How to Cut Maltese Dog Hair

The Maltese is a beautiful, long-haired dog. Proper, vigilant grooming is a must to keep its coat from turning into a tangled mess. Grooming may also be required before your dog can be showed in a competition, boarded in a kennel or bred to another dog. An extra advantage of clipping your Maltese's hair is that it'll help keep the dog cooler in extremely hot temperatures.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog brush or comb
  • Sharp scissors
  • Clippers
  • Number 5 and 10 blades for clippers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Brush or comb your Maltese so there are no mats or tangles in its coat. Pull the hair on top of its head back in a ponytail and cut the ponytail in line with where the neck meets the head, in between the ears. Part the hair on top of the head to the sides and trim away any that dangles in the dog's eyes.

    • 2

      Shave the sides of your Maltese dog's head, working from front to back, with the clippers and a blade. Don't forget to trim under the ears. Use the same blade to trim from the front of the neck all the way down the dog's belly and its backside, then trim down the inside of each leg.

    • 3

      Trim the back and sides of your dog's body with the clippers and a #4 or #5 blade. Don't shave the tail or the outside of its legs.

    • 4

      Even out your dog's trim, especially around the face and the outside of the legs, by clipping carefully with the scissors. Your goal is to help places that were shaved, like the body, blend into places that were not shaved. You should also use the scissors to tidy up any ragged appearance around unshaven body parts.