# Sanitary trim?



## Havachica (Jun 19, 2020)

This might be a silly question, but what does a sanitary trim entail? My havi is 16 months old and has been to the groomers only twice. We kept him in a long coat until we we just couldn't stand it anymore and he started to blow coat and mat. The times he went to the groomer were after he was neutered (his neck was all matted from the cone post surgery, no matter how much we combed it just coming back!!) and during the winter when it was snowing so much and he was constantly getting wet from the snow and snow stuck to his legs and "armpits" causing him to mat more despite combing. Since he was clipped very short on his body when going to the groomers after those occasions, I am wondering what it would be like if he is in a longer coat but with a sanitary trim? He has some tummy issues from time to time, meaning poop getting stuck on his rear end fur. Does a sanitary trim mean having the rear end cut very short? How does this look with the rest of the coat on the longer side? I have tried to find photos, but have had no luck. I'm sorry if this is a silly question! We have always had short coated dogs, so we are a bit new to all of the grooming lingo and possibilities!


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## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

We used to keep ours in a long coat with just a sani trim. You have to ask the groomer what their version entails - some just rear and stomach and others include the face in the trim as well. But.. it doesn't look terrible to have a sani and long coat! They just have to blend it well. Give it a try it'll grow back after all 

We took ours to the groomers about once a month since he was 4 months - daily brushing, combing etc and he still matted real bad around 9 months so he got trimmed all over.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

A sanitary trim on a show dog should not show. It is a trim of the hair JUST around the anus and the genitals. It will not help a lot with a dog who gets “poopy butt” on a regular basis… that is more likely to be either diet related and/or related to the type of coat, (a very “poufy” coat with tons of under coat will catch poop more easily) 

That said, for a pet, you can trim as much as you want to make life easier for yourself!

Another trick is this stuff!









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It lives beside my sink, and although meant to be a “waterless“ shampoo, I have found that it makes poop (and other gross things) absolutely GLIDE off Havanese hair if you spray it on liberally, then stand the dog in the sink and spray it off with the spray nozzle! No having to sort through all the hair to disentangle the bits of poop!!!

Nice fresh minty scent too!


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## Havachica (Jun 19, 2020)

itsgooby said:


> We used to keep ours in a long coat with just a sani trim. You have to ask the groomer what their version entails - some just rear and stomach and others include the face in the trim as well. But.. it doesn't look terrible to have a sani and long coat! They just have to blend it well. Give it a try it'll grow back after all
> 
> We took ours to the groomers about once a month since he was 4 months - daily brushing, combing etc and he still matted real bad around 9 months so he got trimmed all over.


That is good to know that it could sometimes include the face in the trim! We have never trimmed his face as I read a lot from people here that as the hair grows back it can poke them in the eyes/cause irritation/not lay flat. 

I wonder what it is about 9 months! That's when our havi got the most matted as well- I swear I could just LOOK at him and a new mat would appear!


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## Havachica (Jun 19, 2020)

krandall said:


> A sanitary trim on a show dog should not show. It is a trim of the hair JUST around the anus and the genitals. It will not help a lot with a dog who gets “poopy butt” on a regular basis… that is more likely to be either diet related and/or related to the type of coat, (a very “poufy” coat with tons of under coat will catch poop more easily)
> 
> That said, for a pet, you can trim as much as you want to make life easier for yourself!
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the recommendation! The spray is in my Amazon cart now  

Our havi has a very poufy coat! I am so envious of those with a silky coat  When he was younger it was even more "cotton-y" than it is now, so I'm hoping as he gets older it will continue to become easier to manage. 

We have considered just keeping him in a puppy cut, but we are moving to NYC soon and I am overwhelmed with trying to find a groomer who knows the breed well and won't cut him in some atrocious way! I have seen too many "horror story" grooming photos and am weary of the same happening to him. But I do know that if there is as much snow this coming winter as last winter, he might have to be cut short again. Sigh.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I kept Mia in a short puppy cut for years, then a longer puppy cut. I finally decided to let the hair grow more just out of curiosity. It is surprisingly very easy to take care of so far. I barely take anything off the butt area but I do keep her face and beard short because her tongue is always out and causes some staining. She also eats raw food and it seemed so difficult to keep her face clean. Right now she is different lengths and rarely gets a mat. However, I do brush and comb her every day. However, I never spray any conditioner on her because this causes her hair to get dirty and gunky. Note she is half Papillon so coat could be less Havanese-ish although it looks like a Havanese coat to me. She is starting to look like a puff ball but her hair is silky and fine and easy to comb. I wish I would have let her grow out sooner.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Please do not forget to keep the paw pads trimmed up! This is very important so the dog does not slip and to prevent mats and problems from moisture buildup. This must be done regardless of how long the rest of the hair is. And in my experience it must be done often because Mia’s hair grows very fast!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Havachica said:


> That is good to know that it could sometimes include the face in the trim! We have never trimmed his face as I read a lot from people here that as the hair grows back it can poke them in the eyes/cause irritation/not lay flat.
> 
> I wonder what it is about 9 months! That's when our havi got the most matted as well- I swear I could just LOOK at him and a new mat would appear!


That is when their coat starts to change from puppy coat to adult coat. It is always the worst time for Havanese coats! LOL!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Havachica said:


> Thank you so much for the recommendation! The spray is in my Amazon cart now
> 
> Our havi has a very poufy coat! I am so envious of those with a silky coat  When he was younger it was even more "cotton-y" than it is now, so I'm hoping as he gets older it will continue to become easier to manage.
> 
> We have considered just keeping him in a puppy cut, but we are moving to NYC soon and I am overwhelmed with trying to find a groomer who knows the breed well and won't cut him in some atrocious way! I have seen too many "horror story" grooming photos and am weary of the same happening to him. But I do know that if there is as much snow this coming winter as last winter, he might have to be cut short again. Sigh.


While I totally understand the fear of a bad hair cut, DO remember that hair grows! For every “horror story” you read heere of bad hair cuts… 6 months later, it is something to chuckle about!  Obviously, we always want our babies to look “perfect”, but if worst comes to worst, and they get a bad hair cut, it really ISN’T the end of the world!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I kept Mia in a short puppy cut for years, then a longer puppy cut. I finally decided to let the hair grow more just out of curiosity. It is surprisingly very easy to take care of so far. I barely take anything off the butt area but I do keep her face and beard short because her tongue is always out and causes some staining. She also eats raw food and it seemed so difficult to keep her face clean. Right now she is different lengths and rarely gets a mat. However, I do brush and comb her every day. However, I never spray any conditioner on her because this causes her hair to get dirty and gunky. Note she is half Papillon so coat could be less Havanese-ish although it looks like a Havanese coat to me. She is starting to look like a puff ball but her hair is silky and fine and easy to comb. I wish I would have let her grow out sooner.
> 
> View attachment 175227


LOL! We have lured you over to the dark side!

Actually, her coat looks pretty Havanese—ish to me. At least the kind of Havanese I have. There are Havanese with a lot more undercoat, and more “poufy” looking coats, but I prefer the silkier coats. Her coat isn’t as long as Panda’s (yet) but looks similar in consistency.










For that matter, Kodi has more hair than Panda, (when in full coat) but still is not overwhelming “floof”.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

krandall said:


> While I totally understand the fear of a bad hair cut, DO remember that hair grows! For every “horror story” you read heere of bad hair cuts… 6 months later, it is something to chuckle about!  Obviously, we always want our babies to look “perfect”, but if worst comes to worst, and they get a bad hair cut, it really ISN’T the end of the world!


Absolutely! Even the parts of Perry that have been shaved for surgeries/ biopsies - within 2 weeks they're grown back to a very short puppy cut (smallest guide) length and within a month (once I have him cut) it's basically indistinguishable from his normal puppy cut. So a "bad" haircut grows out in a month or so and in a couple of months it can be fixed and not even noticed.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> LOL! We have lured you over to the dark side!
> 
> Actually, her coat looks pretty Havanese—ish to me. At least the kind of Havanese I have. There are Havanese with a lot more undercoat, and more “poufy” looking coats, but I prefer the silkier coats. Her coat isn’t as long as Panda’s (yet) but looks similar in consistency.
> 
> ...


Mia’s coat type definitely reminds me of Panda’s when I look at the pictures! Interestingly, except for one Havanese down the street (who has sort of a curly coat and looks less Havanese-ish than Mia) I have never seen a Havanese in person other than when I picked up Mia and saw her mom. I recall her mom being a silver color. Dad was a black and white Papillon.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

With regard to sanitary trims, I used to go completely overboard and give me a big giant bull’s eye cut!!! This is completely unnecessary! However, as a home groomer I had no clue. I finally figured out I barely need to remove any hair at all!


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> With regard to sanitary trims, I used to go completely overboard and give me a big giant bull’s eye cut!!! This is completely unnecessary! However, as a home groomer I had no clue. I finally figured out I barely need to remove any hair at all!


This just made me lol🎯🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙈


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Each time I remind my Groomer: I don't want Poodle Feet or Legs. For the Butt area: I don't want the anus to look like an Bull's Eye Target. No Baboon Butt.


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## MJB (Jun 1, 2020)

krandall said:


> LOL! We have lured you over to the dark side!
> 
> Actually, her coat looks pretty Havanese—ish to me. At least the kind of Havanese I have. There are Havanese with a lot more undercoat, and more “poufy” looking coats, but I prefer the silkier coats. Her coat isn’t as long as Panda’s (yet) but looks similar in consistency.
> 
> ...


Your furry babies are beautiful! Our Chérie resembles your Kodi but puffier. She is our pride and jo, she has the temperament of a Havanese which we love.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Cherie is beautiful…definitely puffy! Do you have any grooming tips to share with regard to maintaining such a puffy coat?


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

MJB said:


> Your furry babies are beautiful! Our Chérie resembles your Kodi but puffier. She is our pride and jo, she has the temperament of a Havanese which we love.
> View attachment 175239


Oh my goodness Chérie *really *reminds me of Shama😍😍. Can anyone else see it? I’m not even just talking about her coat but her lovely little face too!


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## MJB (Jun 1, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> Cherie is beautiful…definitely puffy! Do you have any grooming tips to share with regard to maintaining such a puffy coat?


😊Thank you for your lovely comment about our fur baby. I have always bathed her once a month, give her a foot/fanny bath when needed and brush/comb her every day, I find that her hair is more manageable when I groom her daily and takes less time. My biggest problem is when I take her in for trimming most groomers want to clip from her tummy to her chest to calm down her puffines. Back in early May our groomer did just that after she refused to do a foot shaping without a bath. When I picked her up I saw that she had shaved her entire belly up to her ridge of her chest bones. Guess she thought I wouldn’t notice! She told me that she did it because she had too much hair, needless to say I’m not taking Chérie back to her again. It’s growing out again, I will continue to bathe her myself and just have a face/ feet/Fanny done. I can trim her fanny and hair between her paws but not her face, nails and rounding her feet. This is the main reason I posted about which scissors to buy straight or curved to trim her myself. I’m getting brave. 😊


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

MJB said:


> 😊Thank you for your lovely comment about our fur baby. I have always bathed her once a month, give her a foot/fanny bath when needed and brush/comb her every day, I find that her hair is more manageable when I groom her daily and takes less time. My biggest problem is when I take her in for trimming most groomers want to clip from her tummy to her chest to calm down her puffines. Back in early May our groomer did just that after she refused to do a foot shaping without a bath. When I picked her up I saw that she had shaved her entire belly up to her ridge of her chest bones. Guess she thought I wouldn’t notice! She told me that she did it because she had too much hair, needless to say I’m not taking Chérie back to her again. It’s growing out again, I will continue to bathe her myself and just have a face/ feet/Fanny done. I can trim her fanny and hair between her paws but not her face, nails and rounding her feet. This is the main reason I posted about which scissors to buy straight or curved to trim her myself. I’m getting brave. 😊


You can do it! If I can, anyone can! Good luck!


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## MJB (Jun 1, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> You can do it! If I can, anyone can! Good luck!


Which scissors would you recommend for beginners: straight or curved? Thank you for your encouragement.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

MJB said:


> Which scissors would you recommend for beginners: straight or curved? Thank you for your encouragement.


For rounding of the feet, the curved shears are definitely better. I think the curved can be used for other areas too, depends on what you are trimming. I like having both but if I had to choose one I would go with curved.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

MJB said:


> 😊Thank you for your lovely comment about our fur baby. I have always bathed her once a month, give her a foot/fanny bath when needed and brush/comb her every day, I find that her hair is more manageable when I groom her daily and takes less time. My biggest problem is when I take her in for trimming most groomers want to clip from her tummy to her chest to calm down her puffines. Back in early May our groomer did just that after she refused to do a foot shaping without a bath. When I picked her up I saw that she had shaved her entire belly up to her ridge of her chest bones. Guess she thought I wouldn’t notice! She told me that she did it because she had too much hair, needless to say I’m not taking Chérie back to her again. It’s growing out again, I will continue to bathe her myself and just have a face/ feet/Fanny done. I can trim her fanny and hair between her paws but not her face, nails and rounding her feet. This is the main reason I posted about which scissors to buy straight or curved to trim her myself. I’m getting brave. 😊



YouTube *Shu and Tree *videoses about grooming luxury dogs is not only fun to watch but educational. It is a Highly Skilled Koren Groomer and she uses curved scissors to cut around the feet. There are Lots! of videos and different types of small fancy dogs.


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## MJB (Jun 1, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> For rounding of the feet, the curved shears are definitely better. I think the curved can be used for other areas too, depends on what you are trimming. I like having both but if I had to choose one I would go with curved.


Thank you, I’ll purchase the curved and practice before I invest on the straight.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MJB said:


> 😊Thank you for your lovely comment about our fur baby. I have always bathed her once a month, give her a foot/fanny bath when needed and brush/comb her every day, I find that her hair is more manageable when I groom her daily and takes less time. My biggest problem is when I take her in for trimming most groomers want to clip from her tummy to her chest to calm down her puffines. Back in early May our groomer did just that after she refused to do a foot shaping without a bath. When I picked her up I saw that she had shaved her entire belly up to her ridge of her chest bones. Guess she thought I wouldn’t notice! She told me that she did it because she had too much hair, needless to say I’m not taking Chérie back to her again. It’s growing out again, I will continue to bathe her myself and just have a face/ feet/Fanny done. I can trim her fanny and hair between her paws but not her face, nails and rounding her feet. This is the main reason I posted about which scissors to buy straight or curved to trim her myself. I’m getting brave. 😊



How ridiculous is that?!?! The only reason Panda's belly was shaved was so her puppies could nurse!


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