Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Maggie

We have been working to grow our 8 mo. old coat to the longer length now with temperatures in the 90 degrees + our guy is panting a lot and looking uncomfortable. Is a hair cut in order? Yes also worried about sunburn.

DISCUSSION:

Hi maggie,I live in Florida and nothing is hotter or more humid than summers here. I have a 2 yr old 3 3/4 lb maltese and he has a full coat which you must brush/comb daily. It took forever to totally get it grown it but once it does it is so regal looking and if you maintain it on a daily basis nothing is more beautiful. now as far as the heat goes, it is 90 here daily with humidity to match however, we live in ac and my little ones do not go out at all. They do evrything indoors so i do not see any panting from heat, just from playing together. By the way, my other Maltese is 2 3/4 lbs and I keep her in the puppy cut. Good luck on which ever way you choose to go.
-Pat

Thanks for the reply. I think I might go to an inbetween versio by keeping the back and sides one length but higher up on the body and a short cut on the legs and real short on the underside.
-Maggie

PAT --- My mother and I will be bringing home our new Maltese puppies mid July. I wondered . . . how often would you estimate we would need to ahve them groomed to keep them in the "puppy cut" as you described? I would also love to take grooming lessons and do it myself.
-Joanne

I guess the question that has to be asked by yourself is do you plan on showing your dog? Since our Princess and Pentium are being raised as pets only so we keep them in puppy cuts. We live in sunny, hot, San Diego, California and believe that we need to keep their haircuts short. We get them groomed about every 4-5 weeks (about the same amount of time it takes thier flea medication to wear off, which we reapply immediately after grooming.)
-Chuck Norman

Joanne, My 1 yr old 3 pounder I keep in the puppy cut cause she looks like a teddy bear. She is a chunky munky in build and I take her to be groomed every 3 weeks. You can do it less frequently than that if you like and I am sure it is not that complicated to cut your pups yourself in any style you like.
-PAT

Paat - I always kept my girls hair in the puppy cut. Sometimes if it was a really hot summer, i would even go a little shorter so that she would be comfortable. She really seemed to like it too. Casey would run all around the house and just seem so much lighter and freer, however, the first time i got her cut that short - I almost died. she looked so funny but the groomer told me just tell her how beautiful she looks otherwise she'll be embarassed. Sure enough, every time i told her she was gorgeous and she would prance around proud as could be with her short hairdo. Good Luck!
-Robin

I also live in south Florida with my 5 yr old, 6# sweetie, Splitter. Just this morning it was 81 degrees with 95% humidity when we went for our morning walk at 7 AM. Unlike someone else who replied, Splitter is an outdoor dog. By outdoor I mean we go for two walks a day and she likes to lounge by the pool for about 15 minutes during the day if Mama is home. I keep Splitter in a puppy cut as well with the ears and tail left long. I find that she needs grooming about every 6-7 weeks but I trim her eyes and feet every week. Since she does go outside but with close supervision and for short periods of time, I'm not very concerned about sunburn. As a matter of fact, I think a LITTLE sun is good for them. Grooming at my house is pure bliss. It doesn't matter whether her hair's at the longish stage or right after she's been groomed. She wags her tail and smiles from ear to ear when she sees me sit on the floor with her favorite brush. And after she's all brushed and polished, she runs around and around in circles of pure pride while Mama tells her how pretty she is. Short, long, in-between--it doesn't matter to her. She just thinks she's the cutest thing this side of the Mississippi (and her Mama doesn't--NOT). Anyway, good luck in whatever way you decide to go. There are certainly benefits and disadvantages to both the long and "short of it".
-Tonya

Oddly enough, I've found the long hair to be easier to care for. She was accidently shaved (attempting to get a puppy cut) and it seemed to mat much worse as it grew out than when it was long. Now I'm gun-shy & won't trust anyone to give her a puppy cut. I don't brush her daily like I should (bad Mom!) and the tangles are easier to work out -- not as close to the skin as when it was shorter. Besides, her hair is so beautiful when it's long I don't have the heart to have it cut, although I do keep her bangs short since she won't keep the bows in so I can see her beautiful eyes.

P.S. She seemed to like it better when it was short, but I almost cried everytime I looked at her!
-Debbie

It depends on the coat itself with mine. I have two that requires very little attention, they are in full coat. The others are in shorter "summer do's". I think the ones that are clipped are more comforable, and enjoy playing outside more in the summer. After pictures this weekend, I plan to have the other two clipped down for the summer.
-Marsha A.

Could someone tell me what a puppy cut is? I have looked at the photo album, and I have seen many different styles, but what exactly is a puppy cut? If there is a good photo in the album, which one would it be? I am still trying to decide how I want my Megan's hair done. Thanks!
-Cindy

I am spending $30/month to have my 5 mth old maltese clipped in a puppy cut. (I prefer that) I would love to learn how to do it myself. Any suggestions?
-Lisa