# How often can I wash my maltese?



## thelordsbeauty

She seems to get so dirty. Especially because she loves to go under furniture. And her eye stains keep coming back, but i was told that it was because she was a baby and will lose her puppy teeth soon. She doesn't mind a bath and blow dry, can i do it every week?


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## bellaratamaltese

How old is your puppy? I have 14 wk old pups and they love to fling themselves under my couches - it is never ending!

I bathe my show dogs every 3-5 days so it's definitely 'safe' to do so, but if she is really young, just try to use a mild shampoo and don't go overboard on whitening shampoos which can really dry things out. I actually never use a whitening shampoo on my dogs, I don't like the way it leaves the coat.


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## thelordsbeauty

She is 4 months exactly today! I didn't even realize that. lol. Well petsmart only suggested the whitening shampoo/conditioner when they saw i had a maltese, so it was the only one i bought. Her hair is not smooth, but a bit puffy in nature. I don't know if it is because of that shampoo or what. Do you put something special (olive oil or something) to make the hair silky? Or do i just have to wait till she gets older for that?
I know they say other dogs shouldn't get washed so often cause it can dry out their skin, but since Malteses are such a unique breed, i thought they might have special instructions.


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## edelweiss

I have always washed my little ones once a week unless they get into something or have an issue w/a stool---then would be more often. I use Johnson's baby shampoo on the head area & other shampoos of various sorts on the body, depending on hair quality, age, etc. I also use pure & organic oils against insects in my conditioner since I live overseas & we have some issues w/sandflies, etc. 
Since these little ones are up-close to me & my family members I want clean---and that way I can also see if there is a skin issue or insect I need to terminate! 
I would not use a whitening shampoo on a baby---just something w/out too many chemicals.


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## aprilb

Earthbath hypo-allergenic shampoo would be excellent. It is all natural, tearless, mild, and contains olive oil. You can bathe Cookie once a week. You can use your whitening shampoo once a month if you like, but no more because it is too drying. You also need a conditioner. Earthbath makes one and also makes an all-natural whitening shampoo with lavender that I prefer but I still use this one only once a month or so. None of the Earthbath shampoos contain soap. Earthbath products can be found at Petco, Petsmart, or Amazon.com.:thumbsup:


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## Alexa

I agree with the others, whitening shampoo's can dry out the hair too much.

Would recommend you a good mild shampoo and conditioner with natural ingredients that don't irritate the skin.

There're lots of brands on market. You also can check the grooming section here on the forum. I'm sure you'll find the right stuff for your cute baby!

I bathe my girl weekly, use a mild shampoo and conditioner. 

Alexandra :wub:


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## almitra

I've bathed both my Malts weekly since I got them @ 12 weeks. No problemo. Never used a whitening shampoo, though...they are a bit costly and I am kinda broke...LOL! You know, fulltime student now and all that. Still, it shouldn't dry overly if you use a moisturizing shampoo/conditioner. Let us know how these suggestions work for your adorable baby.


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## DiamondsDad

This is a useful discussion. Diamond has only been getting bathed once every two weeks (once by us, once by a groomer.) We are afraid to irritate the little girl's skin. In light of this discussion though, maybe we will bathe her every week.
Of course, we just recently found out that the groomer has been using a whitening shampoo on her. We asked the groomer when we started taking her there what she used and she said she used all natural, gentle products; no whiteners. Then, just a couple weeks ago (after a year of taking Diamond there); we learned she was using whitening shampoos....we are now investigating new groomers.


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## thelordsbeauty

How did you find out that she was using whitening shampoo? My cookie has only been professionally groomed once. It is very costly. And that was just for an overall trim cause she had a lot of hair when we got her and no idea what to do with it.


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## The A Team

I give my dogs a bath every week...but I leave the whitening to the groomer.


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## DiamondsDad

thelordsbeauty said:


> How did you find out that she was using whitening shampoo? My cookie has only been professionally groomed once. It is very costly. And that was just for an overall trim cause she had a lot of hair when we got her and no idea what to do with it.


The groomer was complaining that Diamond was too dirty, that she had to wash her 4 times. We couldn't believe Diamond was that dirty; we had just given her a complete wash 5 days before we took her to the groomer. However, we said to the groomer, maybe we're not washing her correctly seeing as how we just bathed her a few days ago and you say she's really dirty. 
The groomer starting going over everything she does and uses, and we were very suprised when she mentioned the whitening shampoo. When we first started taking Diamond there my girlfriend specifically asked what types of shampoos, conditioners, etc. they used and mentioned that we didn't want any whitening shampoos used on her. 
Anyway, this is why we are looking for a new groomer. She lied to us, and the fact that she thinks our dog is really dirty has to do with the fact she is used to grooming suburban dogs. Our little girl takes her walks downtown.


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## thelordsbeauty

DiamondsDad said:


> She lied to us, and the fact that she thinks our dog is really dirty has to do with the fact she is used to grooming suburban dogs. Our little girl takes her walks downtown.


Too funny, takes her walks downtown. lol. She's a socialite! Anyway, have you discussed getting a refund for previous treatments since she lied to you about what she used? Surely there must be a way. They wouldn't want bad reviews right?


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## almitra

DiamondsDad said:


> The groomer was complaining that Diamond was too dirty, that she had to wash her 4 times. We couldn't believe Diamond was that dirty; we had just given her a complete wash 5 days before we took her to the groomer. However, we said to the groomer, maybe we're not washing her correctly seeing as how we just bathed her a few days ago and you say she's really dirty.
> The groomer starting going over everything she does and uses, and we were very suprised when she mentioned the whitening shampoo. When we first started taking Diamond there my girlfriend specifically asked what types of shampoos, conditioners, etc. they used and mentioned that we didn't want any whitening shampoos used on her.
> Anyway, this is why we are looking for a new groomer. She lied to us, and the fact that she thinks our dog is really dirty has to do with the fact she is used to grooming suburban dogs. Our little girl takes her walks downtown.


Well now. That was kind of insulting by that groomer, huh? You did the right thing walking away....and I wouldn't even look back, either. Hmph!


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## thelordsbeauty

Just came back from Petsmart. Oh man those people don't know anything! It took them forever to find dog conditioner that wasn't whitening. Apparently they only had shampoos in stock. I'm staring at a whole wall of shampoos and the workers were basically shrugged their shoulders.


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## almitra

Well, that's PetSmart for ya'.


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## Sylie

May I just suggest that you can get any shampoo and conditioner you can imagine on the internet. Even with shipping it usually costs less than at a pet store. I won't set foot in either of the two mega stores, but I live in an area that has feed stores. 
Here is a link to one place...there are a bizzilion more.

Chris Christensen Spectrum 10 Sampoo


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## almitra

I LOVE CC products.


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## SLP21

I usually try to bath Milo every week, but it is usually more often as he LOVES being outside, and loves mud and dirt lol 

I've been using Tropiclean Hypoallergenic puppy shampoo, and Tropiclean conditioner and spa lavish facial scrub on his face. I only use a whitening shampoo on his paws, and that is only if they get soo dirty I can't scrub it out with regular shampoo.


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## LJSquishy

As the others have already mentioned, you can bathe Cookie weekly. Most of us do that in fact. You will only want to use a whitening shampoo once every 4 baths or so as it will dry out the hair, and always use a good conditioner after any shampoo.

Petsmart/Petco carries a couple of good products, Earthbath and Tropiclean are good. Petco will have a better selection. I prefer to order almost everything online because the selection is endless.  I have been using Nature's Specialties products (specifically the Plum Silky Shampoo, Plumbtastic Conditioner, Re-Moisturizer w/ Aloe Conditioner, and Quicker Slicker Grooming Spray) for several years with great results. I get that online.

Oh! I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet but to help keep Cookie's face clean and help fade the tear stains a little bit, Spa Lavish Facial Scrub is a must!!! One bottle lasts forever since you only use a pea-sized amount. You can use it daily but it may be a little drying so I recommend using it about 3-4 times per week.


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## DiamondsDad

thelordsbeauty said:


> Too funny, takes her walks downtown. lol. She's a socialite! Anyway, have you discussed getting a refund for previous treatments since she lied to you about what she used? Surely there must be a way. They wouldn't want bad reviews right?


 Diamond is quite the little socialite  She gets so much attention everywhere she walks.


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## Nyght

I love all the great information. Thanks everyone


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## munchkn8835

Just the other day I was told that washing Ollie every week was too often. It would cause his skin to dry out and he would also start smelling sooner. This came from a breeder of Poms & Chis. Have any of you ever heard of this?


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## lyndy

I asked both of the vets I have used and the owner of Woof Life and they all said once a week was fine. I use the Pure Paws she sells and love it. That stuff is amazing. She looks and smells fantastic!


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## Rocky's Mom

I bathe Rocky once a week. I also am using Earthbath and love it. Rocky was scratching, but now he doesn't scratch at all. :chili:


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