Malti-Pom vs Giant Schnauzer - Breed Comparison | MyDogBreeds

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.

As a working dog breed, the Giant Schnauzer, known also as the Riesenschnauzer, hails from Germany.

It is believed that the first Giant Schnauzers emerged in Bavaria in the 17th century already. It is the largest of the 3 Schnauzer dogs – Miniature, Standard and Giant. There are quite a few breeds which have been used in its development – Bouvier des Flandres, Great Dane and the German Pinscher among other.

The dog was bred to work on farms and also used as a military dog during the World Wars.

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.

With a thick, medium length double coat to protect him from the weather, the Giant Schnauzer’s coat is essentially wiry and hard and in solid black or in a greyish salt and pepper color.

The dogs have always traditionally had their ears and tails docked at the 2nd or 3rd joint to set them apart in looks, but these days both the ears and tail are left.

The tail is always held high. He has dark eyes. Like all Schnauzers, they have that distinct beard and eyebrows. The dog is large and well built and stands at 60 to 70cm in height and weighs anything between 25 and 48kg.

Temperament:

Intelligent, strong willed and energetic, the Giant Schnauzer is actually a quiet dog who doesn’t respond too well to strangers, being reserved around them.

He has a natural guarding and territorial instinct. When he is trained and socialized he makes a wonderful pet, responding well to a firm, consistent owner.

He loves his human family, and as a stable, reliable kind of dog, whether you’ve got children in the home, pets or elderly people, you can rely on your Giant Schnauzer to be a dependable, gentle pet at all the right times, being playful and energetic at other times.

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

The Giant Schnauzer has many excellent characteristics which make it such a great pet. He is composed, alert, intelligent, loving and loyal to his human family.

He is also playful, being happiest when roped into everything going on in the family. He has a solid, balanced nature, is robust and hypoallergenic.

He is powerful and needs a good dose of exercise and will love to join you on your cycle- and hiking trips. Good with children and pets in the home, this is a dog breed that will make a splendid, reliable pet.

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.

A healthy Schnauzer can reach 10 – 12 years of age, but even so, they are a dog breed prone to high rates of hip- and elbow dysplasia, hereditary eye disease and thyroid disease.

Blood-clotting diseases and epilepsy are also concerns with Giant Schnauzers as well as bloat. As with all deep-chested breeds, Giant Schnauzers are more at risk with this gastrointestinal syndrome known as bloat and which can be life threatening.

It is your right to ask the breeder about the medical history of your puppy’s parents.

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.

He is a particularly low shedding dog and so brushing him twice a week will suffice. He loves the closeness with his human family during these grooming sessions.

If you don’t know how to groom yourself, the Giant Schnauzers coat will require hand-stripping or clipping. If you want to keep your dog with that typical Schnauzer look, a visit to a professional groomer will be required as they will also tidy the hair around each paw as well.

Now that the ears are no longer cropped, he has fairly short floppy ears and it will be necessary to ensure that dampness, ear wax and dirt don’t build up to cause ear infections.

The teeth must also be brushed 2 or 3 times a week otherwise plaque buildup can cause dental disease as well as lead to other more serious diseases such as kidney- and heart disease.

Diet:

If you’re a new dog owner, it can be hard to know which dog food to buy and which ingredients to look out for. Nutrition is of vital importance, and bad ingredients can make your dog sick and shorten his life.

A mix of the best commercially manufactured kibble mixed with home-made food full of the right balance of vitamins and minerals will be important as well as including some raw meat into the diet.

If in any kind of doubt about how to feed a large, energetic dog breed like this Giant Schnauzer, speak to your vet.

Exercise:

As a big, energetic dog, the Giant Schnauzer needs to live on a property where there is a garden. He will be requiring some hectic exercise every day.