We’ll begin with the body part that you may look at least often, but is one of the first to get dirty in between baths. When you think of all of the walking surfaces a dog maneuvers over, it’s no wonder.
But, a quality paw wax can act as a shield to repel dirt, debris, allergens, and irritants. Of course, dirt and tiny debris is picked up by the paws on any sort of outdoor surface. But, another element to think about is allergens, with pollen high on this list. Pollen clings to grass and then to paws that walk over that. And, irritants include lawn care chemicals like weed-killer, fertilizer, and pesticides. Even if you do not use these at home, there can be run-off from neighbors or the use of these in public areas including dog parks. In the winter, ice-melt products and road sand can cling to the paws.
Using a good paw wax like
Mushers Secret Pet Paw Protection Wax
to act as a shield on the paws has the additional benefits of offering a layer of protection from hot walking surfaces, frozen surfaces that tend to dry out the paw, and snowballing (when snow melts between the toes, refreezes into ice, and stretches the sensitive skin there), helping a dog with traction, and keeping the paw pads healthy and moisturized.
If your Maltipoo is taken out for daily walks and regular outdoor playtime, you will want to apply this once a week. Musher’s Secret absorbs very quickly (about 10 seconds), but you may find it easiest to massage this onto the paw pads and in between the toes right before your little one is ready to go to sleep.
Cuteness break!
Maddie Faye, photo courtesy of Melanie
#2 Keep the ears clean.
Dogs like the Maltipoo that have drop ears are at a disadvantage compared to dogs with standup ears. Hanging ear flaps mean that dirt and debris stay in the ear area and excess wax can accumulate fast. In addition, dogs with drop ears that trap moisture tend to have more frequent ear infections.
There are two steps to keeping your Maltipoo’s ears clean:
1. Regular use of ear wipes.
With a good ear wipe, you can keep the ears clean before matter makes it way down into the ear canal. You may wonder if you can use a general grooming wipe for this; but, there are 2 main reasons that ear wipes are preferred over general wipes: 1) Wipes designed specifically for the ears, like
Earthbath All Natural Specialty Ear Wipes, contain witch hazel which is ideal to clean the ears and 2) these wipes are only semi-damp and therefore do not introduce moisture into the ears which can lead to infections.
As often as every other day or at least once per week, take one ear wipe for each ear and clean the entire inner ear (just do not try to push this down into the canal).
2. Use an ear cleanser.
This refers to a liquid that flushes out the ear canal. If your Maltipoo tends to have lots of excess wax, has overly smelly ears, or is prone to ear infections, cleaning the ear canals every 2 to 3 weeks with a quality ear cleanser can be quite beneficial.
Some owners shy away from doing this because they worry it will be difficult. However, it is rather straightforward. A few drops are placed into the entrance of the ear canal, the base of the ear is massaged for 1 minute, and then a clean piece of gauze, a cotton ball, or an ear wipe (see previous item) is used to swipe up any goop that comes out.
For this, we recommend
Zymox Ear Cleanser. It is very effective and has no harsh chemicals.
Cuteness break!
Sophie Ann, photo courtesy of Melanie
#3 Keep the eye area & face clean.
Baths alone are often not enough to keep up with facial staining. Stains under and around the eyes and sometimes down the cheeks, around the mouth, and/or on the chin can make a Maltipoo’s face look unclean.
In regard to
stains around the eyes, this can stem from eye discharge or tears (which keep those hairs perpetually moist) which itself can be due to a number of causes including additives in food, allergies, or partially blocked tear ducts. Natural tears may stain hairs at a faster rate if a dog drinks tap water that contains a high mineral count (the tears may have a high iron content).
Other causes of stains, both around the eyes, and over the face (and particularly around the mouth and/or chin) include hairs staying wet after drinking water, eating kibble that contains artificial coloring, and/or eating or drinking from brightly colored plastic bowls.
So, to keep the face clean, you can:
1. Take steps to reduce stains
by
feeding a high-quality kibble
that has no artificial coloring, use only stainless steel or ceramic bowls, and have any allergies or excessive tearing diagnosed and treated.
In addition, do not offer unfiltered tap water. Aside from possible high mineral content, tap water contains hundreds of contaminants ranging from traces of prescription medicine to known carcinogens. Instead, offer bottle spring water or invest in a filtering device like the
Aquagear Water Filter Pitcher.
And 2. Routinely wipe the face.
Using a fresh wipe each time, swipe over and around the eyes, as well as down the cheeks, around the mouth, and over the chin if needed.
Depending on how prone your Maltipoo is to discolored hairs, you can do this 1 to 3 times per day, ideally after a meal(s).
While there are several good eye wipes, one that has come to attention is
Arava Pet Natural Eye Wipes. This has chamomile and aloe vera, as well as a blend of dead sea minerals and a natural substance called Lion's Tooth (taraxacum officinale from the Dandelion) that has anti-inflammatory properties.
Cuteness break!
Zoey at 10 months old, photo courtesy of Suzanne Chai
#4 Routinely brush the coat.
Thoroughly brushing the coat every 2 to 3 days will help keep your Maltipoo clean by removing dirt and debris. But, brushing also frees the coat of dead hairs which is an important step in keeping a dog smelling nice. Though Maltipoos do not shed like other breeds that have fur, hairs on the coat are always in 1 of 3 phases of a cycle: Growth, rest, or fall-out. Hairs that fall out and stay in the coat end up coated in body oils, and if not removed will start to smell.
So, when you pull out any shedded hairs, you are also removing the source of extra body oil odors. If your Maltipoo has a short puppy cut, a lightly compacted bristle brush is the way to go. A wonderful one to use is the
Safari Small Bristle Brush.
Note that when you brush, you’ll want to use a leave-in spray (see next tip).
#5 Use a leave-in spray.
Lightly misting the coat while you brush will help keep your Maltipoo clean in between baths since the right spray will work to repel dirt, debris, and outdoor allergens.
In addition to this, a leave-in helps reduce mats, protects against contact friction and split ends, locks in moisture to prevent dry hair, gives the coat a nice texture, those with sunscreens can offer protection from UV rays, and a spray will keep your Maltipoo smelling nice and clean.
In the summer, it is recommended to use a leave-in with sunscreen like
Chris Christensen Ice on Ice Leave-in Conditioner. Protection from UV rays helps decrease the chances of squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer (dogs with light colored skin and hair are most prone to this) as well as help prevent sunburns.
For all other seasons,
Nootie Daily Spritz
is awesome; this has some fantastic fragrances including coconut lime, cucumber melon, Japanese cherry blossom, sweet pea & vanilla, and warm vanilla cookie.
Cuteness break!