When Do Maltese Start Barking? (And How to Stop Barking)

If you’re a loving Maltese owner who recently adopted a malt baby, you must be really excited about when your pup will bark her first. So you’re eagerly waiting for the moment your Maltese will start barking and capture it on camera.

When do Maltese start barking?

Maltese start barking at four or five weeks of age after their eyes and ears have opened. Their first attempt to bark is just making whines and grunts. Your Maltese start to find their voices at seven or eight weeks, but it can also be fifteen or sixteen weeks for some malts.

Usually, at the age of two months, Maltese start barking. At first, your pup will grunt or whine at you to see your reaction. Then gradually, they will start barking. But this barking stage varies from dog to dog.

Though most malts start barking at two months of age, some may not get their voices even when they are five months old. You have to be patient and play along with your malt, and soon she will get her voice.

Can you train a Maltese not to bark?

Maltese are a toy breed, and they tend to bark more than other dogs. But you can train your malt not to bark or lessen her excessive barking.

Nine simple steps to train a Maltese not to bark-

Step 1:

Start with reward giving play. Every time your malt listens to you and stops barking, give her a little reward or biscuit or whatever snack you’re giving to your pup.

Step 2:

Make your pup listen to your command ‘QUIET’. When she is creating a huge fuss, say ‘QUIET’ and wait for her to stop. Let her realize with your expression that you do not like her barking. And every time she listens to you, reward her.

Step 3:

Give your pup a minimum of attention when she’s asking for it. Your malt may want a lot of attention and love from you, but don’t overdo it.

Step 4:

Don’t leave your malt alone for too long. Malts have separation anxiety which makes them bark a lot. Instead, let her be alone for a short time first and come back and if she’s okay with your leave, then make your absence longer and reward her every time you come back.

Step 5:

Give them chew toys to play with when you’re not around. So they will not get bored in your absence and will stop barking out of boredom.

Step 6:

Don’t give your pup too much attention, or else she will keep barking at your shortest absence.

Step 7:

Train her with a whistle to listen to you. And whenever she listens to you and stop making tantrums, give her a treat.

Step 8:

Take her to walk and play every day in a routine to get accustomed to the outside environment and stop barking at everything.

Step 9:

Don’t give your malt attention or cuddle to calm her down when she keeps barking at someone or something for no reason. She will get encouragement to bark more from it. Rather ignore her.

Why does my Maltese bark at everything?

Your charming, adorable little malt can sometimes give you hard times by barking at anything and everything, putting you in an embarrassing situation in public.

Seven reasons why your Maltese barks at everything-

Too much excited:

It often happens with Maltese when they’re outside; they want to be friendly with some other dog or person they feel connected with. Because of this excitement, she can continuously bark at everything.

Senses threats:

Maltese feel threatened when some stranger or other dog enters their territory and starts barking aggressively to mark their area.

Feeling anxious:

Your Maltese can get very anxious when you’re taking him out for the first time. This anxiety leads them to non-stop barking.

Gets feared:

Maltese won’t stop barking if she gets feared by a new person or object or noise, and you would have to spend some time with her to calm your baby down.

Seeking attention:

Maltese love to get attention and pampered. So your malt can sometimes make big barks to make you love, feed her, give her a treat or even take her out for a walk.

Bored or lonely:

This is common for Maltese to keep barking when they’re bored. It can happen with your malt if you leave him alone for a long time. She can also get bored playing with the same toy every day.

Got hurt or sick:

Sometimes your little pooch may keep barking at everything out of pain or if she is sick and you can’t figure it out. So observe your malt carefully.

How to get a Maltese to stop barking?

Maltese are watchdogs by nature, so they have a pretty big bark. But no worries, you can get your Maltese to stop barking by following some tips and tricks.

Seven easy steps to get a Maltese to stop barking-

Listening to your command:

Make your malt listen and respect your command so that she listens and stops whenever you say ‘STOP’ or ‘QUIET’.

Giving her a treat:

You can get your Maltese to stop barking by giving her favourite treat or food. It will cool her off.

Spending quality time:

Maltese often bark a lot to have your attention and love. You have to figure out her attention-seeking bark and spend some quality time with your pup.

Safe and friendly environment:

Malts tend to cease night time barking if they’re not comfortable and don’t get the feeling of being secured. So make a separate place for your malt where she feels safe and secured.

Healthy routine and diet:

Make a healthy food habit for your malt and take her out for walks every day. Healthy malts don’t get irritated quickly at other dogs or birds, or children. So living a healthy life will stop your malt from unnecessary aggressive barking.

Keep them occupied with chew toys:

Buy chewing toys for your little malt. It will keep her occupied and immediately stop barking.

Using a whistle:

Dogs are very reflexive towards sounds or noises. So train her to stop barking whenever you blow the whistle.

Do all Maltese dogs bark a lot?

Yes. All Maltese dogs bark a lot. Maltese were originally bred as companion dogs. So they tend to feel lonely and depressed in your absence and express unhappiness with their obnoxious barking.

These adorable little dogs bark pretty big for a toy breed dog. You can get irritated or annoyed with their frequent barking if not appropriately trained.

But if you want a talkative environment with your dog or detect some unusual activity in your home, then a Maltese serves the purpose greatly.

Why does my Maltese bark at night?

Since Maltese are companion dogs and they constantly want your attention, they bark at night, so you go down to see them, and your presence will stop them from barking.

Your Maltese are intelligent dogs, so they will continue to have your substantial visits at night with their intemperate barking.

However, sometimes your little pooch may not feel secure or comfortable while sleeping at night, leading to uncontrollable barking. So make sure you get a playpen for your malt where she feels secured at night.

What does it mean when a dog growls and barks?

A dog growls and barks for multiple reasons. Many dog owners take growling as a sign of aggression or displeasure. Listen to her growl and bark every time she’s in different situations, and you’ll be able to figure out the meaning of her growling.

Four meanings of a dog’s growls and barks-

Communicate with you:

Dog often tries to communicate with you through her growling. Her growling sound will be different depending on her present scenario.

Growls and barks while playing:

Dog growls while playing in an attempt to express pleasure. But this growl will be much softer and delicate than her aggressive growls.

When in trouble:

A dog growls and barks obnoxiously when they sense trouble to let their owners know as a warning or a call for other dogs. She can growl with barking if a stranger comes to your house and she feels threatened.

Express their power:

Dog establishes his power with aggressive growling. This growl is quite extensive, loud and rougher than his playing growls. You can easily differentiate her fierce growl from playful growls.

What does it mean when your dog doesn’t bark anymore?

If your dog has stopped barking out of the blue, you should be concerned about her because there might be some health issues.

When your dog doesn’t bark anymore, it can mean the following issues-

Inflammation on the vocal cords:

This can happen as a result of over-barking. Overusing his vocal cords can lead to having laryngitis, and he feels discomfort while barking. Hence, he stops barking.

Laryngeal paralysis:

In laryngeal paralysis, the muscles become weak, and the cartilage that supports the muscle scrumbles in. As a result, the voice box is altered and becomes unable to function.

Tumor and cancer:

The tumor grows is your dog’s larynx or trachea which is called Chondrosarcoma. It gradually leads to malevolent cancer. It can disrupt your dog’s ability to breathe and eat.

Lost his hearing:

Your dog may suddenly stop barking entirely out of nowhere if he has lost his hearing. It may also change his vocalization.

A dog’s barking means a lot more things than you can imagine. Maltese communicate with you by barking now and then.

Spend time with your malt, and you’ll be able to figure out your malts’ needs and problems. Thus, you can make a healthy and happy home environment with your little pooch.