my baby is a shihtzu maltese cross, but the only thing maltese about her is the white colour, really she's shih tzu in every way.
i agree with the above:
they don't shed any more than humans do, which is great. but you'll need to groom them frequently - i do that myself at home:
- leave-in conditioner, an ordinary plastic brush (no ball tips, just slightly pointy rounded tips, slightly but not too flexible teeth). i sit her on my lap and comb her a little at a time fairly often. they may not like this, but in time can get used to it, if it's not too drawn-out and as pleasant as you can make it - they're stubborn dogs, but can learn what's-what.
- pet clippers to cut her body + chin hair short and even. the hair on the legs/tail/head i cut to a nice shape with scissors (teddy cut? puppy cut? i made up my own with trial and error, and i like: "fat" shaped legs, shaggy longish tail, "full" shaped wide "cheeks", teddy ears, short hair atop head and eyes). i need to do this every 3 weeks
- a shower attachment in bathtub, a squirt bottle with diluted doggy shampoo, and a good conditioner.
as mentioned, they do get eye problems, so careful not to get shampoo in them. i used to rinse very carefully all around it.. now that she's older and more patient i just let the water stream down her head, but of course she doesn't like it much.
anyway, the most important thing about these dogs is their temperament. they're stubborn and very intelligent (i can still see my baby actually thinking, every time she gets an order, "do i really want to do this? can i avoid obeying?")
so, very important - you need to establish a clear pack order in your household - where they're NOT top dogs! they'll thrive with a healthy hierarchy where they're lovingly kept in their place, given strong boundaries of acceptable behaviour, clearly shown to and kept in their place as not-boss, and not allowed to get spoilt or demanding - which leads to aggression.
oh, and when you pick your puppy, try not to pick the most "forward" one, cos they tend to dominance as it is. i recommend to pick the puppy that's affectionate and trusting, not terrified or snappy, but still hangs slightly back and isn't one of the first few ones leaping forward at you or elbowing his brothers aside. watch them when eating, too, to get an idea of their temperament.
they're very affectionate, and LOVE people, so they're useless as guard dogs; they'll jump all over and kiss any intruders and follow them around lovingly.
which also means that they hate being left alone all day.. when we had 2 it wasn't so bad cos they had each other, but a single dog left alone at night really hurts them. a little bit of daytime aloneness is fine, but i wouldn't recommend a full work day of aloneness.
but they're the sweetest dog, in the right hierarchy, and easily trained, very intelligent, and not high strung or yappy like smaller dogs (unless you let their behaviour degenerate to that). their temperament in the end will depend alot on your "parenting" =)
congrats on your forthcoming baby. mine is the darlingest child =)