It's hard to know what goes on in the mind of a Maltese puppy. With all of the fuss these small, white, endearing canines receive, they may believe they are the center of the universe. They may also become scared with all of the attention. The emotions of dogs can change in the blink of an eye, which may make it seem like a puppy peacefully being cuddled suddenly turns rogue and lashes out.
This should never happen. Owners of Maltese puppies need to keep an eye on their puppy's body language and facial expression in order to see how scared or relaxed the puppy is. Scared puppies may bite and will into pay attention during training. Relaxed puppies will pay attention to training sessions. Relaxed Maltese puppies will have open mouths, eyes that squint and seem to wag their tails with their whole bodies.
Game Time
Maltese puppies are very intelligent. This means they can get bored easily. Make training time into play time by keeping sessions under ten minutes and ending with a game or a special treat only used for training sessions. This will help make the puppy look forward to training.
Maltese puppies will need to go to a groomer before they are six months old because their coats will get too long and tangled. Unless you are showing your Maltese, keep the coat trimmed in what groomers call a "puppy clip." As soon as possible, get the puppy used to a brush, comb and bath. If you have a helper, the helper can feed treats while you brush a section of the puppy. The first bath does not need to have soap. You just need to introduce the puppy to the noises and the feel of splashing water.
Click and Treat
Clicker training works well with Maltese puppies, as seen in the popular American reality television show "America's Greatest Dog", where the runner-up was a purebred Maltese. Use small, low-calorie treats such as the puppy's kibble or raw carrots. Clickers can be purchased at any pet shop. Spend a few minutes clicking and, when the puppy looks at you, giving a treat.
Your goal then is to click immediately when the puppy does something right or close to right. Ignore all "wrong behavior". For example, if you want the puppy to sit on his bed, pat the bed and smile. When the puppy moves towards the bed, click and treat. Eventually, the puppy will get the idea.