Maltese Grooming Ultimate Guide: Face, Hair, Nail, Style, Tools & More

You have only recently added a frosty Maltese to your family and are not sure how to groom a Maltese pup.

Well, it is not all that difficult with this comprehensive guide escorting you through every phase of Maltese grooming. Plus, you also have the option of giving your snowball a short yet absolutely adorable haircut.

That said, with the gorgeous Maltese coat comes a responsibility of maintaining it. You need to brush your Maltese regularly to keep the straight, silky hair free of knots. Moreover, consistent grooming is quintessential for your doggo’s mental and physical well-being.

Read on to thoroughly learn about every step of Maltese grooming, along with some too-cute-to-ignore hairstyles!

When to Start Grooming Maltese Puppy?

Within a few days of its arrival, you love your cottonball to bits. However, you can notice its white fur getting stains with time. Plus, the long hair is getting difficult to maintain and keep free of tangles.

So, when can you start grooming a Maltese puppy? What is the correct age for grooming your Maltese? According to professionals, the right time to start grooming a pup is anywhere between 8 to 12 weeks.

That is because your pup needs to first get comfortable enough with you to trust you completely. Moreover, seeing strange tools like clippers and a noisy hairdryer for the first time can intimidate the Maltese baby.

Make sure to introduce your fluff ball to the world of grooming by the age of 16 weeks at max. It is easier for your pup to get habitual to grooming at an early age. Your Maltese may exhibit signs of repulsion if you delay the first grooming session.

How Often to Groom a Maltese Doggo?

Once your furball is at ease with the grooming equipment, you can increase the frequency of this exercise. As the locks grow longer, you will need to brush the baby even more. That is why you need to get your Maltese familiar with regular grooming.

Brush your fluffy friend completely at least 2-3 times a week to keep that beautiful fur free of knots and debris. Plus, you must bathe the doggo at least once every 3 weeks to ensure your Maltese stays healthy and cheerful.

That said, grooming also depends on the length of your furry baby’s coat. Maltese doggos with short hair can stay 2-3 months without a cut, while a furball with a longer coat requires monthly haircuts.

When it comes to other grooming activities, the frequency may vary. Here is a summary of how often to groom a Maltese.

• Wiping face, eyes, and brushing teeth: daily
• Cleaning ears: 1-2 times a month
• Nails trimming: 1-2 times every two months
• Haircut: monthly (long coat), once every 2-3 months (short coat)
• Brushing the coat: daily (long coat), alternate days (medium-length coat), every 3 days (short coat)

How to Groom Maltese Dogs?

A grooming session must be a pleasant experience for your Maltese puppy. The fluffball will have multiple such sittings, so it is best to make your doggo fall in love with it. Moreover, grooming activities are excellent opportunities to strengthen your bonding with your furball.

Especially if you choose to groom your snowball on your own, do it with the utmost care. Standing in one position for a prolonged session can be challenging for your pup. Plus, you need to ensure your furry baby stays still to prevent any accidents.

You can start with training your Maltese pup to stand on the grooming table without fidgeting. Calm down the doggo by gently caressing the coat and giving enough time for the canine to settle in.

Here is how you can go about grooming Maltese dogs.

Grooming Head

Trimming and Haircut: Start by bathing your pup followed by blow-drying completely, as cutting dirty hair may ruin the clippers. Comb the face and head with a metal comb and start trimming the hair. You can trim according to the preferred hairstyle and length.

Routine Grooming: If you are looking for weekly grooming, a good brush and comb are enough. Start with thoroughly combing your snowball’s hair to check for tangles and debris. Next, brush the furball with a bristle brush for a short coat or a spaced-up pin brush for medium to long fur.

Face Grooming

Since Maltese has pure white fur, stains are inevitable. Plus, you need to keep your fluffy friend’s face clean to prevent any diseases.

• Routine clean-up: Use soft wet wipes to clean your furball’s face after every meal.
• Stubborn stains: Opt for a quality remove product along with the wet wipe.

Grooming Ears

This is a very crucial step as Maltese are highly susceptible to have ear infections.

Step 1: Regularly pluck the hair present inside your fluffy baby’s ears. It will prevent the accumulation of wax and dirt.

Step 2: Put a few drops of a quality liquid ear-cleaning solution into the ear hole.

Step 3: Massage the ear gently to loosen up the wax and dirt.

Step 4: Use a ball of cotton wool to clean the outer part of the ear.

Eyes Grooming

Your little Maltese pooch has tiny tear ducts that can be a breeding ground for germs if not kept clean.

• Use diluted hydrogen peroxide solution or a quality tear stain remover.
• Dip a cotton swab into the solution and apply under your fluff ball’s eyes once a day.

Tip: Make sure to keep the hair around your doggo’s eyes short at all times. You may take a professional groomer’s help for safety.

Teeth Cleaning

A mixture of saliva and food residue may often stick at the base of your fluffball’s teeth. Moreover, your pooch may develop tooth problems like bleeding or inflamed gums if not cared for.

You must brush your doggo’s teeth every day with quality toothpaste and brush to maintain oral hygiene.

Nails Clipping

Your pup’s toenails must fall in line with the paw outline. Therefore, make sure to check the nails every week.

• When you get to clipping them, always do so from beneath the paw.
• Make sure to clip the nails carefully, without cutting into the quick (veins).
• Do not forget to trim the fifth claw.

Tip: Trim your Maltese fluffball’s nails after a bath if they are hard.

Bathing Maltese Pooches

Though you may get the urge to bathe your white baby every other day, frequent bathing is not recommended. It removes the natural oils in your furball’s body, causing dryness and itching. That said, bathing once a month or every 3 weeks is the perfect timing.

• Keep all the bathing equipment within your reach, and never leave the pooch unattended.
• Use quality shampoo and conditioner, applying them in a downward flow to prevent tangles.
• Dry-up your fluffy canine with a towel, again in the downward direction (never do it in circles).
• Use a dryer to completely dry-up the pooch. Line-dry the coat by drying one section at a time.
• Once your Maltese is all dried-up, comb the coat followed by brushing.

Tip: Your Maltese may not enjoy this particular exercise very much, so you can try making it fun with water toys.

3 Maltese Grooming Styles

The perfect hairstyle will only add to your Maltese puppy’s dynamic personality. Plus, with the human-like hair of your fluffball, you can try a host of styles to enhance the pup’s look.

1. Standard Maltese Hairstyle

You must pick this style only if you can maintain your snowball’s long, luscious hair. With that being the only requirement, this cut is unparalleled as it gives you countless ways to style your doggo.

The Standard Maltese Hairstyle includes long fur (almost touching the ground) out-and-out. Here are a few fun methods to style your Maltese with this fabulous cut.

• Use cute ear bows for a two-ponytail style.
• A single top knot at the center of the head.
• Top knot divided into two braids.

2. Maltese Teddy Bear Hairstyle

You need not shop for a teddy bear as you already have a living and breathing one at home. For the teddy bear style:

• Trim the coat from the side and the back, leaving only 1/4-inch-long hair.
• Let the fur in other areas be almost 1/2 inch longer.
• Trim around the fluffball’s face to make it as round as possible.

Your very own, awfully adorable living teddy bear is ready! Needless to mention, it is one of the easiest to maintain.

3. Maltese Puppy Clip Hairstyle

Another extra-cute yet manageable hairstyle (and common) is the puppy clip one. For this hairstyle, you need to clip your Maltese canine’s fur, leaving it almost 1/4-1 inch throughout the body. That’s it! Your snowball is all groomed-up!

4. Other Maltese Hairstyles

Your Maltese is your very own fluffball to experiment and style. Here are a few other hairstyles you can try on this lovesome pooch.

• Bob Cut: Short body fur with long hair on the ears and the tail.
• Short Cut: Short hair across the tummy, 1/4 inch around the sides and back, 1-1/2 inches on the legs, and a rounded face.

What Grooming Tools Do You Need for Your Maltese?

To ensure flawless grooming of your Maltese, you need a set of quality tools. We have taken the time to prepare a list of the equipment you will need along with the best available options!

Brush

The Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush is a matchless option for your Maltese pup. It comes with slightly bent bristles that penetrate into your pooch’s coat, allowing you to groom the bay without hurting. Plus, it comes with a button that retracts the bristles, letting you remove the hair with ease.

Shears & Scissors

You cannot use standard scissors to trim your doggo’s face, and the same goes for other types of cutting. That is why the Moontay Dog Grooming Scissors Set is an excellent choice. It is a combo of 4 kinds of scissors and shears along with a complimentary comb!

Hair Clippers

You may need different speed settings while clipping your Maltese, which is why the Andis UltraEdge Clipper is a superb option. It allows you to choose from two speeds. With this, you can give your fluffball a full body cut followed by a professional finish. Plus, it lets you replace the blade for varying lengths of hair.

Nail Clipper

If you want a professional nail clipper with extra-sharp edges, the Safari Professional Nail Clipper is the best choice. However, if you are looking for a safer option, go for the Boshel Nail Clipper that comes with a safety guard.

Tables

The best grooming table for Maltese will be small, maneuverable, and durable materials. The Yaheetech Professional Grooming Table is highly-maneuverable such that you can adjust the arm height, removable loop nose, and foldable legs. You can set it as required and easily fold it away for storage.

Dryers

You need a hairdryer with a powerful motor yet functions silently, and the Flying Pig Grooming Dryer is one such tool. It lets you regulate airflow, air temperature and comes with a 10 ft-long hose. Plus, it comes with a 4-horsepower motor along with a 1-year warranty.

Shampoo

The Earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe Shampoo is the perfect natural option to keep your fluffball’s coat clean and healthy. Its natural oatmeal and aloe vera content help moisturize the skin, preventing itching and dryness. Plus, it is free of soap, synthetic dyes, paraben, and other chemicals.

Maltese Grooming Tips

• Use body wipes during the 3-week no-bathing duration.
• If your fluffball has long hair, daily brushing is essential.
• Regularly check ears and teeth to prevent infections.
• Keep the hair around your snowball’s anus short and the area clean.
• Frequently wipe the furball’s face and ensure the eye ducts remain dirt-free.
• Try to remove a mat with your fingers by applying the conditioner. Clip it off if it cannot be detangled.

Q&A

Q: Should you bathe a Maltese before or after grooming?

A: You must always bathe your Maltese doggo before grooming, as dirty fur may ruin the clippers. A washed-up coat is easier to groom.

Q: How to keep your Maltese still while grooming?

A: The best way to make your furball stay still while grooming is consistent training and rewarding. However, if all methods fail, you can use the grooming table loop around your furry friend’s neck to restraint movement.