Maltese Shih Tzu Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

What exactly is a Maltese Shih Tzu?

A Maltese Shih Tzu is a cross between a Maltese and a Shih Tzu. You will see it advertised as a Malshi, a Maltshi or a Maltese x Shih Tzu. It is not a breed in the formal sense. Dogs Australia is the registry that issues certified pedigrees for purebred dogs in Australia, and it publishes a standard for each breed it recognises; this cross is not one of them. For a buyer that means:

• No standard to measure a puppy against. Adult size, coat and face shape depend on the parents and can vary within one litter.
• No breed club. Nobody sets minimum health checks for these litters or publishes a reference price.
• No Dogs Australia pedigree. Member breeders' codes forbid crossbreeding without prior approval; that has its own section below.

Ads sometimes carry generation labels such as “F1”, meant to signal a first-generation cross of a purebred Maltese and a purebred Shih Tzu. These are breeder shorthand that no registry checks. University of Sydney geneticists, writing about Labradoodle research in The Conversation, explain that the first-generation offspring of two breeds is similar, in contrast to the substantial variation in later generations. A label is not a promise about coat or size.

Should you adopt or buy a Maltese Shih Tzu?

Adopt if you can be flexible about age. An adult Maltese or Shih Tzu cross in rescue arrives vet checked for a published fee, and you can see its coat, size and, just as important, how it breathes before you commit. Buy if you need a young puppy and are ready to do the checking that the lack of a breed standard and a breed club leaves to you.

If what you really want is a small dog of predictable size, coat and health screening, look at the parent breeds, which have breed standards and Dogs Australia registered breeders. Our Maltese and Shih Tzu adopt-or-buy guides cover each side.

Why is there no Dogs Australia registered Maltese Shih Tzu breeder?

Because the codes Dogs Australia members follow forbid crossbreeding unless their state body approves it in advance. The national Dogs Australia Code of Practice (clause 16) says a member shall not permit its purebred dogs to be mated to a dog of a different breed or a cross bred dog “without the prior approval of the member’s Member Body”. The Dogs NSW Code of Ethics (clause 17) allows such a mating only if it is for the health, welfare or development of a breed and the Board has approved it in advance; it adds that the prohibition does not apply to guide and working dogs. Dogs Victoria's code (20.1.15) says dogs “are not permitted to be mated to a dog or bitch of a different breed, to a cross bred dog or bitch”.

So Maltese Shih Tzu litters are generally bred outside that system. Some sellers belong to other registries, which Dogs Australia says are not affiliated with it and cannot issue certified pedigrees. That does not make every crossbreed breeder a poor one. It means the checks a breed club would push for are now yours to make. Dogs Victoria's health testing fact sheet puts it plainly: for a mixed breed you need to do twice the homework, because you need to know the diseases common in both breeds, and a cross may combine the health problems of both rather than avoid them.

How big does a Maltese Shih Tzu get, and what is it like?

Small, and somewhere between its parents. This is what the official standards say, height compared with height:

From the Dogs Australia Maltese and Shih Tzu standards and the Dogs Victoria Maltese and Shih Tzu profiles, read 12 November 2026.

Both parents are companion dogs. Dogs Victoria says the Maltese is only suited as an indoor companion, because its single coat is not weather resistant, and is ideal for small apartments and city living. It says the ideal Shih Tzu owner is someone who enjoys spending time with their dog, and warns that small children, cats and large dogs can easily hurt a Shih Tzu. A cross between the two is likely to want the same: life indoors, close to its people, with supervision around young children. Our apartment dogs guide and toy dog breeds guide cover small-dog life in more detail.

Grooming is a real commitment. Dogs Victoria says the long Maltese coat needs daily gentle brushing and combing to the skin to prevent mats, and that a Shih Tzu kept short needs professional clipping every 6 to 8 weeks. Our Sydney guides to Maltese coat care and Shih Tzu coat care go through the practical options.

Is a Maltese Shih Tzu hypoallergenic?

No dog is hypoallergenic. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says: “All dog breeds cause allergies, although some do not shed as much dander, and therefore less allergen is spread.” It also says the main source of dog allergen is saliva.

The two parents differ here. The Maltese standard describes a coat with no woolly undercoat, and Dogs Victoria calls the breed low-shedding; the Shih Tzu standard describes a moderate undercoat. A puppy can take after either, so treat a “guaranteed hypoallergenic” promise as advertising. If anyone at home has asthma or a dog allergy, see a doctor before you choose a dog, spend long, repeated visits with the actual dog, and read our guides to hypoallergenic dogs in Australia and dogs that don't shed.

Does a Maltese Shih Tzu have breathing problems?

It can, and this is the most important health question to ask about the Shih Tzu side. Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a breathing condition of short-skulled dogs. The RSPCA Knowledgebase says the snuffling, snoring and snorting that flat-faced dogs make are signs that breathing is very difficult and distressing for the dog, and that affected dogs may struggle with exercise and heat.

The best recent evidence is a University of Cambridge study published in PLOS One in February 2026, which graded 898 dogs of 14 breeds in the UK pet, breeding and showing population. It placed the Shih Tzu (42 dogs) in a moderate-risk group, in which 25 to 50% of dogs were free of BOAS signs, and found body condition was a significant risk factor in the breed, so weight control helps. None of the 32 Maltese studied had clinically significant disease, and only one showed mild signs, but the authors say that sample was too small to draw conclusions about the Maltese. Across all breeds, narrowed nostrils, a flatter face and a higher body condition score were linked to BOAS.

We found no study that has measured BOAS in Maltese x Shih Tzu crosses, so nobody can promise a cross breathes better than a Shih Tzu. What you can do: meet both parents, watch and listen to them at rest and after play, ask whether the Shih Tzu parent has open rather than pinched nostrils (the standard itself calls pinched nostrils highly undesirable), keep your dog lean, and walk it in the cool of the day. Our Shih Tzu health guide covers heat and breathing care.

Which health checks should a Maltese Shih Tzu breeder show you?

Checks for both parents, from each breed's own list. The clearest Australian guide we found is what Dogs Victoria says in its breed profiles:

Sources: Dogs Victoria Maltese and Shih Tzu profiles, read 12 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

Some background on the Maltese items. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons lists the Maltese among breeds in which a portosystemic shunt, an abnormal blood vessel that lets blood bypass the liver, is considered congenital, and says signs can include small body size, slow recovery from an anaesthetic and behaviour changes. It also says patellar luxation, a slipping kneecap, mainly affects small dogs. Dogs Victoria warns that a claim of “clear of all hereditary disease” based on a DNA test alone should ring alarm bells, because many conditions have no DNA test. Talk to your vet about any signs. Our Maltese health guide covers the rest.

Teeth deserve a mention. Royal Veterinary College research on 22,333 UK dogs found dogs under 10 kg had about three times the risk of dental disease of dogs weighing 30 to 40 kg, and Dogs Victoria says Maltese are prone to dental disease as they get older. Ask your vet about a dental care routine from the start.

What does a Maltese Shih Tzu cost?

We cannot give you a breeder price we can stand behind. For purebred breeds we read the prices that Dogs Australia member breeders publish on their own websites and report the range. That method has nothing to measure here, because member breeders' codes forbid crossbreeding without prior approval, and there is no breed club guide either. Any figure on a listing site is one seller's asking price, not a benchmark, and a high price does not buy health checks. Ask what the price includes.

What we can show you is what rescues publish:

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change and some dogs are priced individually, so check with the rescue. RSPCA NSW, RSPCA Victoria and RSPCA ACT each say their adopted animals are desexed and microchipped (RSPCA ACT: where appropriate), which you would pay a vet for after buying a puppy.

The purchase price is the smaller number over a dog's life. Grooming every few weeks, dental care, food, insurance and vet visits add up, so run it through the dog cost calculator and read our guide to cheaper vet care before you commit.

What do Maltese Shih Tzu crosses in rescue look like?

It varies, and numbers change daily, so check the live listings. They may be listed as Maltese x Shih Tzu, Maltese cross or Shih Tzu cross, so search under both parent breeds:

• Maltese and Maltese crosses: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.
• Shih Tzus and Shih Tzu crosses: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.
• Small dogs of any breed: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

An adopted adult answers the questions a puppy cannot: its coat has grown in, its size is settled, and you can hear how it breathes at rest and after a walk. A good rescue will tell you how the dog is with children, other pets and time alone, and will usually have had it vet checked, desexed and microchipped. What you usually will not get is its parents' health history, so book a baseline vet check, including the teeth and knees, in the first weeks. Our guides to adopting a dog in Australia and adopting a senior dog walk through the process.

How do Maltese Shih Tzu scams work, and how do you check a seller?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, and fake profiles on social media and online marketplaces, for popular breeds and pets that do not exist, and that if a pet is very cheap it is likely a scam. It advises viewing the pet in person or on a video call with the breeder. A Dogs Victoria fact sheet says breeds and mixes in high demand feature commonly in scam ads, that ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders, and that scam sites often use puppy photos downloaded from other websites. Checks to make before you pay:

• “Hypoallergenic” or “non-shedding” promises. ASCIA says all dog breeds cause allergies, and the Shih Tzu parent has an undercoat.
• “Clear of all hereditary disease”. Dogs Victoria says a claim like this based on a DNA test alone should ring alarm bells. Ask for the specific results in the table above.
• Borrowed numbers. Dogs Victoria says to contact the organisation a seller claims membership of and check the number is valid and matches the breeder's name, location and breed.
• Copied photos. Dogs Victoria passes on the ACCC's advice to use a reverse image search to check whether the photos appear on other websites.

Because a Maltese Shih Tzu does not come with a Dogs Australia pedigree, the check that matters most is the one every breeder must pass: the state number. That is a breeder identification number in NSW, a Pet Exchange Register source number in Victoria, a supply number in Queensland or a DACO breeder number in South Australia. Look it up on the official register yourself and confirm it matches the seller and the microchip. Our puppies for sale guide sets out every state's scheme and what to do if you have already paid.

Is a Maltese Shih Tzu the right dog for you?

Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere: a grooming routine or budget for regular clips, a home where a small companion dog can live indoors close to its people, and the care a possibly flat-faced dog needs in an Australian summer. If you have very young children, an adult rescue dog whose temperament is already known may be the safer start. Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check, and compare with our guide to dogs for first-time owners.

Weighing other small dogs too? Other adopt-or-buy guides cover the Moodle, Cavoodle, Bichon Frise, Lhasa Apso and Havanese.

Find a Maltese Shih Tzu near you

Local guides to adopting each parent breed, with the rescues that serve each city:

• Sydney: adopting a Maltese and adopting a Shih Tzu
• Melbourne: adopting a Maltese and adopting a Shih Tzu
• Brisbane: adopting a Maltese and adopting a Shih Tzu
• Perth: adopting a Maltese and adopting a Shih Tzu
• Adelaide: adopting a Maltese and adopting a Shih Tzu