Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Meet the Meltingly Cute Maltichon Dog
The Maltichon is the nickname given to the hybrid dog breed with one Bichon Frise parent dog and one Maltese parent dog.
The trend towards hybrid or designer dog breeding is actually not new. It is an ancient practice that often results in the creation of a whole new purebred dog breed.
Today, the Maltichon maybe just a convenient nickname. But tomorrow the Maltichon may become a new purebred dog breed in its own right.
In this article, find out everything you ever wanted to know about the Maltichon and decide if this is the right next companion canine for you.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix
The Bichon Frise Maltese mix is a toy-sized hybrid dog breed that blends the complementary purebred traits of the Bichon Frise and the Maltese dog breeds together.
There is a lot of potential benefits that can come from crossing two complementary purebred breed lines together.
One of the most important benefits is that the increased genetic diversity often improves the health and longevity of the puppies.
See Bichon Frise Maltese Mix Puppies Playing
This adorable YouTube video shows you what Bichon Frise Maltese mix puppies look like just before they are ready to leave for their new forever homes.
These precious pups are clearly well socialized and friendly and can give you a great idea of what to expect if you decide to add a Bichon Frise Maltese to your family.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Understanding Hybrid Dog Breeding
When you are searching for a Bichon Frise Maltese mix puppy, you may quickly become confused when you are confronted with terms like F1, F1b, F2 generation, and so on.
According to Breeding Business, these terms refer to the level of hybrid dog breeding that a particular breeder ascribes to. Let’s take a look at how each generation can vary.
F1 generation Maltichon
Some hybrid dog breeders specialize in the earliest generations, which would be F1 or F1b. In F1 hybrid puppies, each parent dog is a separate purebred dog breed. So for an F1 Maltichon puppy, one parent dog is a Bichon Frise and the other is a Maltese.
This is the breed generation where you tend to see the greatest variation in terms of the temperament, coat type, size, and other traits between puppies within a single litter.
The reason for this is because no amount of dog genetics knowledge can predict which traits a given puppy will inherit from either parent dog. The only way to know is to wait for each puppy to grow up and see!
F1b generation Maltichon
In F1b hybrid puppies, one parent dog is a purebred dog and the other is a hybrid. So for an F1b Maltichon puppy, this means one parent dog is either a Bichon Frise or a Maltese and the other parent dog is an F1 Maltichon.
You may see slightly less trait variation between F1b puppies within a single litter, but there will still be a lot of potential variation, which can make it harder to choose a puppy that best matches your needs.
F2 generation Maltichon
Starting with the F2 hybrid generation, both parent dogs are Maltichons. This means you will start to see more trait uniformity between puppies in each litter.
The puppies will be more alike in terms of size, temperament, coat type, health, and other traits that are important to many dog owners.
F3 and later generation Maltichon
The later the generation that the breeder specializes in, the more uniformity there will be, and the easier it will be to predict what size, coat type, and temperament your puppy will grow up to display.
In time, consistent later-stage hybrid dog breeding is what results in a whole new purebred dog breed.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Dog Breeds History
Because there is a certain amount of inherent unpredictability in any hybrid dog breeding program, this makes learning more about the history of each parent dog breed one of the best ways to guesstimate what your Maltichon puppy may be like in adulthood.
Bichon Frise history
The Bichon Frise is a powderpuff of a dog breed that can trace its lineage all the way back to the Canary Islands, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
These dogs have always been companion canines, often to royalty. They are actually descended from a working dog breed called the Barbet (Water Spaniel) and are small canine athletes who are adept at performing and learning tricks.
Maltese history
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Maltese dog hails from an island as well – the island of Malta in Sicily. These dogs have a similarly pleasing personality and are very intelligent companion canines.
Like the Bichon Frise, the Maltese have many centuries of keeping company with royalty as lapdogs and petite canine performers.
Bichon Frise Maltese mix history
What this tells you is that your Maltichon puppy is going to have a lively temperament, active nature, and natural love of attention.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix Personality & Temperament
The Bichon Frise Maltese mix dog’s personality and temperament can also be best understood by learning more about the personality and temperament of each parent dog breed, which is what we will look at in this section.
Bichon Frise personality and temperament
According to the Bichon Frise Club of America, these dogs are known to be loving, playful, gentle, and eager for human company.
Maltese personality and temperament
As PetMD explains, the Maltese dog doesn’t seem to know they are tiny in size.
These dogs have huge personalities and are keen to be with their people and be the center of attention.
Bichon Frise Maltese mix personality and temperament
From this overview, you can expect that your Maltichon dog will have a vivacious and engaging personality and a people-centric temperament. You can also predict that this dog won’t do well if left alone for long periods of time on a regular basis.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Size, Height and Weight
If the Bichon Frise is small, the Maltese dog is even smaller. So let’s take a look at the potential size variance between Maltichon puppies.
Bichon Frise size, height, and weight
The Bichon Frise dog breed typically weighs between 12 and 18 pounds in adulthood and stands between 9.5 and 11.5 inches (paw pads to shoulder girdles).
Maltese size, height, and weight
The Maltese dog breed typically weighs less than seven pounds in adulthood and stands between seven and nine inches (paw pads to shoulder girdles).
Bichon Frise Maltese size, height, and weight
This tells us that a Maltichon puppy may weigh between seven and 18 pounds, although more typically you will see hybrid puppies in the middleweight range between those two extremes.
Your puppy may stand anywhere from seven to 11.5 inches tall.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Training and Exercise Needs
Because the Maltichon dog is going to be a small to toy-sized dog breed, these dogs typically are a great fit for small spaces. You won’t even need a yard.
Bichon Frise training and exercise needs
The Bichon Frise is smart and loves learning tricks and performing. Because they are quite speedy for their size, if you do have a yard you will want to make sure it is puppy-proof (including the gate).
Maltese training and exercise needs
The Maltese also enjoys playing and learning tricks and will do quite well with a short daily walk and one or two short fun indoor play sessions.
Bichon Frise Maltese training and exercise needs
The Maltichon dog is a great canine companion for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of yard space (or any yard space) for a dog. These dogs typically can get all the daily exercise they need from indoor play.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Coat Care, Shedding & Grooming
Coat type is the area where the Bichon Frise and the Maltese dog breeds exhibit the most difference.
Bichon Frise coat care, shedding, and grooming
The Bichon Frise has a white or very light-colored coat that is quite dense and curly. When groomed into a full show coat, these dogs look exactly like a canine cotton puff!
But while the Bichon’s coat typically traps the shed, dead hair, meaning these dogs can be a good choice for the pet-allergic owner, this means you will have to do a lot more brushing and grooming to keep mats and tangles from taking over the coat.
Maltese coat care, shedding, and grooming
The Maltese also has a white or very light-colored coat, but the coat is straight and long – almost like human hair. The full show coat is show-stopping and makes these dogs look like a walking wig.
The Maltese also needs constant coat care to keep shed hair from causing tangles and mats.
Bichon Frise Maltese mix coat care, shedding, and grooming
No matter which parent dog your Maltichon puppy most takes after genetically, you are going to need to devote daily time to brushing and grooming your dog.
You will also need to learn how to trim or clip the coat yourself or budget for frequent trips to the professional groomers.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Longevity & Health Issues
One of the big perks of hybrid dog breeding is that adding genetic diversity to a breed line can strengthen the health of that breed for future generations.
Both the Bichon Frise and the Maltese purebred dog breed lines have certain known heritable (genetic) health issues that may be minimized somewhat in the Maltichon.
Bichon Frise longevity and health issues
According to the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) database, the Bichon Frise breed has the following known possible genetic health issues you need to be aware of:
- Hip dysplasia.
- Eye issues.
- Cardiac issues.
- Patellar luxation.
- Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.
- Liver shunts.
- Diabetes.
The Bichon Frise has a typical life expectancy of 14 to 15 years.
Maltese longevity and health issues
According to the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) database, the Maltese breed has the following known possible genetic health issues you need to be aware of:
- Cardiac issues.
- Liver shunt.
- Patellar luxation.
The Maltese have a typical life span of 12 to 15 years.
Bichon Frise Maltese mix: longevity and health issues
Since both purebred dog breeds have some similar genetic health issues, it is important to work with a hybrid breeder that has pre-screened parent dogs by doing pre-breeding health tests.
This is the best way to make sure you bring home the healthiest possible Maltichon puppy.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Other Important Information to Know
Because the Maltichon dog is so small size-wise, it is important to think twice before adding this dog to a family with small children.
Very tiny dogs often do not tolerate rough handling from children who are still too young to understand how to play gently with a dog. However, older children will likely find the Maltichon to make a wonderful canine playmate.
These dogs also typically take longer to house train. The reason here is simple – very small dogs have smaller bladders and tend to have more accidents before their equally tiny gastrointestinal system is fully formed and functional.
Finally, the Maltichon really needs consistent socialization and training and constant human companionship to be happy and healthy as a family pet.
Bichon Frise Maltese Mix: Is This Hybrid Dog the Right Breed For You?
Maltichon is not the right dog breed for every individual or family. But for the right person, the Bichon Frise Maltese mix dog can make a lively, loving companion canine.