The bite set of a Maltese is a scissor bite. This means that the incisor teeth in the upper jaw are in contact with but slightly overlap those in the bottom jaw.
Eyes, Nose, Halos, Skin Pigmentation
Maltese dogs have dark eyes. They will look black on many, and a very dark brown on others. This breed does not carry the genes for light brown, blue, or green eyes.
Maltese should have black skin pigmentation on the points.
This mean that the eye rims, nose, lips, and paw pads should be black. This said, not all Maltese have black eye rims. If they do have solid black rims on both eyes, this is
referred to as the halos
and is a very desired physical trait.
Nose color changes
- It is not the uncommon for a Maltese to have a black nose, but then it begins to fade and turn either brown or pink. This can be due to one of a couple of factors.
1)
Lack of natural sunlight. If a Maltese stays inside too much and lacks sunshine on his nose, it can lose its black color. Heading out at least twice per day for exercise can help to bring the color back.
2)
Exposure to dry and/or cold air. Opposite to point #1, if the nose is subjected to harsh cold winds and other outdoor elements, or if the air is very dry (inside or out), the nose can become very dry. It may then peel, exposing a lighter pink that is under the black top layer. For this, you will want to use a quality nose balm to restore the sensitive nose leather.
3)
Contact allergies. With this, the most common culprit is plastic food and/or water dishes. A contact reaction (or allergy) can cause a gradual fading. For this, you will want to switch to stainless steel dishes for both food and water.