# The Right Look with Reasonable Maintenance?



## Henry&Kate (Mar 29, 2017)

We have our first grooming appt next month. I've been saving photos of cuts I like but of course as was mentioned in another thread the look in a photo may be unattainable for a particular dog.

I'm looking for a cut that's not a close shave cut. But I also want something I can manage. Trying to find the balance between look and maintenance.

Today I ran across this photo on Pinterest. It seemed about right to me in terms of length, that I would be able to manage this.

I'd love to hear from experienced owners what you think about the maintenance of a cut about this length. And does it require a certain type of coat to achieve?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Henry&Kate said:


> We have our first grooming appt next month. I've been saving photos of cuts I like but of course as was mentioned in another thread the look in a photo may be unattainable for a particular dog.
> 
> I'm looking for a cut that's not a close shave cut. But I also want something I can manage. Trying to find the balance between look and maintenance.
> 
> ...


If Henry's coat is like Tony's (Dad's for those who don't know "the family  ) I think that look would be quite achievable. My guess is that the dog in the photo has a bit curler coat than Tony, but it would be quite similar. If Henry's coat is much softer, like Poppy's, it might look quite a bit flatter at that length.

that said, I think the MOST important thing is to have it at a length that is easy for both of you to manage as he goes through adolescent coat blowing. I have combed both Tony and Poppy out, and as Havanese go, neither one is very prone to matting. But most Havanese puppies mat at least some going though their change to adult coat. There is NO shame at all in keeping them rather short during that period, then letting it grow out after, if you choose. The good thing is that "hair grows". And in your case, where there are no sable genes involved, Henry is unlikely to have much of a color change by you clipping him. If anything, the Tony/Poppy puppies have gotten darker red as they have matured. There are a couple from their first litter who are Irish Setter color!!!


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## Henry&Kate (Mar 29, 2017)

His hair feels very silky to me. And people comment on how soft he feels. So I wonder if his coat isn't more like Poppy's. 

In the past couple of weeks mats have seemed to appear from nowhere, although he seems too young to be getting an adult coat. 

I wish we were seeing the groomer sooner if only to get some advice on ongoing care, but she's going on vacation and it's really hard to get on her schedule even when she's here, so we have a wait. She's not even taking new clients officially. But she's a very good groomer so I want to wait for her. I'm kicking myself for not scheduling an appt months in advance but I was thinking it would be a few months yet before we needed to consider cutting.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Henry&Kate said:


> His hair feels very silky to me. And people comment on how soft he feels. So I wonder if his coat isn't more like Poppy's.
> 
> In the past couple of weeks mats have seemed to appear from nowhere, although he seems too young to be getting an adult coat.
> 
> I wish we were seeing the groomer sooner if only to get some advice on ongoing care, but she's going on vacation and it's really hard to get on her schedule even when she's here, so we have a wait. She's not even taking new clients officially. But she's a very good groomer so I want to wait for her. I'm kicking myself for not scheduling an appt months in advance but I was thinking it would be a few months yet before we needed to consider cutting.


Seven months is a LITTLE early, but not unheard of. The funny thing is that even though Poppy's coat is much finer than Tony's Elinor didn't have ANY problem with her during the typical "coat blowing" period. OTOH, she's also an experienced Havanese person, so probably was more used to keeping up with it too.

Panda has a very fine "slow coat" too, and she never got heavy matting, but old get these tiny, annoying "spidery" mats that would almost slip between the tines of the comb. With her, I found that it was easiest to avoid them if I kept her super clean... Baths at least one a week, then I would remove those tiny mats either with my fingers or with a face comb, spraying Ice on Ice on her while I blow dried her. Maybe that would be something to try to tide you over until you can get him clipped?


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

I like that look. It's very similar to the cut I currently have for Willow. She doesn't look as nice as the picture though. She does the minute I pick her up from the groomer but after about a day she is not looking so polished. And if she gets out in the rain she looks like she has a bad perm. I think I'll save this picture in case I ever need one to show a groomer.


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

I think the trick to that look is the "columnar" legs. Tell the groomer to avoid following the line of the dog's leg and ankle joints, and to just aim for a straight column type look. The adult coat could turn out with a different texture than the puppy coat.

Tux's puppy coat was very soft, straight and silky and matted horribly in spite of constant attention. At about 19 months, I gave up and scissor cut him (with straight legs) and kept his coat about 2-3" long. I wasn't sure if cutting him shorter might take away from the Havanese look, so I compromised. His coat was floor length right before I took this photo after the initial trim. Beware, I accidentally cut his tail thinking I was trimming his back leg!

I think a curlier coat, or a thicker coat is what that pup in the photo has. You won't know what kind of coat your pup will have until he is closer to two years old. Now that Tux's coat is growing out again, a person on the street said, "your dog looks like a big cotton ball" LOL


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## Henry&Kate (Mar 29, 2017)

I've always liked Tux's look. And I've saved that photo you've just posted. I like it. I know you do your own grooming. And I've read through your very helpful instructions on how you've trimmed him. 

And I've read and watched videos. And it all seems reasonable to do.

But then when I have Henry on the table and I have scissors in my hand, I don't know, I feel completely lost. And trying to get to his no-go areas - his face and nether regions - well, i lose heart and will. We keep trying.


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

Thank you so much. The key is to not try to do it all at once. Puppies have very little patience. I taught Tux to sit and wait, long before scissoring was in the picture. He was a wiggle worm. He thought scissors, and brushes were there to attack him. Conquering fear, staying calm, convincing Henry that this is a good thing is all part of it. I even showed Tux that turning a hair dryer on my face was good for humans. I watched his face as I did that and he was truly fascinated that I did to myself what I was doing to him. It's important to have sharp scissors that don't pinch or pull. Hold his hair around his face in such a way that you will cut yourself before there is any danger of cutting him. You can make one tiny snip of a quarter inch of hair, and tell him what a great little boy he is, and hand over a small treat. Make it fun. Make it short. Do it often, like once a day with a couple of snips. Taking your time gives you a chance to see what you missed and how to even it all up. If you do little short snips at a time, you are a lot less likely to screw up. Tux is just now learning to relax and let me do his stomach. I've had to do a lot of grooming with my fingers with him sitting on my lap. The other day he was lying on the floor. I approached with a "kind" brush, and he rolled over on his back out of fear. I said, "Oh this is going to feel so good!" Then I concentrated not on the mats, or tangles, but just making it feel good to him. He loved it. Then I quit. I am gradually gaining his trust again after spending too much time trying to get mats out that were impossible when he was blowing his puppy coat . The best thing I did was cut his hair, so it was just short enough to remove mats. By the way, Jody Murphy sells a product called "Matts Happen". You spray it on the matts after a bath, then blow dry without combing. (When your dog gets his adult coat and mats aren't appearing overnight, it is important to brush out mats before a bath. Bathing can tighten mats and make them more difficult to remove. "Matts Happen" works fairly well, even better than the Chris Christensen product. I saw a video on the web that showed a groomer spreading a mat with her fingers like a fan. Then she gently held the mat to keep from pulling skin and brushed in sideways motions that pulled the mat apart very lightly and slowly. That's just another method. Grooming should be something you do with your pup to help them learn to trust you. It's one more way to bond, but it is extremely challenging when the mats begin to appear out of nowhere. Good luck and don't fret. Enjoy your pup.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Everyone who says to write down all of the specifics is exactly right! I had to take our puppy for the first time at only 4 months for a trim because he was sliding around all over our hardwood floors and I couldn’t keep him still long enough to trim his paws myself. The first time I was nervous so I was careful about what I asked for. This last week I took him for a little trim and groom before his neuter surgery and I forgot to ask them to only trim just under his eyes in the inner corner and to leave everything else between his eyes natural. I forgot that the groomer and I spent a few minutes discussing that the first time and decided it was a good way to control some of the hair around his eyes without making it worse as it grows out. Now I’m so sad because they shaved him shorter between his eyes, and if I was going to trim there I would have preferred it scissored more naturally. I’m sad it will be another month or two before his floppy little surfer style is back! Just make sure you keep track of the things you like, because I know for me it’s much easier for me to remember the things I absolutely don’t want. 

I’m happy to say, they left his beard a little long, and when I got out the hair scissors to trim it up a bit myself, he was great! I started trying to trim his paws soon after we brought him home, but he was too wiggley and I was too slow, and your description of losing heart is exactly how I felt! So, I’ve just been working on lots of grooming and handling time, and I really think it helped. It was just a few little snips, so there will probably be a few more trips to the groomer before I work up to doing it myself, but i like the idea of being able to trim his face how I want or eventually trim around his paws in between appointments. 

If you haven’t already, definitely check out Instagram for tons of great photos of Havanese in puppy cuts you could show your groomer. I’m not a big social media person (boards/forums are more my preference) but my husband helped my kids set up an Instagram of our puppy and the feed is full of some pretty adorable Havs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I started trying to trim his paws soon after we brought him home, but he was too wiggley and I was too slow, and your description of losing heart is exactly how I felt! So, I've just been working on lots of grooming and handling time, and I really think it helped. It was just a few little snips, so there will probably be a few more trips to the groomer before I work up to doing it myself, but i like the idea of being able to trim his face how I want or eventually trim around his paws in between appointments.


Get a pair of these. They are very cheap, and work great for feet. ...And you CAN'T cut the dog with them. I am on my second pair, and I've been using them since Kodi was a puppy... so 8 1/2 years. And for almost 3 of those years, they've been trimming multiple dog-feet. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Wahl-Profe...896&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=horse+nose+trimmers


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

I am getting those to add to my arsenal, thanks Karen. I am still hacking at Kosmo. His feet are the worst, the two in front are bushy. He really looks like he should be on the Havanese rescue site. However, no groomer has been mean to him in six months and counting.

That beard has got to go. It is very papa smurfish.

I wanted to post Kosmo in his actual puppy cut- as in grow out at 5 months.. I would have to be a thinning shears genius.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

They don't care how they look! They love us anyway!  As long as the bottoms of his feet are clear enough of hair that he doesn't slip and slide, that's all that matters!


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

Kosmo got his 5th homemade haircut yesterday and looks much better.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Photo?


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

ShamaMama said:


> Photo?


I am afraid not until his 6th homemade haircut, I am too ashamed to post. I did put his ears short so they are even with his face. I am loosing a lot of precious black tips, and his back is as curly as a poodle's back. He has gone from Irish pied to parti. These color changing dogs sure are amazing.

Well, okay. I hope I am not hijacking yet again.


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

And...


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## CaroleG (Aug 13, 2016)

I would love to see a photo of Poppy


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## tuggersmom (Oct 16, 2008)

I really like the cut my groomer does. She leaves the ears and tail long and scissors the midsection shorter but she leaves feathers on his belly and back of legs. He looks so majestic and dignified but easy to groom. Kid of like a Scottie dog


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