Zo zo's mom
09-21-2009, 02:15 PM
A Maltese needs to be groomed everyday (but I promise, it won’t take long). Here are tricks and tools to get you through it. By the way, I give lots of kisses and sing songs, so if you would like to do the same, feel free (but it is OK if you don’t).
1. Get a beach towel, brushes/combs (I keep mine in a kitchen utensil caddy), Detangling/Conditioning spray (we use Ice on Ice)and bands.
2. Pick fluff up off the floor and place her on the towel (when mine sees me break this stuff out, she comes right over).
3. The first thing you should do is to remove the band from the existing topknot (don’t worry, fluffs will often remove her own or her sister’s or both). If you can’t get it out easily, use the band scissors to cut the band and remove it.
4. Spray fluff with Detangling/Conditioning spray (I usually spray her chest once and then three times down her back but whatever). It will help make detangling easier.
5. Grab a brush (I usually use the Purple Madan brush for a cottony coat/the Pink Madan brush on a silky coat/ a CC fusion pin brush which is the gentlest of them all and helpful when a fluff is extra squirmy). I start by brushing their chest and then start at the back of her head and work down the length of her body.
6. Use a clip to hold back sections of hair that are already brushed to get to the underside.
7. Use a comb to do her ears, tail and legs. The doubled ended comb works well because you can start with the bigger teeth and then move to the smaller teeth. You can also get combs with larger handles (but I prefer the two sided comb).
8. Use a small pin brush on hard to get areas, like under the arms.
9. To get out a matt: first separate it with your fingers and then hold it at the base (so her skin doesn’t pull) and use the slicker brush, the matt buster or a comb (whatever works for you). Cowboy Magic (or similiar product) works well also and then comb out gently.
10. Use a comb all over to be sure the coat is brushed out well (the double sided comb works well for this as well as the pink silicon comb).
11. Use the small face comb to brush the hair around her eyes and nose.
12. Do a topknot by taking the pink silicon comb (or similiar rat tail comb) and combing the hair back away from the face. Use the metal end to part the hair from ear to ear. Wrap the band around the ponytail 4-5 times and then look and see if they look very surprised (as in their eyelids are way too open). If so, adjust accordingly.
13. Put fluff on the ground, tell her that they are loved (IMPORTANT!!) and give her a treat (only when her bum is on the ground).
14. Repeat the process with any other fluffs.
1. Get a beach towel, brushes/combs (I keep mine in a kitchen utensil caddy), Detangling/Conditioning spray (we use Ice on Ice)and bands.
2. Pick fluff up off the floor and place her on the towel (when mine sees me break this stuff out, she comes right over).
3. The first thing you should do is to remove the band from the existing topknot (don’t worry, fluffs will often remove her own or her sister’s or both). If you can’t get it out easily, use the band scissors to cut the band and remove it.
4. Spray fluff with Detangling/Conditioning spray (I usually spray her chest once and then three times down her back but whatever). It will help make detangling easier.
5. Grab a brush (I usually use the Purple Madan brush for a cottony coat/the Pink Madan brush on a silky coat/ a CC fusion pin brush which is the gentlest of them all and helpful when a fluff is extra squirmy). I start by brushing their chest and then start at the back of her head and work down the length of her body.
6. Use a clip to hold back sections of hair that are already brushed to get to the underside.
7. Use a comb to do her ears, tail and legs. The doubled ended comb works well because you can start with the bigger teeth and then move to the smaller teeth. You can also get combs with larger handles (but I prefer the two sided comb).
8. Use a small pin brush on hard to get areas, like under the arms.
9. To get out a matt: first separate it with your fingers and then hold it at the base (so her skin doesn’t pull) and use the slicker brush, the matt buster or a comb (whatever works for you). Cowboy Magic (or similiar product) works well also and then comb out gently.
10. Use a comb all over to be sure the coat is brushed out well (the double sided comb works well for this as well as the pink silicon comb).
11. Use the small face comb to brush the hair around her eyes and nose.
12. Do a topknot by taking the pink silicon comb (or similiar rat tail comb) and combing the hair back away from the face. Use the metal end to part the hair from ear to ear. Wrap the band around the ponytail 4-5 times and then look and see if they look very surprised (as in their eyelids are way too open). If so, adjust accordingly.
13. Put fluff on the ground, tell her that they are loved (IMPORTANT!!) and give her a treat (only when her bum is on the ground).
14. Repeat the process with any other fluffs.