Maltipoo Development Phases: Managing Puppyhood

Are you thinking of getting a Maltipoo? I know you may have heard they are too hard to take care of, but I can assure you that it isn’t as hard as it may seem.

The development stage for a Maltipoo usually only goes until they are a year old or a year and a half. Here is a breakdown for the development phases for Maltipoos.

Social development

From the time your puppy opens its eyes to adulthood, it needs to socialize.This means spending quality time with humans and dogs, along with any other animal they are likely to live around. Like many other animals, having social interaction helps develop the brain and helps the puppy overcome fears of people and other dogs.

Teething

While teething, your Maltipoos will bite on anything that it can get to. You could combat this by getting a silicone dog bone or finding teething toys.

At this point, you will also watch and correct any biting habits that start to form. If these habits aren’t corrected during puppyhood, they will be much harder to fix later in your puppy's life.

Training Struggles

House training your dog is where you will have the most trouble. You will need to have patience and a good attitude. Getting angry will never help. If you catch your puppy going in the house, stop them immediately and take them out to finish but never discipline them after.

Maltipoos are very easy to train because they love to spend time with their owners and love positive reinforcement. They do very well with all the obedience training, and with a positive attitude, you could possibly train them to do anything.

During this phase, you will want to teach and train them the whole way to make sure they won’t have any problems when they are grown up.

“Teen” Stage

This stage usually happens towards the end of puppyhood, and it will be very challenging. Like a teenager, your dog will try to test your patience and sometimes even ignore you. You need to have extreme patience and just let these moments pass. Use a positive method of correction but don’t ever raise your voice. This is also a time when your puppy will be very sensitive, and if it experiences fear, it could carry into adulthood.

During these stages of development you will want to be able to spend time with your dog because that will help you create a good relationship and make it a lot easier to train them.

Make sure you create the boundaries but make sure they aren’t unreasonable. Teach these boundaries to your dog, and make sure you don’t ever let these boundaries down because that will teach the dog that you don’t mean what you say.

Make sure you have many cuddles and spend time together. This will make them love you, and you love them.

Learn more about Maltipoos on our about page and our blog.

If you are considering getting a Maltipoo, check out our available puppies.

Winter Guide for Small Dogs

People wonder how to keep their small dogs warm during these cold times. Mini and toy dogs like Maltipoos tend to get colder a lot faster than their larger counterparts, so the owners of these dogs will want to take more precautions to keep their dog warm and healthy. 

Dogs start to get uncomfortable in temperatures as cold as 46 degrees Fahrenheit and dogs with no undercoat are more in danger of these freezing temperatures.

Small Dogs in the Cold

Small dogs get cold faster than large dogs because they don’t have the second undercoat most large breeds have. The fat in their body also helps protect them from the cold, and since they have less body fat, it doesn’t keep them as warm, and the cold can get to their insides a lot faster.

How to Keep Your Dog Warm Outside

Different people have their preferences and you might have your own things that you like to do, but here are a few things you could do to combat the cold.

• Dog coat or sweater

• Scarf

• Neckwarmer

• Dog boots

Some people don’t think about getting their Maltipoo dog boots, but they might be necessary. It gets freezing for your dog’s feet, and they could be trying to walk through the snow most of the time. Also, walking on the sidewalk will be cold for your dog’s feet, which will make it more likely for them to get sick. When dogs come in from the walk, their feet could have picked up something dangerous and poisonous, like ice melt, so having boots will prevent them from eating things like this. Getting your dog boots is the best way to keep them warm and ensure they don’t get sick.

You don’t have to get everything but make sure you take care of your dog and notice the signs they are too cold. If they are noticeably shaking, then it is too cold for them, and you need to take immediate action to warm them up. 

Extra Tips

You don’t want to bathe your dog as often during the cold weather because that will make their skin dry. If they get dirty, you will want to use a damp washcloth and keep a humidifier in your house to keep the air moist.

Your dog will need to stay inside during the cold months because it will get too cold for them, and they could get hypothermia.