Is a Malshi a good choice of dog for the first-time owner?

Making the decision on the right breed or type of dog for you is something that can take a lot of time and research, even if you’ve owned dogs all your life and are very experienced in caring for and handling them. However, if you’ve never owned a dog before and are trying to make a sensible choice, this can be even more complicated.

Not all dog breeds and types are a good pick for inexperienced owners, and some dog breeds are complex or challenging to own if you don’t have a good hands-on understanding of training and managing dogs. This means that making the right choice of dog for a first-time owner is really important – and not always easy.

The Malshi is one small dog breed that is particularly well renowned as a good choice of pet for someone who is looking to buy their first dog. This hybrid dog type ticks all of the right boxes when it comes to the right traits for a first timer who wants to make sure they get on well with their new companion and can manage them appropriately.

In this article we will explain what a Malshi is, and look at the core traits that they possess that makes them such a good choice for first-time dog owners. Read on to learn more.

What is a Malshi?

A Malshi is a cross breed or hybrid dog type, produced by mating a Shih tzu with a Maltese dog or by breeding subsequent generation hybrids with each other. They are particularly notable for being small in size and tending to have a low-shedding coat, which means that the Malshi is often a good pick for allergy sufferers as well as first-time dog owners.

Because a Malshi is a cross breed, they’re not classed as pedigree dogs and can’t be registered with The Kennel Club. This also means that there’s no breed standard in place to dictate what a Malshi will look like, or what sort of temperament they will have, but dogs of this type are bred for all of the positive traits that accompany their two parent breeds.

Are Malshis expensive?

According to Pets4Homes, the average advertised price of Malshi puppies for sale is around £675, which is within the realms of some small pedigree breeds as well, making them reasonably costly given that they are a hybrid. However, the popularity and range of positive traits that the Malshi possesses go some way towards explaining what is a relatively high purchase price for a non-pedigree dog.

In terms of the cost of keeping a Malshi as a pet, they’re fairly economical – their small size makes providing all of the things they need not overly costly, and veterinary care, insurance, and everything else the dog will need tends to be cheaper than it is for larger dogs.

What sort of temperament do Malshis have?

The Malshi temperament is one of the main things that they have going for them in terms of their suitability for first-time dog owners, and they are very charming and appealing little dogs that know just how to tug on your heartstrings!

They are affectionate and very loving, enjoying spending lots of time with their owners and taking part in your day to day life. Their need for exercise and physical activity is moderate and not overly onerous, and dogs of this type are happy with just a couple of half-hour walks per day, interspersed with periods of play too.

Malshis are also not one of the dog types most prone to suffering from separation anxiety, and can usually be trained to keep themselves happy when left alone for a few hours at a time. However, no dog will tolerate being left alone for too long, and it is important to get your Malshi used to spending time alone gradually from when they are young.

How easy is it to train and manage a Malshi?

Malshis are very middle of the road dogs in terms of most of their core traits – their energy levels, intelligence, and engagement. This actually makes Malshis among the best dog types to train for people who haven’t ever tackled dog training before, because they are smart enough to learn and work hard to please, but they’re not so highly intelligent that they know what you are going to do before you do!

Even a first-time owner who does their research can generally train a Malshi to learn and execute all of the core commands a dog needs to know, and they tend to be fairly straightforward and not prone to being problematic or challenging to train.

Because Malshis are very loyal and affectionate dogs, they bond strongly with their owners and look to them for direction, which makes positive reinforcement training very effective for dogs of this type.

They also tend to be able to socialise well with other dogs when properly introduced and given lots of opportunities to meet others, and aren’t usually highly territorial or prone to dominance. They are also usually tolerant of children and are not a breed that tends to be snappy or wary of kids, but like any dog, they should be treated with respect and not viewed as a toy by children.

This makes them a better fit for families with older kids than those with children under five.

Even if you’ve never owned a dog before, if you’re looking for a small breed that will bond with you and provide lots of love and entertainment but without being hugely high maintenance or challenging to care for and manage, the Malshi might well be the right choice.