# It was time!



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

After cutting Kodi too short the last time I did him, it has been a LOOOONG time since I've done anything major to him. Pixel's groomer was kind enough to straighten out what she could for me, but mostly I just had to wait for his butchered back legs to grow out long enough to try again.

Well, I've trimmed his face a couple of times and ahis body was getting so long he was looking like a snowball... or so long that people were asking whether I was growing him out again. Pixel's groomer had also been giving me tips on how to get a longer puppy cut using the VERY LONGEST comb and using the clippers. So... We did it today. Actually, I got to practice twice, because my friend Elinor was here. She recently had shoulder surgery, and her lovely Poppy (mother or Molly, Tom King's girl whose puppies you've been watching grow up!) was badly in need of a trim too.

So here they are. Kodi before and after, and a couple of Poppy after. I forgot to take any before pictures of her. I got Kodi's ears shorter than I wanted, but it's not NEARLY as bad as what I did to his legs last time. I still want to do a bit more cleaning up around his face. Elinor wanted Poppy's ears and beard a LOT longer, so that was her choice. But I don't think I butchered either one of them!


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Good job!


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

I think both dogs look great! Looks like you could have a new profession as a dog groomer! How are *you* doing? I hope you are doing and feeling well.


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

Kodi and Poppy both look great!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> I think both dogs look great! Looks like you could have a new profession as a dog groomer! How are *you* doing? I hope you are doing and feeling well.


Thanks! I went back and trimmed up Kodi's face a bit more this morning. I didn't like the way it looked beside his eyes, and even though his ears were already too short, I really hated them so blunt cut, so I rounded them off and I think they look better now.

I'm slowly improving. My rheumatologist says I'm doing as well as can be expected, which I guess is something! LOL!


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## blevyva (Mar 31, 2016)

Kodi looks so cute and like a puppy! I always wonder - does he act differently with his hair shorter?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

blevyva said:


> Kodi looks so cute and like a puppy! I always wonder - does he act differently with his hair shorter?


Not really. But he does like not having me mess with mats!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

You did a great job! I really like how you trimmed Kodi's face and ears.


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## Jeanniek (Mar 20, 2018)

I think you did a great job!! And I am glad to read you’re doing better. May you feel 100% strong again soon.


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

One of the many posts that make me want the option of a love emblem. :laugh2:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Heather's said:


> You did a great job! I really like how you trimmed Kodi's face and ears.


I did some further trimming on his face after this. I didn't like the harsh line straight beside his eyes, and I also didn't like the straight line on the bottom of his ears, even though I ALSO thought they were too short. So I rounded his face more and also rounded the edges of his ears. I'll take another picture of his face when I get a moment!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Congrats! Karen. Good to know someone with so much experience is still figuring out how to give a Havanese a good hair cut.

I wanna do some trimming on Patti, but I'm SCARED!! I've got all the tools but have only fiddled around with a tiny bit of trimming. Patti goes to the groomer for weekly bathings ... at this time... and grooming about every 6 weeks. Patti's experience at the groomer has been good training for her, as she is calmer on MY grooming table when I do bath and comb her out. After bathing, combing and trying to do trimming, it's made me* appreciate the cost that an Experienced Good Groomer charges. There's not many of these around. *

There is a young women who has a number of You Tube videos where she gives tips on raising Havanese and demonstrates how to groom and bath them. I don't know how many Havanese she owns but some of her dogs are kept in short puppy cuts and others have long hair. I've only watched her grooming videos which gave me some good tips on how to do things. She recommends a Matting Comb which I purchased. Since I've started combing Patti daily or every other day, I NOW don't have a lot of trouble with mats. I tested the matting comb and would not use it frequently. It might be good if you have a matting problem?

Below is one of her videos showing how to do a Short Havanese Puppy Cut. Let me know what you think.

*Wittle Havanese - You Tube Videos*


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

The matting combs look like lethal weapons to me! I have not found them necessary. If I brush Mia daily she does not get mats, however I do keep her hair in a short puppy cut. I also hate slicker brushes and so does Mia. I LOVE the brass fusion brush from Chris Christensen.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

She cuts her dog much shorter than I would want Kodi. I like him fluffier, but everyone has their own idea of what they want in a puppy cut. Lots of people want it short so it "lasts longer". (especially if they are paying for it!) I'd never use a mat cutter on a Havanese coat. But then I never let my guys get matted to start with! The kind of "mats" mine get will go through the teeth of a comb, so something like that would be useless anyway. They will break up big mats, but I try to never let mats get to that point. They are too painful for the dog and too much work for ME at that size. 

IF I get a large mat I take one blade of my very sharp shears, slide it between the skin and the mat, and slice out toward me. I will do this two or three times in strategic places. the shears are MUCh sharper than one of these mat cutters, pull the skin much less and do much less damage to the coat. With two or three cuts through a mat, I can usually tease the rest apart with my comb and a good dousing of grooming spray.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Looks fab! I like rounding Perry's ears too rather than a blunt cut across. I still often butcher his legs though (which I will continue to blame on his wonky twisted front leg  ) He's growing out from his really super short cut after his surgery (we took him down to the smallest guide on the clippers after his surgery to try to blend the rest of his body in with his shaved leg as quickly as possible) so I haven't trimmed anything but his pads since September, but he is definitely in need of at least a bangs cut right now . We'll be home for Christmas so he'll get a professional cut then to even things out again.


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