[dr.jaimie]

for those of you that have your malts in full length...how long does it take to grow long enough to reach the ground?...parker is 2 and his hair is still 4 inches off the ground.

 

[adorableaccentsdogbows]

It depends on the dog. Some dogs hair will never make it to the ground. My Minnies was to the ground at 10 months while Chocolates is still an inch off and she's 6. Unlike humans, Maltese hair doesn't grow from the root. It grows from the end. You never know

 

[vita]

Neither one of my guys has hair to the ground and one of them is so low to the ground to begin with..that would seem suprising..but the reason is I let them play with each other (as if I could stop them) and they are active!. All that contact with the ground (carpet, sidewalk, grass, ect..) breaks the ends of the hair and that is why it never grows quite long enough to reach the ground.

 

[adorableaccentsdogbows]

Mine play all the time too (inside and out) but I think some dogs hair is just more prone to breaking.

 

[dr.jaimie]

parkeer doesnt play at all....he is the laziest thing ive ever seen...he acts like my cats...maybe its how i comb him.

 

[kodie]

Is it true that your dog will pee on the coat when its too long like that?? I was always told that... thats why show dogs have their hair in special wraps to keep it clean.

 

[denise&chico]

Originally posted by Kodie@Nov 26 2004, 12:47 PM
Is it true that your dog will pee on the coat when its too long like that??  I was always told that... thats why show dogs have their hair in special wraps to keep it clean.
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[/QUOTE]
it groes from the ends?

how is that possible?

 

[adorableaccentsdogbows]

My dogs never pee on their hair. as far as the hair growing from the ends I found that out in a Kennel Club Book called Maltese A comprehensive guide to owning and caring for your dog. The auther is Juliette Cunliffe. It shows pictures taken with an electron microscope of the hair of a dog growing from the ends and from the roots. Primarily from the ends though. It's a very detailed book which includes information on propper ear set, body structure and allot of other things I'm interested in (anything that will improve my line)

 

[jmm]

The most likely reason that it isn't longer is that it is breaking off
1. Because of environment
2. Because of brushing and care technique

Stairs, carpet, playing, running some dirt/rocky areas, etc. will all break off the ends of the hair keeping it short.

Brushing technique can break off the ends. This is probably one of the most common reasons. The type of brushing, how you brush, how often you brush all influence this. Also, bathing and blow drying can break off a lot of hair.

If I am growing a show coat, it is to the ground on a pup by 18 months, some earlier. Mikey was cut down a year ago and, I don't wrap him or anything and keep him trimmed just above the ground, but his coat is an inch or so from the ground now.

 

[dr.jaimie]

so what is the proper way to brush the coat? i just comb it with some spray conditioner.

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[jmm]

Hair grows from the hair follicle in the skin.

You need a pin brush. I like #1 All Systems brushes, the 27 mm pins with the white "soft" packing. Other people like PSI or Vellus brushes.

It is easiest if the dog lays on the side. With your hand, flip the hair back and then brush one small section at a time. Use a little conditioning spritz for the area before you brush. Once you've brushed all the way through one side of the coat, run through it with a comb - a greyhound comb - to be sure there are no tangle. I lay them on their back to do belly and legs. You can use a very soft slicker for feet. They stand for their rear and sit for their chest. For the head, I have them lay flat with their head raised on a rolled up towel or chin pillow.

When brushing, you need to brush straight through the coat, no flipping your wrist at the end. You need to make sure you brush all the way through the coat and don't stop before the brush is out of it.

Brushing correctly is not obvious at first. If you have a reputable breeder who shows their dogs in your area, a hands on grooming lesson is a much. It will help you a lot.

 

[adorableaccentsdogbows]

Originally posted by JMM@Nov 26 2004, 08:48 PM
Hair grows from the hair follicle in the skin.

You need a pin brush. I like #1 All Systems brushes, the 27 mm pins with the white "soft" packing. Other people like PSI or Vellus brushes.

It is easiest if the dog lays on the side. With your hand, flip the hair back and then brush one small section at a time. Use a little conditioning spritz for the area before you brush. Once you've brushed all the way through one side of the coat, run through it with a comb - a greyhound comb - to be sure there are no tangle. I lay them on their back to do belly and legs. You can use a very soft slicker for feet. They stand for their rear and sit for their chest. For the head, I have them lay flat with their head raised on a rolled up towel or chin pillow.

When brushing, you need to brush straight through the coat, no flipping your wrist at the end. You need to make sure you brush all the way through the coat and don't stop before the brush is out of it.

Brushing correctly is not obvious at first. If you have a reputable breeder who shows their dogs in your area, a hands on grooming lesson is a much. It will help you a lot.
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[/QUOTE]
Juliette Cunliffe (the auther of the kennel club book) is supposed to be a breed scholar and toy dog expert. I know that people can be fallible (myself included) but the picture clearly shows the hair growing from the end.

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by adorableaccentsdogbows.com+Nov 26 2004, 09:40 PM-->

<!--QuoteBegin-JMM

@Nov 26 2004, 08:48 PM
Hair grows from the hair follicle in the skin.

You need a pin brush. I like #1 All Systems brushes, the 27 mm pins with the white "soft" packing. Other people like PSI or Vellus brushes.

It is easiest if the dog lays on the side. With your hand, flip the hair back and then brush one small section at a time. Use a little conditioning spritz for the area before you brush. Once you've brushed all the way through one side of the coat, run through it with a comb - a greyhound comb - to be sure there are no tangle. I lay them on their back to do belly and legs. You can use a very soft slicker for feet. They stand for their rear and sit for their chest. For the head, I have them lay flat with their head raised on a rolled up towel or chin pillow.

When brushing, you need to brush straight through the coat, no flipping your wrist at the end. You need to make sure you brush all the way through the coat and don't stop before the brush is out of it.

Brushing correctly is not obvious at first. If you have a reputable breeder who shows their dogs in your area, a hands on grooming lesson is a much. It will help you a lot.
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=18699

Juliette Cunliffe (the auther of the kennel club book) is supposed to be a breed scholar and toy dog expert. I know that people can be fallible (myself included) but the picture clearly shows the hair growing from the end.

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[/B][/QUOTE]

Gosh that is the weirdest thing I've ever heard! It just doesn't make sense logically. Doesn't there have to be a root or something for it to grow from? Did the author explain how in the world this could be possible??

 

[adorableaccentsdogbows]

I wish I had a scanner to send you the picture. It is strange. For lack of a better image it kind of looks like bamboo. It grows from the folical as well but from the ends also.

 

[jmm]

Originally posted by adorableaccentsdogbows.com@Nov 26 2004, 09:40 PM
Juliette Cunliffe (the auther of the kennel club book) is supposed to be a breed scholar and toy dog expert. I know that people can be fallible (myself included) but the picture clearly shows the hair growing from the end.

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[/QUOTE]

Here are some nice pictures.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3649

And a user-friendly explanation of what hair is.

http://dermatology.about.com/cs/hairanatom...hairbiology.htm

Both dog hair and human hair is made similarly. The hair that you are brushing is keratin, like your finger nails. There are no nerves or blood flow to this. Where hair is alive is in the follicle in your skin.

If you think of things that effect hair growth, like hormones or illness, they cannot unfluence hair growth at the ends of the hairs down the protein shaft, but as the hair grows from the "root". When you hear of things like split ends causing hair not to grow, it was explained to me to think about a frayed rope end. This is going to get caught on things and pull fibers out. Hence, the hair will not grow as fast because hairs will be pulled out. If you pluck a hair, you can pluck it completely out with a skin tag and all, and it will grow back from the follicle. Another good way to visualize hair growth is to think about what happens when you dye your hair and it grows. The ends stay the died color but your roots grow out your natural color.

Dogs and people have sebaceous glands, oils, etc. on their skin as well as hair follicles. The biggest difference is that most dogs have what people call fur, a double coat with a softer undercoat and a tougher guard coat. A correct Maltese coat is a single coat, like human hair, with no outer coat.

Hope that helps.

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by JMM+Nov 26 2004, 10:02 PM-->

<!--QuoteBegin-adorableaccentsdogbows.com

@Nov 26 2004, 09:40 PM

Juliette Cunliffe (the auther of the kennel club book) is supposed to be a breed scholar and toy dog expert. I know that people can be fallible (myself included) but the picture clearly shows the hair growing from the end.

<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=18703

Here are some nice pictures.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3649

And a user-friendly explanation of what hair is.

http://dermatology.about.com/cs/hairanatom...hairbiology.htm

Both dog hair and human hair is made similarly. The hair that you are brushing is keratin, like your finger nails. There are no nerves or blood flow to this. Where hair is alive is in the follicle in your skin.

If you think of things that effect hair growth, like hormones or illness, they cannot unfluence hair growth at the ends of the hairs down the protein shaft, but as the hair grows from the "root". When you hear of things like split ends causing hair not to grow, it was explained to me to think about a frayed rope end. This is going to get caught on things and pull fibers out. Hence, the hair will not grow as fast because hairs will be pulled out. If you pluck a hair, you can pluck it completely out with a skin tag and all, and it will grow back from the follicle. Another good way to visualize hair growth is to think about what happens when you dye your hair and it grows. The ends stay the died color but your roots grow out your natural color.

Dogs and people have sebaceous glands, oils, etc. on their skin as well as hair follicles. The biggest difference is that most dogs have what people call fur, a double coat with a softer undercoat and a tougher guard coat. A correct Maltese coat is a single coat, like human hair, with no outer coat.

Hope that helps.
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[/B][/QUOTE]

Jackie, Thanks so much for the info. I really appreciate your taking all that time to help us understand. I think the thing that makes it all make great sense is the hair dye explanation. I wonder why the author from the AKC is asserting that it grows from the ends....