Maltipoo temperament: who it suits and who should wait

Maltipoo temperament in short: this is a companion dog that wants to be near people, learns fast and comments on every sound with a bark. It copes well in a flat, but it handles long hours alone badly.

From the Maltese it gets the need to be close, from the poodle a sharp mind. Below is what that looks like day to day, and who this cross is not right for.

What a maltipoo is like day to day

A maltipoo keeps its puppy temperament for a long time. It is cheerful, follows people from room to room and wants to be part of whatever is happening at home.

My maltipoo Zuzi is 6 and always greets me at the door: she runs up and jumps. Her first night with us, she slept with the family. If you want a dog that lies quietly in its corner and ignores the household, a maltipoo probably isn't it.

The most common behaviour problem in this cross isn't aggression but fear of being alone. More on that below.

Quick to learn, but hates shouting

The poodle ranks 2nd in Stanley Coren's dog intelligence ranking. Dogs at the top of that list learn a new command in fewer than 5 repetitions. The Maltese sits at 59th place in the same ranking, so a maltipoo can inherit any mix. The sharpness usually comes from the poodle side.

Rewards and praise work best. A maltipoo reacts badly to a raised voice, and shouting gets you the opposite of what you want.

Keep sessions short: 3–5 minutes, several times a day. Count training treats in the daily calories. For a dog that needs 200 kcal a day, two small chews already make up a third of the portion.

Do maltipoos bark a lot

Yes, it's a chatterbox. It barks at the doorbell, footsteps on the stairs and dogs outside the window. It's alert, but it's not a guard dog, so don't expect it to stop on its own.

Don't punish barking. Teach an alternative:

1. Reward silence after the first bark.
2. Teach a "go to your place" cue for when someone rings the door.
3. Limit the view of the street if the dog "guards the window".
4. Give it exercise and sniffing. Ten minutes on a snuffle mat tires a dog more than half an hour of running, and a bored dog barks more.

For more ideas, read what to do when your dog is barking at everything.

Separation anxiety, the weak spot

Maltipoos are very attached to people and easily develop separation anxiety. You teach your dog to stay alone from the first days at home, not when your holiday is ending.

• Start by leaving for 1–2 minutes and build up the time.
• Leave and come back without ceremony: calmly, no goodbyes.
• Leave a chew or a snuffle mat while you're out.
• Before a longer absence, give your dog a walk and a meal.

By the end of the first month, a puppy can stay alone for 15–30 minutes. Eight to ten hours alone every day is too much for this cross. How to spot the problem and what to do once it's there is covered in separation anxiety in dogs.

Maltipoos with children and other pets

A well-socialised maltipoo usually likes children and gets on with other dogs and cats. Socialisation is work from the first weeks: new people, the sound of the vacuum cleaner and hair dryer, daily touching of paws, ears and muzzle with a reward.

The risk is size. A toy maltipoo weighs 2.3–4.5 kg, and a small child can easily drop it. If you have a preschooler at home, set one simple rule: the dog is only held while sitting on the floor.

Who a maltipoo suits, and who should think twice

If you still want a maltipoo after this table, start with our maltipoo breed guide. Size, coat, health and questions for the breeder are all in one place.