far as diversification is concerned.

With that being said, the most two common colors that this cross-breed usually comes in are white and cream colors, while other colors this dog is also available in are black and brown.

Chihuahua Maltese Mix Temperament

Coming from two parents that are some of the smallest, most energy-filled dogs you could ever come across, the Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog’s temperament is no different than those of its parents.

Attention

When a tiny, new born baby is added to the family, what do they expect (or what do we immediately change in our lives)? Them becoming the center of attention in our lives.

The same thing holds true for this tiny little dog, as they love to be the center of attention and will reward you back for it in spades if you give them that with love and affection of their own.

Never in a million years will this dog be happy if it senses that its being marginalized, as it’s just like a small baby that needs all the attention and care it can get.

If not given the attention and time it needs from its owner throughout the day, this dog will very easily develop separation anxiety and a whole host of other behavioral problems [3].

Training

Even though this dog is a relatively smart dog, unfortunately it isn’t as easy to train as some other cross-breeds that we’ve talked about on this website before.

This dog will give you much more of a tough time than other dogs when it comes to training them to stop excessive barking  and how to properly get on with other people/pets you may have at home.

And this all becomes a bit more difficult when this dog decides to go all ultra stubborn and “i’m independent and don’t need to listen to what you have to say” attitude that it can sometimes get from its Chihuahua parent.

The last thing you want to do in this situation in an attempt to speed things up and get the ball rolling is using useless and harmful techniques such as scolding and yelling, because this will be of no use to improving the training process and will only damage the relationship between you and your Maltese Chihuahua Mix.

Positive reinforcement techniques, rewards, consistency, firmness and techniques related to all of these are what gets you positive results in cases such as this.

Also, this is one of those cases where it’s very true that the earlier you train and socialize your Maltese Chihuahua Mix, the better results you’re going to get and the easier the process will be.

At a very young age, this dog will not have developed their own personality yet and the chances of them acting all stubborn on you will be minimal.

Such behavior is much more likely to be exhibited by this dog at an older age when they’re adult dogs with their own personality.

The Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog is known to take a fairly longer-than-average while to warm up to new people it meets and new animals it comes across before they can become friends, but that could be improved upon by proper socialization from a young age.

The most important thing is that you don’t allow your young kids to play around with it if you’re not entirely sure that they know how to properly interact with it, and if you’re not entirely sure whether or not the dog has been properly socialized and trained before, because that’s just a recipe for disaster and an attack waiting to happen on your kids.

Sometimes kids and other pets (dogs mainly) can play a little bit on the rough side with this dog and cause them tremendous injuries because of how small this dog is and how fragile its bones are, so it’s best that you always supervise such interactions and playtime.

Exercise

Despite its tiny size, you would be surprised that this dog has a whole lot of energy in it and loves to play around and be active throughout the day.

However, you have to keep in mind that a dog as small-sized as this one will get tired much faster than dogs which are larger in size, meaning the Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog won’t be needing nearly as much exercise and physical activities as some other dogs out there.

In general, one walk per day would be more than enough exercise for this dog, and you may notice that you have to carry it back home sometimes as it won’t be able to carry on due to fatigue.

So make sure to keep any walks you take this dog on short and quick, as there’s really no need to be going for long distances back and forth.

Watchdog

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Need we say anything about this dog’s barking abilities, knowing the fact that one of its parents is a Chihuahua?

Obviously, this dog is one heck of a barker (just like its Chihuahua parent) that will be more than happy to bark endlessly whenever something strange is going on that you should be aware of.

So this dog is very capable of being a watchdog that you can rely on.

But boy, does this dog like to bark!

This is why you should make sure to have this dog properly trained not to bark at anything and everything without a necessary reason to, because this can get quite annoying for you, your household members and any other neighbors that might be around.

Maltese Chihuahua Mix Health

Some of the most common health problems this dog can possibly inherit from either/both its parents are:

• Hypoglycemia
• Easy bone damage
• Collapsed trachea
• Heart disease
• Eye disease
• Ear infections
• Seizures
• Shivering
• Intestinal and digestive problems
• Sensitive stomachs (which usually needs a specialized diet for dogs that suffer from sensitive stomachs)

To make sure that your dog’s chances of suffering from any/all of the health problems mentioned above, only deal with reputable breeders that are happy to supply you with health clearances for this dog and both its parents, as only this way will you be able to tell how much of a chance this dog has of living a health problem-free life.

It’s almost always never worth it to buy from a less reputable breeder just to save a few bucks on the front end, because you’ll be paying what you saved 100x down the road on veterinary bills and medical expenses on your dog’s health.

Generally speaking, this dog is expected to live a lifespan of around 12 to 15 years.

Maltese Chihuahua Mix Care

Probably the most important thing you always have to keep in mind when getting home such a small sized dog is the fact that they are tiny dogs that have a very fragile bone structure, and even the least bit of “wrong” physical contact can cause their bodies severe injuries.

As far as shedding is concerned, this dog is (most of the times) a moderate to heavy shedder, as it’s coat is almost always like that of its Chihuahua parent.

However, that’s not always the case, as sometimes this dog will be a non-shedder just like its Maltese parent, but that’s not all that common.

So, and given the fact that your Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog will almost always have long hair that sheds quite a bit, your trips to the groomer will have to be more frequent than would be the case if you had a dog that sheds less (or you would have to take care of trimming their coat yourself more frequently if you have enough experience doing that).

Expect to need to brush this dog’s coat multiple times every day in order to minimize the excessive shedding and hair falling off.

Speaking of brushing, this dog doesn’t have a lot of teeth problems so it’s perfectly fine for you to brush its teeth around once every other day.

Moving on, let’s talk a bit about giving this dog a bath [4] .

Again, if this dog has a relatively longer coat, then you’ll need to give them baths more frequently because their coats can get dirty much faster than dogs with shorter coats, and vice versa.

You will also need to regularly check up on this dog’s nails and make sure you don’t let them grow way too long, because that could spell problems for them and eventually cause physical pain when they start to get in the way of day to day activities.

Ideally, your groomer should take care of this task because you and I can easily get this wrong and cause tremendous pain to the dog if we accidentally hit a nerve.

And last but not least, ear cleaning should also be done by a professional groomer every now and then to make sure this dog doesn’t develop any ear infections.

Maltese Chihuahua Mix Living Conditions

Given the fact that this dog is a fairly tiny-sized dog and not a large one, it will be perfectly fine if you want to get one home to an apartment.

This is good news for people that don’t have a backyard as part of the property that they live in, which is usually a requirement when talking about larger-sized dogs.

So keep in mind that this dog will do perfectly fine in both an indoor apartment or a property where it spends most of its time outdoors in a backyard, both options are completely fine.

Where Can I Buy A Maltese Chihuahua Mix?

Besides buying a Maltese Chihuahua Mix dog from a reputable breeder (which is the only option you should be going with if you choose to ever buy from a dog breeder, never EVER buy from someone not reputable), you should really consider adopting one of these dogs from a local rescue near where you live.

Chances are that if you were to contact one of the rescues near you, you’d get word that at least one out of a few shelters has one of these dogs available for adoption.

Besides saving a dog’s life, you would also be saving a lot of money and expenses in the process.

Resources

1. Everything You Need to Know About Maltese Dogs https://www.rover.com/blog/maltese-personality/

2. The 25 Smallest Dog Breeds https://www.akc.org/press-releases/smallest-2014-sept/

3. Behavioral Problems of Dogs https://www.merckvetmanual.com/behavior/normal-social-behavior-and-behavioral-problems-of-domestic-animals/behavioral-problems-of-dogs

4. Simple Tricks to Make Dog’s Bath Time Easier http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-becker/simple-tricks-to-make-dogs-bath-time-easier-faster-and-neater