YES DO NOT BUY FROM A PETSTORE OR WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A "BACK YARD BREEDER/BYB"
These puppies are SICK and you will support an industry that ABUSES DOGS!
Make sure you get a maltese from a reputable breeder. Ask to see the parents, ask to see where the litter was born and raised, ask to see genetic test health certificates. If you can't get any of those, go to another breeder.
Ask them more questions to. Ask what the standard width and height for malteses are. If they don't know, move on to the next breeder.
This is the single most important thing you can do for dogs! to not buy from petstores and bybs!
aw cute, i have 4 dogs- 2 big, and 2 small... one of the small dogs (very first one i got) is a maltese. She is a great dog, Im now a sophomore in college and have had her since 5th grade. There really great dogs, and very very smart. Mine is just like another member of the family...she especially thinks so. One thing I would tell you is when you clean his/hers tear stains use baby soap so it will not sting its eyes. A lot of maltese dogs have bad tear stains, and some do not at all, mine does not have bad ones, but I do think that cleaning around the eyes does help. Other then that, I think you will love love love your new puppy.
Oh how wonderful. My Grandma babysits a Maltese named Amy. She was well socialized as a puppy. She is paper trained, even as an adult dog. She is the cutest dog. She is a little territorial, and protects my grandma from hugs when grandma has her. We all love the little dog, Amy's mom would say get it used to grooming right away, brush it often. Keep small things it could swallow off the floor. Be gentle with it. Protect it from big human feet. Give it lot's of love. Feed it soft food (ask your vet what is best for little dogs.) Give it a safe place to go where everyone else will know to leave it alone when it wants to rest.
keep the coat short if you live in warm climates and fur is hard to keep up if you keep it Dog show verion, and its up to you if you want the top knot, i have a matie and shes short and cute with ot a knot top. we kept her tail and ears semi-long but they need brushing every few days. good luck!
(ps you may have to brush it every day after you have it fixed i know i did with my matie name Roo)