Grooming Tools
Li'l Pals Slicker Brush Review: Months of Brushing a 7-Pound Maltese
A year of five-minute evening sessions on the kitchen table, and the honest limits of a brush that fits in two fingers.
A seven-pound Maltese, a pair of ear mats, and the small brush that became part of the evening routine.
A year of five-minute evening sessions on the kitchen table, and the honest limits of a brush that fits in two fingers.
A home groomer compares the small slicker she reaches for every evening with the pin brush in the drawer, and where each one earns its keep on a small coat.
A year of brushing a seven-pound Maltese on the kitchen table, and the ten things a small slicker actually does that a full-size brush cannot.
A seven-pound Maltese, a pair of ear mats, and the small brush that became part of the evening routine.
A home groomer's step by step for the spot every small dog hides, using a small slicker brush and a folded bath towel on the kitchen table.
A year with one small slicker brush, one fussy Maltese, and a kitchen drawer. What it loosens, what it will not fix, and the technique I had to learn the hard way.
Eight months, two bottles, and about fifteen sink baths on a seven-pound Maltese. What the brightening actually does, what it does not, and the dilution step that decides the whole thing.
One is the bottle I keep reordering for a 7-pound Maltese. The other is the one I grab when I have forgotten to reorder. Here is the honest split.
Eight months of sink baths, two bottles, and one very white Maltese named Lulu.
Eight months, one bottle finished and a second one underway. What actually changed on Lulu's coat, what did not, and the second rinse that made the difference.
The five-step sink routine I use on a seven-pound Maltese every two to three weeks, including the part almost everyone skips: diluting the shampoo and rinsing it out twice.
Eight months, two bottles, and one 7-pound Maltese. What this whitening shampoo does well, and the one thing it will not do.
Six months of one wipe every morning on a seven-pound Maltese. What it fixed, what it did not, and the part the groomer still has to do.
A home groomer compares Earth Rated and Angels' Eyes wipes on one tear-stained Maltese, with notes on size, scent, daily use, and what a wipe can actually do.
Six months of one wipe a morning on a seven-pound Maltese, and what actually changed under her eyes.
Six months of one wipe every morning, on a Maltese who has opinions about her own face.
A home groomer's morning routine for tear stains on a small dog, in the order I actually do it, including the part where I realized the wipe alone was not enough.
Six months of daily use on a seven-pound Maltese, including the part the listing does not tell you plainly: these wipes clean, they do not de-stain.
Four months with a cordless two-speed grinder, a 7-pound Maltese who hates her paws touched, and a kitchen table routine that finally stuck.
One yelped nail, one new tool, and four months of comparing them on a kitchen table in Roanoke.
Ten things I learned in four months of grinding a seven-pound Maltese's nails at the kitchen table, after seven years of clippers and one bad July afternoon.
One small dog, one pair of clippers, and the July afternoon that ended with a squeak and a dog under the kitchen table. What finally worked, and what I would tell you before you buy one.
A practical, first-person routine for a small dog who will not sit still for clippers, using a quiet two-speed grinder and a kitchen table towel.
Four months of every-other-week nail days on my kitchen table, one paw at a time, with a seven pound Maltese who does not like having her feet touched.
Five months of nightly brushing with one fussy seven pound Maltese, from the first clamped jaw to the veterinarian's comment at her September checkup.
I have brushed a seven-pound Maltese's teeth most nights since June. Here is what the Vet's Best kit does that the Arm & Hammer kit does not, and the two things Arm & Hammer does better.
Lulu is seven pounds with a short jaw and no patience for anything near her face. Here is what five months of nightly brushing actually changed, and why the routine fits a small dog better than a big one.
One seven pound Maltese, one banana flavored paste, and about a minute on the kitchen floor after supper. Five months in, here is what changed and what did not.
Five months of nightly brushing with a seven-pound Maltese who hates being handled. What worked, what I made harder than it needed to be, and what a toothbrush honestly cannot fix.
Five months of nightly brushing on a seven-pound Maltese, one tube, and a clear-eyed look at what this kit does and does not do.
A year of five-minute evening sessions on the kitchen table, and the honest limits of a brush that fits in two fingers.
A year with one small slicker brush, one fussy Maltese, and a kitchen drawer. What it loosens, what it will not fix, and the technique I had to learn the hard way.
Eight months, two bottles, and about fifteen sink baths on a seven-pound Maltese. What the brightening actually does, what it does not, and the dilution step that decides the whole thing.
Eight months, two bottles, and one 7-pound Maltese. What this whitening shampoo does well, and the one thing it will not do.
Six months of one wipe every morning on a seven-pound Maltese. What it fixed, what it did not, and the part the groomer still has to do.
Six months of daily use on a seven-pound Maltese, including the part the listing does not tell you plainly: these wipes clean, they do not de-stain.
Four months with a cordless two-speed grinder, a 7-pound Maltese who hates her paws touched, and a kitchen table routine that finally stuck.
Four months of every-other-week nail days on my kitchen table, one paw at a time, with a seven pound Maltese who does not like having her feet touched.
Five months of nightly brushing with one fussy seven pound Maltese, from the first clamped jaw to the veterinarian's comment at her September checkup.
Five months of nightly brushing on a seven-pound Maltese, one tube, and a clear-eyed look at what this kit does and does not do.