How to Groom a Maltese

It's no wonder the Maltese ranked among the top 20 most popular breeds in 2006 by the American Kennel Club. They are beautiful small dogs with stunning, silky coats. Their long, straight coats are a brilliant white, dramatically contrasted by a black nose, lips, eyes and black around their eyes. Although they don't have an undercoat, their single coat is dense and fairly difficult to groom.

Things You'll Need

  • Metal comb
  • Slicker brush
  • Pin brush without balled ends
  • Matt rake
  • Coat conditioner
  • # 7F blade
  • # 5F blade
  • Scissors
  • Tweezers
  • Dog shampoo with conditioner and whitener
  • Cotton pads
  • Tear stain remover
  • Mink oil spray
  • Hair bows
  • Nail clippers
  • blade
  • # 1 comb
  • # 4F blade
  • blade
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Instructions

    • 1

      Comb and brush your Maltese at least every other day with a metal comb, slicker brush and pin brush without balled ends. To brush thoroughly, lift up a top layer of his thick coat and work through the hair closest to his skin. Then brush and comb the outer layer.

    • 2

      Use a matt rake when you find tangles. Moisten her hair with water and/or a coat conditioner to help work out her matts. This breed matts extremely easily and has problems with hair breakage. If you can't free a matt, use a # 7F or # 5F blade to clip it out.

    • 3

      Check the hair around his anus daily for matted debris, which causes blockage. Clean if necessary and keep this hair trimmed with scissors to avoid frequent blockage.

    • 4

      Trim the hair on her feet and around her pads every two weeks with scissors. Also, use blunt tweezers to pluck out excess hair growing too far inside her ears.

    • 5

      Bathe your Maltese every two weeks with a conditioning and whitening shampoo. Get recommendations from your vet or breeder.

    • 6

      Dry by hand fluffing his hair, then use a metal comb to part hair down the center of his back.

    • 7

      Keep hair out of her face, as it causes tear stains and is bothersome. If you notice stains, clean her eyes daily using a cotton pad moistened with tear stain remover.