Spanish Water Dog is originated from Spain but Malti-Pom is originated from United States. Spanish Water Dog may grow 22 cm / 9 inches higher than Malti-Pom. Spanish Water Dog may weigh 17 kg / 38 pounds more than Malti-Pom. Both Spanish Water Dog and Malti-Pom has almost same life span. Spanish Water Dog may have more litter size than Malti-Pom. Both Spanish Water Dog and Malti-Pom requires Moderate maintenance.
Bred in Spain to guard and herd sheep, the Spanish Water Dog was also used in hunting because he could retrieve in water. The breed is closely aligned with other water dogs like the Irish Water Spaniel, Portuguese Water Dog and French Barbel. It is especially true that the Spanish Water Dog and the Portuguese Water Dog share some of the same ancestors. The two breeds are closely related.
In the early days of the breed, they were separated into three different sizes and types. The dogs from Northern Spain were smaller than the others and came from the regions of Cantabria and Asturias. These lighter colored dogs eventually became their own breed – the Cantabria Water Dog. The second group came from western Andalusia marsh lands. He had a long chorded coat. The third group was the strongest and largest and came from the southern Andalusian sierras. This was by far the largest and most influential group, most of whom were herders. Eventually the groups interbred and today’s SWD carries the traits of all three. They were and still are a very versatile breed. In addition to herding they fished or retrieved for hunters.
The breed was revived in the 1970”s by two breeders, Santiago Montesinos and Antonio Garcia Perez travelled through southern Spain to buy or borrow dogs for breeding. By 1980, they had established the Spanish Water Dog Club of Spain and reestablished the breed. They fought to the breed recognized in Spain first. After five years of hard work, the Federation Cynologique Internationale recognized the breed permanently in 1999.
The UKC, or United Kennel Club, of the United States, recognized the breed in 2001, accepting them for confirmation by 2004. In the United States the breed was championed by Ken and Jerry Mann to attain that UKC recognition. Still the AKC, or American Kennel Club, held out on their recognition. The Manns showed the SWD in 2000 in the AKC Rare Breed Conformation and the UKC multi-breed show in 2004.
The Manns also used their breed for herding in the United States in entered them into the herding competition. In the they advocated for and got the SWD into the herding group for confirmation with the UKC in 2013. The American Kennel Club approved the requests of the Spanish Water Dog Club, Inc and recognized the breed in 2005 as foundation stock. By 2008 the AKC recognized the SWD to be able to compete in field trials by not conformation. In 2015 the SWD will be admitting to AKC conformation and fully recognized as a member of the herding group. They were also recognized by the American Herding Breed Association in 2007.
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 Spanish Water Dog is an athletic, medium size, robust breed that is not as tall as it is long. In countries like the US, the tails are docked but it is not a conformation fault if they are not. The carry themselves with pride and elegance, have a strong head and expressive eyes which are brown. They have flat skulls and wide set eyes. Their paw pads, eye-rims and nose should be darker than their coat or at least the same color. Their eyes are chestnut, hazel or dark brown and their ears are medium height and triangular. His coat is curly and his topline is straight. With a broad chest and arched rib, he is a very athletic looking dog. The breed has much respiratory capacity with broad shoulders and straight sturdy legs. The breed has rounded feet , tight toes, and resistant pads.
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.
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.
3.Adaptability - very adaptable with the right exercise. Neither heat nor cold bother them.
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 Spanish Water Dog has much of the same health problems as the other water dogs and dogs their size and heritage. Here are some of the health issues they are prone to.
• Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency – inability to digest food – can be treated.
• CHG – Congenital Hypothyroidism with Goiter – inherited and pups don’t grow correctly.
• Neuroaxonal Dystrophy – cognitive and muscular dysfunction. Vitamin E and insulin deficiency
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.
1.Feeding the puppy – Because of the breed propensity to some genetic dietary issues it is important to feed high quality food made from mostly meat. Avoid grains as much as possible. Don’t feed adult foods to the puppies. Feed puppy breed specific or medium size dogs.
2.Feeding the adult - Feed the adult as little grain and as much protein as possible. Feed adult breed specific or medium size dog’s food.
4. Games and Exercises – This is a working breed. Remember they are both herders and hunters and need exercise. They love strenuous hiking, running, jogging, long walks, swimming and playing fetch. Don’t over work the puppy/young dog until they have matured and their growth plates close.
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.
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.