Havanese vs Maltese: Which Suits Your Home?

These are two of the smallest breeds compared on this site, and the gap between them is modest: the Havanese runs 7 to 13 lbs and 8 to 11 inches, the Maltese 3 to 7 lbs and 7 to 9 inches. A large Maltese and a small Havanese could weigh nearly the same, though on average the Havanese carries a bit more bulk.

Exercise need and energy level both come out tied -- low (2/5) exercise, moderate (3/5) energy -- for both breeds. Neither needs much beyond short walks and indoor play, and both do well without a yard, which is part of why they show up so often as toy-breed apartment picks.

Grooming need ties at high (4/5) for both -- long, silky coats that mat without regular brushing. Shedding is the one real point of separation: low (2/5) for the Havanese against very low (1/5) for the Maltese, a small gap that likely won't change your vacuuming routine either way.

Both breeds tie at very high (5/5) for apartment suitability and moderate (3/5) for barking, making this one of the most evenly matched sections between any two breeds on this site. Alone tolerance is the one difference -- very low (1/5) for the Havanese against low (2/5) for the Maltese -- though neither is a breed you should leave alone for long stretches regularly.

Trainability ties at high (4/5) for both breeds, so neither has a clear edge in how readily it picks up commands. First-time-owner suitability tips slightly toward the Havanese, very high (5/5) against the Maltese's high (4/5), though it's a narrow gap and both are genuinely reasonable choices for someone new to dog ownership.

The Havanese edges ahead with kids, high (4/5) against the Maltese's moderate (3/5), and with other dogs, very high (5/5) against high (4/5). Strangers tie at high (4/5) for both. Neither gap is large, but if a household with young kids or multiple pets needs a tiebreaker, the numbers lean Havanese.

The Havanese's 13 to 16 year lifespan edges out the Maltese's 12 to 15 by about a year at each end. Health overlap between these two is the highest of any pairing in this batch -- patellar luxation, ear infections, liver shunts, eye problems and allergies all appear on both lists, five shared conditions out of ten each, which tracks with how closely related these two toy breeds are in build.

The Maltese runs $100-180 monthly and $1,400-2,300 in year one, cost level moderate (3/5), against the Havanese's $80-160 monthly and $1,200-2,300, cost level high (4/5). Interesting wrinkle -- the Havanese's monthly figure is actually lower even though its overall cost-level rating is higher; the two aren't perfectly aligned in this pairing.