Dog breed
Maltese
8 to 10 inches at the shoulder and 7 to 9 pounds.
The fact file
- Height at the shoulder
- 8 to 10 inches
- Weight
- 7 to 9 pounds
- Size class
- Small, by the weight above
- Typical lifespan
- around 15 years
- Also called
- Maltese terrier
- American Kennel Club
- A recognized breed
Most common names for a Maltese
In the pet license records we use, 3,681 dogs are listed as a Maltese or a Maltese mix. These are their most common names.
Names that lean Maltese
Each of these is more common among Maltese dogs than among all the dogs whose breed we can read in the records.
From pet license records published by New York City, Seattle, Cambridge in Massachusetts, and Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. How the names data works
Eight ways we draw a Maltese
Each one prints on a poster, a bandana, a bed, a mat and more. Pick a style to see it on a poster.
A Maltese's life stages
A Maltese is a small dog by its recorded weight, and the age the senior years may start depends on size.
- PuppyBirth to 6 months
- Puppy or young adult6 to 9 months
- Young adult9 months to 3 years
- Young or mature adult3 to 4 years
- Mature adult4 to 12 years
- Mature adult or seniorFrom 12 years
Stages from the American Animal Hospital Association life stage guidelines. How the life-stage calculator works
A Maltese's age in human years
For a small dog, on the same method as our dog age calculator.
| Age | In human years |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 15 |
| 2 years | 24 |
| 3 years | 28 |
| 5 years | 36 |
| 7 years | 44 |
| 10 years | 56 |
| 13 years | 68 |
| 16 years | 80 |
Related breeds
The same size, or from the same country.
For your Maltese
Breed facts in the fact file: Wikidata, read 2026-10-03, which anyone may reuse.
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