[mickey]

i just got a maltese puppy he is 4months old and i was wondering what to use on his long coat to keep it straight instead of him looking like a rag.. thats what we named him.. Rags.. please any info would be great thanks

mickey

[Tervnut]

Mikey,
Breeders who show use a plethora of things to keep their dogs coats straight...the dogs you see displayed at shows or on breeders' sites are usually kept in paper-wraps up until right before they go into the ring.
There are several EXCELLENT sites online that detail the proper care of Maltese, Yorkie, & Silkie Terrier coats. Because you bought your dog through a pet-shop you won't have the benefit of a breeder's assistance in grooming your dog. The best thing I can recommend is the following.
Using a greyhound style comb (look through online suppy catalogs for these, they are metal and the end teeth are the same width as the rest of the teeth). A medium/fine will work for you best. You will also need a brush with short, straight metal pins, Chris Christpherson's line of brushes are the best on the market in my opinion but there are other, less expensive ones. Make sure the brush you get is not bristled and does not have pin'heads' on the pins. Straight pins ONLY.
You will also need a pair of small (4-6") beauticians scissors for trimming feet and around the tail for cleanliness.
I would use Pantene Pro-V with conditioner for bathing, or alternatively I would use a whitening shampoo (ring 5 makes a good one and there are others) and a cream-rinse or other detangling conditioner.
Never bathe your maltese without first brushing it thoroughly and then taking a comb through its coat to make SURE there are NO mats. Pay special attention to the belly, chest, between the elbow and chest-wall (pit area), behind the ears, between the hind legs, and under the collar.
Take your hand and wrap it around one of the legs and gently slide it down the gather the hair aroudn the foot. Now using the scissors (the sharper the scissors the easier to trim and the less likelyhood of hurting you or your puppy) trim all the hair that goes beyond the foot even with the bottom of the foot. In wet seasons you can trim it higher but this is good all-purpose trimming. also lift the tail and trim the hair around his anal opening and about 1/4-1/2 inch along the bottom of his tail if it isn't clean, this will help KEEP your puppy clean.
When you bath him/her use tepid water, not hot as this dries the coat and skin and not cold as they take offense . When wetting or rinsing ALWAYS run the water DOWN the coat, NEVER backwards or against the grain, and never work the shampoo into the coat like you would your own hair as this causes tangles. Rinse THOROUGHLY paying attention to the same areas as you did when you were combing them out before the bath as these tend to collect soap, and any leftover soap can cause soars and skin irritation. I recommend using a drop of PLAIN MINERAL OIL in each eye pre-bath to help prevent soap in the eyes. Use baby shampoo on the face if you don't have mineral oil. The benefit of this is you can really scrub around the corners of the eyes and nose, where the pink stains accumulate. There are products on the market to remove these stains if they become a problem. NOTE: foods with colorings in them cause more discoloration than one without.
OK, Towel dry your maltese gently patting it witht he towel and squitching the water out of the coat WITHOUT RUBBING (rubbing causes tangles). When your puppy is damp-dry using a blowdryer on COOL, never use the hot setting on a blowdrier on your dog!!!, and your pin brush, carefully WITH THE LAY OF THE COAT blow it out until it is dry, again pay attention to pits, between hind legs, chest, ears, etc. If you got water in your puppies ears drop some alcohol (couple drops will do) into their ears to help dry them out.

The alternative is take your puppy to a local groomer's every 4-6 weeks. Here's the catch YOU have to still keep up with your puppy's coat care in between the grooming visits if you want to keep a coat in shape and have a long-coated maltese, otherwise your groomer will have no choice but to trim it down short.

Use detangler lightly on your pet's coat whenever you brush or comb. Brush your pet at least once a day.

Here is catch #2... because you got your maltese from a petshop it is unlikely that he/she was bred for anything but being a pet. Coats are genetic. Poor breeding creates soft curly coats which are really not strong enough to be kept long. SOOOO do your best, but understand that sometimes even the best care can't create a good coat.

http://www.bhejei.com/groom-open.htm EXCELLENT SITE on grooming/caring for your maltese!!!!!

(I am third generation b/o/h, have professionally handled many breeds, and have professionally groomed as many )


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