ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Ruth

Is it okay to let Herald's growing hair just hang in his face? I keep thinking it must be annoying to him but it is not quite long enough (he is 6 months old) to put it all in a ponytail. He pulls the bands out of the little ponytail that I can manage to put up very quickly. I want him to have the "classic" maltese look so I don't want to cut it short but I don't want him blinded by hair either. Any suggestions? Right now he looks just like a pure white miniature sheepdog. Thanks.

DISCUSSION:

Ruth,I can really appreciate your problem with your little ones hair in his eyes. I have the same thing here with my pups. I find that you need to have patience and be persistant and keep putting that hair up. Eventually the pup will give up on pulling it out and it will grow into a lovely topknot. It is really better to have the topknot come out at this age than to have the bands to tight and break the coat off. I often find myself putting a topknot on a pup 5 or 6 times a day. Good luck! Cherie
-Cherie

I have noticed if I leave the topknot in for a long period of time it becomes a large mat. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a need to take it down every day or every other day??
-Meranda

I had the same problem with KoKo and Shayna. I finally cut eye brows on KoKo and she looks cute with them. I also tried to cut them on Shayna and that was a mistake, letting them grow out now. I read on this discussion board that using netting will help keep the top knot neat. It works great. Shayna has stopped pulling it out and it stays neat all day long. Give it time. The only problem I have is Shayna likes to pull KoKo's top knot out. If she doesn't get it out she loosens it and it looks terrible. She'll learn sooner or later to leave it alone.
-Shelley

Meranda, I had the same problem with the matt in the top knot and started coating the hair in Pet Silk before I put the band in. It worked, no more matt.
-Marsha A.

Ruth, You may be trying to put the topknot too high up on your little guys head. At this age it should look more like a unicorn horn. Massage a bit of Wella Kollestrol between your thumb and forefinger then apply it to the hair to be put up. Once the band is secured, loosen the hair a bit so that it doesn't pull. When the hair has gotten longer (and it will) you may put a paper around it, fold it back and secure it with a band. Do this at least once a day. Cleaning the face and brushing at this time makes a good grooming routine.
-Doreen

When my pups hair is at that inbetween stage I use my hair gel to sculpt it back and out of their eyes. This has wored pretty good as long as I get it dry before the other can get at it.
-Carol A

Thanks so much for all of the input. I am going to try the unicorn horn approach and see if I have better luck with it. When his hair is up it is so cute because you can actually see his eyes!!! Thanks again. Ruth
-Ruth