Grooming a Maltese

One of the toy breeds that are increasing in popularity every day is the Maltese. These adorable tiny dogs are lively and affectionate. They love attention and are fantastic apartment dogs, but grooming a Maltese can be scary for some owners.

As with most little dogs, they can be a bit yappy and wary of kids. Early socialization will help control this unwanted behavior. We’ve all seen the cute tiny carrying purses that people use to carry them around. Their silky white coats require lots of grooming to keep it looking nice and healthy. Whether you plan on doing the grooming yourself or use a professional groomer, this is a factor that really needs to be considered before making them a part of your family.

We searched for some good videos relating to grooming a Maltese and the only one that we found that offered excellent guidance was for a Maltese show dog. Well, the original videos that we put on this site are no longer available so we had to find some other ones. These videos are not for show dogs so we hope these videos provide you with some information that is useful.

 

Grooming a Maltese Coat

The Maltese do not have an undercoat, so any hair shedding is usually minimal if they’re brushed on a regular basis. You should start daily brushing and combing when they’re young so that they can get used to this type of grooming. This is a very important task that will need to be done on a very regular basis.

It isn’t uncommon for puppies to get a shorter puppy cut, but most of the adult dogs will have their full, long coat. Even though you may use a groomer on a regular basis, it is still necessary to brush and comb these dogs frequently. In order to perform grooming of a Maltese, you will need a pin brush, scissors, combs, nail trimmer, slicker brush and a bottle of conditioning spray. The conditioning spray helps to minimize tangling and breakage of the hair.

You will also need something like small hair ties, bands or barrettes to keep the hair out of your dog’s face. Tear staining is normal and there are numerous good products available to help correct this, but the best approach is keeping the hair away from the eyes. This simple task will help reduce the tear staining around the eyes.

It is best to brush the Maltese at least every day. Begin the brushing on the underside and work your way up using long smooth strokes to minimize any hair damage. If you discover a mat or tangle, gently work it out with your fingers and make use of a detangling spray to softly comb it out. Removing any hair mats is necessary before bathing. If the mat gets wet, it will be much harder to remove.

Bathing the Maltese

Generally, baths should be given about every seven to ten days, but more frequent bathing may be necessary if your dog goes outdoors. When bathing the Maltese, make sure you completely wet the coat before applying any shampoo. Use a pet shampoo since human shampoos contains a different PH level and can irritate your dog’s skin. There are whitening shampoos available in the marketplace, but don’t over use these. The whitening shampoos have a tendency to dry the coat when used over a period of time.

Rinse thoroughly until there is no evidence of shampoo suds in the rinse water. Then shampoo again. After the second shampoo, rinse thoroughly. You need to make sure that there is no shampoo residue on the skin or coat. A good rule of thumb is, if you think you’re through rinsing, go ahead and rinse one or two more times.

Right after the final rinse, use a towel to get the majority of moisture off the hair and then blow dry to remove any remaining moisture. After the dog is dry, trim the hair located between the pads and around the paws with scissors.

Nails and Ear Hair

Trim your dog’s nails with pet nail clippers which may be guillotine or scissor style. The Maltese breed has light colored nails so it’s easier to see the quick and cutting too much of the nail can be avoided. It doesn’t matter how many times that you’ve clipped nails, it is always possible to accidentally clip the quick. As a result, it is prudent to have some quick stop powder nearby.

The Maltese breed has excess hair inside the ears and plucking is necessary to reduce the potential for ear infections. Using ear powder helps makes plucking this excess hair easier. Apply some of the powder to the ear. When the ear area is dry, use either your fingers or hemostat to pluck the excess hair.

The Final Step

Now move on to the grooming of the Maltese’s clean coat. Part the hair down the middle of its back and let it fall on either side. Perfect! Add a top knot and some bands to keep the hair out of your pet’s eyes and your grooming is finished. If you want, add some accessories and your Maltese is ready to go out and paint the town!

These videos are for all Maltese owners that want to do their own dog grooming. We hope that you enjoy the videos that we found related to Maltese grooming although we know these videos don’t cover everything about Maltese grooming. If we were able to provide you with some helpful information, then we consider this post a success.

Grooming a Maltese is a lot of work, but owners of these tiny dogs say that it really is well worth the time. Not only are the Maltese a beautiful breed, they love to sit on your lap at the end of a long day and give you unconditional love. And that’s your reward!