# Facial Grooming



## moniq1231 (Apr 17, 2010)

Hey mommies! I bought clippers and have been grooming Bree for some time myself (Poor thing :wub: ) but we've been learning together! The one thing I can't seem to get down is the grooming around her face. More specifically around the eyes, as her hair grows and pokes into her eyes and causes tearing and eye goop .. ick! 
I bought the Scaredy Cut little facial scissors (worth their weight in gold!) and I've trimmed around the eyes but haven't found the right info/pictures to help with how much and where to trim... Any ideas? Pics would be a major help!

And if anyone has muzzle grooming advice too... her hair always sticks up and looks unkept. Haven't tried products because she always licks that hair so I don't want her eating toxic hair styling goo!

Thanks !! :chili:


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## ckanen2n (Jan 2, 2012)

I just googled Scaredy Cut and there are some videos. I haven't watched them yet!


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

I'm kinda new so I don't have as much experience as most of the members here, but I have the same problem with my Cici about hair getting in her eyes. I read somewhere on a website that inappropriatly cutting the hairs around Maltese eyes can make them grow in towards the eyes, and I think that's what I did wrong with cici, because since I got her and she would get ear gunk, I would just snip it off with the scissors instead of using a comb. 
So now the hairs that are growing back are getting in her eyes

From seeing most of the memeber's pictures of their malts, I notice most of them have long hair near their eyes and are just brushed/combed back. So I'm starting to let Cici's hair grow out, and combing it up everyday (from between her eyes starting at the nose combing up to her forehead). I would also suggest putting some kind of product that holds hairs in place for those hairs that keep getting in her eyes no matter how much you comb them the other way, and comb them up not down under her eyes because I tried that on Cici and didn't work so well. 

I think also, of you don't already, use a mustache comb or a flea comb, to comb your dog's facial hair. I ordered a madan mustache comb because I heard so many good things about it, I have not tried it yet though. 

Goodluck! Hopefully someone else posts more advice


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

BellaNotte said:


> I'm kinda new so I don't have as much experience as most of the members here, but I have the same problem with my Cici about hair getting in her eyes. I read somewhere on a website that inappropriatly cutting the hairs around Maltese eyes can make them grow in towards the eyes, and I think that's what I did wrong with cici, because since I got her and she would get ear gunk, I would just snip it off with the scissors instead of using a comb.
> So now the hairs that are growing back are getting in her eyes
> 
> From seeing most of the memeber's pictures of their malts, I notice most of them have long hair near their eyes and are just brushed/combed back. So I'm starting to let Cici's hair grow out, and combing it up everyday (from between her eyes starting at the nose combing up to her forehead). I would also suggest putting some kind of product that holds hairs in place for those hairs that keep getting in her eyes no matter how much you comb them the other way, and comb them up not down under her eyes because I tried that on Cici and didn't work so well.
> ...


You are absolutely right. Trimming the hair around the eyes is a nightmare as the hair pokes into the eyes as it grows back. The best way to keep the hair out of the eyes is to pull it all up in a topknot.

We don't do much muzzle trimming on Maltese. Many of us like the beard cut straight across at the bottom so it is even with the ears (bobbed). You can also trim the ears shorter or leave them longer that the beard.

This thread has lots of pictures of puppy cuts. You can probably find a look you like here and then just copy the face.

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/51-maltese-grooming/106091-puppy-cuts.html


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

Someone recently posted a couple videos of shih tzu grooming that you might enjoy (first post): http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/51-maltese-grooming/118953-home-grooming-checklist-advice-andis-blades.html

The second video is about doing a round face without a topknot. That groomer likes to clip between the eyes and along the top of the muzzle though.


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

Aarianne said:


> Someone recently posted a couple videos of shih tzu grooming that you might enjoy (first post): http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/51-maltese-grooming/118953-home-grooming-checklist-advice-andis-blades.html
> 
> The second video is about doing a round face without a topknot. That groomer likes to clip between the eyes and along the top of the muzzle though.


For a maltese, I wouldn't clip the top of the muzzle or make the hair too short at the stop (area where the forehead meets the muzzle). It makes the muzzle look unnatural, longer, and can leave the skin looking pink and raw (unflattering in my opinion). You can use thinning shears in that area for a more natural look.

For the muzzle, it depends on what look you want. As Marj pointed out, most of us tend to like either a natural look (longer), bobbed, or rounded (which is what I like). I would avoid cutting the top layer of the hair on the muzzle short with a blunt angle or else it will grow out wispy and stick up as it grows out. How do I know this? Because Obi had a bad haircut recently and they did this despite my instructions NOT TO! (was not his usual groomer). Hence, I am going to do most of his haircuts at home now. 

Another option is: go to the groomer for a cut, watch how they do it, and then just follow the same pattern for "maintenance."


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

Oh, I totally agree--that's why I mentioned it. Clipping the muzzle top is not my favourite look either but everyone's taste is different. :thumbsup:

When I do go sans topknot on my girls I do a very similar cut to that second shih tzu video though--the main differences being that I do not clip the top of the muzzle and I scissor almost all of it.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

Here's a video of cutting the hair near the eyes. I think if you do cut the hair like in the video you would have to keep doing it as it's growing or it's going to grow poking the eyes.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

Here's an old post I found in the forum, someone asked about cutting the hair around the eyes.
http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/51-maltese-grooming/61354-trimming-hair-around-face.html


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## moniq1231 (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks everyone, was revisiting this post and realzied I never responded. Sorry and Thank you to everyone that wrote 


Still trying to figure it out with her muzzle. Poor thing always looks like she got electrocuted!


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