how do i get the matsout

You are bathing him too often. Most people bathe their dogs either once a month or twice a year. There are dog brushes on the market that will get out the mats in their fur. Frequent bathes will rob them of the much needed oils in their coats. We brush our dogs daily. If you need to bathe your dog, have you ever tried the waterless shampoos?

Maltese are manageable as long as you know how to handle this particular breed. I had a Maltese for 12 years named Yum Yum. Her picture is under Maltese. First of all, a Maltese has hair not fur, so they need to be washed. I found that while she still looked pretty at the end of the week, her hair would start to get heavy. So, I would wash her once a week and she was very silky and white. When I first got her, my sons bathed her and she would mat terribly. I figured out that it was because they were drying her, and although she seemed dry, her hair was still damp at the roots. This causes them to mat. I would not cut the mats out, I would gently work them out with a comb, which takes a very long time. So, I started washing her myself. I used Johnson's baby shampoo and dried her thoroughly, and I never had a matting problem again. Conditioner does not work well on a Maltese, because they have a lot of hair and like a person who uses conditioner you must rinse and rinse. I found it was almost impossible to get it all out. So, while it would help with the tangling, it would make her hair dull and stiffer. Also, if you have matting, there is a comb you can get in the people comb section of CVS or such, that is plastic and only $1.00. It has fat, funny shaped teeth and is for detangling children's hair. It works great on a Maltese. Never use a wire brush on a Maltese: it breaks their hair and tears their skin. Their skin is very sensitive. Also, I never had staining under the eyes with my Maltese. In the baby section of the same type store, they have a small scissor with rounded tips for use on a baby. Every time you wash your Maltese, trim the hair all below the eye very short with this scissor. Trim it pretty short all around the eye just at the very edge, as their hair tends to stick in their eyes. Make sure you keep the hair plucked from their ears as they get ear infections easily. They have a very small flap over the ear: their ear is mostly hair.

I beg to differ with spiritwolf. As an owner of three beautiful Maltese, I can tell you from experience that Maltese need to be bathed, at the least twice a month. Their hair is quite different then other breeds of dog. Many owner do groom their babies weekly. This is due to keeping the hair debris free and the snowy white color that defines the Maltese breed. Also to help tearing of eyes, and of course the problem of matting. A Maltese's hair is very fragile. Even allowing it to drag the carpet can damage it. (not to mention awful mats). Although their hair is breathtaking, I would recommend keeping the hair clipped short, unless you intend to show your baby. There are some very cute cuts for Maltese, my favorite being both the summer cut and the puppy cut. I keep my babies in the puppy cut, year round. In the winter, when it is cold I put sweaters on them to keep them from getting cold. If you intend to show your baby, there is a procedure called "wrapping" that can be done to the hair to keep it from getting damaged. As to the mats you speak of in your discussion, if the mats are completely down to the skin, you haven't much choice but to clip the hair short. Don't worry the hair will grow back and the splotches will disappear in no time. After the clipping a special brush called a pin brush (also known as Poodle brush) is my recommendation for keeping the hair mat free. Do not use a "slicker" brush on your babys coat of hair. Slicker brushes will significantly damage their hair. If you are not already using it, a shampoo made especially for white dogs will help keep your baby his beautiful white coat. Hope this helps you!