# Should Hair Be Layered From Spine Down to Skirt?



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

I've been letting Willow's hair grow out and I really don't know how long I'll let it get. Just depends on how hard I find it to comb. I've been wondering about the hair that grows in the what I've heard some of you call the skirt. Is the hair all one length from the spine down to the floor or is it layered with shorter hair on the top of the dog that gradually blends into the longer hair forming the skirt? I hope my question is making some sort of sense!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I have always had Scout trimmed a little all over. Truffles has only had her legs trimmed, but her coat is getting pretty long now. I think the hair just grows down from the back. This is my little girl from yesterday.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Hair on a Havanese that is left un-trimmed will naturally vary in length. The hair on the back is the same length (each hair) as the hair on the skirt. Therefore, it does naturally "layer" a bit. If this were not the case, you'd need to trim the hair at floor length, which would be against the rules for our breed.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Beautiful photo, Heather. I think our groomer has trimmed the bottom of Shama's "skirt" so that the hair doesn't drag on the ground, but she's never layered her hair. Shama's a pet, so we break some of the standard's rules . . .


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Here are a couple of Kodi in a full, untrimmed adult coat. The black on his back originates from a spot in the middle of his back. You can see from the way it hangs down that this hair doesn't go down nearly as far as his skirt does, even though neither has ever been touched with scissors.


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

Truffles is absolutely gorgeous and Kodi is ever handsome. My Lola is a ragamuffin. Her hair is long, near touching the ground on the sides, but remains short, about two inches long, on her back and head. I've been really careful with combing and using a spray, and I have noticed it getting a wee bit longer in the last couple months, but it sticks up, and makes her look a little crazy, especially if you're walking behind her. She has a pretty pouffy undercoat and with the short hairs, like a giant toddler's cowlick, she's a "round mound of hound" as I heard someone call her. I smile every time I watch her strut her crazy little self.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Thank you for all this info. I love the picture of Truffles and the braided topknot! Gorgeous! And Karen, thanks for the pictures of Kodi. I can see now that the hair naturally layers. Don't you have to trim the skirt though, to keep it from growing and growing until it drags on the ground?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Thank you for all this info. I love the picture of Truffles and the braided topknot! Gorgeous! And Karen, thanks for the pictures of Kodi. I can see now that the hair naturally layers. Don't you have to trim the skirt though, to keep it from growing and growing until it drags on the ground?


Nope. Just like with people, the hair seems to reach a "natural" length and just stay there. If he were a show dog, whose coat was handled with great care, it would probably be a BIT longer, but a Havanese coat that needs to be trimmed at ground level (except on the feet) is absolutely incorrect. The only trimming allowed is feet and sanitary... and that is supposed to be in keeping with good hygiene... no more.

You can also see that there is some variation in length between the two photos. He has blown coat a few times through the years due to an illness or allergies, and I suspect that the photo without the ribbon was taken after one of these times, where the one with the ribbon was at a time where his coat had grown out more completely. The one with the ribbon is a close to ground level as it EVER gets. I remember that was a really rainy day, which is probably why his hair looks a bit "pouffier" and more wavy than it typically does.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Karen - thank you. I had no idea. I just thought the coat grew and grew.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

boomana said:


> Truffles is absolutely gorgeous and Kodi is ever handsome. My Lola is a ragamuffin. Her hair is long, near touching the ground on the sides, but remains short, about two inches long, on her back and head. I've been really careful with combing and using a spray, and I have noticed it getting a wee bit longer in the last couple months, but it sticks up, and makes her look a little crazy, especially if you're walking behind her. She has a pretty pouffy undercoat and with the short hairs, like a giant toddler's cowlick, she's a "round mound of hound" as I heard someone call her. I smile every time I watch her strut her crazy little self.


Scout has a lot of undercoat which gives him the fluffy look too Boomana. Kids always want to pet him because he's so soft and puffy. &#128522; Even though his upper chest is shaved his skirt is long and gets trimmed to keep it off the grass! Truffles skirt is long because she is a short little girl. &#128522; The groomer always does such a great job, but it sure doesn't last long!


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Here is Tux at 8 and 5 months. He is now 1 year old, but the proportions of hair length although a bit longer are still the same. He is a good example to see length because of the varying colors.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Always love to see photos of Tux. I can't believe I didn't even NOTICE Truffles' (thick!) braid! I was just looking at her face from the bow down. I also thought the skirt would just keep growing and growing which would be required on a show dog but trimmable on a pet. I'm going to have to ask our groomer how much she ever did trim from Shama's skirt. I don't think it's been much. Which Forum dog have we seen lying down with long coat splayed to the left and the right? Was that Truffles?


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## Askavi (Nov 5, 2015)

ShamaMama said:


> Which Forum dog have we seen lying down with long coat splayed to the left and the right? Was that Truffles?


I think that's Sheri's Tucker. I've tried to duplicate the look and take a picture of Raffy with no success. Someday!


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

There is an 80 minute CD by Jodi Murphy "All you need to know to groom like a Professional" Pet Stylist, Volume 33-Havanese
It's an entire video of Jodi showing how to do both a long trim and a shorter trim of a Havanese, which scissors are best, etc. If you don't want to do your own trimming and your doggy salon just doesn't quite get it, you might want to suggest this for your groomer. You can watch a short video showing bits and pieces of her techniques but you need the entire 80 minutes to understand her process.

google: jodi murphy Havanese volume 33


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Tux is beautiful! Love the markings!


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Tux is beautiful! Love the markings!


Thank you! I will tell him you thought so!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Tux is a cutie! He looks like a very happy boy!


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