# Nervous about Grooming



## raeshan (Nov 18, 2013)

Ginger is my first non-shedding dog and I know that grooming is in her future. As you can guess, I am clueless about the process and have number of questions.

1. When should I start having her groomed? She is 12 weeks old and her hair is manageable now. The only place that I notice the hair possibly being a problem is on her foot pads. I have been giving her baths, brushing her daily and even cleaning her eye gunk. I want to make sure she is used to being handled.

2. What is the best way to keep her still and calm when grooming. She does pretty well and I have been rewarding her with treats. If anyone has any other tips. It would be appreciated.

3. What is the best way to find a groomer ? I will want to keep Ginger in a longer puppy cut and don't really want her shaved down. How easy is it to control how the groomer cuts her? Should I provide pics?

4. What is the best way to select a groomer? I don't have many people around me that have their dogs groomed, so I can't really ask someone I know?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi is in long coat, so he only gets his feet, nails and sanitary areas trimmed. But I am VERY particular about groomers. I will not use a groomer that doesn't allow me to stay with Kodi while he is being groomed. I have found each of my 3 groomers (one got sick and gave up her business, and the second moved away) by word of mouth. Then I've talked to them on the phone, and got a good idea whether we'd get along before bringing Kodi to them. Also find out whether she is familiar with the breed. You don't want someone turning your Hav into a Poodle look-alike! 

As far as the exact trim you want, if you are going with a puppy cut, it certainly helps to have some photos of what you like. BUT remember that different hair will look different, and the groomer may not be ABLE to make your dog look just like a photo. Some Havs have much denser undercoats than others, some have very curly hair, some have gently wavy hair, etc. All of these things will factor into how a specific trim will look on any one dog. 

I suggest bringing your photos, but have an open dialog with your groomer about what she thinks might work best with your dog's coat type. Remember that hair grows… if you don't like the way it's trimmed one time, you can always ask her to adjust certain aspects the next time. That said, if you aren't exactly sure what you want, it might be best to ask her to keep it on the long side to start with, and if you want is shorter the next time, ask for that.

One thing to keep in mind is that a "scissor cut" (which is what may be required for a long puppy cut) will cost quite a bit more than a clipper cut. And some groomers may not even know how to do it. Even with clippers set to leave as much length as possible, it's going to be a LOT shorter than a Hav in full coat.

There are a couple of things that, if it were my dog, I'd make SURE the groomer knew up front. DO NOT let the groomer shave the bridge of the nose. They often do that with Shih Tzus. It looks AWFUL on a Havanese… especially when it starts to grow out. Also, the face should not be shaved short. Some people want the facial hair trimmed to a shorter length, but you'll have to work with her to figure out what you like, and it needs to be done with scissors. Also, most people don't want their Hav's tail trimmed at all.


----------



## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

raeshan said:


> Ginger is my first non-shedding dog and I know that grooming is in her future. As you can guess, I am clueless about the process and have number of questions.
> 
> 1. When should I start having her groomed? She is 12 weeks old and her hair is manageable now. The only place that I notice the hair possibly being a problem is on her foot pads. I have been giving her baths, brushing her daily and even cleaning her eye gunk. I want to make sure she is used to being handled.
> 
> Mae has been to the groomer twice and she is about 6 months old so that calculates 16 weeks. Her first trip only consisted of pad trim and nail clipping. Second trip included a bath, pad trim, nail clip, ear plucking and a minor sanitary trim. Tim goes every 4-5 weeks so Mae just tagged along.





raeshan said:


> 2. What is the best way to keep her still and calm when grooming. She does pretty well and I have been rewarding her with treats. If anyone has any other tips. It would be appreciated.
> 
> She'll get better as she gets older. Keep sessions short and if you need to finish do it later in the day. I do a big treat payout when we're done including some fetch. I also started using a grooming table which has helped a lot. You don't need to buy a grooming table but if you designate a specific place for grooming they will know what is expected of them.





raeshan said:


> 3. What is the best way to find a groomer ? I will want to keep Ginger in a longer puppy cut and don't really want her shaved down. How easy is it to control how the groomer cuts her? Should I provide pics?
> 
> YES pictures!!! A groomers interpretation of what you are verbally explaining can be totally different then what you expect. It's so easy nowadays to get on the computer and print out what you want. I printed out several pictures of what I liked and didn't like with Tim originally and wrote right on the paper with x's or circles what I wanted. Tim's papers are still in his file, I see them when I check in. Mae is still a work in process so I haven't brought any pics yet. We're at the point with Tim now that I can just say "Do the regular."





raeshan said:


> 4. What is the best way to select a groomer? I don't have many people around me that have their dogs groomed, so I can't really ask someone I know?
> 
> I asked around and coincidentally ended up with the groomer who was recommended by three different people. If you see a nice looking dog don't be afraid to ask the person who does their grooming. Maybe someone on the forum can recommend someone in your area. You can also look on yelp.com and make some phone calls and visits. If the groomer doesn't seem to have time to talk to you on the phone or is adverse to you coming for a visit I wouldn't use them.


I really like my groomer, she has been great. I am planning on phasing her out only because I have two dogs now and things are pricey. Just remember whoever you decide on should be someone you feel comfortable with you are partners in your dogs care. If communication is difficult you could have an unpleasant experience and that can be read by Ginger when you drop her off. Remember hair grows back, set some expectations but be ready to be flexible and not disappointed if plans change.


----------



## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

Whether I was going to groom my dogs myself (I personally prefer to, I'm too scared of groomers&#8230;so far), or even if I was going to send them to a groomer, I would invest in a copy of "From Nose To Tail":
http://nosetotailbook.havanesefanciers.com

It is specifically about Havanese, and in my opinion invaluable - if you DO go to a professional groomer you will go armed with professional questions and be in a really good position to say exactly what you want. Karen's and Jen's advice is, as ever, totally great, too.


----------

