Maltipoo grooming
Maltipoo grooming in Gloucester, MA
A maltipoo is a Maltese crossed with a toy or miniature poodle, so its coat borrows from a long, silky one and a tight, curly one. The result is usually fine, soft hair that looks smooth on top while it knots underneath. This page covers the teddy bear face, tear stains, the four-to-six-week cycle and what each piece costs.
The coat
Silky meets curly: a maltipoo's fine coat tangles at the skin long before the top looks messy
Neither parent has a coat you can leave alone. The AKC says the Maltese's long, silky coat needs daily gentle brushing and combing to the skin to prevent mats and tangles. Of the poodle it says that a coat not combed completely to the skin will mat near the roots and may have to be shaved off to start again. A maltipoo can be silky, wavy or curly, and whichever it inherited, the hair is usually fine enough to knot within days.
Fine hair hides its knots. A quick brush over the top leaves the surface fluffy while small tangles grow underneath, where the coat rubs against itself or against something else. Those spots are predictable on a small dog that is carried, cuddled and walked in a harness. If you can feel a firm lump when you pinch the coat near the skin, the brush has been missing it.
- Behind the ears, where the ear leather rubs the neck
- Under the collar and the harness straps
- In the armpits and between the back legs
- At the tail base and on the backs of the thighs
The face
The teddy bear face is a rounded head and a short, soft muzzle, cut as part of the full service
Teddy bear is not a breed standard, so it means slightly different things to different owners. Most mean a rounded head, a short, even muzzle, eyes cleared so the dog can see, and ears either blended into the head or left a little longer. Our full service is a bath plus a breed-specific or custom haircut, and a teddy bear face is one of those custom cuts. A photo of the look you like saves a lot of describing.
The body length is a separate choice. Short all over is the easiest coat to keep through a wet New England spring, and a slightly longer body looks softer but needs that daily comb. Tell the groomer which you want at check-in. Once the shape is set, the $10 face trim, which tidies the eyes, muzzle and ears between full grooms, can stretch the look by a couple of weeks without a full haircut.
Tear stains
Tear staining is a vet question first; grooming keeps the hair around the eyes short, clean and dry
The rusty marks under many light-colored maltipoos' eyes have a name. VCA's veterinarians describe epiphora as an overflow of tears, a symptom rather than a disease, with reddish-brown staining of the fur beneath the eyes as one sign. Causes on their list run from allergies and infections to abnormal eyelashes, and hair or debris blocking the tear duct. The AKC's advice for the Maltese is that excessive tear staining is a reason to see a veterinarian.
Grooming works alongside the vet, not instead of one. VCA notes that trimming the fur short around the eyes, and keeping the area clean and dry, can help. That is what the $10 face trim does between full grooms. On a white or cream coat, the $8 whitening add-on is a brightening shampoo; how much it lifts depends on the stain, and the groomer will tell you honestly at check-in what to expect.
- New or sudden tearing, squinting or redness: call your vet before you book
- Damp, stained hair under the eyes: the $10 face trim keeps it short
- A pale coat that has gone dingy: $8 whitening at the next bath
- Every day at home: wipe and dry under the eyes
How often and price
Every four to six weeks at $75; skip a visit and the knots behind the ears cost $15 per 20 minutes
The AKC's poodle guidance describes a professional groomer every four to six weeks for a bath, grooming and a nail trim, and a maltipoo's coat fits the same cycle. At four weeks the visit is a reshape. At eight, the face has grown over the eyes, the feet have lost their outline and the friction spots are knotting. Dematting is $15 per 20 minutes on top of the haircut, and the groomer estimates it with you before starting.
With a Maltese parent under 7 pounds and a poodle parent of 4 to 15 pounds on the AKC's figures, most maltipoos sit under 25 pounds: full service $75, bath $55; a larger dog of 26 to 50 pounds pays $85 and $65. The AKC flags fast-growing nails and dental disease in the Maltese, so nail clipping at $16 and teeth brushing at $10 are worth adding. Booking the next appointment at pick-up takes $5 off it, which keeps the four-to-six-week rhythm easy to hold.
| Maltipoo service | Price | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Full service, up to 25 lb | $75 | Every four to six weeks |
| Bath only, up to 25 lb | $55 | Between haircuts, after a muddy walk |
| Face trim | $10 | Two to three weeks after a full groom |
| Whitening | $8 | White or cream coats that have dulled |
| Dematting | $15 per 20 minutes | Only when knots have formed |
At home
A daily comb-through and an eye wipe, with winter salt rinsed off the legs
Five minutes a day keeps a maltipoo on schedule. Use a metal comb, work in small sections from the skin outward, and start with the friction spots: behind the ears, the harness line and the armpits. Wipe under the eyes with a damp cloth and dry the hair afterward. Brush the teeth too, since the AKC recommends frequent tooth brushing for the Maltese parent. Our how-to on handling a mat before it spreads shows what to do when the comb stops.
Cape Ann winters add work below the knees. A small dog's leg hair carries home the salt from treated sidewalks and gathers fresh snow into hard clumps. Rinse the legs and feet in warm water after a treated walk and dry them fully. If your maltipoo comes to daycare at 210 Eastern Ave, a groom can be booked onto the day, with weekday drop-off from 6:30 to 9:30 AM.
- 01
Comb behind both ears, down to the skin, before anything else
- 02
Work along the collar and harness line, then into each armpit
- 03
Comb the backs of the thighs and around the tail base
- 04
Wipe under each eye with a damp cloth, then dry the hair
- 05
After a salted or snowy walk, rinse the legs and feet and dry them
- 06
Book the next full service at pick-up to keep the $5 rebooking saving
At Dogtown
Small-coat grooming, on its own or with daycare
A maltipoo groom needs no evaluation. Add it to a daycare day once your dog has completed the free evaluation and been placed in a small-dog playgroup.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
What is a teddy bear cut on a maltipoo?
Will grooming remove my maltipoo's tear stains?
Is a face trim enough between full grooms?
My maltipoo weighs 28 pounds. Which price applies?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book the teddy bear face.
Book a full service online or in the Dogtown app, add a face trim between cuts, and bring a photo of the look you want.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
