Maltese Terrier Grooming

Maltese Terrier‘s are adorable white dogs with just enough body to have soft coats, but not so much that they look overdone. However, they do require a great deal of delicate care in order to maintain their soft white appearance. As long as you keep up with your grooming needs for your dog, you can be assured of having a cute Maltese Terrier for life.

Maltese Terrier Grooming

When you are grooming your Maltese Terrier, use a detangling spray to help work through any knots with your slicker brush. This should be done every couple of days as the Maltese’s fine coat tangles and mats very easily. Comb in layers, starting with the one closest to the dog’s skin and working your way out. You can give your dog a bath every few weeks and this has to be done gently as well with sensitive shampoo and careful motions. Never scrub your dog as this will damage the coat – the shampoo will remove the dirt and discolorations from your dog’s hair without any help from you. Remember to brush your dog before giving it a bath because a Maltese Terrier’s fur tangles easily when wet.

Maltese Terrier´s Nails are Softer When Wet

After giving your dog a bath, you can clip its nails – a Maltese Terrier’s nails are softer when wet and so are easier to cut. And always remember to brush your dog’s teeth about once a week to remove plaque before it can become tartar and then turn into something worse. Maltese Terriers do not need much in the way of clipping, though you will want to keep track of any scraggly hairs. Maltese Terriers also benefit from having tear stain remover applied near their eyes as their white coats show stains very easily. You should also pluck the hairs in the ears and around the bum to prevent possible infections.

Scrubbing and Rubbing your Maltese

Maltese Terriers have a coat which is easy to break and so when you are grooming your Maltese Terrier, you have to be careful about damaging it. This means grooming with softer brushes and after a bath, giving your dog another brushing while the coat is still damp so that there are no breakages. You also have to be careful about drying your dog because hard scrubbing and rubbing can break the coat’s hairs. Some soft coated Maltese Terriers benefit more from a puppy style cut to protect their coat. Finally, most owners leave a topknot of longer hair on the top of their dog’s head in order to utilize a dog bow to finish off the appearance of their animal.

Start as Early as Possible

Grooming a Maltese Terrier does take some practice because their coats are finicky. You have to be very patient and gentle and then double that patience and gentleness, because some dogs simply do not respond well to being groomed. This means that you may have to ease your dog into the routine of being groomed starting as early as possible. However, if you can get your dog to enjoy it, it can be a fun way to spend time with your Maltese Terrier and the end result will be an adorable white dog, often with a bow in their top knot.

Maltese Terrier Resources

Maltese Terrier Grooming Supplies

Maltese Terrier on Wikipedia

Maltese Terrier Videos