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Malshi breeders

The Malshi is a crossbreed produced by mating a Maltese with a Shih Tzu.

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Advertise your Malshi puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Malshis? caninebreeder.co.uk is an independent UK breeder directory where you can list your kennel, advertise Malshi puppies for sale and promote your Malshi stud dog, or the Maltese or Shih Tzu stud you use for Malshi litters. Your listing gives you space to show the health results buyers ask about, such as parents' eye examinations and RFG breathing grades, together with your council licence number and news of upcoming litters, so interested buyers can contact you directly.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

  • Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
  • Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
  • Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
  • Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
  • Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Malshi

The Malshi is a crossbreed produced by mating a Maltese with a Shih Tzu. You may also see it advertised as a Mal-Shi, Malt-Tzu, Maltzu or Malti-Zu. It is not a breed recognised by The Royal Kennel Club (RKC), so there is no breed standard and no Breed Watch listing for it. The RKC describes a crossbreed as a dog whose parents are of two different breeds, and notes that puppies can combine their parents' traits in many different ways. The two parent breeds are therefore the best guide to what a Malshi may be like.

Maltese. The RKC links the Maltese to the small white companion dogs kept around the Mediterranean for centuries, and mentions an 1833 portrait in Malta's Royal Library showing a dog much like today's breed. The Maltese sits in the Toy group. Its standard asks for a height of no more than 25 cm, a straight, silky white coat with no woolly undercoat, and a sweet-tempered, lively and alert character.

Shih Tzu. The RKC traces the Shih Tzu to China, with Tibetan ancestry. It was first shown in England in 1933 and officially recognised in the 1940s, and it sits in the Utility group. The standard describes a sturdy dog no taller than 27 cm, weighing 4.5 to 8 kg (ideally 4.5 to 7.5 kg), with a long, dense outer coat, a short, square muzzle and a friendly, independent temperament.

Size, coat and grooming. A Malshi will be small, but its exact size, coat texture and face shape cannot be predicted. The RKC lists both parent breeds as long-coated, non-shedding and needing grooming every day, so plan for daily brushing and regular trims.

Exercise and lifestyle. The RKC suggests up to 30 minutes of exercise a day for the Maltese and up to an hour for the Shih Tzu, and lists both as suitable for a flat in town or country. It gives lifespans of over 12 years for the Maltese and over 10 years for the Shih Tzu.

Suitability. A Malshi may suit someone who wants a small companion and has time for daily coat care. The Shih Tzu is one of the flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds covered by the RKC's breathing assessment scheme, so buyers should also understand the breathing, eye, skin and dental issues the RKC associates with that head shape.

Malshi health tests

The Malshi has no RKC health tests of its own because it is not a recognised breed. Health advice therefore rests on the tests the RKC lists for each parent, and a responsible breeder has the relevant tests done on each parent before mating.

For the Maltese, the RKC lists an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme as a Best Practice test. For the Shih Tzu, the same eye examination is a Good Practice test, the minimum the RKC strongly recommends before breeding. In August 2026 the RKC also recognised breathing assessment for the Shih Tzu under the Respiratory Function Grading (RFG) scheme, which it runs with the University of Cambridge to grade dogs for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). The test is listed as Best Practice and is due to be added formally to the Shih Tzu health standard in January 2027.

The BVA Eye Scheme is open to crossbreeds as well as pedigree dogs, and the RKC advises that breeding dogs are examined within the 12 months before mating. RFG grades run from 0 to 3; dogs can be assessed from 12 months old and should be regraded every two years while they are used for breeding.

  • BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme (clinical eye examination): both parents; Best Practice for the Maltese, Good Practice for the Shih Tzu
  • RKC/University of Cambridge Respiratory Function Grading scheme (BOAS): Shih Tzu parent; Best Practice, recognised August 2026
  • Breed Watch: Maltese Category 1 and Shih Tzu Category 1 (no breed-specific points of concern listed); the Malshi itself has no Breed Watch category

Choosing a Malshi breeder

A good Malshi breeder can show you eye examination certificates for both parents and, for the Shih Tzu parent, a Respiratory Function Grading result, and can explain what each one means. The RKC advises crossbreed buyers to see the mother with her puppies and to ask about the father and the breed-related health tests both parents have had. Because one parent breed is flat-faced, watch and listen to the adult dogs: the RKC suggests avoiding puppies from parents that breathe loudly, snore while awake, snort or wheeze, and checking that their nostrils are open rather than pinched.

In England, anyone running a business that breeds and advertises dogs, or breeding three or more litters in 12 months and selling puppies, needs a licence from the local council and must show the licence number in adverts. Puppies must be microchipped and registered by eight weeks old, and licensed breeders may not sell a puppy younger than that. Under Lucy's Law, a puppy under six months old in England must be bought directly from its breeder or adopted from a rescue centre, not from a third-party seller.

  • Can I see the puppies with their mother, and what can you tell me about the father?
  • May I see both parents' eye examination certificates and the Shih Tzu parent's RFG grade?
  • Has either parent had breathing, eye, skin or dental problems?
  • Are you licensed by your local council, and what is your licence number?
  • What paperwork comes with the puppy, including microchip, vaccination and worming records?

Malshi questions

Is the Malshi a Royal Kennel Club recognised breed?

No. The Malshi is a crossbreed of the Maltese and the Shih Tzu, so it has no RKC breed standard or Breed Watch category and cannot be placed on the RKC Breed Register. Crossbreeds can join the RKC Activity Register, which opens up activities such as agility, obedience, rally and working trials.

What health tests should a Malshi puppy's parents have?

Both parents should have an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, which the RKC lists for both the Maltese and the Shih Tzu. The Shih Tzu parent should also have a Respiratory Function Grading result for BOAS, a test the RKC recognised for the breed in August 2026 and plans to add formally to its health standard in January 2027.

How big does a Malshi get?

There is no standard for the Malshi. The RKC breed standards give a maximum height of 25 cm for the Maltese and 27 cm for the Shih Tzu, with the Shih Tzu weighing 4.5 to 8 kg. The RKC also points out that individual dogs can be larger or smaller than the standard, so a Malshi's adult size cannot be guaranteed, though both parents are small breeds.

Does a Malshi shed or need much grooming?

The RKC lists both the Maltese and the Shih Tzu as long-coated breeds that do not shed and need grooming every day, so expect daily brushing. A crossbreed's coat can vary, though. If anyone in your home has a dog allergy, spend time with the parent dogs and take medical advice before committing.

More for Malshi owners and breeders

Official sources