Malti-Pom vs Irish Wolfhound - Breed Comparison | Petzlover

It is believed that the Irish Wolfhound is an ancient breed and that it was brought to Ireland as early as 7000 BC.

These dogs were bred as hunting dogs as well as guard dogs. There was a time when these huge canines were only allowed to be owned by the nobility. The breed died out somewhat, but Scotsman Captain George Augustus Graham made efforts to restore the breed’s numbers.

Captain Graham devoted his life to making sure the Irish Wolfhound’s numbers were built up, and the breeding program included Great Danes, Borzois, English Mastiffs and Scottish Deerhounds.

The sweet little Malti Pom is a dog which comes from crossing two purebreds – the Maltese Poodle and the Pomeranian.

The appearance of this dog will vary according to how much of each breed is in the dog. The exact origins of the Maltipom breed are unknown but many new dog breeds have originated in the United States.

The Maltipom is also not recognized by the AKC because it’s a hybrid of two pure breeds and not looked upon as a new breed. It is however recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club.

The tallest of the sighthounds, the Irish Wolfhound looks like a large Greyhound, only he has a rough, wiry type of coat.

He is also gracefully built and known as a gentle giant. The double coat which can be fawn, red, white, grey, black or brindle is straight to wavy.

He stands at about 81 to 86cm and weighs roughly 48 to 54kg. This is one of the few dog breeds that you can’t really call social. He loves his own human family, and becomes unhappy and ‘down-in-the-dumps’ when separated from his family members for too long. He is a quiet dog who tends to be somewhat introverted and reserved, while being highly intelligent.

He will require being trained and socialized to make him obedient as he is an independent dog. He takes his role as family protector seriously and even though he is quiet, he is ready to take on anyone who threatens his property.

Temperament:

The Irish Wolfhound is a gentle, quiet, soft-natured, easy-going dog and even though it is such a large dog, it doesn’t throw it’s weight around but is calm and patient around the elderly and children in the home. It can tend to be aggressive with animals he isn’t familiar with.

He is an intelligent dog, but even so he may be quite resistant to training as he is strong-willed and determined to have his own way. These dogs need to be trained and socialized otherwise they just do their own thing.

The Malti-Pom is a crossbreed, so pinpointing his exact size can be somewhat difficult, but you can expect him to be in the region of 20 to 28cm and weigh in at about 2 to 5kg.

Both the Maltese and the Pomeranian are both toy dogs, so the Malti-Pom is almost sure to be a small dog. His appearance will also vary depending on which side he inherits most of his looks from. Generally though, he has a long coat of straight, soft hair.

He is a low shedder and with the poodle side of him he is looked upon as being hypoallergenic. The coat can be cream, apricot, white or black as well as a combination of these colors.

Temperament:

This is such a friendly, amicable little dog. He is good with children and can get on well with other pets in the home.Children should be taught to be gentle with any dog, but particularly a small one like this.

The Malti-pom is extremely loyal and affectionate with its family members, but ends to form a special bond with one member of its family.

These little dogs are generally reserved with strangers. They are well-behaved, sociable and can mix well with children and pets in the home. These toy dogs are clever so you won't battle with him with training and socialization.

Although the Maltipom looks cute and is an amicable dog, he can bark quite aggressively when he encounters strangers who he believes might harm his family. He makes a good watchdog.

The most notable aspect of the Irish Wolfhound is his amazing height. The legs are long, the body narrow. He is gentle and easy-going but because he is a sighthound he loves to give chase after animals.

He is capable of living in the city or countryside, but your home will need to cater to his size. He isn’t particularly energetic, enjoying a quiet life but he will absolutely need to be exercised.

Provide your gentle giant with everything needed to make him content, and you’ll have a faithful, loving friend for about 10 years.

Because your Malti-Pom comes from two different dog breeds, you can’t really say what kind of personality traits he will inherit.

Both the Maltese and the Pom are small lap-type dogs who are essentially companion dogs. You can be sure your Malti-pom is going to be cute, social, energetic, vibrant and loving. They are able to adapt well to life in the city or the countryside and a nice walk every day will go down well in terms of exercise. It give your pet a chance to get outdoors and to sniff new scents.

With the Maltese and the Pom being the two parents of this dog breed, you can be sure that you’re going to have a splendid little pet who is guaranteed to bring lots of smiles into your home from his jovial, entertaining ways

One wonders why breeders seem so bent on breeding such large dogs when they have health issues and they don't live particularly long. Not only do they cost a fortune to feed, but large dogs like this are more prone to illnesses and won’t live as long as small dog breeds. This big dog can live up to 10 years of age or so.

For starters, just because he is a deep chested dog, bloat or gastric torsion can be a threat. Other illnesses to look out for are dilated cardiomyopathy and bone cancer.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy:

This is a disease of the heart muscle where the enlarged heart won’t function properly. The upper- and lower chambers of the heart are enlarged and the heart isn’t able to pump blood out properly. When the heart’s ventricle doesn’t pump enough blood into the lungs, fluid accumulates in the lungs and this ultimately leads to congestive heart failure.

Older dogs battle more with this heart disease and it is also more common in some dog breeds of which the Irish Wolfhound is one. Your dog will have shortness of breath, coughing and abdominal distension. He will need to get to the vet for medical tests.

Bone Cancer:

Bone cancer can strike any dog, but you’ll find in more commonly with larger dog breeds. It can spread quickly and the long term prognosis isn’t good. It’s not easy to pick the disease up and it can mean joint pain for your pet and even lameness.

Your dog will be tired too. Your vet will do X-rays and other tests, but unfortunately the prognosis isn’t usually good. Big-dog breeders should take this into consideration.

Fortunately, the Maltipom is considered to be a healthy dog, and he can live with you for a good number of years with good care. The Maltipom could develop heart issues.

Heart disease is fairly common in dogs and some symptoms will include a cough, loss of appetite and he might tire easily. One of the common types of heart disease is degenerative valvular disease, where the heart valves fail.

It is believed that degenerative valve disease is a heart disease which accounts for about 75% of all heart disease in dogs. Diagnosing heart disease requires a number of different testing methods.

Exercise:

This isn’t a particularly energetic dog and he can tend to become lazy. Don’t allow this as becoming unfit and overweight can be very bad for such large dog. Being so large already puts stress on the dog’s body, and the dog is already susceptible to cardiac and skeletal problems. Allowing him to become lazy and overweight will be a death sentence for this large dog. It is imperative to make sure you take him on walks and play games with him.

Grooming:

The coat of your dog is thick and medium length and he will require being brushed at least twice a week. You may want to also trim the longer hair you find around his face and legs.

When it comes to his ears, you can moisten some cotton wool and wipe the inside of his ears to remove dirt and excess wax. Remember not to probe too deeply to avoid damaging the ear. If you’re uncertain how to do this, your vet can explain to you how its done.

Check his teeth regularly as dental disease can affect other areas of the body too. Don’t allow his nails to get too long as they can cause paw problems and the nails can hook onto things and cause injury.

Diet:

Because this is a giant breed, the puppy will grow for a long time. Speak to your vet about how to ensure you feed your puppy in such a way that he doesn’t grow too quickly.

If you feed your dog a commercially manufactured food, make sure its one of the top quality brands. Include home-made cooked food such as chicken, rice and vegetables into his kibble from time to time, and also try to feed him some raw meat occasionally.

Fresh, cool water must be available to your Irish Wolfhound around the clock.

Diet:

The Maltipom is a tiny dog, and that’s an advantage actually as he isn’t going to cost you too much to feed. Half a cup of food in he morning and another in the evening will keep him satisfied.

If you give him commercially manufactured food, choose a high quality one specially made for small dogs. You can chop up cooked chicken, brown rice or pasta and some cooked vegetables finely and add this to his dry kibble from time to time as a tasty treat.

A tiny little bit of raw meat once in a while will also keep him healthy. Keep things simple – don’t try all sorts of weird foods with him as he can battle with digestive problems.

General Care:

Groom your pet. Brush him at least twice a week. Check his eyes and ears for infection and remember to brush his teeth at least 2 or 3 times a week with special canine toothbrush and toothpaste.

Make sure he is exercised. He'll love a walk each day.