# Plucking



## Luna'sMom (Oct 7, 2007)

So my breeder told me to pluck the hairs at the corner of the eye to help with the tear staining :smhelp: and I read a post on here about "needing to pluck" so I was just wondering;
should I be plucking the hair?
Where do I pluck exactly?
Will it hurt and how to make it not hurt (if possible)
Does it help with tear staining?
Luna's staining seems to be getting better :biggrin: - but she does seem to get wet under her eyes alot - especially when shes being crazy and running around like a mad person! 

I also noticed that the hair on the top of her muzzle close to her nose - do you think I might have caused a bald spot by combing it out and pulling out hair by accident :smcry: - now you can see her brown skin pigments hehe... oh the joys of learning what not to do AFTER you have done it!


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

I don't pluck a thing on Toby, he is "au natural."  The thought of plucking hairs at the corner of the eyes sounds incredibly painful to me; I don't think I would do that! I trim the hairs around Toby's eyes with scissors, but I also know that he will sit really still for this.

I think for some, the removing of the hair around the eyes does help the tear staining, but your little girl is young so it is quite possible that it is due to her teething. 

Hope that helps some.  I'm sure others have better advice.


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

Dakota's breeder said the same about plucking the eye hair - to be honest, I never really understood what bit of hair he was talking about, so I've never plucked around the eyes. 

I do trim tho - I use blunt ended baby nail scissors, so that if they move, I'm not going to poke their eyes out with a sharp object! I usually hold the beard to keep their chin steady while I do it.


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

I can't even imagine trying to pluck any hairs near Tango or Tillie's eyes! I just know they would not stay still or put up with that.


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

:shocked: Ouch! I can't imagine! Is this a show puppy? If not, why not just trim a few hairs instead of giving what must be pain?


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

I've never plucked and we have no issues. As a matter of fact my guys have never had an ear infection....so I must be doing something right. 

When Cooper went in for his teeth cleaning they plucked his ears...I was not happy about it.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

Yeah, I noticed that "plucked" post recently and made a mental note of it. I had never heard of plucking those hairs until now. Like Julie, I also use blunt edge baby manicure scissors--you can get them in any store. I wouldn't dare do anywhere near Ollie's eyes with anything but those. I often trim his right after a bath, when he's wrapped and warm in a towel and not wiggly. And I only trim the very corners. I recently trimmed his eyelashes, too, because they were SO long.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

> I've never plucked and we have no issues. As a matter of fact my guys have never had an ear infection....so I must be doing something right.
> 
> When Cooper went in for his teeth cleaning they plucked his ears...I was not happy about it.[/B]


I think she was talking about plucking hairs around the eyes, not ears  but I wanted to say...I don't pluck Ollie's ear hairs anymore either. I just trim them once in a great while. I did have them plucked when he was a little puppy because for some reason he had excessive ear wax and it got too icky in there. But he "outgrew" that I guess and not a single probem or ear-pluck since.


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## KandiMaltese (Mar 27, 2007)

I am the one who said plucking the hairs LOL..It's just in the corner of the eyes and NO it's not painful, the dogs don't even flinch let alone yelp. They don't even struggle  It's a must do in the show world from what I've seen and been told.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

i never heard of it until my VET plucked the hairs around mini's eyes when she went in for a spay! i was like "what the heck did they do?!" then i read up on it and, i guess that's an accepted practice. i know i couldn't do it on my own tho. i don't like the idea of hurting her.


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## villemo (Aug 21, 2006)

i do it sometimes... and i don´t think, that it hurts them, they even let me do it with Tweezers... 
i pluck the hai in their ears too,


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=458398
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 Dont mind me. Thats what I get for "not throughly reading". 

Yes, I use the baby scissors too....geeez cant imagine plucking by the eyes....that sounds like torture.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I pluck the corners of caira's eyes but I don't do it with my other two. It gives a neater appearance and Caira doesn't even flinch.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

How do you know where to pluck??


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

> How do you know where to pluck??[/B]


I have been thinking the same thing??? :blink:


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

It's not necessary to pluck the hair around the eyes unless it is 
growing into the eye. Those hairs are tiny at the eye rims and
you have to look carefully to see them. Other than that, I've 
never known anyone showing dogs or not pluck the hair outside
the eye rims.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

You'd be surprised by what different show people do. I use a pair of magnifying glasses and a slanted good tweezer and hold the eye open and pluck the hair that is right in the very corner of the inner eye. It's also better to pluck the eye lashes vs cutting them. It gives the eye a more open look without the fuzzy white hair on the upper lid. It's not easy plucking those eye lashes so I usually cut them with sissors. Some pluck the hair right in back of the nose. I cut those with blunted sissors. If it helps with tear staining the jury is out on that. Does it hurt........it dosn't seem to. They fear the tweezer more. The things we do to show our dogs so we can win.

Tina


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

> You'd be surprised by what different show people do. I use a pair of magnifying glasses and a slanted good tweezer and hold the eye open and pluck the hair that is right in the very corner of the inner eye. It's also better to pluck the eye lashes vs cutting them. It gives the eye a more open look without the fuzzy white hair on the upper lid. It's not easy plucking those eye lashes so I usually cut them with sissors. Some pluck the hair right in back of the nose. I cut those with blunted sissors. If it helps with tear staining the jury is out on that. Does it hurt........it dosn't seem to. They fear the tweezer more. The things we do to show our dogs so we can win.
> 
> Tina[/B]


Oh boy, Ollie would never make it as a show dog, lol. I can see why you'd pluck all those areas you mentioned, though. Ollie has pretty bushy eyelashes, lol. And those hairs in front of his nose tend to stick ON his nose...


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