How to Groom a Maltese Dog That Has Hair Knots

The Maltese is a toy breed dog that does not shed and is hypoallergenic. The Maltese has long, flowing white hair that grows toward the ground. If your Maltese is very playful and has access to outdoor spaces, it can easily get knots in its hair, especially if it hasn't been combed in a while. To keep your Maltese knot-free, you need to comb it and cut the knots out if you can't untangle them with a comb. If you try to pull the knots out with a comb, you may hurt or even injure your Maltese if you accidentally pull out a lot of hair.

Things You'll Need

  • Towel
  • Fingernail scissors
  • Wide-toothed steel comb
  • Smoothing brush
  • Fine-toothed steel comb
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sit your Maltese on a soft towel or mat. Due to their size, Maltese dogs will not be comfortable on hard surfaces for extended periods of time.

    • 2

      Comb your Maltese's fur with a metal, wide-toothed comb. Search for any hair knots. Cut out any hair knots with fingernail scissors.

    • 3

      Groom your Maltese with a fine-toothed metal comb to get out any remaining snags or knots. If you find any more knots, continue to cut them out with the fingernail scissors. Combing them out may hurt your Maltese. Do not cut the fur too short, though, to avoid any discrepancies with the rest of the coat's length.

    • 4

      Complete your grooming with a smoothing brush. This will spread the natural oils from your Maltese through its fur. Snip the edges of the fur you cut to even them out with the fingernail scissors.