Bella Dolce Maltese

Welcome to

Bella Dolce Maltese

about me

Bella Dolce Maltese

I began showing Maltese in conformation in 2002. Occasionally I keep or hold back puppies to show or for my breeding program. By showing my dogs, I am having my breeding stock evaluated by multiple AKC judges and being given the honor of winning with them in the conformation show ring!

All of my Maltese dogs and Puppies are raised right here in my home where I strive for health, AKC standard quality, proper socialization and loving temperament. “In order for animals to live in our human world, they must be properly socialized, beginning at an early age.” This is my philosophy and I take it very seriously. I touch, talk, and respect my animals daily to make them all part of our family life. It shows in the dogs that I breed and the animals I raise on my property. Proper socialization and effective puppy rearing make all the difference between a confident, social & intelligent family pet and an antisocial animal.  

“Raising Gorgeous Maltese Puppies into social, affectionate & intelligent dogs, is my passion!”

I am a Maltese breeder of show and companion puppies located in Phoenix, Arizona. I am a Breeder of Merit with AKC and I strive to breed beautiful, healthy Maltese that are affectionate, happy, well socialized and true to the Maltese standards.

Questions

FAQ

When you pick your puppy up at my house, we sit inside my home. You are welcome to see the puppies that are available at time of purchase and their parents if necessary. I no longer offer visitations prior to pick up.

No! We do not remove dew claws from a Maltese and I kindly ask that you NOT have them removed at a later date.

No. This is a baby. Just like human babies use diapers at first, these Maltese babies will use potty pads. The puppies use potty pads at my house, but like any young life learning about things, they can have accidents. Please be patient. It is up to the owners to house train their puppy. Expect it to take 6+ months.

I prefer that you dont.  Maltese puppies will just potty and poopy on it, providing me with more laundry to do. The blanket theory is a sweet idea, but is typically reserved for puppies who are taken away from their mother too early. I do not force wean my Maltese puppies and do not take their mother away from them. I allow the Maltese to stay with their mother and littermates for as long as necessary. All of my Maltese puppies go to their forever homes between 12-16 weeks.

Puppies can get intimidated when a camera is in their face, if a flash goes off or a “click” is heard, the puppy may  look away for a second. Unfortunately, this happens frequently and will be in many pictures, this doesn’t mean they have whites of the eyes showing and is completely normal.

It is commonly referred to as ‘tear stains”. The staining occurs when a puppy is teething, when hormones are raging (before spay or neuter), if they stick their faces in bowls of food or water. While we dont like it, its part of having a Maltese or white dog. We do our best to clean the faces every day and give frequent baths but sometimes they just have to grow out of it. Occasionally, we give an antibiotic called Tylan or Clindamycin which helps stop the discoloring.

Puppies who are weaning from mothers milk to puppy food, often stick their whole faces into the food. Often times breeders soak the dry puppy kibble or serve whats known as “gruel” which can be quite messy. This teaches puppy to safely consume softer foods while their teeth have not fully erupted. This process also can cause staining.

Most show dogs have their faces cleaned daily, faces wrapped and may times are lightened (bleached) before dog shows. The faces are often powdered with cornstarch to cover any stains and to help absorb any excess moisture. While I dont recommend doing this on puppies, it does provide a false sense of “Pure white faces” to novices who dont understand the biology of the Maltese.

If you are a person looking for a family pet, please be sure to keep your puppies face clean and dry and get professionally groomed every month. Trimming the hairs around the eyes will remove any stained hairs and keep stray hairs from going into the puppies yes which can cause more tearing.

Maltese On Pumpkin

Benefits of Pumpkin

Plain, canned pumpkin is the quickest cure all for loose stool, diarrhea or constipation in dogs. Sometimes when we change our Maltese food too quickly

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what i do

my breeding Benefits

I am a self-described, “Animal Lover” -often arriving late to appointments to help lost dogs or rescue an injured animal. I only breed purebred Maltese puppies.  We always welcome visitors who have been placed on our waiting list to our home and see where the pups are raised and to meet our family. 

I don’t have a lot of litters, so if you are looking for a Maltese puppy, please feel free to fill out an application. I will follow up with an email, then a phone interview. Waiting list times are typically 6 months to over a year. I do not have puppies ‘on demand’ and am not a “Maltese Vending Machine”.

Please read all mof the information I have provided for you on my website. I post this information for you to educate yourself on this breed. Most puppy buyers, ask me all of the questions that are  right here on my website. Owners should delve into this breed and educate themselves thoroughly .

I also offer basic Maltese training as well as behavioral consultations! I love working with this breed and look forward to hearing from you!

I always tell my clients that “I am with you for the life of your pet”, whether you need mentoring for show, home grooming, training, nutrition or vet care or just like to share photos of your beautiful Maltese puppy. I stand behind my dogs and know that you will be proud to show them off on social media like many of my clients! (#belladolcemaltese)

  • 20 Years Breeding Exclusively Maltese

  • Champion Bred Maltese

  • AKC Maltese Breeder Of Merit

  • Beautiful Baby doll Faces

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions- katkathryn@cox.net

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Hoven Valley

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