# Coat types



## garrettsmom

Winnies once silky straight puppy hair is now growing in (at 7 mos) with a slight wave (almost like braided hair looks after undone. It still feels silky soft to me, but then again I'm not sure what a "cotton" coat feels like so it may very well be considered such.

Can someone fill me in on what is considered to be the breed standard.....and the straight silky hair I see on long coated dogs-does it naturally grow straight like that or is it "pulled straight" while blow-drying? 

No offense taken if Winnie's hair isn't considered to be standard as coat type wasn't important to me in my breeder search......just curious what coat changes normally occur in these dogs as they mature vs the individual trait differences seen amongst Maltese.

thanks for any info!


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## bellaratamaltese

That smooth, straight hair in the ring is usually the result of much time spent with a flat iron. Caira's coat is a tad wavy


[attachment=26809:IMG_5284.jpg]

Is Winnie's like this or is it more wavey? I do use a pin brush and try to blow dry it straight but it still has a bit of wave to it. She hasn't started her coat transition yet and I am NOT looking forward to that!


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## Cosy

There are naturally straight coats that if left to dry without blowing
dry may have a large wave like some human straight hair would be.
But, it's really pretty straight. It doesn't kink or curl. Those coats will
go poker straight with blow drying. There are so many variations of cottony
and silk that we could be here all day describing them all. Some only
wave at the neck or back end. Some only wave at the root of the hair
shaft. Some wave or curl all over. Some mat, and some don't.
There are also variations of white, from ice white to grayish white to
beige white. You might not even notice it until up against another
maltese. As far as coat changes, usually about the age of maturity (10 months or so) the coat may change. It can change again as the dog ages, just as
human hair does. Some coats change dramatically, and some don't.
How's that for no help at all. lol


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum

Not sure if you can tell in these pictures, but I have one with a cotton coat, and one with a silky coat.

Harley - cotton coat, with a 'go faster' tan stripe down his back

[attachment=26811:cotton.jpg]

Dakota - silk coat. It naturally parts down her back

[attachment=26812:silk.jpg]


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## dogloverx3

> Not sure if you can tell in these pictures, but I have one with a cotton coat, and one with a silky coat.
> 
> Harley - cotton coat, with a 'go faster' tan stripe down his back
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> [attachment=26811:cotton.jpg]
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> Dakota - silk coat. It naturally parts down her back
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> [attachment=26812:silk.jpg][/B]


 Dakota's twin Arabella has a silk coat too - ZERO wave . The one cotton coat I saw on a Maltese was so fluffy , I actually asked if it was a Bichon ( whoops ) . Sarah


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## Tina

I've been online for the past two hours trying to figure out coat texture for Maltese. There is so much controversy out in the show world it is *so confusing*. The standard states the following:
<div align="left">I do feel that the girl and boy he (Greg) was showing had the correct head for the Maltese Standard. Tristan does too. But again it is open for someone to put in their own interpretation of what they believe the standard to say.
</span> <span style="font-family:Arial">*Head - *Of medium length and in proportion to the size of the dog. _*The skull*_ is slightly rounded on top, the stop moderate. _*The drop ears*_ are rather low set and heavily feathered with long hair that hangs close to the head. _*Eyes*_ are set not too far apart; they are very dark and round, their black rims enhancing the gentle yet alert expression. _*The muzzle *_is of medium length, fine and tapered but not snipy. _*The nose*_ is black. _*The teeth*_ meet in an even, edge-to-edge bite, or in a scissors bite.

Just confused with all the standard. Trying to get the right type of coats, stucture, and heads. 
JMO
Tina 
[attachment=26819:lo9565inv7224_copy.jpg]


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## KandiMaltese

Thanks Tina, wow that was very informative :aktion033: :aktion033:


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## luvmyfurbaby

Mia has beautiful wavy hair and is almost finished with her transition from baby hair to adult hair you can see she has the top middle puff to go. Cody on the hand has beautiful silky blow dry or no blow dry straight hair. I like them both but if I had to pick I'd pick Cody's...less conditioning less straightening oh and hardly ever mats.


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## The A Team

I'm not at all positive if Archie & Abbey's coats are silky or cottony, but Abbey will knot very quickly if her hair gets any length to it, and Archie's will not - I bet he could be in full coat with no problems.

So I guess Archie's is more silky? :bysmilie: 

I'll have to think more on this one. But I like it better when there are no knots to contend with - that's what I'll base my preference on :smilie_daumenpos:


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## KandiMaltese

I have definitely noticed that the pure silk coats do not tend to matt as bad. Not to say that they couldn't, but they don't.


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## Cosy

Here's a formal pic of Toy at 15 months. Her coat is poker straight
and very cool to the touch. There is no hint of wave or curl in her
coat anywhere. It lays flat against the body. It doesn't mat easily. Her moustache and topknot were sparse here as she and Trinket loved to tug on each other's and it showed. :smpullhair: I hope this helps clarify a bit.
[attachment=27526:ToySilk15mos.jpg]


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## Critterkrazy

> There are naturally straight coats that if left to dry without blowing
> dry may have a large wave like some human straight hair would be.
> But, it's really pretty straight. It doesn't kink or curl. Those coats will
> go poker straight with blow drying. There are so many variations of cottony
> and silk that we could be here all day describing them all. Some only
> wave at the neck or back end. Some only wave at the root of the hair
> shaft. Some wave or curl all over. Some mat, and some don't.
> There are also variations of white, from ice white to grayish white to
> beige white. You might not even notice it until up against another
> maltese. As far as coat changes, usually about the age of maturity (10 months or so) the coat may change. It can change again as the dog ages, just as
> human hair does. Some coats change dramatically, and some don't.
> How's that for no help at all. lol[/B]


Clear as mud. lol

Piper's hair is straight but she does has a wave at the roots. Lola's hair is super duper thick and so far all 2 inches (she was cut down right before I got her) of it appears straight but it has a cottony feel to it. We'll see what it looks like in a few months after some inches get added on.


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## giselle79

> Here's a formal pic of Toy at 15 months. Her coat is poker straight
> and very cool to the touch. There is no hint of wave or curl in her
> coat anywhere. It lays flat against the body. It doesn't mat easily. Her moustache and topknot were sparse here as she and Trinket loved to tug on each other's and it showed. :smpullhair: I hope this helps clarify a bit.
> [attachment=27526:ToySilk15mos.jpg][/B]


Sorry, I'd rather say this is not a maltese, this is an angel. Beautiful is too little to describe Toy. :wub: :wub: :wub:


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## Cosy

> index.php?act=findpost&pid=446153
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> Here's a formal pic of Toy at 15 months. Her coat is poker straight
> and very cool to the touch. There is no hint of wave or curl in her
> coat anywhere. It lays flat against the body. It doesn't mat easily. Her moustache and topknot were sparse here as she and Trinket loved to tug on each other's and it showed. :smpullhair: I hope this helps clarify a bit.
> [attachment=27526:ToySilk15mos.jpg][/B]
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sorry, I'd rather say this is not a maltese, this is an angel. Beautiful is too little to describe Toy. :wub: :wub: :wub:
> [/B]
Click to expand...


Aww, thanks. She is an Angel Maltese, actually. :biggrin: She's also a body rubber, meaning she rubs alllll over so I keep her cut short now. She's so goofy. :blink: :HistericalSmiley:


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## mysugarbears

my little girl Chloe has very wavy fine hair, i blow dry using a pin brush and straighten it out and it looks really beautiful and it starts shrinking a little each day going back to very wavy, my little boy Riley has very thick hair and the roots have a little wave to them, otherwise his hair is straight and tends to be a little dry on the ends, looks like a puffball when i blowdry him. still trying to find the right combination of products to use on both to keep Chloes straight and Riley's less pouffy and not so dry looking.

btw, your little girl Toy is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!! :smheat:


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## jmm

I'd like to say - I HATE SILK COATS LOL

Hubby finally convinced me to give Sodie a haircut today. Silky hair is sooo hard to trim and have it look perfectly finished. I could trim a Bichon in half the time. And no, I didn't cut off his top knot...just can't do it.


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## Ladysmom

> I'd like to say - I HATE SILK COATS LOL
> 
> Hubby finally convinced me to give Sodie a haircut today. Silky hair is sooo hard to trim and have it look perfectly finished. I could trim a Bichon in half the time. And no, I didn't cut off his top knot...just can't do it.[/B]


Totally off the subject, but HUBBY???????

Have you been holding out on us????????


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## jmm

> Totally off the subject, but HUBBY???????
> 
> Have you been holding out on us????????[/B]


Holding out? Heck no...we got married this past summer. 

But on the hair cut...hubby said if I'd cut Soda's hair, he'd get him a coat. So promptly after the haircut we had to drive out to Petsmart. $25 coat with a hood that has a fuzzy trim on it bwahahaha


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## MissMelanie

JMM Tina wrote "Tristan's coat is a fine silk coat. It is fragile and breaks easily if not handle very carefully. Yet with my girls I have yet to get one that has his exact coat. Marty Klabunde, Cedar Wood Maltese, told me that Tristan has Marcris Marshmellow's coat and coat texture. Everyone is breeding away from this type of coat."

<span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS">Thank you for sharing this information with us. I think Wookie must have a similar sort of coat. He has Marcris Marshmellow in his background also. Wookie's coat, like Toy's, is stick straight without being blown dry and like Tristan's, I feel it's fragile. 

I wondered this same thing, what does the "correct" coat really feel and look like. That is one of the reasons I go to as many Dog Shows as I can. Then I found out that so many breeders are "ironing" their dog's coats.... great, that certainly isn't a help to me in this learning mode.

I really enjoy with other's share what they know here.

Thank you all,
Melanie



</span>


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## Tina

> index.php?act=findpost&pid=471301


<div class='quotemain'>JMM Tina wrote "Tina


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## Cathy

Tina,

Your Tristan has the same coat as my Smudge. You sure have done a wonderful job with his. You need to give me tips and tricks since I'm having an awful time with breakage. It doesn't mat but it sure does tangle and evening brushing takes forever.

Cathy A


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## MaryH

> What I want to know right now is what is the AMA is going to be teaching the judges. What they teach them is what I need to know as a breeder so that I can finish dogs as an owner/handler. I need to know their interpretation of what they think the breed standard says[/size].
> Tina
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> [/font][/B]


Tina,

The AMA has been teaching judges for years based on the standard as it is spelled out in "The Illustrated Guide to the Maltese Standard", prepared, published and sold by the American Maltese Association. Anyone can purchase the Illustrated Standard, either in book format ($15) or DVD format ($20). I own both and like each for different reasons. The book is very portable, the drawings are wonderful, and I can write my own notes directly in the book. I have found the DVD better for learning about movement because I can actually see the dogs moving in the DVD. A judges' breed study seminar is hosted every year by the AMA Education Committee in conjunction with their national specialty. And the general public is welcome to attend. I've gone to the breed study seminar every year that I've atended the Specialty and have found it to be very informative and very worthwhile. It is held in the evening on the day of Sweepstakes showing. And the next day the judges attend the regular class showing, sit ringside in an area set aside only for judges and AMA mentors AMA who will answer any questions that the judges may ask. When I attended the 2005 specialty in Kansas, there were swatches of hair passed around at the breed study seminar so that we could feel the different textures. Next year's specialty (September 2008) will be held in Port Huron, MI.

Mary


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## MissMelanie

> QUOTE(MissMelanie @ Nov 18 2007, 04:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=471301


<div class='quotemain'>JMM Tina wrote "Tina thank you very much. When I do go to a Dog Show, I do find the grooming area and watch very still and quietly. I would never bother then before they Show, due to how I feel when I am getting Wookie ready for a photo shot. :eusa_hand: I have never seen a dog being ironed. Certainly doesn't mean it's not happening though. I just missed it.

As a matter of fact I have a photo of Joyce Watkins talking to and kissing a dog she was waiting to show and they are priceless I feel. She was talking to this dog in the kindess voice, so soft and sweet. The dog was looking at her eyes with all the interest in the world. I LOVE the zoom on my camera. :innocent: 

I just will have to pay more close attention to details. 

I wish you well on your hunt for information, more power to you! 
Melanie


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## kickapoo

I'm fairly new here.....but love all the wealth of information I've been finding on this site!

I've owned Maltese for nearly 10 years now. Had poodles much of my life before that. 

I gravitated to the Maltese, as I love their long silky coats, AND the fact that I didn't have to clip them on a regularly basis, like I did my poodles. My first Maltese was a little 5lb male. "Moochie" had the long, straight "cool" silky coat. I bathed him every two weeks & used a good conditioner, and never had any problems keeping him mat & tangle free. Unfortunately, I lost our dear Mooch to a brain tumer. :smcry: 

I really wanted another Maltese....they have the sweetest, happy personalities & seem to love EVERYONE!

So, I bought another male. "Opie's" coat leaned a bit more to the "cottony" side. But, it was still straight and I was able to keep it long & flowing. Here is a picture of him at almost 1 year.









This is when the problems started. I noticed that the hair on his neck & back was starting to grow in almost "crimped" looking. :blink: I thought maybe it was just a phase he was going thru. But it continued, and eventually it got to be impossible to keep tangle & mat free. When he was completely combed out....the hair on his head, legs & tail was poker straight & silky...but the hair on his neck & back was crimped & bushy...stood straight out! (This part reminded me of the poodles I used to have, and I actually thought maybe I had be "taken" and he wasn't really a full Maltese....but then I learned on this site, that Maltese can have different types of coats.)

I finally gave up & do what I said I would NEVER do...... clip him down to a puppy clip. I didn't like that look, so decided to let the hair on his head, legs & tail grow back out...but leave his body clipped short. This seems to work best for him. His leg hair isn't all the way grown out yet in this photo.









My question is.....how common is it for a Maltese, to have two different types of hair on different parts of their bodies?


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## wolfieinthehouse

Wolfie has a thick, wavy coat at 10 months. Getting to and working out the mats under his armpits and haunches is a major job.

I just went to a dog show and saw quite a variety of coats.

I realized that neither the silky nor the cotton coats was better than the other. 

Watching them groom wasn't too helpful since at ringside they were mostly surface brushing to make tidy.


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## jmm

> My question is.....how common is it for a Maltese, to have two different types of hair on different parts of their bodies?[/B]


I don't think it is that uncommon, especially during/after coat change. It usually seems to be their rear area having a different texture. You might grow his coat back in when you have time and see what you get.


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## Janrea

you're all so lucky to have a maltese....this is a pic that I found with a very beautiful coat type...but I prefer the long wavy coat type:

Angel


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## Janrea

this is a very uniue coat of maltese!!!very beautiful...I wish this malt is mine!!!










and this is the maltese that I wanna kidnap!!!I fell in love with this malt...I'm sure u will too!!1


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## Janrea

> this is a very uniue coat of maltese!!!very beautiful...I wish this malt is mine!!!
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this!!!!twins!!!my posts are my fave coat types!!!








my favorite maltese through the internet!!!I even put this image in my secret blog in yahoo mail!!!


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## LauraR

[That pup by the can of soda looks exactly like the girl I am selling. If I didnt know better hummm

laura


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## bellaratamaltese

> [That pup by the can of soda looks exactly like the girl I am selling. If I didnt know better hummm
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Why hello, Laura!


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## bellaratamaltese

> this is a very uniue coat of maltese!!!very beautiful...I wish this malt is mine!!!
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I know others have said it, but you need to stop copying pics! And not only that, but you are hotlinkig them (not uploading them to your own account) and some people don't take kindly to hotlinking!


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## LauraR

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Click to expand...

HUH?


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## LauraR

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Hi you

Laura


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## bellaratamaltese

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That wasn't addressed to you, Laura, but the user who posted these pics.

Here is what hotlinking means
Inline linking (also known as hotlinking, leeching, piggy-backing, direct linking, offsite image grabs and bandwidth theft) is the use of a linked object, often an image, from one site into a web page belonging to a second site. The second site is said to have an inline link to the site where the object is located.

So everytime this page is viewed, the site that the pics belong to get a 'hit' also.


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## LauraR

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HUH?
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That wasn't addressed to you, Laura, but the user who posted these pics.

Here is what hotlinking means
Inline linking (also known as hotlinking, leeching, piggy-backing, direct linking, offsite image grabs and bandwidth theft) is the use of a linked object, often an image, from one site into a web page belonging to a second site. The second site is said to have an inline link to the site where the object is located.

So everytime this page is viewed, the site that the pics belong to get a 'hit' also.
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Sounds like you know your computer stuff. 

I know the basics to get around the computer. 

laura


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## bellaratamaltese

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Click to expand...

That wasn't addressed to you, Laura, but the user who posted these pics.

Here is what hotlinking means
Inline linking (also known as hotlinking, leeching, piggy-backing, direct linking, offsite image grabs and bandwidth theft) is the use of a linked object, often an image, from one site into a web page belonging to a second site. The second site is said to have an inline link to the site where the object is located.

So everytime this page is viewed, the site that the pics belong to get a 'hit' also.
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Sounds like you know your computer stuff. 

I know the basics to get around the computer. 

laura
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LOL!

If you look up the user who posted all the pics, you'll see multiple requests to stop taking other people's pics and posting them without permission. Although I didn't realize that she posted them over a month ago, LOL! DOH! Sorry Janrea!


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