# Bingo at 17 weeks - coat predictions?



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

Here is Bingo at just over 4 months old. Sire is a short haired Chihuahua, dam is a Maltese and ?? mix (drop coated). I was hoping Bingo would inherit a long, Malti type coat and I think my wish is coming true.
He gets combed daily and bathed/blowdried weekly. About 3” long on his back, never any mats and the texture is quite soft and woolly, maybe? I’ve been using Plush Puppy shampoo and conditioner. 
Does he look like what a 4 month old Maltese would look like, as far as length and texture go?


----------



## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

I can not say for sure about his coat because puppy coats can be fairly varied from all the Maltese puppy pictures I have seen. :blink: You can google 4 month old shih tzu black and white and see similar coats too. :wub: But I can say for sure and without a doubt he is one super adorably cute baby! :wub:


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

Can we talk more about puppy coats, please?
When does a puppy coat start to change?
How does it change (does the dog go through a big shedding period? Is it so gradual you don’t even notice?)
What usually happens to the texture during and after the change?
And, finally, how long can it take for a coat to grow out to floor length in a Maltese (ballpark)?


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

Aviannah's Mom said:


> ... But I can say for sure and without a doubt he is one super adorably cute baby! :wub:


Thank you, I think so too!


----------



## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

I am sure some of the other members will have way better answers than me on this subject considering I am a first time maltese mom and my girl just turned 1 in January. :blink: I was told knotting/matting could start getting bad around 7-9 months old and last anywhere from a few months to 6 months maybe. :blink: I have let Aviannah's coat grow long but I do keep it trimmed to hang about an inch or so above the ground. For us it was a gradual change that mostly came in the form of way more knotting at around 8-9 months old that we are still dealing with. For us it has been important to stay diligent on daily grooming and I use leave conditioner and detangler to help with her knots. If I brush and then comb daily I keep it under control fairly easily. I have attached a few pictures to possibly help. The first one is Aviannah close to 4 months old, 2nd one she was 9 months old and the last one I just took a couple days ago of her napping on my desk and it shows her coat more close up.


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

Thank you, Denise, your photos are very helpful, and what a beautiful girl! So how would you describe the differences in texture between Aviannah’s puppy and adult coat? I know there are alot of individual textures amongst Maltese, I just like hearing about everyone’s experiences.


----------



## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

Thank you! She is an amazing little girl! :wub: I do not think the texture of her hair has changed much. Some say it is a little silkier and lays flatter now but that could just be due to the long length which naturally pulls it down. :blink: Well with the exception of the dry heat in the air right now and her rubbing against pillows/blankets and turning herself into static hair girl sticking out all over her little body! :w00t: She is loosing a little more hair with grooming right now  perhaps because of knots but I was told this will get better soon and again daily grooming and leave in conditioner helps so much in getting knots out a little easier! I also wonder  if the stress of our house fire has not added to her knotting and loosing a bit more during grooming. While living in the hotel :blink: I was struggling to keep up with grooming and she knotted much worse, it is getting a bit better now that we are in a rental home and getting back more of schedule.


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

What a beautiful little guy Bingo is! 
He doesn't look like any of his "heritage line" to me---so it would be hard to say what kind of coat to expect. It will be interesting to see if he sheds hair 2 x per year like most pups do---but not like maltese. His hair coloring is also not typically maltese. So you will just have to wait & see what you get---anything else at this point is speculation. It sounds like you are doing all the right things to ensure a healthy coat. Usually on maltese the hair replacement from puppy coat is gradual & even w/in maltese lines you can have a silky or a cottony coat. It takes about 1 1/2 yrs to grow a "show-length" coat on a maltese---w/some dogs growing much more quickly. Bingo does seem to have a lot of hair for a pup only 4 months old. 
We will follow this sweet little guy w/interest. Welcome to SM.


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

Thanks, Sandi. Under all that hair, his head is decidedly Chihuahua-ish, but with more Maltese-like eyes.

My next question is:
Is there a standard growth pattern to a Maltese coat? For instance, Bingo’s body hair is the longest, while legs, tail and especially ears and chin have much slower growth.


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I love his coloring!
He looks like he is stocky, but photos can be deceiving! How much does he weigh? He looks so precious in the bath.
I do think it is normal for hair on the body to grow longer first, but I have no idea how long his will grow, due to the mix. It will be interesting to see how he develops.


----------



## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

Awww Bingo is even cute all wet!


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

The portrait photo in my first post was taken (by my talented sister) at 17 weeks. Bingo is now 5 months old (as of today!) and weighs exactly 5 lbs.
His topnot is _just_ getting long enough for some tiny claw clips, as in the picture - messy, but you can see his face!

Which leads me to my next question - how do you deal with hair that is long enough to make it hard for him to see, but too short to stay in a clip or elastic? Do you folks use some kind of product to stiffen and hold or ?? Is it possible to eventually ‘train’ the hair into a part down the middle and not put it up at all?


----------



## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

I use a little bit of CC gel on Aviannah's.


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

You can start out w/2 topknots---one in front w/the shortest hairs & the next one directly behind this one w/the longer hairs. Be careful not to pull either of these too tightly---it can be very uncomfy for pup. I make a habit of loosening mine after they are secure---always. In the beginning this has to be done numerous times in a day depending on how rough they play. I use the fabric binders w/mine as they come out much more easily---some use silicone binders or even the braces gummies as they are tiny.


----------



## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

What beautiful coloring he has, he's unique! He looks very Maltese to me right now except for his coloring.


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

LOVE_BABY said:


> What beautiful coloring he has, he's unique! He looks very Maltese to me right now except for his coloring.


I agree, he has that cute little Maltese blackeyed face and just the right muzzle length. Thanks for all of the complements and advice from everyone.


----------



## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

Welcome to SM! What a cutie Bingo is. As far as his coat, you'll have to wait and see.


----------



## jane and addison (Nov 1, 2012)

Welcome to SM.


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

All of those coat questions are impossible to answer because your dog is a mixed breed. You're just going to have to wait and see. The texture definitely *looks* like a shih Tzu's to me. He is super cute.


----------



## cshepard (Dec 27, 2017)

zooeysmom said:


> All of those coat questions are impossible to answer because your dog is a mixed breed. You're just going to have to wait and see. The texture definitely *looks* like a shih Tzu's to me. He is super cute.


I know. I’m doing research into all different drop coat breeds. Just wondering how typical Maltese coats behave. I’m a bit OC on preparedness!


----------

