Maltepoo
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...
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.
Banjo, 5 months old
Photo courtesy of Ruth Raughton
As time went by, a certain name would be copied by another breeder and so on. After a while, some names died out...And others that had a "nice ring" to them, became more popular.
When this dog began to be accepted by some hybrid and designer dog clubs....And especially when country-specific clubs were created just for this dog, it was then that an "official" name needed to be chosen that would be used at all times and for all references for the sake of consistency and to give this crossbreed his foot in the door toward one-day, future acceptance and recognition.
While there are some owners and even some breeders who use the word "Maltepoo", it is not one of the most well known terms or accepted words for this designer dog.
Let's look at which names are popular and used the most:
Maltipoo -
This is the most well known and most often used name for this dog. The National Maltipoo Club and the Maltipoo Club of America, two dog kennel clubs that were created specifically for this dog have officially taken this spelling. They do not recognize any variation of this any other alternative name.
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'.