The record rates the Maltese as Better with older children, and this page explains what that verdict looks like in a real house. Behind the verdict sits a temperament described as Gentle, playful, charming and fearless for its size, plus energy at 3/5 and a stranger record of Alert with strangers.
Energy scores 3 out of 5, the middle of the scale: the Maltese needs its 20 to 40 minutes daily and then settles like a sensible dog. Children read dogs badly by default and dogs read children generously up to a point; the Maltese's point sits where its Gentle, playful, charming and fearless for its size nature puts it.
For the record's growth table: the Maltese passes 8 weeks at about 1 to 2 lb, 6 months at about 2 to 4 lb, 9 months at about 3 to 6 lb, and tops out at 4 to 7 lb and 7 to 9 inches. Pure white (faint lemon on the ears is tolerated). The breed belongs to the Toy group and its home ground is Malta and the Mediterranean.
Teaching the child is the faster half of the equation with a Maltese: calm approaches, no neck hugging, and stopping when the dog moves away.
For scale: the Maltese stands 7 to 9 inches and weighs 4 to 7 lb, counts as a senior from about 10 years, and needs 20 to 40 minutes of exercise daily. Keep those numbers in mind and the rest of the page falls into place.
Barking is the flat living caveat: they are alert and vocal, so the quiet cue belongs in early training. The commitments are coat care or clipping appointments, daily face wiping and dental discipline. In return you get an ancient, charming companion that has been perfecting the job for thousands of years. Routines teach faster than rules with both species: the same walk times and greeting rituals show the Maltese and the children what to expect of each other.
A Maltese that is included, exercised and allowed to retreat becomes the dog its Better with older children rating describes, and the centre of family memory for years.
With strangers the Maltese record reads: Alert with strangers, which is the verdict visiting grandchildren and school friends actually meet. A 4/5 barking breed in a quiet street is a mismatch owners should catch at the research stage, meaning now.
Photographs lie about this pairing both ways; the real evidence is a Maltese choosing the children's company on ordinary afternoons, free to leave it.
With dogs the Maltese record reads: Usually good with dogs. Cats and small animals depend on the individual dog's prey drive and on being raised with them. Introductions on neutral ground, with food and toys managed separately at first, prevent most household friction.
Fetch, hide and seek with the dog searching, and simple training tricks the children teach themselves all work. Games that wind a Maltese up beyond its judgement, wrestling and chase grabbing, are the ones adults should retire early.
Older children can, on quiet routes, once the dog walks politely: a toy dog of 4 to 7 lb is a real weight on a lead when something exciting appears. Adults keep the road crossings and the final say, whatever the child's enthusiasm.
How much exercise a Maltese needs, what fills the minutes best and how training doubles as exercise.
The Maltese lifespan in full: what the range means, the life stages and the health checks that protect the top end.
Family life with a Miniature American Shepherd examined: the rating, the routine and the honest bottom line.
Last updated: November 4, 2026