The Maltese is a breed of ancient origins in which friendliness and charm are concentrated in equal parts.
Vivacious and intelligent, it is a breed that stands out for its snow-white coat; To prevent that natural white of the hair from yellowing and to let the natural beauty of the hair shine through, meticulous grooming will be needed.
Why does the dog’s white hair turn yellow?
The Maltese’s coat, like other white-haired dogs (Bolognese, Bichon Frisé, Westie, among others), can tend to yellowing, gradually losing their natural immaculate white and becoming a dull yellow or even a brownish colour.
In fact, some reddish spots can appear, especially in the area around the eyes, on the snout or on the genitals.
But why does the dog’s hair turn yellow?
The mechanism that makes the hair lose its whiteness is the oxidation of the coat itself, caused by daily contact with tear secretions, urine or saliva.
That is why the areas in which the colour change is more evident are exactly those that are close to the parts of the body that produce these fluids or with which the animal has been in contact (eyes, mouth, genitals and perianal area).
Generally, it is a purely aesthetic feature on which we can act both daily (taking care of the cleanliness of the corners of the mouth, the whiskers and the contour of the eyes) and when we wash the dog.
Little tips to prevent the hair from yellowing and keep it white
To eliminate the annoying yellowing of the coat, if we don’t even find brown spots around the mouth or eyes, it is possible to take some precautions that will give back our little pooch its “icy” charm and that glance that makes even the strictest people coerce to giving them a cookie.
First of all, it must be said that, no matter how much the dog’s white hair tends to yellowing, that it is never a good idea to wash our pet more frequently than normal with the conviction of “whitening” the coat, because in this way we would only get to damage the hydrolipidic film of the dog. Please follow the washing frequency instructions of your reliable groomer.
However, it is useful to keep the perianal, periocular, genital areas and the hair around the mouth always clean and dry, gently removing tear secretions, saliva and urine residues that may remain on the hair (beware that the paws can also show yellowing, because the dog tends to lick himself when the “manicure” is done!…)
As part of a “daily beauty routine”, it is advisable to prevent humidity from remaining in the areas where the dog licks itself or in those areas where the tears flow by drying them carefully. In addition, (and this must be applied to all dogs) a fundamental step in this routine is a thorough brushing that will help remove dust and dirt residues accumulated during, perhaps, the daily walks.
How do you groom a Maltese?
To keep the Maltese’s hair white, there are some natural remedies that, however we do not dare to recommend, since they tend to dry out the hair, helping the development of knots and tangles.
But actually, taking care of the hair of the Maltese and other white-haired dogs is not as hard as it seems, although it requires some “skills” and a suitable choice of products.
For a bath with a “whiter than white” effect, after having evaluated the condition of the hair, we can stick to the following procedure:
- A first wash with a degreasing shampoo or, in case of skin with dermatitis, a sanitizing shampoo obviously well diluted in water. A good massage and we are ready for the second step!
- At this point, the invaluable whitening shampoo for light hair springs into action. As with shampoos specifically for white human hair, whitening shampoos for dogs also have a purple color, but fear not: Max will not transform into a canine version of My Little Pony. These shampoos actually contain a special pigment that contrasts the yellowing from the first use.
- It doesn’t hurt to use also a detangling conditioner, especially if the coat is broken, damaged, dry or prone to tangles.
- We finish with the drying; we will dry carefully and avoiding that the hair (especially at the roots) does not stay wet. And this is because the residual humidity produces bad odours, spoiling all the previous steps (drying is a fundamental step but beware, dogs are not great friends of the dryer! Be patience, give them a treat and if you can, gradually get your friend used to the sound of the dryer).
Other specific treatments for the Maltese and white-haired dogs
In addition to regular bathing with specific whitening or anti-yellow shampoos, your Maltese’s hair will remain as white as the snow of the Himalayas if you follow some tips for the areas with the highest risk of pigmentation (which, as we have mentioned before and you already know, are the snout, eye contour, paws and genital area).
This will be possible thanks to a delicate cleaning focused on the interested areas with specific products:
- To clean the delicate area under the eyes, the cleansing lotion che will be our ally to eliminate tear secretions with a soothing, delicate and refreshing action.
- We have to take the same care with the auricle, which we will clean with a heron soaked in lozione detergente e antibatterica.
- Finally, an effective aid to keep your pet’s coat white, could be wipes for intimate areas, another sensitive area with a tendency to yellowing due to continuous contact with urine and saliva (such as when the dogs lick themselves to “get a bidet”)
And we already have our Snowhite ready, happy to roll around itself in the garden again…
