Every type of dog food (Maltese dog food included) is specifically made for the breed. Your dog’s breed requires a balanced diet, including such nutrients as carbohydrates, calcium, and proteins. All of these nutrients can be found in abundance though in what is known as “honest kitchen” foods, such as boneless lamb and chicken, broccoli, steamed carrots, and brown rice. When they are not processed or put through the industrial machine, the food items keep a lot of the nutrients that would otherwise have been lost.

Maltese dog food should first and foremost contain proteins. These come from the meats that go into a dog’s food, and help the dog process their food into energy. Do not give them excessive protein though or they may develop renal disease. Fats are also imperative in the Maltese dog food makeup. The Maltese is naturally a very active dog, so they will usually burn off the excess fat that they intake- this results is plenty of energy for the dog. Fat will also help give them healthy skin and fur, a well as advanced kidney function.

Some Maltese dog food will also contain what are known as “trace elements”, such as zinc, iodine, cobalt, iron, and copper. The requirements for your dog involving these compounds are minimal, but they are nonetheless important for general health. They depend on the iron for healthy blood circulation, and zinc is needed for healthy skin development. Deficiencies in any of these “trace elements” can lead to health problems such as anorexia, bone disorder, anemia, testicular atrophy, or skin lesions.

Maltese dog food comes in many different types- dry food, semi-moist foods, canned foods, and frozen food. The dry food generally is made from grain flours made into dough, dairy products, vitamins and minerals, and meat meals. They are usually not very palatable unless coated in milk product, liquid fat, or carbohydrates. Semi-moist foods are usually a combination of soybean meal, fresh meat (or meat by-products), animal fat, sugar, and preservatives. Canned foods are usually both liquid and solid foods, and come in four varieties- ration, all animal tissue, chunk-style, and stew. Frozen dog food is a meat-based food with no preservatives at all, and must be kept frozen to avoid spoiling of the meat. In general, the Maltese will most appreciate its food in the canned variety, with the next coming in as semi-moist foods, then frozen dog food, then the dry food.

Training a Maltese must be done properly though simply because of their nature. Maltese are bred to be excellent companion dogs that are incredibly attached to their owner. They will be perfectly content to spend every waking minute with you. This extreme attachment has been known to cause a few problem behaviors (mainly shows of dominance) if the dog is not properly socialized with other dogs. Training a Maltese is imperative in avoiding aggression issues. While cute, their tenancy to act larger than they actually are can be rather hazardous. They frequently standoff to strangers and unknown people, even becoming snappy to children and infants.

Taking control of the household is the first step when it comes to training a Maltese. Despite popular belief, these small dogs usually believe that they are in charge of the house unless taught otherwise. If left to his own devices, a Maltese will do whatever he must to show this dominance. Because of this, you should not only establish boundaries, but also establish yourself as leader of the “pack”. In fact, training a Maltese comes down to showing that you are in charge.

The first way to do this is set feeding times. Feed your Maltese at set intervals, paying no heed to the dog when he wants to eat at a different time. He will then notice that you provide him with the food, which is the “alpha male’s” job in the pack mentality. This mentality can also be reinforced by controlling the walk when you take your Maltese out on a walk. Do not let the dog dictate either the speed or the direction. Leash control is vital when you are training a Maltese.

Small dogs such as Maltese can easily get into the mentality that they are allowed to get up wherever they want. This may be cute, but the owner must establish their “territory” to show dominance. Controlling your space is of prime importance in imposing boundaries. Barking and whining should not be responded to at all when trying to decide what furniture the dog is and is not allowed on.

Training a Maltese can be done quickly enough, but most dogs still don’t get enough mental stimulation or exercise. Ask yourself- How often do you take your dog to the park, or play a game of fetch with them? When was the last time you trained them with a simple command like sit or stay? When it comes to training a Maltese, you may reduce the chances of a dominance-question by keeping them from becoming overwhelmed with boredom and/or energy. This will remove many of the bad temperament issues.

Maltese feeding on poop comes from a variety of reasons. One of the simplest and most common reasons is that they may just be hungry- an alternative reason that is also fairly common is that they may be trying to clean up their space. If they have a particularly dirty pen, or if they are not fed enough, your Maltese is intelligent enough to try to resolve either of these issues. The best way (in their minds) of fixing this is to eat their own excrement.

Many health issues may cause this practice though, which is why your Maltese feeding habits will need to change quickly! It is very possible that they may not be getting enough nutrients from the dry food that they are given, which means you may need to change the type of food you give your Maltese. Feeding them the proper diet is not the only thing though- they may also have worms that are taking all the nutrients out of the food before it is properly digested.

The first step to changing this Maltese feeding habit is to check for any health related issues. This is most especially true if you notice the practice developing suddenly, where he had never done it before. If they eat it regularly, they may have parasites- this results in the need for an immediate visit to the vet. Should the dog check out to be completely healthy, you may need to address the issue yourself- remove all excrement from the house and yard. Another, more discrete, method is to feed them a spoonful of pumpkin puree each day. This will make their waste taste much less appetizing.

Understanding exactly why your dogs bark is paramount to knowing how to make them stop! They bark for any number of reasons, particularly when it comes to emotional or physical excitement. Usually, the times that they choose vocally express themselves are during moments of alarm, for purposes of enforcing territorial rules, when greeting somebody, when frustrated, when injured or under certain ill conditions, and during compulsory moments. Because of all the broad range of conditions that may trigger barking, it is difficult to teach your dog that it is not quite a good thing. The Maltese bark problem is only accentuated by the fact that is a natural watch dog (most small breeds are, in fact).

When the dog refuses to stop barking, one should first go about determining if their noise is warrented. The vast majority of the time, the barking can be controlled. Should the barking be unwarrernted, ask yourself when the dog chooses to bark, what the Maltese bark may be aimed at, and if there seems to be a specific trigger. If the problem is based on territorial or danger issues, yelling at them may in fact trigger bitting and excessive aggresion as an instinctive response. Instead, you must assert yourself as the “alpha male” (even if you are female!), and show the dog that you are the one in charge of protecting the house. Draw the blinds that show the outside so the dog no longer sees all the passing “dangers”, and close all the windows to muffle noises.

If the Maltese bark seems to stem from anxiety issues when you are gone, the dog may have more serious problems on the horizon. Excessive barking can be a precursor to destruction of property or other signs of restlessless. This behavior stems primarily from the fact that they may have been rewarded for this type of behaviour in the past. When you arrive home, ignore the dog for about 10 to 15 minutes at first to show them that their behavior does not warrant anything good. This will stop them from associating your return with attention being directed to them.

One of the issues is that people think that the dogs, when young, are too “cute” when they are chewing. This causes the people to refrain from correcting the measure, which causes issues as the dog gets older and continues to think that they can get away with the behavior. The other extreme option is to yell at the puppy, which not only confuses the dog, but also can cause other behavioral problems as well. The Maltese teething process is uncontrollable, so yelling will do nothing to remedy the situation.

When you are ready to adapt your Maltese teething induced chewing, know that there are plenty of options. In no way should you hit or strike the dog. No matter how angry you may get, do not direct it at the dog. This doesn’t teach them what they did wrong! Your first option should be behavior adjustment. Do not stop the chewing entirely, but show them things that they can chew on. If he starts chewing on a slipper, replace the slipped with a toy. Praise the dog when he starts to chew on the toy. This will help him associate chewing on the toy with a pleasant sensation.

An alternative is just keeping your puppy busy. While Maltese teething is a slightly uncomfortable process for the dog, keeping them preoccupied will help them stay distracted- thus reducing the likelihood that they will start to chew on something! Even if they are not teething, boredom can cause them to chew. Be sure to keep them well exercised, and play with your dog for a decent amount of time everyday. This will keep them engaged, and too busy to nibble on shoes. When you are not home, keep them busy with stimulating toys.

Crate training is also an option. This is mainly for when they get into trouble while you are away- you cannot do anything about if you aren’t at home! When crate training is properly executed and used, it is a nice method of controlling your dog when nobody is there to babysit it. Aversion sprays are another, slightly less pleasant, method. These are used on couch cushions or carpets that the Maltese likes to chew on. Sprays such as cayenne pepper or bitter apple are very humane, though disgusting tasting, sprays that are sure to keep your Maltese teething problem reduced.

The idea behind using a clicker for training a Maltese pupppy is a game of soumd association- your dog is learning to associate a specific command (given by you) with the sound of a clicker (a sound that is generally sharp and strong). This training has a goal of marking positive behaviors that are to be continued, and then rewarding the dog with the sound of the clicker.

As most would guess, training a Maltese puppy by way of the clicker does not start with the clicker itself. The dog must first be taught that the sound of the clicker is a positive reward. Using Pavlov’s law, one can teach the dog that the clicker is a good thing- a reward and a praise. By buying and using a cheap two-dollar clicker at the same time the dog is being given treats, for example, the dog will soon associate the clicking sound with a positive sensation. It is imperitive that the clicker be used in this way, as opposed to a verbal command, because the clicker will only be used for that reason. Verbal commands or statement may be given in a variety of situations and should thus be free of the association.

When training a Maltese puppy through clicker, there are three basic steps that should be taken. The first is sometimes the most difficult- find the behavior that you want, and convincing your dog to that behavior or action. Be it rolling over, sitting, speaking, other tricks, or even following a household rule, they must first do the action before any additional steps can be taken. The second step is using the clicker after the action is done, and the third step is rewarding them with a treat. A dog can usually get the associated memorized after only two or three clicks, but a safe number is four or five just to be safe. Verbal commandss take longer because they hear your voice many times, and take a while before they recognize the correct combination of syllables. The clicker is a distinct sound that they will not hear as often.

Once the dog has performed the preferred action and recieved their reward, reinforce the behavior as much as possible by continuing the pattern as much as possible. After the first several successful tries, you may wish to stop giving them treats every single time (as that would get rather expensive). Both petting and praise can work just as well, and can eventually replace the behavior altogether.

So how then does one go about house training Maltese puppies? First, you must realize that all dogs, Maltese especially, are incredibly quick learners and possess more intelligence than is first seen. A good stepping stone in house training Maltese is actually making sure they are socialized well. Believe it or not, a sociable dog is more aware of its surroundings- thus, it is less likely to poop in other people’s space. This should be done while they are young, so they can quickly become accustomed to socialization. Otherwise, you may have aggression problems as well.

The next step is to try crate training. With the proper crate and the proper technique, a dog will quickly learn that the crate is their space- a dog will generally not dispose of waste in their own small space that they have to stay in for extended periods of time. When left in the crate for a certain amount of time, they should then be removed and place in a location where it is safe to urinate, such as outside or on a pile of newspapers. They will soon associate the location with the urge to dispose of waste, and will eventually take themselves to this location when they have the urge to spring a leak.

House training Maltese doesn’t solely end here though! They must also be taught that disposing waste in a bad location is not a desirable behavior. While still being caring and gentle, use a firm “No” when you see them pooping in a bad location. This will let them know that what they just did is not desirable. When authority is properly exerted over them, they will learn to respect your commands and wishes. Where and where not to relieve themselves is one such command. It may take several tries before they get the message, but consistency and regularity are important when trying to house train them.

Firstly, you should pinpoint the problem behavior at its source and stop it right at the beginning- when the dog is still a puppy.  Any dog that is still within its first six months can be very easily retrained, as it is still within the reformative period of its life.  This is when dogs usually learn to bite in the wild, so it is the prime time period to teach them not to bite when in a domestic habitat. Once you notice your Maltese behavior turning nippy, you should nip the problem in the bud- try giving them a light nip on the neck, making a whining noise as if you were a litter mate, or try replacement therapy.  If your puppy continues to bite after these stages are thoroughly used, you may want to consider taking them to an obedience trainer.

Should your Maltese behavior problem be allowed to persist (thus showing them that they are in charge of the “pack”), play biting may become an issue once it reaches its teenage years (roughly one year of age).  This is the time to stop playing physical games with your dog such as tug of war, wrestling, or other games related to dominance.  Give your dog more boundaries, stop letting them run the house, and cut them down to a specific range of motion.  Crate training may also be an option to reduce biting problems.  Be sure never to react to the biting with extremely harsh actions or yelling.  Aggression will only cause the dog to react even more aggressively- this type of Maltese behavior is certainly not appreciated.

Maltese behavior doesn’t stop developing there though!  Should they continue even more to get away with biting, be it play or not, they may become a serious threat once they reach their adult years.  They will soon believe that they have established themselves as the leader of the “pack”, and will thus view the owner as the lesser being.  If biting persists after a year, professional assistance should be sought before the risk of an attack raises even more.  These attacks are merely the dog trying to assert their authority that they believed they had growing up.  Not taking into account any possible mental disorders or diseases, dogs who bite as adults always had issues as younger puppies that were never resolved or properly dealt with.

To reinforce the main point, teach your puppy from a very young age that biting is not acceptable.  The younger you start to teach them that lesson, the quicker they will learn and the less likely they will ever adapt that behavior again.

The source of dog separation anxiety comes from their natural nature as pack animals.  They instinctively feel a direct attachment to their master, or the “alpha male”.  Whenever the “alpha male” leaves the Maltese’s “territory”, or house, they naturally begin to feel agitated and uneasy.  This occurs not really because you leave necessarily, but more because you cannot give them attention when you are not there.  Maltese training tips will help them feel more comfortable when you cannot give them this attention.

The first tip is to change your routine.  Many dogs learn to attach certain signals to when you have to leave.  Some Maltese attach your soon-to-be absence with a morning alarm going on, or a jingling of keys.  Changing your morning routine can, over time, reduce pre-absence anxiety.  Even getting dressed earlier or waking up at different times can ease your Maltese’s, and thus your own, morning.

More Maltese Training Tips

There are more tricks than this to teach your Maltese.  Training tips also include reinforcement (or in this case, the lack thereof).  When your dog is agitated, they are trying to get your attention.  By giving them that attention, you are teaching them that being uneasy will yield results.  Instead of appeasing them right away, ignore them for the first ten or fifteen minutes after getting home.  This will show them that their attempts to “guilt” you into tending them won’t really work.  One popular method is crate training.

The final of the Maltese training tips is: Build up to longer times.  Many times, your dog grows anxious because it doesn’t know when (and in some cases, if) you will return.  An effective way to counter this is to start leaving in very small intervals.  Changing the dog’s expectations is a great way to show him that you will indeed return.  After he becomes accustomed to the shorter intervals, gradually work your way up to longer intervals of time.

A great deal of people believe that these solutions may be slightly cruel or mean, but this is simply not the case.  These Maltese training tips are actually helping your dog learn to relax, as well as showing them that you will indeed be coming back!  Your authority and dominance will be asserted, and they will not worry about you as if you are a “pack animal” in danger.  Rather, they will see you as an “alpha male”, and will be certain that you are safe.  Just be sure that you address the problem as soon as you see signs of anxiety problems.  Even if the dog is not being overly destructive or obnoxious, it will still relieve them of a lot of undue stress.

You aren’t the only one!  Every single year, hundreds of thousands of dog owners all across the globe learn (or at least, attempt to learn) how exactly to keep their dogs in a crate or cordoned off area.  This is especially useful to prevent and reduce barking, destructive behavior, and anxiety.  Especially with Maltese, crate training is also useful in house breaking your dog- your life will be much easier afterwards should the puppy decide to sleep with you in your bed or on the couch.

For all intents and purposes, most dogs learn to love their crate.  This comes from a wilderness instinct, in which the dog will often look for a small, cozy space to burrow into.  This space is designed to keep them safe and warm- a crate in a domesticated setting does roughly the same thing.  The crate is the place that they have to themselves.  Wide open spaces can often confuse the dog because they believe this whole entire space to be theirs, which they will be then try to “patrol” and keep safe.

With Maltese, crate training is best attempted from a very young age, when they are just puppies.  A full grown dog may have difficulty adjusting to a small space and would grow only more anxious during the adapting period.  Young puppies tend to adapt quicker, and are usually not upset if they are not given the option to sleep with you in your bed right away (since the crate serves this purpose).

Placing the crate in a very active part of the room is perhaps the best option, like the family living room.  Ensure that the crate has a clean, comfortable space to sleep, some water, and maybe a single toy to entertain them.  If the dog has enough room to get up and walk around, they probably have too much room (which can encourage making a mess or the place).  It is natural instinct for a dog to not make a mess of their small spot since that is where they will sleep.  As long as there is enough space for them to get up and turn around, it is comfortable for them..

During the first few stages, it is important that you do not encourage noisy behavior.  If they decide to whine or bark, do not give them attention!  Instead, wait until they stop barking for about five minutes.  Then it is safe to let them out-  give them plenty of attention so they know that being quiet and good yields good results.

At first, you should leave your puppy in the crate for only small periods of time: maybe an hour or two at the most.  As your Maltese crate training advances, slowly have him stay in the crate longer to eventually match a full night or a full day of work.  This process will reduce anxiety, excessive barking, and property destruction, which will in turn lead to a more pleasant relationship with your dog.