Cuddle Bears are low allergen,
lap loving little Maltese type dogs
who come in all colors
and sizes ranging from
 three to nine pounds
Cuddle Bear Standard
Official Breed Standard for the Cuddle Bear Dog

General Appearance
The Cuddle Bear is a smart, happy dog of small size, longish body, covered by a very long  coat, very elegant with a proud and
distinguished head carriage. 

Characteristics
Lively, intelligent, alert, very trainable and sensitive to the emotions of his owner.

Temperament
Sweet-tempered. Lively, affectionate, kind, empathetic, very calm and very intelligent. 

Head and Skull
The skull is gently rounded viewed from the front and sides but never domed or appleheaded. Stop well defined. Muzzle broad, not snipey. 
Slightly shorter from nose to stop than from stop to occiput.. *Baby doll face* with width from center of left eye to right eye matching muzzle 
length from stop to nose considered ideal. Nose black.

Eyes
Oval, not bulging, dark brown to black with black eye rims.

Ears
Long, well feathered, hanging close to the head . Hair mingling with the coat at shoulders.

Mouth
Jaws are strong, with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. 
Even bite is permisable

Neck
Length of neck is about half of the height at the withers.

Forequarters
On the whole legs are close to the body, standing straight and parallel.  The shoulder length represents 1/3 of the height of the withers, with
top of shoulders wide apart and well laid back.Upper arm is longer than the shoulder blade and of good angulation. Forearm is lean 
with few visible muscles, but with a rather sturdy bone structure in relation to the size of the breed.

Hindquarters
Legs short to medium with good angulation. Sturdy bone structure. Parallel legs seen from behind,
vertical from the point of the buttock to the ground. The distance from the ground to the point of the hock is
slightly more than 1/3 of the height at the withers.Rear pasterns fairly low set and perfectly upright.

Body
Well balanced, The length from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock is 1/3 more than the height at the withers.
Top line is level to the tail-set. Withers set slightly above the topline. Length of the back is slightly more than half the height at the withers.
The croup is very broad and long with the obliqueness is 10° below the horizontal. Chest  is ample, deep, well developed, let down below
 the elbows with ribs not overly sprung. The sternal region is very long. 

Feet
Small and round, toes closed and arched; pads should be black. Nails preferably black.

Tail
 Set on level with the croup, thick at the root and fine at the tip. Forms a single big curve, the tip of which falls between the
haunches touching the croup. A tail curved to one side of the body is permissible.

Gait / Movement
Straight and free-flowing, without weaving. Viewed from behind, legs should neither be too close nor too wide apart.
Viewed from the side, should show good reach and drive.

Coat
Reasonable length, never impeding action, straight, of silky texture, never woolly. Never crimped and without woolly undercoat.

Color
All colors are permissible.

Size
Height  up to ten inches at the withers with seven to nine being ideal. Weight three to nine pounds with four to five being ideal.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault . The seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be
 in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

*Note for prospective puppy buyers
 The Cuddle Bear Breed Standard is a guide and description of the ideal representative of the breed. No dog is perfect, but the breeder always
 strives to produce individuals which conform as closely as possible to the ideal in every detail. 

The Cuddle Bear is a breed developed by Terry Thistlethwaite and presented by Chekia.com
Any dog or puppy advertised as a Cuddle Bear by anyone not affiliated with the breed founder or this website is fraudulent.   
Teddy Maltese - the original Cuddle Bear