Wrapping Maltese hair

I recently took my 4mo old female to a local fun match. It was a first time for both of us. It was primarily to see what it was like and decide if it is something we would enjoy. Needless to say we are both hooked. She did her doggy dance every time she heard applause. Several people at the show suggested that I would need to start wrapping her hair if I want her to have a full coat. My groomer had suggested this to me a few days before as well. I have been reading this page for some time now and have never seen anything mentioned about it. I also got some books form the library, but no mention of wrapping. Is this commonly done with the show maltese? If so how do I get the supplies for it, and how do I do it? I do almost all of her grooming and have only had a professional job done once. I am willing to learn what ever it takes. Thank you.

• It would be very hard to explain wrapping in an e-mail message. Have you contacted the breeder and asked her to show you how to do this? I will tell you this, if you are going to start wrapping your dog you'll need to find a good coat oil to put your dog in.( I would ask your breeder for brand suggestions.) What this means is after you bathe your dog, while it is still in the tub, you take the oil diluted with water and pour it over the body , topknot and whiskers, making sure to saturate the entire coat. It's very important that you only use something that is designated as a coat oil. Practice will tell you how much or how little to use by how it reacts with the coat in the couple of days after you put the dog in oil. The reason for putting them in oil is first of all to condition the hair, second of all to delay matting. When the dog is in oil, it is essential that the dog be taken out of wraps and brushed daily and bathed and put back in oil once a week. There ! are different textures of coat and I would have to feel it to tell you that you could get away with brushing it every other day. The silkier the texture the better it will react in oil, the more cottony the texture the more matted it will get. There is a Dog book that shows wrapping techniques, The dog in the book is "Poonah" owned by Frank Oberstar and Larry Ward. "Poonah" was the top winning Maltese bitch of all time (I'm not sure if she still holds the record). I think the book is by Maxwell Riddle, it is an older book but it has Skye Terriers on the front cover. It shows how "Poonah" is wrapped and this may serve as some guide for you. Supplies to start out with is a oval head pin brush (black base, red rubber that holds silver metal "pins"), a Greyhound brand metal comb, a plastic comb with a metal pic on it to separate the hair, wrappers, and number 8 rubber bands. If your dog still has very short hair, I would suggest buying a spray in oil ie. "Whispering Mist" that you can buy at a dog grooming supply store, and not worry about wrapping until the hair is long enough. As long as you brush every day and keep the dog off of surfaces that will break off the coat (meaning split ends). Go to dog shows in your area, Point shows and Match shows and just observe what people do. Most people will be more than willing to help, some won't, don't get discouraged, your bree der should be happy to help you! Good Luck!
  Taram