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!

Is it normal, anyway?!

Yes, it is. Just imagine the situation from the point of view of your Maltese. He is part of the family, often treated as “the kid”, and then, suddenly, a new creature arrives and takes all the attention of his beloved family. It is quite similar to what older children feel, when a little brother/sister arrives. One of the differences is just that the dog can’t speak English

Actually, if we are aware of this ‘problem’ in advance, the situation can be handled, but it needs consciousness and to be started in time, long before the baby’s arrival. Let’s see how we can prepare our Maltese for the new family member.

If your dog’s daily routine has to be changed with the baby’s arrival (it probably will), you should start changing the rules much earlier, giving him plenty of time to get used to the new set up. This way it isn’t going to be so sudden and shocking. If your Maltese hasn’t really been trained before, it’s high time to start. He should learn at least a few commands, like sit, stay, etc. This way, he’ll be easier to handle.

Many families worry about their dog endangering the health of the child, so the best thing to do is to take your pet to the vet, get him checked and get some advice. Get your Maltese used to the new smells, sounds in advance (blankets, lotions, toys). It’s also a good idea, that just after your baby was born, send home a blanket that the baby had been in, so your dog can experience the child’s smell in advance. It is very important to know that your  Maltese will get a lot less attention from the mother, so when taking the baby home for the first time, the mother should greet the dog, so it is better if someone else is carrying the baby.

It is also a good idea not to leave them alone together at the first times, until your Maltese feels comfortable with the baby, because, for example, it is very possible that the dog won’t tolerate the child’s crying very well in the beginning. You have to teach him that this is a normal sound, and you should motivate him not to bark (with treats, for example).

And the most important rule for last, maybe it seems too obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning: try to give as much attention to your Maltese as you can. The point is that he has to feel that you do care about him. If you keep this in mind, most probably there will be no problem. You could also try Preparing Fido, which is an amazing collection of Baby sounds designed especially to get your dog ready for the arrival of the new Baby!

Why spend money on vet bills, if you can do it too?

The narrow line between training and abuse

Many dog owners think that their Maltese is the smartest in the world. There’s no problem with this, up to certain a point. This point is when the owner expects as much from the dog as if it really was the most intelligent creature the world has ever seen. They expect them to learn everything right away, whereas dogs need time to learn things, the same way as we, humans do. Just in a different way Well, the point is, that training requires time and patience. It can be different for all dogs, but we do have to keep this in mind and take the time and energy to train our Maltese.

Another common mistake (also because of the lack of patience) is to give up. Many people think that they have already tried everything but the dog doesn’t want to learn. In this case, maybe the methods are not the best, or they need more time. There are no dogs who wouldn’t be able to learn at least a few commands. Giving up is never a solution.

So, if we have the time and the patience we can avoid the next, and maybe the biggest mistake: to turn training into abuse. Probably you expect me to tell you where this line is. I can’t. This is something the owner should know. Training is all about communication. If you know your Maltese, if you pay attention to him, you see how he feels. Unfortunately many dog owners don’t have this ability, because they only keep pets for entertainment, while a dog is much more than that.

Going back to dog training, a very important rule is that your goal should be that your Maltese obeys to commands because he is keen to do so. NOT BECAUSE HE IS AFRAID. Many-many owners forget about this, and feel the training successful, but actually they are making their dog unhappy. How can someone live happily in fear? No way. These owners are only keeping a dog to make themselves happy, and don’t feel the responsibility they should.

So the point is, that ‘positive training’ is possible. Actually, that’s the only way.

The first difficulties most Maltese owners face is potty training their puppy. As with general training, the main principles remain the same: a positive, rewarding approach and a lot of patience is required. There are, however a few tips and tricks that will make the whole process faster and easier for both puppy and owner. Find out what Sharda Baker has to say on the topic, who has developed her best practices by years of trial and error.

Please comment if you have something to add.

Spirited, playful and lively. Loving, gentle, trusting and loyal. These are the reasons why the Maltese breed is increasing in popularity in the Middle East as well despite the fact that it may be difficult to house train. Read more about popular dogs in Qatar.

Don’t buy a Maltese if you long for an intelligent dog! But if you want a precious, beautiful, playful, cutest-ever dog, the Maltese is the best choice! Even can be bought instead of a cat, in case of allergy   See more here.