Grooming a Maltese

Daisy (thanks to the great members of this forum) will be my first long hair pooch. Any tips on what I should buy in the way of grooming tools. Any grooming tips would also be very appreciated

Daisy's a lovely name!  

I think Eleanor will be the one to answer this as she's done a bit of work on the grooming side! She'll be on later, she's just got a few things to sort out this morning.

When do you get her?

There has been a few mix ups with papers so not sure at the moment but the lady for the shelter said it will be 7 days that the most

Exciting times!

If I remember rightly, I think as pups they need combing gently to separate the hairs & prevent matting, and then as they get older change to a brush. Some people like to clip them so that the coat doesn't drag on the floor, though.

You've chosen one of the more high maintenance dogs when it comes to grooming, I'm afraid!

Maltese have very long fur (sometimes down to the floor!), very prone to matting and tangling. For this reason, some people like to keep their coats clipped into a 'puppy cut', which is the length of fur they would have had as pups.

Luckily, they have single coats rather than double, so grooming shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as it's done regularly - at least once per day if you choose to keep her fur long.

As was mentioned earlier, it's better to use a comb on these types of fur when they're puppies. Once the coat grows out to about three/four inches, you can start to use a brush. So that part will depend on how long her fur is when you get her.

Spraying the coat with dog conditioner before and during grooming can help to prevent breaking the hair shafts, as well as keeping the coat smooth and manageable!

They also have longish fur between their toes, so unfortunately it's your job to pinch your nose from the smell and ensure that the fur doesn't get matted

Ears are also quite important for Maltese, as debris can sometimes get caught up in there. I'd also like to mention something a little less pleasant - anal glands. They do sometimes get blocked in Maltese and similar breeds, so it might be a good idea to check every couple of weeks!

If her fur ever gets any mats (which, let's face it, is probably going to happen at some point!), it can be easier to tease through it with your fingers first to avoid breaking the hairs and pulling at the skin, before you move onto a brush.

With grooming equipment, a lot of it comes down to trial and error to see which one works best for you and your dog.

All this grooming work makes me laugh . Spending time at the all breed shows ( at one tomorrow ) and watching all these people go to so much effort with the dogs make up before going into the ring , the stafford owners tend to just open the crate door slap the collar on and get on with it lol though I do give Tommy a quick rub over with a wet wipe

Dave wrote:All this grooming work makes me laugh . Spending time at the all breed shows ( at one tomorrow ) and watching all these people go to so much effort with the dogs make up before going into the ring , the stafford owners tend to just open the crate door slap the collar on and get on with it lol though I do give Tommy a quick rub over with a wet wipe

Yes, it's a lot easier! But the Maltese is a cutie!  

all dogs are cuties in my eyes Caryll , love the Stafford shows and get the ears cleaned but the canine society shows are great too , Lichfield Canine Society tomorrow seems like they took the A-Z of Breeds book and made a class for each one of them

I used to love wandering around all the different breed rings to see what was there!

Sorry, Mummy&Abby - hijacking your thread there!