Malshi - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Designer dog breed
The Malshi is a so called designer dog breed, which is a basicly a different name for a crossbreed. It is a result of crossbreeding two purebred dogs, the Maltese and the Shih Tzu. Most of the Malshis are first generation crosses and it is pretty rare to bred two Malshis together.

2) Origin
Of course, there could have been natural crosses between Maltese and Shih Tzu for a long time, but it was not until the 1990 when some breeders in Australia decided to bred them intentionally. The goal was to create a small, hypoallergenic dog. The Malshi might be a young crossbreed, but the Maltese and Shih Tzu are very ancient purebred dogs with history dating back thousands of years.

3) Therapy dog
This is an intelligent, eager to please and easily trainable dog. Not only that, the Malshi is also very affectionate and they provide great comfort and release stress. That is why they are often times used as therapy dogs.

4) Family companion
Thanks to the temperamental trait i already mentioned this is a great choice for a family companion. Their playful and happy nature is quite contagious and they will definitely make you smile. Overall this is a social dog who loves people of all age, including kids.

5) Living with
The Malshi is extremely adaptable breed and they will love to live in a house with a big yard, but also in tiny apartment. They will be happy anywhere, if you will be there with them. This is a dog with moderate energy, but due to their small size, it is not hard to exhaust them. Daily walks and especially a good playtime is a must.

6) Maintenance
The Malsi was bred to be nonshedding dog. Well there is no such thing as completely 100% non shedding dog, but the Malshi sheds only a very very little. But they do require daily brushing to keep their coat in top condition and matted free. Just like with all dogs you should check their ears eyes and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

7) Appearance
Most of the designer dog breeds have very unpredictable appearance, but that because the Maltese and Shih Tzu are quite similar together, this is not the case with the Malshi. Most often they have long soft and silky coats and curly tail. Their height is commonly around 25 cm which is 10 inch and weight between 6-12 pounds, which is 3-6 kg.

8) Recognized Clubs
Of course, just like all the designer dog breeds, the Malshi is not recognized by any major kennel club, but they are registered in the American Canine Hybrid Club, the Designer Dogs Kennel Club, Dog Registry of America, Inc., International Designer Canine Registry and Designer Breed Registry.

9) Good for novices
The Malshi is an excellent choice for novice or even first time dog owners. Thanks to their small size, they are easily managable and as i already mentioned, they have great intelligent, eager to please and friendly temperament. You should make sure to act towards them as dogs and not as babies. They might be small and cute, but they are still dogs and they want to do all the doggy things by themselves.

10) Health

Because of the short muzzle, the Malshi can have problems with breathing in hot weather. They are so called brachycephalic breed, which is why you should not overdo it with the exercise when iti s hot outside. The average lifespan is between 12-15 years and they can suffer from patellar luxation or malformed knee joints.