The Maltese breed has existed for at least 29 centuries. Dating back so far has caused a bit of debate as to the exact origin of this dog.

If you look far back, long ago descendants are thought to be Spitz-type dogs, possibly from Sweden. Another possible ancestor is the Tibetan Terrier from ancient Asia. Both theorized ancestors are much larger dogs. So, like most of the toy breeds that you see today, centuries of development bred the dog down in size, and no doubt refined the coat color to white.

No matter his ancient descendants, evidence shows that the Maltese breed most definitely became abundant on the Island of Malta. This is a small, beautiful isle off the southern coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea.
As you have probably guessed the name ‘Maltese’ was derived from Malta.

Former names for the Maltese include Romans Ladies Dog & Maltese Lion Dog. In addition , Malta used to be called Melita and the Maltese carried this name for awhile