Compare
Choose two breeds. You’ll see the same strip of citeable traits — not a winner, and not kids / apartment / shedding scorecards.
Temperament lines are short plate excerpts, not a verdict. Open each plate for the full entry.
Toy
Small
25–33 cm
6–8 kg
Low
Low to moderate. Short walks and indoor play suffice; they overheat quickly.
Moderate
Fine, smooth, short, and glossy, in fawn with a black mask or in solid black.
China
Even-tempered, sociable, and typically good with people. Pugs want to be in the room.
Toy
Toy
20–25 cm (FCI: males 21–25 cm, females 20–23 cm; Royal Kennel Club: not exceeding 25 cm; the AKC standard sets weight only, no height)
under 3.2 kg (AKC: under 7 lb, 4–6 lb / ~1.8–2.7 kg preferred; CKC: under 3.25 kg, 1.75–2.75 kg preferred); FCI 3–4 kg
Moderate
Moderate companion energy on this site’s badge (FCI utilization is Companion and Toy, with no working trial; AKC frames the breed’s vigour as what’s “needed for the satisfactory companion”). The standards do not describe a sedentary dog: AKC calls the Maltese “eager and sprightly in action,” “lively and playful as well as vigorous,” and describes a “jaunty, smooth, flowing gait” that gives “an impression of rapid movement, size considered.
Moderate
The Maltese has a single coat with no undercoat (AKC, CKC and FCI; The Royal Kennel Club says “without woolly undercoat”).
Central Mediterranean (Italy, FCI patronage)
The standards paint a small dog with a big, sunny presence. AKC: “For all his diminutive size, the Maltese seems to be without fear.