Most adult Maltichons land somewhere around 6 to 14 pounds. Treat that as a bracket, not a specification. The Maltese standard caps weight under 7 pounds, the Bichon Frise standard gives no weight anywhere in it, and no standard exists for the cross itself.
What the two parent standards actually say
A Maltichon is a Maltese crossed with a Bichon Frise. Nothing is written for the cross, so the parent standards are the only authoritative documents — and one of them is missing the number you came here for.
| Parent | Height | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maltese | No height figure — we have not sourced one, so we publish none | "Under 7 pounds, with from 4 to 6 pounds preferred" | Official breed standard for the Maltese |
| Bichon Frise | 9½ to 11½ inches given primary preference; never over 12 nor under 9 inches | No weight given anywhere in the standard | Official breed standard for the Bichon Frise |
| Bichon Frise (non-standard source) | — | 10 to 16 pounds | VCA Bichon Frise page |
| Bichon Frise (non-standard source) | "Just under 1 foot tall" | 12 to 18 pounds | PetMD Bichon Frise page |
The bottom two rows are not breed-club figures and we will not present them as if they were. The Bichon Frise standard is a height document from beginning to end, so any Bichon weight you see quoted, here included, came from a veterinary or editorial source. We quote PetMD’s "just under 1 foot tall" as written rather than converting it.
Where the 6 to 14 pound bracket comes from
Only one parent has a weight clause, and it is a low one: under 7 pounds, 4 to 6 preferred. On the other side the closest things to figures are VCA’s 10 to 16 pounds and PetMD’s 12 to 18.
Line those up and the span runs from the Maltese floor into the Bichon’s teens. We publish roughly 6 to 14. The bottom sits near 6 rather than 4 because a Bichon parent rarely gives a dog at the lightest end of the Maltese preference. The top sits near 14 rather than 18 because the Maltese side pulls against the heaviest Bichon figures. Both are judgement calls, not measurements.
Why there is no height range on this page
You will notice a weight bracket and no height bracket. That is deliberate. The Bichon standard gives a clean height band, but we have no sourced height figure for the Maltese, and a range built from one parent while the other is blank is half a guess. If height matters for your car or your crate, measure the dog.
No registry recognises a Maltichon
Maltichon is a marketplace name, like Shichon or Morkie. No registry recognises the cross and no breed club publishes an ideal weight for it. That is not a knock on the dogs; it is what a crossbreed is. It also explains why published weights disagree: everybody assembles a range from the same two parents, one of which has no weight in its own standard.
It also explains what is missing here. There is no weight-by-age table on this page, because nothing credible publishes age-by-age weights for a Maltichon. Any such chart is somebody’s arithmetic in the costume of data.
The coat behaves like neither parent
This is the part worth reading twice. The Maltese standard describes a single coat with no undercoat, the rarest coat arrangement among the small breeds we see. The Bichon standard describes a soft undercoat beneath a coarser curling outer coat that springs back when patted and is scissored to the dog’s natural outline.
Cross those and the result behaves like neither parent, litter to litter. Some Maltichons carry a soft coat that mats quickly, some a springy coat that needs scissoring, plenty sit between. Nobody can read that off a puppy photograph. Plan for a standing grooming appointment and daily brushing whichever way it lands. These coats are fairly low-shedding, which is a grooming fact and nothing more — our low-shedding puppies page explains what that does and does not mean.
Coat also plays tricks on the scale. A Maltichon in full coat reads as a bigger dog than it is, and the same dog after a Georgia summer trim looks like it lost pounds it never had. Our teddy bear puppies page covers the crosses behind that look.
When to ask your veterinarian
Nobody can predict an individual puppy’s adult weight from a photograph or a birth weight, and we will not try. What is generally true is that small breeds finish growing earlier than large ones. Beyond that, your veterinarian is the person to follow a puppy’s growth.
Two practical points meanwhile. Judge condition by feeling for the ribs and looking for a waist, not by the scale alone. And because tracheal collapse is associated with toy breeds, the usual advice is a harness rather than a neck collar. For more on the Maltese side, see Shih Tzu vs Maltese; for what is in the showroom, available puppies by breed.
Common questions
How much does a full-grown Maltichon weigh?
Roughly 6 to 14 pounds, as a bracket built from the Maltese standard’s under-7-pounds clause and non-standard Bichon figures: VCA’s 10 to 16 pounds and PetMD’s 12 to 18. The Bichon standard itself has no weight in it.
How tall does a Maltichon get?
We do not publish a height figure for this cross. The Bichon standard gives 9½ to 11½ inches primary preference, but we have no sourced Maltese height, so a combined range would rest on one parent.
Why do Maltichon weights differ so much between websites?
Because there is nothing to copy. One parent standard caps weight, the other never mentions it, and no standard covers the cross, so every range is assembled by hand.
Will my Maltichon have a curly coat or a straight one?
Either, or something between, and littermates often differ. A single no-undercoat Maltese coat crossed with a curling double Bichon coat is not a formula, so budget for grooming rather than for a texture.
Come and meet a Maltichon
Every puppy here is health-checked by our on-staff veterinarian, raised in our family home nursery, and waiting to say hello.
1848 Old Norcross Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Mon–Sat 12:00–7:00 PM • Sun 2:00–6:00 PM
