Maltepoo & Alternative Names

To owners of this hybrid of a Poodle and a Maltese, it may seem confusing at times regarding exactly what this dog should be called.

There are many names for this crossbreed:

• Maltepoo

• Malt-A-Poo

• Maltipoo

• Moodle

• Multapoo

• Multipoo

• Malte-Poo

• Maltapoo

• Multapoo

• Multi-Poo

• Maltese-Poodle

• Malt-oodles

• MaltiPoodle...

So which one(s) are "real"? Let's take a look...

Why So Many Alternative Names?

The Maltepoo is a relatively new crossbreed dog. Of course, accidental cross breeding have been happening for a long time. However, just recently has the intentional breeding of a purebred toy Poodle to a purebred Maltese has taken popularity.

The average weight of this hybrid is between 5 and 12 lbs (2.27-5.44 kg) with an average height of 14 (35.56 cm). This designer dog has a life expectancy of 15 years and an average litter size of 4-6 puppies.

A row of Maltipoo puppies Photo courtesy of Elaine Jull

This breed can be found in a large variety of colors... just about every color that the Poodle carries, although that color will be a muted down version in most cases.

When this "trend" breeding of the toy Poodle to the Maltese took off, breeders had to think of a "name" for this hybrid. With no guidelines to follow, breeders all over the world ended up with quite a few names. Of course, each one is some type of variation of the words "Poodle" and "Maltese" when blended together.

Shampooing, Conditioning & Spritzing Tips - Once you are satisfied that you have the best products for your Maltipoo, you'll want to be sure that you gain optimal benefits from them. Here are some helpful tips:

• Shampoo often enough- Even if your Maltipoo appears to be completely clean, shampoo him once every 3 weeks. If not, there will be an accumulation of body oils that can lead to smelly quite badly. By the 3 week mark, there is enough oils, dirt and debris that the whole body needs to be cleaned for hygiene purposes.

• But not too much - If your Maltipoo has an issue such as allergies, yeast infection, mites, etc. shampooing will need to be done much more often (every day to every 7 days, depending on the issue); but if he is not having any problems, do not shampoo more often than every 3 weeks because this can dry out the skin, even with one of the best shampoos; it is just too hard for the body to keep up with natural oil production if it is being washed off rapidly.

Banjo, 5 months old Photo courtesy of Ruth Raughton

Malt-A-Poo - This is the 2nd most common word or term that is used for this dog. This is used by the American Canine Hybrid Club (a small organization) and also by the Designer Breed Registry (also another rather small group)

Therefore, the word Maltepoo is not often used. It is not recognized by any official group in the United States. If one is not sure what to call their dog or how to spell it, it is suggested to go with the most popular spelling of Maltipoo.

The names of Moodle, Multapoo, Multipoo, Malte-Poo, Maltapoo, Multapoo, Multi-Poo, Maltese-Poodle, Malt-oodles and MaltiPoodle have all but disappeared and are not used by the majority of breeders.

Proponents of this hybrid dog hope to someday have it recognized by the AKC, and therefore breeders are trying to stay with one name....allowing the other terms to dissolve away.

Nicknames for the Maltipoo

Every breed should have a nickname! The Papillon is a Pappy, the Pomeranian is a Pom, a Labrador is a Lab and so forth. Only if a breed has a very short official name with one syllable would a nickname not be possible. Some examples are the Boxer and the Pug.

Samara Athena, 5 months old Photo courtesy of Candice H. (from Maine)

So, in regard to a nickname for the Maltipoo, one would look to shorten the word, while trying to keep the intent clear. For this reason, mPoo (or spelled MPoo) is starting to catch on. And we are certainly part of that, since we do use it a lot here at PetMaltipoo. One would pronounce this as 'em-poo'.