Spinone Italiano vs Malti-Pom - Breed Comparison | Petzlover

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.

This Italian breed has an ancient blood line tracing all the back to 500 BC. Originally bred to hunt, he is today a friendly, alert and loyal companion. He is intelligent enough to do any job you give him. The Spinone is thought to be one of the oldest gun dogs ever, but it is not entirely clear that he came from Italy. There are some who think he may have come from somewhere in these European countries – Italy, Greece, France, Celtic Ireland, Spain or Russia. However, most believe the breed came from Italy in the Piedmont area.

The most common thinking is that he is a descendent of the Spanish Pointer and/or the Russian Setter. One other theory is that setters from Greece were brought to the Roman Empire and crossed with a variety of Italian dog to make the coarse haired Spinone we see today. Then the French put in their claim that the breed is a cross of many French pointers.

The theory that counts might just belong to the Italians who believe the ancestor to the Spinone includes the German Wirehaired Pointer, the Pudelpointer and the Wirehaired Pointer. It was not until the 19th century that the name Spinone was officially given to the breed.

Before that it might have been known as a Spinoso and named after a thorn bus in Italy called the Spino. This bush was so thick and sharp that small prey animals learned to hide under it because the predators could not get through it. The Spinone however was able to fight through the briars with its thick, coarse hair and tough skin.

The breed almost became extinct during the second world war as before and after the hunters in Italy had started to use other breeds for hunting. Breeders also began to cross the Spinone with wire hairs like German Wirehaired Pointer, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and the Boulet.

The most popular hunting dog in Italy today is the Bracco Italiano while the Spinone is still used for hunting.

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 breed is made up of strong, solid and muscled dogs that have an almost square build. His legs are made to travel any terrain and his head is long with an occipital that is pronounced and unique to the Spinone. They are said to have “human appearing eyes”, with a docked tail in countries allowing it and webbed paws.

Shorter hair covers their feet, head, legs, muzzle and ears. They have longer hair on their eyebrows and it is stiff, with soft hair on the muzzle and cheeks with a beard and mustache. It is a single coated dog though the coat is rough. They should have skin, lips, nose, and pads in colors that coordinate with their coats. For white dog it is a red-orange color, brown in dogs that are roan colored and dark red-orange in the orange and white colored dog.

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

1.Children friendliness – yes they live kids.

2.Special talents – Digging and running.

3.Adaptability – Young dogs need a lot of attention but they don’t need a lot of space. The young dogs are energetic while the adult dogs are laid-back. They need exercise every day and at least a small back yard.

4.Learning ability – good/stubborn/intelligent.

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.

This is an ancient breed with not a lot of documented genetic issues, but it does have one deadly condition.

• Cerebellar ataxia (CA) is inherited and hits the puppies. Because it is a recessive gene both the mother and father must carry it for the puppy to inherit it. This makes it less likely than it would be otherwise. Puppies with the condition do not live more than a year. Since it is a genetic problem there is now a test for it that identifies carriers at a 95% accuracy rate.

• Like many other large breed dogs, they are susceptible to hip dysplasia. This can cause arthritis and/or lameness. There are now hip replacement surgeries available for this condition.

• Bloat is again common in large dogs and you need to watch for it with the Spinone. It can be deadly if not treated immediately. Let your dog rest quietly after eating. Do not let her exercise or play energetically after eating.

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.

1Feeding the puppy – feed a high quality dog food for puppies of large breeds. Feed 3-4x day but don’t overfeed or let him exercise after eating even as a puppy.

2.Feeding the adult - feed a high quality dog food for large breeds. Feed 1-2X day but don’t overfeed or let him exercise after eating.

3.Points for Good Health – Active and strong

4. Games and Exercises – The Spinone is an active breed, but not a fast dog. In fact, they like to travel at a trot so it becomes a great dog for jogging or running with. They love to jump, track, hunt, hike. They do well with agility, retrieving, flyball, carting, being a therapy dog, a rescue dog and a watchdog.