Grooming the Havanese

In order to Groom your Havanese like a professional
You need the right tools for the job

Forget about most of the grooming tools that are offered in the department stores and pet department stores. If you want to groom your pet, you need to start with quality items that are not damaging to your Havanese dog's coat. Many of what you will find on the store shelves would not be used by breeders or groomers.

In this article, I will show you the items that I have in my home salon. I didn't always have these tools and did my grooming the hard way and/or ultimately damaged my dogs hair. That is until I was taught properly by my dear friend and mentor Lynn Baron. There is much more that goes into grooming than pulling a brush through the coat but the task is not so daunting when done regularly and instructed properly.

I will show you the proper combs and brushes (photos below)and shampoos to use. In 2010, I will relaunch my online boutique where you can purchase these items, all in one place (with one shipping fee) if you choose or you can get them on your own. Keep in mind you may have to order from several different sites.

First of all start getting your puppy used to bathing at an early age, when your Renaissance Havanese puppy goes home, he will have had about three baths. Continue this at home and make it a habit. This is strictly for the home pet groomer.

Supplies needed prior to bath:
Grooming table, card table, counter.
If you do not have a grooming table. Use a rubber bath mat or small area rug with rubber bottom to provide traction for your dog.
Detangler spray, A simple mixture of water and 1tbsp conditioner in a spray bottle will do. Never brush a dry coat, always lightly mist as you go, otherwise you risk breaking the hairs.
Dematting comb (yes, an actual comb, not a razor blade or rake,see photo below)
Slicker brush
Scissors

PRIOR TO THE BATH:
This is the most important step, you need to remove tangles and mats before wetting them down. First spritz your dog with a detangler spray just enough to moisten the coat but not wet it. Working from the bottom undercoat to top coat comb, concentrating on one area at a time. Your comb is your tangle detector, once you catch a tangle or mat, work with your dematting comb to remove it. You can work straight conditioner into the mat and pull it apart with your fingers.

You will need a specific dematting comb for this, not a mat breaker, which I find too harsh on the coat, painful if used improperly and dangerous to you and yours! There is a great steel dematting comb, which has wide spaces between the smooth steel teeth, it is great for working out tangles. Sometimes you can simply use your fingers to manipulate the tangle out. Sprinkle corn starch on the tangle to help grip the hair and be gentle, the whole idea is to spare the hair.

For mats, go ahead and soak the mat with the spray to help loosen the tight hairs while you work with your comb. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, it needs more help and so there is an amazing tool, which is really just a slicker but easier to handle. This does all the work for you, pulling on the tight hairs to loosen them. You will loose some hair this way but you have a better chance of keeping the coat lovely then if you chop them out.

When you have to cut the mat out: sometimes despite our best efforts, we have to resort to cutting a mat out. Some mats are so tight to the skin that it causes discomfort to your dog. You should always invest in a good stainless steel scissor - don't worry about the prices, your talking high quality, supplies that will last for years!

When cutting out a mat, go under it at the skin, make a hole in the mat and cut outward, never cut with the point facing your dogs skin for obvious reasons. Have someone assist in holding your dog until you all get used to the process.

Supplies needed for the bath:
Cheap squeeze water bottles with the little pull up top. Go to the dollar or discount store and pick up 2 to 4 of them. Can't find? try applicator bottles from a beauty supply.
Eye wash solution (after bath to remove irritation, from shampoo & water.
Quality cosmetic dog shampoo, dogs do have differnt PH, you wouldn't use dog shampoo.Their are several high quality brands specially formulated for grooming. Most must be diluted.
quality dog conditioner
Rubber bath mat
Towel

What about the shampoo? The stores are stocked with all kinds but how do you know which is best? This is strictly opinion but I found that a lot of over the counter shampoos didn't produce the results I like.Now, I invest in quality shampoos, some formulated for simple bathing and others for show grooming, worth every cent!
#1 All Systems® and Coat Handler^TM make fine everyday shampoos. Clarifying shampoo should be on hand to remove buildup every few months and give a fresh start, check out Chris Christensen^TM products.

Wait a minute, you must prepare your shampoo: preparing your shampoo, this is important, want to make your quality shampoo last longer? Many are formulated to be diluted with water.
Fill two bottles first with warm water, add your shampoo to bottle one and conditioner to bottle two, close and shake.

Bathing:
Bathing is best done when your sink or tub is equipped with a sprayer. If you do not have one, there are ones sold with adapters for the tub or your kitchen sink at your local home improvement store or you can purchase them at your pet store and pay more.

The danger:
Never leave your dog unattended for a second, do not assume they know how far the fall will be or that they cannot scale the tub, a tensed up, wet dog can sustain injury in a second from a slip or fall. So use common sense and have what you need at hand, if you must walk away, bring your dog with you, better safe than sorry.

Now you are ready to get wet:
Place your dog in the sink or tub on a rubber bath mat to give him traction. Use tepid or warm water spray downward and rinse well, especially the feet and hind area. Add shampoo working from head to tail, rub hair downward, not in a circular motion which can create loss of hair and tangles. Rinse and shampoo again. Rinse, add conditioner wait a minute or two and rinse, rinse, rinse. Residue will weigh down the hair.

Squeeze out the excess water off your dog's feet and wrap him up in a soft towel, tell him how good he was and allow him to stay wrapped up for 10-15 minutes. In the warmer months, I'll put them out on the deck to shake it off, cuts my drying time in half. When drying never use hot air, not only can it cause burns, it's too harsh for your Havanese dog's coat.

Drying:
This is a time where you could use a few extra arms. A stand alone dryer is ideal but expensive. Heated dryers can damage the hair, I suggest you use an Ionized hairdryer, no heat setting, dry one area at a time. Blow the coat downward to reduce formation of more tangle. Many tangles are gone from the prebrushing but some minor ones will form during the bathing, get them out because little tangles will turn to big. Combing is best by using a technique called line combing, see video below. Also, you may have heard that you should never comb or brush the coat dry, so lightly spritz water or a conditioner/water mixture on the coat prior to combing.Be sure that your dog is completely dried and combed out.

Supplies needed After Drying:
Nail clipper
safety scissors (rounded tips)
Antistatic spray (if needed)

Trimming:
Time to clip the nails, don't forget the dew claws, I personally will not have that toe cut off my few day old puppies. The only problem I see is that it can be forgotten when trimming the nails. There is a link at the bottom of this page discussing dew claws with diagrams and purpose of this appendage.

Eyes: with safety scissors you can maintain the hair around the eyes and the belly area*. Males tend to collect debris on their belly, from urine, you can trim the hair in this area to prevent that.

Rear: You will also want to trim the rear*, using grooming scissors. Cutting in a downward fashion, otherwise you can create a choppy, uneven look.
* Show dogs should not be trimmed. It is permissible, minimally, in specific areas of the body. Refer to your breed's standard.

Feet:
Trim the feet as well and clean up the pads, if you allow the hair to get too long on the pads, your dog looses traction and brings in a lot of dirt and mud, don't overdue it, they should have hair between their toes but not over the pads.

Take a good look at your dog, take a photograph and be proud of yourself! Give your dog a treat and praise him, end on a high note. Armed with the right information you can keep your Havanese dog lovely. Overtime, it will become an easier and quicker process and before you know it, your pro!

This information is regarding the grooming of the Havanese, other breeds may require different techniques, shampoos or even specific brushes for their coat type. The Havanese has a double coat as well, so you would not groom a dog with a single coat in the same manner. Grooming practices are just as opinionated for breeders as feeding choices are, so the way I do it may be far from the way someone else does it. Keep an open mind when venturing into grooming. What's most important is how well it works for you and your Havanese!

The most important information that I can give you, that I have learned from the professional show groomer is that, a clean coat does not form mats. Brush in between a few times per week, misting the coat as you go and strive to bathe (at least) every two to three weeks, for the pet. More frequently for the show dog.

The supplies:

Dematting Comb, notice how much friendlier this is. The wide teeth help to
untangle fur. If you have horses, you'll want one of these in your Ascot box!
This heavy stainless steel comb will last forever!
Price $29.99

Stainless steel Greyhound comb
Use to seek out tangles and mat and for finishing.
Price: $14.99

Flea Comb, The fine teeth of this type comb is perfect for removing debris
from eye area. The design makes it safe & easy to hold. Don't get too
carried away using it on the face, it will pluck out their whiskers! Price $5.99

Straight pin brush, ball tipped brushes will damage the hair, repeat ball tipped brushes
will damage the hair! Price $19.99

The Slicker, this is the easiest most efficient brush I have had
the pleasure of using. With a light hand, it removes mats and tangles.
The name brand brush sells for $50 this is an exact replica and works just as well.
Price $19.99

Boar bristle brush, helps redistribute the coat's natural oils to produce
shine. Best when used to brush hair in an upward motion, at the end of grooming.The trick is to spritz the hair. Otherwise you can create static & that is what breaks the hair.
Price $7.99

Nail scissors, compact, easy to use and great for
reaching those dew claws. Price $6.99

Styptic Powder,5 oz. Stops bleeding and stinging associated
with trimming too close to the quick of the nail. Price $5.99

6" Medical grade stainless steel Grooming Scissors
Razor sharp blades Price $16.99

#1 All Systems Super Cleaning & Conditioning Shampoo
Concentrate 16 oz bottle Dilutes 2:1 Price $12.99

Coat Handler Coat Conditioner Concentrate
16oz Dilutes 15:1 Price $10.99

Tomlyn Opticlear 4oz sterile saline solution. Use to soothe eyes after bathing, rinses away debris and leftover shampoo.

Items I could not groom without:
There are so many grooming products available out there but only a few thus far that I would never be without.
Silky Spirits, by Chris Christensen. It is made from organic silk which protects and conditions my dog's coats, it smells wonderful and a little goes a long way, so it is worth the price. I also use it to loosen tight knots in key areas where my show dogs cannot afford to loose coat, a little bit of work and I can save every strand! When I'm finished, I rub it into my hands for silky skin. This is a great drink for dry coats and apparently, dry hands!

Click here to learn about dog shows:
http://www.showdogsupersite.com/actualshow/dogshoh.html

How to video links:
These videos have been carefully selected for you. Some of these videos pertain to grooming shedding dogs or dogs with different coats be careful to use the information wisely, if you browse. Also note that the above is the way I groom my Havanese dogs, everyone has their own ways and opinions, keep this in mind as you customize a routine that works for you and your Havanese. Happy grooming!

How to clip your dogs nails
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/116921_clipping-dog-s-nails.htm

More links to follow as I continue to build this page.. for more tips, continue reading...

Live and Learn (the hard way)
Here are photographs of Macy before her puppy cut.
Macy's undercoat was coming in with a vengeance during a
busy summer off with my two little girls Victoria and Lexie.
I tried for days to remove the mats. I presented her to groomer after groomer and they all shook their heads at me, refusing to take the time to work on her. I cried too as I had no choice but to give her a puppy cut in order to free her from the mats. I've vowed never to be in a helpless grooming situation again and I devoured all I could learn from professionals about proper grooming techniques for the show dog. If I knew then, what I know now, I would not have had to shave her. NOW, I groom my own dogs with confidence and will never pay another groomer to take clippers to my dogs for the sake of time.

Macy in her puppy cut, this is my signature puppy cut for my Havanese girls
I call it the Showgirl. It is stylish and showcases their lovely head, tail and legs.
We will still train for the show ring until she is fully coated. Update: I am happy to report that Macy's coat has made a full recovery after sixteen months. See her gallery.

Puppies should be bathed regularly to get them used to the process.
Here is Celeste (Dec 2008) who just moved to Washington, D.C.

This photo was taken 01/01/09 I am so excited that Bolo is coating out nicely.
It used to be that his hair was always in his face, now we can brush it back nicely
for show in the spring.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt-Abraham Lincoln 16th president of the US (1809-1865)

All photography and text contained within this website is the exclusive property of Renaissance Havanese and is not to be removed or copied, without written permission from the author Veronica Guillet.