Maltese care guide (Australia)
A Maltese suits PetGuides.au readers who want a small, affectionate indoor companion and can commit to daily brushing of the long white coat plus a clip every 6–8 weeks. They live 12–15 years, stay lively and alert, and need their teeth, knees and windpipe watched closely.
By PetGuides Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-06-13. General information for Australian pet owners — not a diagnosis or a substitute for veterinary advice. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
Maltese at a glance
| Lifespan | 12-15 years |
|---|---|
| Grooming frequency | Daily brushing for long coats; clipping every 6-8 weeks |
| Common health issues | Dental disease, Patellar luxation, Tracheal collapse, Tear staining, Eye irritation |
| Temperament | Maltese are small companion dogs that are often lively, affectionate and alert. |
| Species | Dog |
Is a Maltese right for your home?
The Maltese is a true lap-and-shadow dog: small enough to live comfortably in a unit, devoted enough to want to be wherever you are. That bond is the whole appeal, and also the catch — a Maltese left alone for long stretches tends to fret, bark and toilet indoors out of distress, not defiance.
It suits someone who is home a fair bit, wants a gentle indoor companion rather than a hiking partner, and is honest about the grooming and dental commitment a long-coated toy breed demands for 12 to 15 years.
Think twice if your household has rough-and-tumble toddlers, or if no one will be around most of the day. The Maltese is delicate — a leap off the couch or a knock from a bigger dog can injure a dog this size — and it is alert enough to bark at every footstep in the hallway, which neighbours in a strata building will notice.
- Suits: apartments and townhouses, retirees and home-based workers, gentle older children, first-time owners willing to learn coat care.
- Suits poorly: homes empty all day, households wanting a robust outdoor or off-lead adventure dog, very young children who handle pets roughly.
Living with a Maltese in Australia
A Maltese is built for indoor life, which works in its favour through an Australian summer — this is not a breed to leave in the yard. Its exercise needs are modest: a couple of short walks and some indoor play usually settle it. Keep walks to the cooler morning and evening over December to February, and feel the footpath with your hand first; a dog carried this close to hot concrete and bitumen burns pads fast and overheats quickly.
The flowing white coat is a magnet for the Australian outdoors. Grass seeds, burrs and prickles work into the leg and belly hair and can burrow into skin, so check the coat after any time on lawn or in long grass. On the east coast, part the hair and run your fingers over the skin during paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) season — a tick is far harder to find on a dog this fluffy, and easy to miss until it has attached. Year-round tick and, in the north, heartworm prevention should be on your vet's list.
Because it is so people-focused, build calm alone-time gradually from the start — a settled spot, a chew or puzzle feeder, and short absences that lengthen over weeks — so a quiet day doesn't tip into anxious barking. That barking is also the practical reason to socialise early in apartment living: a Maltese that alarms at every lift and corridor sound is a strata complaint waiting to happen.
Grooming a Maltese: what it really takes
This is the part new owners underestimate most. A full-length Maltese coat needs brushing and combing every single day — skip a few days and the fine, silky hair mats against the skin behind the ears, under the legs and around the bottom, and mats can only be clipped out, not brushed out. On top of daily brushing, plan a professional clip every 6 to 8 weeks.
Many Australian owners solve the daily burden by keeping a short, even "puppy clip" or "teddy clip" all over. It is shorter to brush, more comfortable in the heat, and honest about how much time you actually have. The pure-white show coat is beautiful but is close to a part-time job.
White hair shows everything, which is why this breed needs a specific face routine most dogs don't:
- Tear staining: wipe the hair under the eyes daily with a clean damp cloth or vet-recommended product, and keep it dry — the reddish-brown stain is moisture and yeast in the white fur, and it builds up fast if left.
- Eyes and topknot: keep hair trimmed or tied up out of the eyes so it doesn't scratch the surface and cause irritation.
- Mouth and beard: the hair around the mouth catches food and saliva, so wipe and dry it to limit staining and smell.
Introduce brushing, the comb, nail trims and the dryer as a puppy so a lifetime of close handling stays low-stress for both of you.
Maltese health: what to watch for
With a 12 to 15 year lifespan, most of caring for a Maltese is steady prevention plus awareness of the issues this small, long-coated breed is prone to. None of the below is a diagnosis — it is what to raise with your own vet.
- Dental disease: the standout long-term risk for toy breeds. Small jaws crowd the teeth, so plaque and tartar build quickly and gums recede. Early signs an owner notices: bad breath, yellow-brown tartar at the gumline, reluctance to chew hard food, or pawing at the mouth. Ask your vet about daily tooth brushing, suitable dental chews, and when a professional scale-and-polish under anaesthetic is due. Left alone, dental disease is painful and can cost teeth.
- Patellar luxation (slipping kneecap): the kneecap pops out of its groove. You'll often see a sudden skip or hop on a back leg, the leg held up for a stride or two, then normal walking again. Mention any of this to your vet, and ask them to check the knees at routine visits; keeping the dog lean takes load off the joint.
- Tracheal collapse: the windpipe is naturally soft in small breeds and can flatten, especially under pressure from a collar. The classic early sign is a dry, honking cough — like a goose — often triggered by excitement, pulling on lead, or drinking. Switch to a harness instead of a neck collar, keep the dog a healthy weight, and have any persistent honking cough checked.
- Tear staining: the reddish-brown marks under the eyes in white fur. It's usually a cosmetic moisture-and-yeast issue managed by daily cleaning and drying, but heavy or sudden staining with a runny eye can point to blocked tear ducts, ingrown lashes or irritation — worth a vet look rather than assuming it's just the coat.
- Eye irritation: hair falling into the eyes, a stray lash, or a scratch can leave the eye red, weepy or squinting. A Maltese rubbing its face, blinking hard or holding an eye shut needs prompt veterinary attention — eyes can deteriorate quickly. Keeping the topknot trimmed or tied back prevents a lot of it.
Keeping a Maltese lean and its teeth clean does more for its long life than almost anything else you can do at home.
The real cost, and your first 90 days
Beyond the purchase price, the costs that define owning a Maltese are the ongoing ones — and a few are higher than people expect for such a small dog. Use the tools below for current local figures rather than guessing.
The big qualitative cost drivers for this breed:
- Grooming, every 6 to 8 weeks for life — the single biggest recurring cost, and unavoidable for a long-coated breed even on a short clip.
- Dental care — daily home brushing plus periodic professional cleaning under anaesthetic, which is a real and recurring expense for toy breeds, not a one-off.
- The usual companion-dog basics: desexing, the puppy vaccination course and yearly boosters, council registration and microchipping (required in most states), and year-round flea, tick and (in the north) heartworm prevention.
- Pet insurance, ideally taken out before any condition appears — dental, knee and windpipe issues are exactly the kind of long-tail costs insurance is for.
First 90 days checklist: - Book a vet health check and confirm the vaccination and parasite-prevention schedule. - Register and microchip per your council's rules, and update the microchip record to your details. - Buy a harness, not a collar, to protect the windpipe, and start lead training in it. - Start daily tooth brushing and daily coat brushing as habits from week one — both are far easier taught young. - Begin gentle face-wiping for tear staining and book a first groomer visit so clipping feels normal early. - Build alone-time up slowly to head off separation distress and nuisance barking.
Common questions about Malteses in Australia
How do I get rid of tear stains on my Maltese?
Wipe the hair under the eyes daily with a clean damp cloth or a vet-recommended tear-stain product, then dry it — the reddish-brown mark is moisture and yeast in white fur, so keeping it dry is the whole game. Trim the hair out of the eyes too. If staining is heavy, sudden, or comes with a runny or squinting eye, see your vet to rule out blocked ducts or irritation.
Why does my Maltese make a honking cough sound?
A dry, goose-like honking cough in a small breed is the classic sign of tracheal collapse, where the soft windpipe flattens — often triggered by excitement, pulling on a collar, or drinking. Swap to a harness, keep your dog lean, and have any persistent honking cough checked by your vet. It's a known small-breed issue, not something to wait out at home.
Can a Maltese be left alone while I work full-time?
It's hard on them. The Maltese is a companion breed that bonds tightly and is prone to separation distress, which shows up as barking, fretting and indoor toileting — a real issue in apartments. Build alone-time up gradually from the start, use enrichment and a settled spot, and consider a midday walk or daycare. A house empty 10 hours a day may suit a different breed better.
Do I have to keep the long white coat, or can I clip it short?
You can absolutely clip it short, and many Australian owners do. A short "puppy clip" or "teddy clip" is quicker to brush, more comfortable through summer, and far more realistic if you can't commit to daily combing of a full-length coat. You'll still need a groomer every 6 to 8 weeks, but the daily matting risk drops a lot. The long show coat is beautiful but is close to a part-time job.
Are Maltese good with young children?
Better with gentle, older children than with toddlers. A Maltese is small and delicate, so rough handling, a drop, or being knocked can genuinely injure it, and a startled small dog may snap to protect itself. Always supervise interactions, teach children to sit on the floor to hold the dog, and give it a safe spot to retreat to. With calm kids who respect it, a Maltese is an affectionate family companion.
Find Maltese-aware help near you
How we research this guide
Written by PetGuides editors from the breed’s structured care record and general Australian veterinary guidance. General information only — not a diagnosis. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
- RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase — Pet care advice
- Australian Veterinary Association — Pet ownership and animal health resources
See also our sources and trust & data pages.