[Princess D]

I may have the opportunity to adopt a 5 month old maltese. I am going to see him today and he sounds charming. The only concern that I have is do you think that at 5 months he will bond with our family? Normally I would say of course, he is still a baby, but now I am nervous, I really want him to be able to adjust and love us as much as we love him. :wub: Are there any special things we can do to help him adjust more quickly? What is the best way to socialize him with other people? (I think he has lived a sheltered life and hasn't been exposed as much as my little fluff (Diego) who has been everywhere (restaurants and walk-in movies, etc). I don't want the new baby to have an anxiety problem, but I do love taking Diego everywhere and I would be taking the new fluff as well.

I just feel in my heart that he maybe 'the one' and I guess I need reassurance from those who really know malts.:ThankYou:

 

[CrystalAndZoe]

Maltese are very much a 'love the one your with' type of breed. There are MANY on this board who have gotten an older Malt with no problems bonding. And honestly, there are many people who are purchasing 5 month olds or even older puppies from reputable show breeders. I adopted my Jett through rescue when he was a year old. No problem with him bonding to me at all!

Since you did not elaborate on the history of this little one, it's really hard to say whether there may be some issues on socialization. Or even what advice to give you. Whenever you bring a new baby into the family, you do want to make sure the first one is always given preference so that they both understand the 'pecking order' in the family. You pet the first dog first. You put the food dish down first for the first dog. The first dog goes out the door before the 2nd dog, etc.

I think you'll find that whatever the new one may have missed out on in the way of socialization, he will pick up from your first one since he's so young. He's really just a baby.

Good luck!

 

[Princess D]

Thank You, I feel much better now. I am just excited and a little nervous.

 

[Ladysmom]

It's very common for Maltese not to be sold until they are a little older, sometimes because of their size, sometimes because they are being watched for show. Many of our SM'ers have gotten older puppies and loved the fact that they were almost housebroken, didn't bite, etc.

I didn't adopt Lady until she was 4.5 years old and we couldn't be more bonded!

 

[iheartbisou]

The above comments are completely correct. Your new Maltese should bond with you without any problems. I got mine when she was 7 months old and she bonded with me immediately.

Have fun and congratulations!

 

[jmm]

I haven't even considered pups younger than that the last few times. They bond just fine.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

I got my Nikki at 18 weeks and we bonded just fine.