Maltese Grooming: Coat Care, Tear Stains & Bathing Schedule

A Maltese's coat is the whole game — long, white, silky, and high-maintenance in a way that's easy to underestimate before you actually live with it. Skip a few days of brushing and you're not dealing with loose hair on the couch, you're dealing with mats close to the skin that may need to be cut out. Here's the real schedule, not the idealized one.

The coat: single-layer, but unforgiving

Unlike double-coated breeds, the Maltese has a single, silky coat with no undercoat, which means minimal shedding — genuinely one of the breed's best traits for indoor living. The tradeoff is that the coat mats easily, especially behind the ears, under the legs, and around the collar area, and once a mat forms close to the skin, brushing alone often can't fix it.

The grooming schedule, at a glance

Brushing: the non-negotiable daily habit

This is the one place where "every couple of days" genuinely isn't enough for most Maltese — daily brushing with a slicker brush or pin brush, done in layers (lifting sections to brush close to the skin, not just over the top), is what actually prevents matting. A metal comb afterward catches any small tangles the brush missed before they tighten into a mat.

Tear stains: the breed's most distinctive issue

Maltese are especially prone to tear staining — the reddish-brown marks under the eyes from excess tearing, made more visible than in most breeds because of their white coat. Daily wiping with a damp, soft cloth under the eyes, plus keeping the hair around the eyes trimmed short, are the two habits that keep it from building up. Persistent or worsening staining is worth mentioning to your vet, since it can sometimes point to a blocked tear duct or eye irritation rather than just being cosmetic.

Bathing: more often than a double-coated breed

Every 2 to 3 weeks works well for most Maltese — more frequent than a breed like a Golden Retriever, because the single coat doesn't have the same natural oil-retention concerns, and the white coat shows dirt and yellowing quickly. Use a whitening or brightening shampoo formulated for light coats if yellowing is an issue, and always rinse thoroughly to avoid residue that can dull the coat.

Ears, nails, and teeth

Clean ears weekly — Maltese ears are floppy and can trap moisture similarly to other drop-eared breeds, so regular checks matter. Trim nails every 3 to 4 weeks. This is also a breed prone to dental issues relative to its size, partly because small jaws mean crowded teeth — daily brushing with dog-specific toothpaste is genuinely worth the consistency here, more than for many larger breeds.

The case for professional grooming

Many Maltese owners keep the coat in a shorter "puppy cut" specifically to reduce the daily maintenance burden — it's a completely reasonable tradeoff against the longer, show-style coat, and it doesn't mean you're cutting corners on care. A groomer every 4 to 6 weeks, combined with the daily brushing routine above, is what actually keeps the coat manageable long-term.