What Kind of Brush Works Best for a Maltese Dog?

There's a right tool for every job, so the saying goes, and that includes the job of tending to your Maltese buddy's flowing coat. A pin brush is a top choice for your daily go-to grooming tool, as it straightens your pal's hair without getting caught or creating new tangles. This type of brush looks like a bunch of straight pins poked into a pad, and you can get one with or without little ball-like heads on the tips of the bristles. Either version is excellent for straightening your Maltese's coat, and which you use is simply personal preference.

Like the pin brush, a slicker brush glides through your Maltese's hair with the greatest of ease, and it gives an added smoothness to the coat's finish. This brush is small and rectangular, with many thin, wiry pins on the pad. The pins are angled backward, and they're more closely spaced than those on the pin brush. Besides smoothing the coat for a neat, beautiful finish, pulling the slicker brush through your pup's hair removes any loose strands before they get tangled in the coat and start forming mats.

Choosing the right brush for your pup doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. Use the pin brush to do a preliminary run through the coat and get the worst of the tangles out, then smooth him over with the slicker brush. Used at different grooming stages, each brush works well to help keep your pal's coat tangle-free, which is the ultimate goal of grooming.

Brushing your dog is a lot like brushing your own hair. Maltese hair tangles quickly and easily; the longer the hair, the more often you need to brush him to keep mats away. Spritz him with a spray detangler before brushing, to help prevent static buildup and breakage. Brush with the natural direction of hair growth. Make sure you get all the way down to the skin, but don't press so hard that you scratch the skin. Use the pin brush with its wider bristles to carefully work through any tough spots before you smooth the coat with the slicker brush.