Maltese Puppies Blog

What is ‘puppy cut’ ?

Dogs in puppyhood are quite messy, so for long-haired pups it’s better to cut the hair around the mouth shorter, so it won’t be full of food all the time A puppy cut is basically the short cut for puppies, which is about the same length on all parts of the body. The fur is about 1/2 inch long, which gives a cute, fluffy look.
Maybe for the first cut it is worth to take your Maltese to a groomer, just to see how it goes. You’ll probably pay a real fortune, but later on it can be done by you too, it just takes a bit of practice.

How to do it?

First, let’s see the things you’ll need:
- towel
- a wide-toothed and a fine-toothed steel comb
- electric clippers
- scissors
Always give your dog a bath before grooming, it is very important to be clean while being groomed. After drying, place your dog on a towel, or something soft, to feel comfortable.
First, groom the hair with a wide-tooth comb, it won’t be too hard, as Maltese dogs don’t really shed. If you find a large knot or mat, don’t be afraid to cut it off carefully. The second step is to brush the hair with a fine-toothed comb. For the third step, you can start trimming with an electric groomer. When doing a puppy cut, the fur has to be trimmed around the puppy’s ears, eyes, toes and rear end too. The style of the hair on the face is totally up to you, but it is advised to cut it quite short, so it won’t bother while eating. In case you prefer to keep it long, use a rubber band or a ribbon. It is also very common to leave the hair long on the tail.
As you can see, doing a puppy cut seems quite simple, but let’s not forget to be precise and careful all the time. Watch out for not cutting it too short at the first time (and in the winter) because this way they can easily catch a cold.
Good luck for the first cut!
Please feel free to comment if you have a question or you are a professional with a lot of experience to share!

A dog of many names, the Maltese was also known as Ye Ancient Dogge of Malta, the Bichon, and even the Comforter. Maltese have a fabulous, silky long coat of pure white hair that nearly touches the ground. It flows to the sides of the dog showing a parting run in the center all the way from the head to the back and to the base of the tail.  These dogs do not shed much. However, they require grooming attention and regularity. Daily brushing and combing is needed to prevent matting.

If matting develops, use your fingers to part them and a fine toothed comb to finish removal.  The removal should be prior to bathing because mats are harder to manage when wet.  Eyes may get irritated by the hair so it can either be clipped or tie up with a bow. The ears should be inspected once a week for infection due to the hair in them. Some owners may opt to have a “puppy cut” or shorten the hair but the grooming regimen still applies.