The Different Styles of Haircuts for a Maltese Dog

Maltese dogs make friendly, loyal pets, but they have a lot of hair. A Maltese dog's hair can grow longer than the dog is tall, so some Maltese dog owners have a lot of fun coming up with different hairstyles. Some styles are long, frilly and flowing; others are short and utilitarian. Which style of haircut is best for a Maltese dog often depends on how much time their owners have to spend on it.

  1. Grooming Basics

    • Begin training your Maltese to be handled and groomed when it is a puppy. Turn the dog on its side and back and brush through its hair; as it grows older you will do this to gently removing any mats or snarls. Start your Maltese dog on a bath schedule so that it will get used to being bathed every 7 or 10 days. Make sure you have the right grooming tools on hand, especially as your Maltese dog's hair starts to grow to its full length. Which tools you will use most depends on which hair cut you choose for your Maltese dog.

    Easy Care Styles

    • A Maltese puppy's coat doesn't stay short for long.

      A Maltese puppy has short, silky hair all over its body. As the dog matures, this hair will grow and, left uncut, will reach lengths of up to 12 inches. Some Maltese dog owners prefer to keep their adult dog's hair puppy short to lessen the time spent on grooming. A few variations of this type of haircut is to keep the body coat short, and allow the hair on the dog's head to grow. This way, the dog can still wear ribbons and pony tails with minimal grooming.

    Moderate Care Styles

    • Maltese dog owners often try out different haircuts for their dogs. A popular moderate care cut for a Maltese is a poodle cut. In this, the body coat is cut very short, while the hair at the tail, bottom of the legs and head is allowed to grow longer. Another popular moderate care style haircut for a Maltese is to allow the dog's hair to grow a little longer than a puppy cut, square it off, and keep it brushed smooth and straight. This way your Maltese still has plenty of hair for you to play with, but gets fewer mats and snarls than dogs with long hair.

    High-Maintenance Styles

    • The things some dogs go through for beauty.

      Full-length hair on an adult Maltese dog is beautiful if it is well taken care of, but can be difficult to maintain. It is, however, the most fun to play with if you like brushing your dog, adorning it with barrettes or ribbons, or creating fancy styles. Top knots are popular styles with long-haired Maltese dogs, as it keeps the hair out of their eyes and looks cute