Maltipoo breeders: 12 questions to ask before you buy

Good maltipoo breeders will show you the puppies' mother, both parents' health test results and give you a sales contract. Because the maltipoo has no breed standard and no compulsory tests, an honest breeder is your only health guarantee.

Below are 12 questions to ask before paying a deposit. A good breeder will welcome them, a bad one will get irritated.

12 questions to ask a maltipoo breeder

The parents

1. Can I meet the puppies' mother here?
2. What kind of poodle, toy or miniature? How much do both parents weigh?
3. Do the parents have a DNA test for PRA-prcd? Can I see the result?
4. Have the parents had a kneecap assessment and an eye exam by a vet?
5. How old is the mother and which litter is this?

The puppy

6. Which generation is it: F1, F1b or multigen?
7. Does the puppy have a microchip, health booklet, vaccinations and deworming?
8. When can I take it home? The answer should be: not before 8 weeks.

Conditions and contract

9. Where do the puppies live, in the house or in a kennel?
10. How have they been socialised: sounds, people, handling?
11. Will I get a sales contract and food for the first days?
12. What if I can't keep the dog? Will you take it back?

When I chose my maltipoo, what mattered most to me was who the mother and father were, how they looked and what level of dogs they were.

Why ask about the poodle's size and the parents' weight

A maltipoo's size depends mostly on the poodle parent. A toy poodle usually gives a toy maltipoo (2.3–4.5 kg), a miniature poodle a mini (4.5–9 kg). Words like "mini" or "tiny" in a listing guarantee nothing; the parents' real weights do. More in how much a full-grown maltipoo weighs.

Parent health tests: what to check

Being a cross doesn't protect against the parents' diseases. In a 2024 Royal Veterinary College study, 86.6% of comparisons showed no difference between crossbreeds and their parent breeds.

• PRA-prcd: an inherited retinal disease that leads to blindness. A simple DNA test detects it.
• Kneecaps: in small dogs the kneecap can slip out of its groove. Vet assessment before breeding.
• Eyes: poodle clubs recommend a yearly eye exam.

Breeder or OLX?

On OLX and similar sites, maltipoos are often cheaper. Sometimes it's an honest owner with one litter. More often, though, health tests, a contract or the chance to see the mother are missing.

Red flags:

• several breeds "in stock" and puppies always available,
• "car park" handovers or shipping without meeting,
• "teacup" as a selling point,
• no chance to see the mother,
• a price well below 2,000 PLN.

How much a maltipoo really costs and what's worth paying for: see maltipoo price.

What to bring to the visit

• this list of 12 questions, printed,
• your phone, to photograph documents and test results,
• time: you look round a good breeder's for an hour, not 10 minutes in the hallway.

After pick-up, get ready for the first 30 days with a maltipoo puppy.