French Bulldog Maltese Mix: The Mighty French Maltese

The French Bulldog Maltese mix breed dog is one of a number of new emerging so-called hybrid dog breeds on the horizon today.

By combining two different purebred dog breeds, it is often possible to get a healthier, longer-lived pup with some wonderful new traits.

However, because there is some necessary unpredictability with any new breeding program, it is smart to learn everything you can about each purebred line used to create the new breed.

That is exactly what we are going to do in this article. We will walk you through the history, personality and temperament, coat care, training and exercise needs, health, and life expectancy of the French Bulldog and the Maltese.

After you finish reading through this article, you will know enough to know if you want to continue considering a French Bulldog Maltese Mix for your next companion canine.

The French Bulldog Maltese Mix

The French Bulldog Maltese mix is sometimes called the French Maltese, as is common in hybrid dog breeding. Often, breeders will put the two purebred parent dogs' names together to create a new breed name.

These hybrid dogs have one French Bulldog parent and one Maltese dog parent. Sometimes the French Maltese will have two hybrid dog parents, with each parent dog being a French Maltese.

French Bulldog Vs. Maltese

This short video gives you a visual idea of the differences and similarities between the French Bulldog and the Maltese dog breeds.

What Does It Mean to Do Hybrid Dog Breeding?

The term "hybrid dog breeding" can be a confusing one at first. What exactly does this term mean?
For general education purposes, Breeding Business outlines for you the different options a breeder can choose for their individual hybrid breeding program.

We will walk you through the different stages or levels using our example of the French Bulldog Maltese mix, or the French Maltese.

F1 breeding

F1 breeding is the very first stage of hybrid dog breeding.

With this type of breeding program, the breeder will pair one purebred French Bulldog parent dog with one purebred Maltese parent dog.

The puppies will then be called F1 puppies.

F1b breeding

An F1b breeding program is stage two of a hybrid dog breeding program.

With this type of breeding program, the breeder will pair one purebred parent dog – either a purebred French Bulldog or a purebred Maltese – with one puppy from an F1 litter who is a hybrid French Maltese.

The puppies from this litter will be called F1b puppies.

F2 breeding

An F2 breeding program is stage three of a hybrid dog breeding program.

In this type of breeding program, both parent dogs are an F1 or F1b dog.

This is important to know because it is at this stage of a hybrid breeding program when you start seeing puppies that look more alike and act more alike within a single litter.

What most dog lovers don't know at first is that when you pair two different genetic lines together, it is not currently possible to know for sure how the genes will combine.

So two puppies from the same litter may look and act quite differently, especially in F1 and F1b breeding programs.

But by the F2 breeding stage, when both parent dogs are themselves hybrid dogs, there is more genetic uniformity and a much greater chance to accurately predict how the puppies will turn out in every way.

F2b and later breeding

From here, you may see F2b, F3, F3b, and even F4 or later hybrid breeding efforts.

The later the stage the breeder works with, the more uniformity you are likely to see in the puppies.

Different breeders have their preferences for how they like to work. Some breeders may even choose to breed in several different stages and will typically post this information on their websites.

If you really want a puppy of a certain size or with a certain coat type or temperament, it is smart to call or email the breeder (or go visit in person if you can) to talk about your needs.

This way, the breeder can keep their eye out for a puppy that is the best fit for your family and lifestyle.

The History of the French Bulldog and the Maltese

When you study the history of any modern purebred dog breed, you are likely to uncover a fascinating back story.

In fact, as you just learned earlier here, many of today's recognized purebred dog breeds were once hybrid dog breeds themselves.

French Bulldog history

The French Bulldog is the fourth most popular (out of 195 American Kennel Club registered dog breeds) purebred dog breed in America today.

The French Bulldog has three known purebred dog breeds in their genetic lineage: the English Bulldog, the Rat Terrier, and the Pug. There may be other Terriers and, in some cases, the American Bulldog, as well.

Today, the Frenchie is a wildly popular dog breed despite some known breathing issues (likely inherited from the Pug influence) with their short muzzle type.

They are funny and smart and keen to warm the laps of their people.

Maltese history

The Maltese is the 37th most popular (out of 195 American Kennel Club registered dog breeds) purebred dog breed in America today.

The Maltese is a truly ancient dog breed that takes its name from its original home on the tiny island of Malta.

The Maltese may be as ancient as 2,800 years old as a breed. These dogs, with their long, silky, human hair-like coats, were always meant to sit in human laps. Usually, those laps were royal laps.

They are perfectly competent work dogs when they are in their short puppy cut, but Maltese usually are not put to work. People want these dogs because they are so loving and loyal in tending to their lap-warming duties.

French Bulldog Maltese Mix: Personality and Temperament

One of the perks of a hybrid breeding program is to be able to enhance already desirable qualities by combining two dog breeds that share those qualities.

French Bulldog Maltese personality and temperament

Luckily, the French Bulldog and the Maltese have very similar personalities.

Both are utterly devoted to "their" people. Both are smart, playful, and eager to learn new tricks and perform them.

French Bulldog Maltese Mix: Size, Height and Weight

Sometimes in hybrid dog breeding, there is an effort to combine together two different purebred dog breeds that are very different in size and height.

Happily, this is not the case with the French Bulldog and the Maltese. These two purebred dog lines are more alike than different in these areas.

French Bulldog size, height, and weight

The French Bulldog typically weighs 28 pounds or lighter as an adult. These dogs usually will grow to be between 11 and 14 inches tall from paw pad bottom to shoulder top.

They are a bit on the stout side with their shorter, wide stance, giving the appearance of a pint-sized prizefighter.

Maltese size, height, and weight

While the French Bulldog is in the small dog category weight and size-wise, the Maltese is truly a toy breed dog.

The Maltese are fully has grown rarely weighs more than seven pounds and will typically stand no taller than nine inches from paw pad to shoulder top.

They are all hair, although most owners do not realize this until the first time they give their Maltese a short puppy hair cut.

This popular short cut will cut down grooming time and allow your dog to be more active, but it will also cut your dog's perceived size in half.

French Bulldog Maltese size, height, and weight

With the earliest generations of French Maltese hybrid breeding programs (F1 or F1b), you can see some interesting size variations as well as coat type variations.

But in general, you can expect any French Maltese puppy to weigh between 10 and 20 pounds and stand around 10 to 12 inches tall.

French Bulldog Maltese Mix: Training and Exercise Needs

Some dogs can grow up to need a lot of exercises, outdoor time, and space to run around in.

But neither the French Bulldog nor the Maltese falls into any of these categories.

French Bulldog training and exercise needs

The French Bulldog usually is happy to have one or two short walks per day and some indoor playtime with you.

These dogs are known for doing a lot of napping and sleeping. Because of their short muzzle shape, they are also known to snore, which can be important to know if you are a light sleeper.

Frenchies are known to be very smart but also a little stubborn at times. These two traits often occur together, as a matter of fact.

Maltese training and exercise needs

The Maltese are definitely an indoor dog. Their long coat can make it harder for them to enjoy the outdoors, although choosing the shorter puppy clip can help here.

Maltese do not need a lot of exercises but do love to play with their people indoors.

Like Frenchies, the Maltese can sometimes be stubborn, which is because they are smart and smart dogs get bored more quickly.

French Bulldog Maltese training and exercise needs

The best way to make sure your French Maltese stays engaged and eager is to keep training sessions positive and short.

French Bulldog Maltese Mix: Shedding, Grooming and Coat Care

Coat care is one of the biggest questions new prospective owners often have when contemplating a hybrid like the French Bulldog Maltese.

This, of course, is because the French Maltese may inherit that long, silky, human hair-like coat of the Maltese parent dog.

In this way, comparing the two-parent dogs could not turn up more differences. On the one hand, there is the French Bulldog with its short, neat, flat shedding coat. On the other hand, there is the "walking carpet" that is the Maltese dog.

French Bulldog shedding, grooming, and coat care

The French Bulldog, despite their short and neat appearance, will shed all year long. Seasonally (usually summer to fall and winter to spring) the shedding will intensify.

Your own tolerance for shed dog hair will determine how often you want or need to brush your dog.

These dogs typically don't have much if any "doggy odor," but more frequent brushing can definitely catch more shed hair before it ends up on your clothes, car seats, couch cushions, or carpet.

Maltese shedding, grooming and coat care

The Maltese is always going to require more coat maintenance than many other dog breeds. However, if you choose to keep your Maltese in a short puppy clip, this maintenance will lessen somewhat.

Most Maltese owners invest in professional grooming to keep their dog's coat free from tangles and mats. Even if you do a puppy clip, you will need to take your dog in every two months or so for a trim.

Maltese are often called "hypoallergenic dogs," although this term is not entirely accurate. All dogs secrete potentially allergy-causing proteins through their skin and saliva and urine.

But the Maltese typically doesn't appear to shed because the dead hair that falls out gets trapped in the surrounding coat. This is why some people who are sensitive to pet dander get fewer allergies with the Maltese.

The more you brush and groom your dog, the less you will deal with either shed hair or tangles and mats that could irritate the skin and lead to infection.

French Bulldog Maltese shedding, grooming, and coat care

This is the area where you will see the most diversity in terms of what traits your French Maltese puppy may inherit from each parent dog.

Your dog might have a longer, silky, non-shedding, hair-type coat or a short, flat, neat, shedding coat – or something in between.

Here again, working with breeders that specialize in F2 or later generations of parent dogs can help you narrow down your chances of picking a puppy that grows up to have the coat type you most prefer.

French Bulldog Maltese Mix: Longevity and Health

While the health and longevity of a dog is never the happiest topic to ponder, it is one of the most important. The research you do in this area can make the difference between choosing a healthy and long-lived puppy or not.

You definitely want to be aware of potentially genetic health issues so you can be sure the breeder you work with tests for these before doing any dog breeding.

While not all health issues in the French Bulldog and Maltese purebred dog breeds can be tested for, those that can and are will potentially save you a lot of heartaches.

French Bulldog longevity and health

The Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) is a voluntary database that dog breeders can contribute to. This database tracks the genetic health history of purebred dog breeds and makes recommendations about pre-breeding health tests by breed.

For the French Bulldog purebred dog breed, the CHIC database recommends performing the following genetic tests before allowing a dog to breed:

• Patellar luxation.
• Autoimmune thyroiditis.
• Hip dysplasia.
• Eye conditions.
• Juvenile cataracts.
• Heart (Cardiac) issues.

The French Bulldog has a general life expectancy of between 10 and 14 years.

Maltese longevity and health

The CHIC database reports that the Maltese dog has the following known heritable or genetic health conditions.

Currently, CHIC recommends that breeders do the following pre-screening tests on Maltese dogs before breeding them:

• Cardiac (heart) issues.
• Serum bile test (for liver shunt and microvascular dysplasia).
• Patellar luxation.

The Maltese dog, like so many small and toy dog breeds, has a longer life expectancy at 12 to 15 years on average.

French Bulldog Maltese longevity and health

This data shows you that there are a number of potentially concerning heritable health issues that any hybrid dog could possibly inherit.

However, since the goal of any hybrid breeding program is in part to increase genetic diversity in the breed, this can also reduce the risk of your puppy inheriting health issues.

By choosing a responsible breeder who does the required and recommended pre-breeding screening tests, you will have the best chance of selecting the healthiest, longest-lived French Maltese puppy.

French Bulldog Maltese Mix: Is This the Right Dog for You?

After reading through the information in this article, it is probably easy to see how the French Maltese hybrid dog breed has become more popular today. These dogs are small and sweet and loving, they are typically a joy to have around.

Are you thinking about adding a French Maltese to your family? If yes, you are in very good company indeed.