# How long to grow out a malt coat? my dog is a mix...



## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

but he seems more maltese than anything (other parts are japanese chin and some other long-haired dogs)...

The longest he's ever gone without a haircut is 3mos, so i really don't even know how long his hair can get. How long does a malt take to grow their full coat?










Here you can see he's mostly malt. (i cut the ears really short there, usually they come down to the bottom of his face hair, and then i cut them again)


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

9-12 months for it to hit the floor, depending on the care you provide and how much you restrict the dog (dogs who walk outdoors regularly with the coat down will rip the ends of the coat and it may never get floor length).


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

yes I agree with Jackie - at least 9 months and most likely 12 or more. I'm growing out a coat right now that was completely shaved in November and it's not even close to the floor yet and it's been growing for 7 months. 

It really depends on the coat, how fast it grows and how the coat is taken care of. It's hard to tell from the picture but it looks like he has a nice coat. he's a cutie!


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I agree -- about a year depending on how tall the fluff is. And -- it can be a "pain" to do because they get to a point (about 4-5 months after you start growing them out) when it begins to mat a lot just because it has been bladed down and the hairs are uneven.

Even with Lacie, whose hair grown twice as fast as any of the others, would take about a year to have her in full show coat -- on the ground and looking good where I've been able to trim her up and having her coat ready for the ring. I could do Secret in about 9 months but only because she's "short".

But as both Jackie and Stacey have said -- it also depends on the type of coat and how you care for the coat. If the fluff is running on carpet, the ends will break from static electricity and, as Jackie mentioned, outdoor activies (especially grass) cause breakage too.

My personal preference is to either have a fluff in "glorious show coat" where you meticulously take care of it or to have the fluff in a cute short cut. Otherwise it looks unkempt to me. I do think that the short body with the longer hair on the legs, ears, beard, tail is a very nice way for a compromise. That is the cut that I have Tilly in (front of my siggy picture).


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

Thanks all!

Ah, a year. I will probably have to wait a year or 2 to do it i think, he plays soooooo much in the dog park, cuz he's only 2, and really plays. He's really short, like 4 inches from the belly to the ground, i'm so curious how long his coat can get, but after 3 months i usually give up, and i tend to give him a haircut every 6 weeks anyway. Or maybe I'll give it a shot maybe during the winter cuz we get snow so he won't get as dirty as in the spring. Hmmm. Thanks. 

Coat is pretty cottony, a real pain in the butt, but i'd still love to try just to see.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

I was curious with how long Zooey's coat could grow too. I let it grow pretty long, but it just got too hot here, so she's in a short clip now. It's comfort over beauty in this household


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## LizziesMom (May 4, 2010)

I've always wanted to let Liz's hair grow out, but I loose patience after about three months. Last time I cut her down all over because we were going on vacation and I didn't want to have to worry about it, so it will be a while before her hair grows out.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

I agree with the others about 9-12 months, i got Kelly in November and she was completely shaved down and her coat is almost to the floor now and Reese i got in November 2010 and she was completely shaved down and her coat was to the ground by November the next year. It really depends on how fast the coat grows and how well you take care of it.


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