GROOMING

Grooming Maltese depends on whether you are preparing a dog for his or her Showing career " Show Coat "or solely maintaining your Pet in a clean and comfortable manor " Pet Trim " including keeping the hair on the head out of the dogs eyes, also known as Topknots (please follow previous link for a slide show ) A shorter coat is preferable and easier to manage for most maltese pet owners although some pet owners manage quite well in managing an almost full show coat .A lot depends on your own circumstances i.e. how much spare time you have to commit for daily brushing in order to keep the coat matt free and clean.

Bathing your maltese. Be careful not to get any shampoo in your dogs eyes or water in their ears when bathing . Make sure the water is warm but not too hot and make the experience fun for your dog .Make sure your dog is dried off thoroughly and if using a drier hold it far enough away so as not to burn them .

Grooming " on the road " is sometimes necessary especially when traveling between shows and staying in hotels where the facilities are not always available but still very useable. ( see pictures of our Road Trip USA and Crufts ).

As there are so many propriety brands of shampoo and conditioners available today we are not going to indorse any one brand so ask other maltese owners and show people what works best for them and try some different types until you find products you like and give you the required results.

Brushing.. The most routine but indispensable task required to keep the coat tangle free and healthy. Use a good quality " pin brush " and a fine metal comb , these are available from most dog grooming suppliers ( see pictures ) .A non show coat can be brushed daily to keep tidy but a show coat needs to be kept in wraps which is a skilled job and requires lots of practice ( see Topknots) and once again the type of wrap, the quantity of wraps and positioning are a personal preference.

e.mail khanthavmaltese@btinternet.com