Help with a Maltese

[Erks]

I have a client with a maltese and she wants him to have a full coat. The problem is that he looks like cotton candy. I cannot get his coat to lay flat and it is so frizzy. I just don't know what to do. He always looks better when he leaves and the owner is happy but I am not. I would really like to do a puppy cut and start over but I don't think the owner is going to go for that. I need to get a pic so you can see what I mean. I can get him to look nice until he shakes and then he looks a mess again. I was thinking of doing a hot oil treatment but I thought I would see if y'all had any ideas. He doesn't get groomed very regularly but I am working on that too. Any help is appreciated =)

[Elise H]

Have you tried using a conditioning or finishing spray? I like Quadruped.

[Debbiedogs]

Heavy conditioner

Isle of Dogs has a conditioner ("heavy") that works great on these coats and gives a lovely finish and feel to unruly hair.

Since you mentioned that a "puppy cut" was "starting over", are you a groomer that calls a shave-off a puppy cut? I would not be inclined to do such a drastic change with a good client whose dog has a lot of coat, personally. But you might want to ask if you can start tidying up some of the coat if it is too wild.

Kind of depends on the age of the dog and the problem with the coat - if it's puppy fur, it can still change to a heavier coat.

[stewiedog]

Don't use a slicker brush, or an HV. Dry him with the stand dryer and a pin brush knot, are matts should be picked through with a comb.
Regular grooming is very important, my full caoted maltese comes in weekly.

[Erks]

I was thinking of an inch or so puppy cut would get rid of the most damaged parts. I mostly just comb him, last time i combed him when he was wet covered in conditioner. He is definitely not a puppy, maybe middle aged and I use IOD sit still and to heal.

[Particentral]

Ya know, hate to say it, but not every maltese can be long and flowing. Some just have frizzy, flyaway hair. Even from good lines, it can happen. I have one that I finally comvinced them to give up on.

Its not always damaged coat that causes this, sometimes genetics do.

[Candee]

Ya know, hate to say it, but not every maltese can be long and flowing. Some just have frizzy, flyaway hair. Even from good lines, it can happen. I have one that I finally comvinced them to give up on.

Its not always damaged coat that causes this, sometimes genetics do.

Exactly what I was thinking. The majority of my clients are maltese's and not all of them have that beautiful straight flowing hair. Sometimes down the line in the gene pool something else was possibly thrown in (like a Bijon) and it messes up the hair. Heavy conditioners are a quick fix but it can not change the genetics.

[pawsitivepetgrooming]

I, also, would suggest using a heavier conditioner to weigh the hair down. But it's true and I am up front w/my clients about the type of hair that their dog has, how show dogs are specifically bread for that type of hair, etc. It's taken me a long time to not feel shamed when a dog would leave and didn't look like a "show dog", but they are "pets" and not show dogs so they can have their own special "flair" Also, I would talk to the customer about maybe a different cut to enhance the kind of hair that she does have. I personally love to keep my MaltiPoo about an inch long and I have bell bottom legs, it's adorable, but then again, I am pretty partial (she has hair like the hair you're describing on your client's Maltese)

[Erks]

Thanks everyone! I think this lil guy would look so cute with an inch of hair on the body and slightly longer on the legs. Bell bottoms would definitely be cute too. I am going to have to have a serious talk with the owner next appt. I will post pics when I can get em.

[kputman]

Before you give up on the long coat, you might try layer stripping. Maltese are supposed to have a single coat, but some do have a double coat. The soft, frizzy hair may be undercoat and if you strip some of that out, you may find a decent coat on this dog after all. (Just don't layer strip everything at once.)

[Helly]

A couple of questions. How old is the dog and is he neutered? If he's neutered you may be dealing with an abundance of neuter coat, which can be stripped out.

I'd try a hot oil treatment or deep conditioner BEFORE bathing. Let him soak at least 10 minutes. Then bath and condition with a leave-in spray.

I'd also sack him; wrap a towel around him, making sure the hair is laying flat under the towel, put him in a kennel, and use a fan or blow dryer (no heat) to dry.

[Erks]

It took a while but...

The owner and I came up with a plan for Peppe. He is now on a 4 week schedule and gets a kind of modified westie cut. What do you think? There are 2 pics from our first trial and 2 from his last groom. The owner seems very happy

[PetPixie]

I can see why you were so frustrated!

He looks much better now. I'm glad you were able to convince them to make changes.

[RudyRoo]

Geeze,, what a fuzzy ball, he looks much better now.

[Dog Daze]

Pepe is a BIG BOY isn't he? Looks much better.

I'd love to see pictures of your maltese with bell bottoms.