Maltese Grooming Information

GROOMING YOUR MALTESE
YOUR BEST IN SHOW STARTS AT HOME!!!!
by Nan Carter & Tricia Cutler.

        Once your decision is made to purchase a Maltese the next step is to decide whether you wish to have a pet or a show dog. There is one main consideration here and that is, if you decide to show your Maltese and then change your mind later he/she can then become a pet, however, the same is not true in reverse, a pet cannot become a show dog. There are numerous reasons for this, the main one being that show dogs MUST BE penned. I know this sounds cruel and mean but unfortunately there is no alternative if you want a long break free coat. The size of the pen is obviously dependant upon the space you have available but my recommendation is a minimum of one meter by one meter. Even though your show dog must be penned he/she also requires lots of attention and play time, however, play time should be supervised and alone. If two or more Maltese run together, without supervision , their playing will result in breakage of coat and matting.

    Keeping a Maltese in good show coat takes time EACH day. You should allow approximately one hour per day for grooming as a minimum.

Your first step is to make sure you have the basic equipment i.e..

    PIN BRUSH - 1 prefer # 1 All Systems or a Hindes 6060. The main thing to remember about a pin brush is that the pins are long and the rubber pad supple enough to allow the pins to move sideways, therefore not creating a drag on the coat whilst brushing.

    TAIL COMB - Once again use a good quality hairdressers tail comb as this will glide more easily through the coat due to the edges being smoother than the less expensive ones, and therefore reducing hair breakage..

    SMALL SCISSORS - Choose scissors designed to cut hair not paper - there is a marked difference with their performance and result.

    BORIC ACID POWDER - I recommend Sigma due to the fact that this brand is so -fine and free of coarse lumps or grains therefore not causing undue damage to the facial coat.

    SPRAY BOTTLE choice is yours. However, if you are inclined towards recycling consider re-using your pump packs from non-aerosol hair spray or deodorant.

    SLICKER BRUSH - The softer the better. 1 prefers 1 All Systems or Ever Gentle. Slicker brushes should only ever be used on legs and feet NEVER on body coat and also as a final resort not the first preference.

BASIC EVERYDAY GROOMING

    From the day you bring your potential Best In Show winner into your home you should set yourself a grooming schedule. Don't be daunted by this prospect - a little organization can help you achieve the best results. Start by training your puppy to lay on his/her back on your lap. Do this in front of your favorite television show and simply rub your puppy's belly to soothe him/her. Once the pup is subdued and relaxed take you pin brush and brush the coat on each leg in the opposite direction to the way it falls i.e. from shoulder to paw. Whilst brushing, mist the coat with conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle. It is best to use the conditioner that you used when you bathed the coat. After you have completely brushed each leg and the belly region try to turn the dog on its' side and brush the hair, once again. in the opposite direction to which is falls when the dog is standing. If at any stage you come across a snag, knot or matt, stop brushing and GENTLY separate the hair with your fingers. Once you have brushed all hair on the underneath of the dog now stand the dog and brush hair downwards in the direction that the hair grows. When your dog is used to this procedure you can then transfer this to the grooming table.

    Train your puppy early to lay on the table with his/her head down. You may find it easier to use a small pillow or rolled up hand towel to rest the dog's head on. During this time you clean the face by first removing any mucous discharge or foreign matter from the corner of the eye then dip your tail comb in the Boric Acid Powder and comb the hair gently, from corner of eye to end. If you follow this procedure and clean you dog's face every day you should not experience tear staining. If your puppy arrived with a little staining, which is not unusual, the above method should fade the stain within approximately four week' s.

    Do not forget your puppy's rear end. The most prevalent loss of coat is from under the tail and most of this is caused by people removing feces in the incorrect manner. If you notice that one of your dog's motions has become caught in the coat DO NOT brush or comb this out, simply rinse with warn water and a small amount of shampoo, if necessary, then either pad dry, with a towel or use the blow dryer.

    The teeth of Maltese are another very important consideration. You should check for tartar regularly on your dogs teeth.

    You can scale the teeth yourself at home or take the dog to the veterinarian for him to do the same. If you intend to scale your dogs teeth yourself you should commence this procedure at a very early stage so that the dog does not fear it as being something new. As a lead up to scaling open your dog's mouth and rub your fingers along the teeth and gums. This is another thing you can do whilst the dog is lying on your lap in front of television. If your dog shows fear of this use a reward such as chicken or liver when they are good so that they associate teeth cleaning with something pleasurable such as eating their favorite snack.

BATHING

    You should bath your show Maltese at least once per week. You should bath your dog in a tub or bath using a shower hose e.g.... Ansell portable shower hose which can be attached to most faucets. A small hydro-bath is also very effective and reduces water consumption. However, the purchase of a hydro-bath is an expensive one and should only be considered when you have decided to definitely continue with the sport of dog showing.

    When choosing a shampoo and conditioner, consider what type of coat your dog has. If the coat is dry either on the ends or throughout you may wish to consider a treatment for dry hair. Also use a heavy conditioner and leave some in the coat after bathing. However, if your coat is in excellent condition and even tends to be a little oily you will have to be diligent with your shampooing and leave virtually no conditioner in the coat. Try a few different combinations until you find the one that works for that particular dog. These trials should bath but in obviously not be done as a show between showing.

    Wet coat thoroughly with warm water and apply a good quality shampoo ( I use Laser Lites Lanolin Shampoo) to coat and work through from body to tip, D0 NOT rub shampoo into the coat as this will cause mats. Take particular care around face to make sure the hair is free of all mucous and boric acid powder. The ear leathers of your Maltese will tend to be the oiliest part and may need extra shampoo to make sure they are clean. Rinse thoroughly and repeat. When the coat is squeaky clean apply conditioner using the same work through motion (I use Laser Lites Balsam Conditioner) and leave dog to stand for a couple of moments.

    Use this time to empty your dog's anal glands as Maltese are a dog that does not naturally clear their own anal glands.

    To clear anal glands gently squeeze the area beneath the anus. You should notice a brown liquid escape from this area. If you find this unsuccessful consult your breeder or veterinarian to show you the best method. Rinse dog with warm water leaving a small amount of conditioner in the coat. Blow dry your dog using the same method as mentioned above in grooming

FINISHING TOUCHES

    After each bath you should cut your dog's toe nails, this will ensure they do not get excessively long and therefore become a problem. Do not forget dew claws if they have not been removed. You should also trim the hair between the pads underneath the feet, and tidy the hair around the feet with a light trim. For cosmetic effect you may trim the eyelashes as well as the hair around the front of the mouth (if stained) with scissors.

    For home purposes place the center hair of the topknot into a wrap using such products as waxed paper, plastic wrap paper or acid free tissue. Remember this old saying 'wrap the paper around the hair not the hair around the paper’. In other words keep the hair perfectly still whilst wrapping to avoid twists and ultimately knots. The reason for topknots is to keep hair from irritating eyes and allowing maximum growth for show topknots to be applied. This wrap should be redone every day during the course of normal grooming to prevent knotting and loss of hair.

    For show purposes you will need to part hair in center of forehead, back towards the ear and down to the corner of the eye. Hold the bunch of hair firmly towards top of head, at center of eye, and wrap with a perm paper. Then fold the paper in half and apply rubber band and bow. Repeat this process for the other side making sure that both appear equal and balanced. The singularly most thing about show topknots is that they are even and balanced as the Maltese head must be balanced. The best way to perfect topknots is to practice, practice and practice.

    If you are like me you get great satisfaction from seeing your dog clean, well groomed and happy taking his/her blue on a regular basis. The pride and sense of achievement you feel when your pride and joy is awarded the blue ribbon will make all the frustration of the previous week’s grooming melts into insignificance.