# I feel bad for the little guy



## miller123 (Aug 13, 2011)

Thats it. I have had it with blowing coat and brushing im out twice a day, he hates it so much. We are going to go get shaved down, right to the skin. But im worried he will look a bit weird. Does anybody have any pictures of there dogs shaved right down, I have a feeling they will have to shave him everywhere, even the face. he does not like being brushed at all.


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## inlovewithhav (Feb 18, 2011)

My sisters Hav had to get shaved I am trying to post this from my phone with kipper aesop in my lapon the highway (no worries DH is driving ). Ok will upload in a bit it won't pull the pic from my iPhone


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Aww  Do it in small quadrants, use corn starch and a GREAT fine tooth comb.

Nope, no pics of shaving but I've had the same inclination on really bad matting times..

Kara


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

sounds like you are sick of the whole mat h... I know exactly how you feel. Maddie has a short coat and she lately has been just as hard as a long coat. She is even a single coated Havanese. Do you own a slicker brush? Its the dead hairs that get all tangles and they need to come out. The more conditioned the coat the easier it is to keep from mating. The hard part is getting them mat free before a bath because if not the mats are even worse.
Camella on our forum is a good example of what you are thinking of doing maybe her mom will post a picture for you to see.


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## miller123 (Aug 13, 2011)

yes, I do own a slicker brush, and a de matting brush, and a wide toothed comb, and a flea comb, and he hates them, all. I have a little grooming spot for miller on to of the washer in the laundry room, with a tie for him, and it takes everythiing i got stop him from jumping off the washer and strangeling him self


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

just curious, but have you spent time gently combing everyday while he was growing up?? If they aren't used to it, then yes, they will come to HATE it... I was very careful with always following up a grooming session with HIGH quality treats (hamburger, cheese) after grooming sessions, BUT when my pup was nearing 9 months and I was spending 3 HOURS a day grooming her, I too had her cut down too. Just be sure that even while they are short to run a comb over him every other day or so, followed by treats so that when the time comes that he NEEDS the grooming he will be accustomed to it and won't fear it!


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## My2Havs (Jun 5, 2009)

miller123 said:


> yes, I do own a slicker brush, and a de matting brush, and a wide toothed comb, and a flea comb, and he hates them, all. I have a little grooming spot for miller on to of the washer in the laundry room, with a tie for him, and it takes everythiing i got stop him from jumping off the washer and strangeling him self


Since he already hates grooming on top of the washing machine, why not try a new location? I groom mine on the floor while I'm watching TV so it's pretty relaxing. Start out slowly with lots of very small treats so he'll think it's a good place to be. I usually do the first run with a wide tooth comb to see where the mats are and I always do their faces last because they resist that the most. Hopefully you won't have to get him completely shaved, especially his face, so you can keep the Havy look. Some groomers will work out the mats but they'll charge extra so maybe that would be worth it to you.
Monica, Dooley & Roxie


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

miller123 said:


> yes, I do own a slicker brush, and a de matting brush, and a wide toothed comb, and a flea comb, and he hates them, all. I have a little grooming spot for miller on to of the washer in the laundry room, with a tie for him, and it takes everythiing i got stop him from jumping off the washer and strangeling him self


 It took maddie about a year and a half to stop fighting me. Zoey was handled by a club member when I went to a show and had put a bad oil treatment on her. The woman took her bathed her blew her dry let her fall from the table it was harsh but she never fought me again. I didn't like what happened I still feel bad. She taught me to have her lay on her back and work on her bellie first and just dont let her get her way. I still cant get her to lay on her side. The blowing coat usually stops about the time you give up


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

If you must cut down....please do not cut the hair down to the skin. They will sunburn on the skin and just think of all the biting bugs that can get at the skin. 

Suzi, you are so right! 

Blowing Coat is so intense. It is one mat at a time, a minute turns into too many minutes and before you know it, you still find yourself grooming over an hour and longer. 

If I had to do it all over again, I would be removing the tangles like I do now, and that is I taking a pair of very sharp pair of scissors and drag the blade through the mat, it loosens and breaks up the mats and it is easier to comb through the hair. Then you can remove the matted hair.


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

Yes try to change place. I also brush and comb Roki (laid down on his side) on the floor in front of TV. When I want him to be super calm (when trimming furry paws and nails) I lay him down on my bed. Standing position is not good for dogs that don't tolerate being groomed. Roki also enjoys being massaged so after 5 or 10 minutes brushing I stop and give him little massage, a belly rub, something like that... 
I think that it is not good idea to shave hav now. Summer is just round the corner and Miller will need at least some of his fur to protect him from heat and sunlight. Also try to avoid using harnesses because they can make really bad mats on very sensitive spots. Use plain rolled leather collar. 
Since i have all thet experience with skin problems I know that supplements like biotin, wild salmon oil, and good multi vitamin/mineral/protein supplement can help a lot with coat blowing. I also love that CC Buttercomb #005. It is a real coat saver!
Marina&Roki


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Yes, do be careful of too short a coat even in Summer. In Cuba these dogs were out all summer with long coats which protected them. I'd like to hear some comments on this from really knowledgeable people.  Breeders?

Keeper's Mom


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

I'm having Oreo shaved next week. We have an awesome groomer. She sugguested to leave 1 inche of hair and not shaved all the way down.

I'm torn though.

Wifey wants it cut down because she hates the matts and stuff getting stuck in his hair.

I like his long hair and want it longer. Oreo doesn't mind being groomed. He just stand/sits there (with no leash) on the washroom counter as we brush and detangle him.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

I think Brody is going to have an appointment soon with a groomer. His hair is just matting something terrible. I can't even get him finished without mats reappearing in sections I've already completed. We spent HOURS this weekend trying to get him mat-free so I could bathe him. I never did get to the bath part (or the mat-free part for that matter).


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## BosleyElvis (Jan 4, 2011)

Hi all, 

I just recently had to shave my little baby all the way down  -- I usually like to keep his fur short, and he seems to like it, too. However, the groomer has never had to shave his face, ears and tail like she did this time. It IS my fault as I let it get so matted that the groomer stated it was better to shave it and start over. My greatest fear is the tail won't grow back to it's original state. The fluffy tail is a signature look for the Havanese and I feel so bad. Bosley is doing great and his demeanor is just as happy as he was before. He has had the body shaved before and it does grow back, but I am not sure about the tail... Does anyone have experience with this?


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

We had our little girl Nellie cut down short,because she is on the small side[well compared to Dizzie]and her coat acts like blotting paper when the weather is bad,so she was always getting soaked,anyway I am very pleased with the way she looks and her coat is so easy to manage,DH prefers it too,here's a picture.


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## mamacjt (Aug 23, 2011)

Adorable!


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

OH what a nice cut! What a cutie.


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## lanabanana (Jul 2, 2011)

I use an envelope opener to slice through mats...the kind that's pointy with a razor blade on the inner part. It works like a charm. Have not experienced blowing coat yet, but am expecting it any time.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

*Camellia - short groom, leaving tail fluffy*



Suzi said:


> sounds like you are sick of the whole mat h... I know exactly how you feel. Maddie has a short coat and she lately has been just as hard as a long coat. She is even a single coated Havanese. Do you own a slicker brush? Its the dead hairs that get all tangles and they need to come out. The more conditioned the coat the easier it is to keep from mating. The hard part is getting them mat free before a bath because if not the mats are even worse.
> Camella on our forum is a good example of what you are thinking of doing maybe her mom will post a picture for you to see.


I had Camellia "shaved" right down - well, NOT QUITE! I have a great groomer. Lucky I did this, because with her environmental allergies, she needs a bath every week - and SPRAYS twice a week. The spray needs to get to the skin. The shampoo and spray replace a missing skin barrier, of phytosphingosine, which helps keep allergens out; also, it moisturizes the skin - hydrates it. Camellia's coat is curly and very springy, so to get the spray in there is Quite Something!

Here's a picture (maybe more than one). I had planned to do the grooming myself, but my back won't stand up to it, and my groomer is SO GREAT that I merely take her for grooming about once every eight weeks.

Hope this is some use to you!

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:32:32 (PDT)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

lanabanana said:


> I use an envelope opener to slice through mats...the kind that's pointy with a razor blade on the inner part. It works like a charm. Have not experienced blowing coat yet, but am expecting it any time.


Mat rakes are pretty much the same thing, but have several tines. They come from very wide to just a few tines. I like the little one, because the places Kodi is likely to get mats that I don't want to comb out are in the soft area behind his elbow, or right behind his ears. The mat rake will break it up in a single pass so that I can carefully and gently tease the rest out with a comb.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Carol, I know Camellia's groom is different than most Havs, but I think she looks adorable that way. Her face looks very feminine, even though she's a larger Hav. It's definitely "her" look!


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