The Single Coated Maltese The Maltese coat being quite different from my own double coated breed I sought specialist help from a wonderful presenter here in Queensland to guide you through this particular grooming process. If any of you have seen the remarkable presentation done by Dale Raeti, then you will appreciate her generous contribution to the sharing of knowledge… The Maltese coat is long and silky and requires much care and good quality products to keep it in optimum show condition.

From the very start, a puppy coat ought to be groomed with a soft, cushioned pin brush and bathed weekly. When bathing the puppy, use a gentle shampoo Plush Puppy Conditioning Shampoo at 5 parts water to 1 part shampoo) and a light protein conditioner Plush Puppy Silk Protein Conditioner at 5:1 and then carefully blow dry on a medium heat.

The biggest mistake is to cook the products onto the coat by using an overhot dryer. Even in winter, a cool to warm dryer is all that is needed. Warm the room – not the dryer. As the puppy grows through the coat change stage (9 – 12 months), groom daily, being careful to keep the coat mat free. Use a Spray Bottle with 1/2 Plush Puppy Reviva Coat to 1/2 water to dampen the coat slightly prior to brushing. Plush Puppy Reviva Coat is a good quality moisturising product that will protect the coat against splitting and breaking. At this stage, the coat needs to be bathed twice weekly using the Plush Puppy Conditioning Shampoo and Silk Protein Conditioner and leaving quite a bit of the conditioner in the coat when rinsing. Before commencing blowdrying, use a large handful of Plush Puppy Reviva Coat and cover all the ends of the hair especially near the rear end.

From 9 months to Adult, bath in Plush Puppy Whitening Shampoo and condition again with the Silk Protein – rinse thoroughly on show day. Pour a mixture of Plush Puppy Swishy Coat (1 tspn per 2 litre jug of warm water) through the coat and leave in. Squeeze water out and lightly towel dry. Add a handful of Plush PuppyReviva Coat and blow dry. Coat should be totally dry and combed through with a wide toothed comb. Facial hair should be combed with fine toothed comb and whiskers and beard tied back with latex bands. When coat is full length, it can be wrapped to protect ends and promote growth. Use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil.

A final suggestion for Show Day – use a light mist of Plush Puppy Shine & Comb for maximum sheen and static control just before going into the ring and Dale said you must try the Plush Puppy Cover Up Creamfor any face and tear stains. Dab on with a small damp piece of sponge. Dale has kindly offered to contribute some further info on coat wrapping down the track. This fearless little breed is such a glamour dog and with careful attention to coat care, is very hard to go past in the show ring. We at Plush Puppy hope our input to grooming has encouraged and excited a lot of you to enjoy this wonderful sport of dog showing. I thank all those specialist people who have given us insight to their breeds and have given of their many years of experience unstintingly. It is a sport of Kings available to everyone.

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