Great Grooming

As you may already know, Havanese are not a wash-and-wear breed. The require extensive grooming, one of the (few) drawbacks to the breed.

Here are some grooming tips & instrusctions.

For regular brushing:

Supplies:

Comb (steel toothed is best. Most have a "wide" and "Narrow" toothed end)
Slicker Brush (ever-gentle is best)
Pin Brush (without the balls at the end works better in my opinion, doesn’t really matter)
Spray Water Bottle (unless you use it for disciplinary purposes. "Johnson & Johnson No More Tangles ®" also works well)
Letter Opener (this works the very best to de-matting) You get them free and business seminars or places like that.

  1. Run your fingers through the dog’s hair to determine if there are any mats. It there are, use the letter opener to cut through them, sticking the pointed end into the heart of the mat and pulling outwards. Be careful not to jab the dog’s skin.
  2. Once all the mats are removed, take your slicker brush. Using your arm, at the bottom, take all the hair and pull it up. Just hold it there with your arm. Then take the slicker brush and pull the hair out from under your arm, moving your arm up as you do this. This gets down to the skin. Do this every where in the body.
  3. Repeat the same thing with the Pin brush.
  4. Using the comb, completely comb out the dog everywhere. Get the tail, belly, armpits, under ears, etc.

    5. This whole thing take me about half and hour on Clover’s medium-length coat. (This is Clover’s mom making this page).

    To Bath a Dog:

    Supplied:

    Tub (NOT icy hose-water!! A deeper tub is better so they can’t get out as easily)
    Warm water (not cold or hot)
    Quality Dog or human Shampoo and Conditioner
    Lots and lots of towels
    You may want to keep the collar and leash on to help you stay in control.

     

    1. Put the dog in the tub and wet him completely with warm water EXCEPT ON THE HEAD.
    2. Use the shampoo and massage all over body.
    3. Wet head and apply shampoo, carefully avoiding eyes. I use Dog shampoo for the head.
    4. Rinse shampoo off head, then rest of body
    5. Massage in conditioner.
    6. Rinse conditioner
    7. Dry dog off with towels, blow dry optional. Make sure he's completely dry before letting him outside!

 

 

Index – Hava…WHAT? – More about Havanese – Havanese Breed Standard – Are Havanese right for you? – Just What do they Look Like? – Cyber-Havanese – Meet me, Clover – Havanese FAQ – Great Grooming – Faux-Paws - News from the Havanese Front - Havanese Stories & Poems –Links – Ask the Translator - Pet Shop Pups & Puppy Mill Dogs – Shavanese? - Obedience - Agility - My Award - Help Out - Thanks to… - Anti-Abuse