Grooming the Maltese

COAT

Per the AKC breed standard, the coat is single — without undercoat — and hangs long, flat, and silky over the sides of the body, almost if not quite to the ground. The long head hair may be tied up in a topknot or left hanging. Any suggestion of kinkiness, curliness, or woolly texture is considered objectionable; the coat should be straight and flat. Color is pure white, with light tan or lemon on the ears permissible, though not desirable, in the show ring.

Because there's no undercoat at all, this coat behaves much more like human hair than typical dog fur — it keeps growing, doesn't shed out on a seasonal cycle, and offers very little natural protection to the skin underneath.

CHARACTER

For all his diminutive size, the Maltese seems to be without fear. His trust and affectionate responsiveness are very appealing — he is among the gentlest mannered of all little dogs, yet lively and playful as well as vigorous. That gentle, trusting temperament generally makes Maltese easy and willing partners at the grooming table, which helps considering how much daily attention this coat and face genuinely need.

Recommended Cindra Grooming Products

• Cindra Moisturizing Shampoo
• Cindra Moisture Plus Conditioner
• Cindra Cleansing Shampoo — helps keep the breed's signature white coat bright
• Cindra Texturizing Shampoo — useful if the coat lacks body
• Cindra Texturizing Mist

Common Coat Problems & Solutions

Source: adapted from Cindra's internal grooming reference archive.

Hands On Grooming Guide

Daily brushing is essential for a Maltese, not optional, regardless of how short you keep the coat — fine, silky hair this prone to tangling can mat within a day or two if skipped, especially in the legs, armpits, and behind the ears. Use a pin brush and a metal comb, working from the ends of the coat toward the skin rather than dragging straight through any tangle from the root.

Bathe every two to three weeks using a gentle, whitening-formulated shampoo to maintain the coat's signature white color, followed by a conditioning rinse — since there's no undercoat doing any moisture work on its own, conditioner matters more here than on most breeds. Rinse completely, towel off excess water, then finish with a low-heat blow dryer while brushing through the coat in sections to prevent it from drying tangled.

Use a comb, not a brush, for the face, paws, and other small areas — a wide-tooth side for the body-adjacent areas and a narrow-tooth side for fine detail work around the eyes and muzzle.

Tear Stains: The Maltese's Defining Grooming Challenge

If there's one grooming issue every Maltese owner eventually deals with, it's tear stains — the rust or brown discoloration that develops in the fur beneath the eyes from normal tear overflow. On a solid white coat, this staining is far more visible than it would be on almost any other color, which is why it's such a consistently flagged concern across breed-specific sources.

Daily care is the real solution, not an occasional fix: gently wipe the area beneath the eyes once or twice daily with a soft, damp cloth or pet-safe facial wipe, and keep the hair around the eyes trimmed short so it has less opportunity to wick tears into the surrounding coat. The beard and chin area benefits from the same routine after meals, since food residue causes a similar yellowing effect on this breed's white coat.

Long Coat vs Puppy Cut

A full show coat is grown out to the breed standard's near-floor length and requires the most intensive routine: daily brushing without exception, careful drying, and for many show dogs, wrapping sections of the coat to protect the hair from breakage as it grows, similar to the technique used on other long-coated toy breeds.

Most pet owners instead choose a shorter style — commonly called a puppy cut, kept short and even all over — which dramatically reduces daily time investment while still requiring regular brushing and the same attention to tear stains and facial cleanliness. Neither length is more correct for a companion dog; it's purely a matter of how much daily coat-care time you want to commit to.

Do Maltese Shed?

Very little. With no undercoat at all, the Maltese is one of the lowest-shedding breeds, and hair loss tends to happen gradually and less noticeably than with breeds that have a true seasonal coat-blow cycle. This is part of why Maltese are frequently described as hypoallergenic, though no breed is completely allergen-free — a meaningful share of dog allergy response comes from dander and saliva proteins rather than hair itself. Low shedding doesn't reduce the need for brushing, though: hair that doesn't fall out stays in the coat, where it can mat if left unattended.

Puppy vs Adult Coat Care

Quick Grooming Schedule

Maltese Grooming Resources

• How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog
• How to Choose Dog Shampoo by Coat Type