Maltipoo

Choose a food that follows Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines, which is what tells you your Maltipoo is getting the nutrients it needs rather than an approximation of them.

Feed a puppy on a regular schedule, four times a day while it is very young to keep its blood sugar from dropping into hypoglycaemia, scaling back to three small meals as it grows and two as an adult.

Measure every meal. This is a small breed that becomes obese easily, and eyeballing portions on a dog that might weigh eight pounds is how it happens. The label gives an amount and your vet gives a better one.

Most Maltipoos get everything they need from their food. Joint supplements benefit some, given the luxating patella and the Legg-Calve-Perthes disease this cross carries, but that is a recommendation to get from your vet rather than a default addition.

Maltipoos are a high-maintenance breed for grooming despite the low shedding, and a professional appointment every four to six weeks is the schedule a master groomer recommends. Regular bathing and brushing at home are the two tasks that matter most in between.

Every Maltipoo coat is different. Some are curly like the Poodle parent and some straight and silky like the Maltese, so the exact routine follows your dog rather than the breed name. What is constant is that the coat mats if it is left.

Teeth are the non-negotiable part. One veterinarian's advice on the breed is blunt: every tooth, every surface, every day, with dog-specific toothpaste, starting in puppyhood so the dog grows up accepting it. A Maltipoo should never have bad breath, and if it does, that smell is bacteria.

Get the puppy used to being handled early, because a lifetime of daily tooth brushing and six-weekly grooming only works on a dog that tolerates both.

Maltipoos are playful and intelligent without the always-on-the-go temperament of some breeds. A daily walk plus some play in the yard usually works off the energy they have stored up.

Fetch, chase and tug-of-war are the games this cross reliably enjoys, and all three work indoors on a bad day, which is part of why the breed suits smaller homes.

The exercise is also the anti-barking measure. A Maltipoo with an outlet is less inclined to announce every passer-by, and a Maltipoo with nothing to do will find the window.

Keep an eye on the joints while you play. Sudden limping, a skip in the gait or a bunny-hopping stride is worth reporting rather than watching, because both of the orthopaedic conditions this cross carries present that way.

Training a Maltipoo is relatively easy. The breed is intelligent and eager to make you happy, and positive reinforcement is all that is called for.

Mind the treat count. Calories add up fast on a dog this size, so use praise and toys as rewards alongside food rather than paying for every repetition in treats.

Socialise early and thoroughly. The gentleness this breed is known for around children, older people and other pets comes with the condition that the dog was properly socialised, and the small size cuts both ways: a young child can injure a Maltipoo without meaning to, so supervise closely.

Crate train from the start. This is a sensitive dog that thrives on routine and a controlled environment, and a crate it feels safe in is the practical answer for the times it has to be left. Separation anxiety is the behaviour problem to prevent rather than to treat.