Home / Shih Tzu vs Maltese
Shih Tzu usually wins on sturdier build and easier handling around active kids. Maltese usually wins on the smallest possible size and the steadiest default temperament. Here is the honest, numbers-first breakdown.
Short answer: pick the Shih Tzu if you want the sturdier build for a household with active kids. Pick the Maltese if the smallest possible dog and a purely companion-bred temperament matter most. Longer answer: both breeds get grouped together as small, long-coated toy dogs with low shedding, but the real differences show up in size, temperament history, and coat structure, not in some vague "better breed" verdict. Here is the honest side by side.
Our take
The Maltese was bred for one job across roughly two thousand years: stay close and be loved, with no herding or hunting instinct at all. That shows up as a calmer, more even default temperament in a genuinely tiny dog, under 7 pounds by AKC standard. The Shih Tzu is the sturdier of the two at 9 to 16 pounds, with a breed standard that calls for a temperament that is outgoing, affectionate, and trusting toward everyone, which is part of why it tends to handle boisterous kids a little better. Both breeds are notoriously hard to house-train, both shed very little without being allergy-free, and both commonly live well into their teens. If you are choosing on size and companion-bred steadiness, lean Maltese. If you are choosing on sturdier build and a slightly wider size range, lean Shih Tzu.
Twelve points that actually matter when you are choosing between the two, not just breed-standard trivia.
Swipe sideways on a phone to see the Maltese column.
| What matters | Shih Tzu | Maltese |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 9 to 16 lbs | Under 7 lbs by AKC standard, 4 to 6 lbs preferred |
| Coat structure | Long double coat, mats easily, needs regular brushing whatever the length | Single coat, no undercoat, grows continuously like human hair |
| Shedding | Low, grows continuously rather than shedding in cycles, never allergy-free | Very low, a classic low-allergen toy breed, also never allergy-free |
| Temperament | Outgoing and affectionate by breed standard, generally trusting toward strangers | Bred purely as a companion, no herding or hunting drive, generally even and devoted |
| With young kids | Sturdier build, bred purely as a companion, generally easygoing with kids | Fragile at this size, needs gentle floor-level handling, but a steady, less reactive default temperament |
| House-training | Notoriously difficult, small bladder plus weather sensitivity | Also notoriously difficult, small bladder plus a known willful streak |
| Face structure | Brachycephalic (flat-faced), needs real heat and breathing care | Normal muzzle length, no brachycephalic airway risk |
| Grooming | Daily brushing for a long show coat, 2-3x/week if kept in a short puppy cut | Daily brushing for a long show coat, or 2 to 3 brushings a week in a shorter puppy cut |
| Health testing to ask for | CAER eye exam (annual) and patella evaluation; hip and cardiac are optional | Patella, liver-shunt bile-acid test, cardiac evaluation, eye exam |
| Average lifespan | 10 to 18 years | 12 to 15 years, averaging around 13.5 |
| AKC recognition | 1969 | 1888, 81 years earlier |
| Typical price | $1,000 to $3,000 on average, $1,200 to $4,000 from reputable breeders | $600 to $3,000 from a reputable breeder, most commonly $800 to $1,500 |
If you have only ever seen a Maltese in a show ring topknot, the breed's actual background explains a lot about its personality.
The Maltese traces back more than two thousand years as a companion breed, with no herding or hunting job ever bred into it. The AKC recognized the breed in 1888, 81 years before the Shih Tzu entered the Stud Book. That purely-companion history is still visible today: a calmer, more even default temperament than working-descended toy breeds.
A Maltese coat is a single layer with no undercoat, closer to human hair than typical dog fur, which is why the breed is consistently named alongside other low-shedding toy breeds. It still mats without regular brushing at full length, which is why many pet Maltese are kept in a shorter puppy trim. It also carries none of the brachycephalic breathing risk that comes with the Shih Tzu's flatter face.
The honest part
It would be easy for a Shih Tzu site to only tell you what is good about a Shih Tzu. Here is where the Maltese is genuinely the better dog on paper, not a consolation prize.
Both can work with young kids, but for different reasons. The Shih Tzu is the sturdier build at 9 to 16 pounds and the AKC standard describes it as outgoing and trusting toward everyone. The Maltese is more fragile under 7 pounds and needs gentler, floor-level handling, but its purely companion-bred history, with no herding or hunting drive at all, gives it a steady, even default temperament. If build and durability around active kids matters most, lean Shih Tzu. If temperament steadiness matters most and you can supervise gentle handling, either breed works.
Neither has a real edge. Both breeds carry a reputation among trainers and vets as difficult to housebreak: the Shih Tzu because of a small bladder and weather sensitivity, the Maltese for a similar small-bladder pattern plus a documented willful streak. A consistent schedule and crate management matter more than which of these two breeds you pick.
Both are low-shedding, for different coat reasons. The Maltese has a single coat with no undercoat, closer to human hair than typical dog fur. The Shih Tzu also grows hair rather than fur that sheds in cycles, but its coat is a longer double coat that mats more easily and needs more brushing to stay healthy, whether or not it is kept short. Neither breed is allergy-free.
The Maltese, clearly. The AKC standard caps a Maltese under 7 pounds, with 4 to 6 pounds preferred. A Shih Tzu runs 9 to 16 pounds. If the goal is the smallest possible dog, the Maltese wins outright.
Close, with a slight edge to the Maltese. The Maltese averages 12 to 15 years, sometimes reaching 16 or 17. The Shih Tzu commonly lives 10 to 18 years. The ranges overlap heavily, and weight management, dental care, and regular vet visits matter more to an individual dog's lifespan than this small a gap between breed averages.
The Maltese, by a wide margin. The AKC recognized the Maltese in 1888. The Shih Tzu did not enter the AKC Stud Book until 1969, 81 years later. The Maltese is one of the older toy breeds on the AKC roster.
Leaning Shih Tzu? See what to look for before you buy and what day-to-day life with the coat and brachycephalic care actually looks like. Leaning Maltese? See Maltese puppies at Maltese Finder, a family-owned site in the same network.
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