# Bathing your Havanese



## Administrator (Aug 5, 2010)

Does your Havanese enjoy bath time or run for the hills? Do you have any tips to share?


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

Willow doesn't seem to mind. She seems to like the warm water running on her. I used to have a dog that if you even said the word "bath" you would have to drag her out from under the bed!


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

The only part Django likes is the actual bathing, the warm water on his body. A little spa treatment. Sometimes you can see him sinking into the sink, enjoying every moment. But that's it. He hates the clippers, the blow dryer, everything else about grooming.


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## Sassy's Mom (Feb 4, 2015)

Sassy tolerates the bath. She doesn't try to run away just stands there and takes it. :frown2:


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

Both my dogs hate the bathing. It starts as a war, but they eventually surrender. Both LOVE the blow dryer, probably because I just sit on the bed and have them on my lap. They fall asleep, and my older boy actually nudges for me to turn it back on when I turn it off. Even my puppy loves it. I comb and massage her, and she flops right into it. I swear it's the only time she stops moving during the day. I even find it meditative, and look forward to it.


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## Lisa T. (Feb 5, 2015)

Rudy hates the dryer. Do you comb his hair away from his eyes while you dry him.? If I don't comb it back as his hair is drying, he looks like one of the Beatles.


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## MWilson (May 22, 2015)

The Bandit hates the bath, but the Ninja doesn't seem to mind. Neither want to be blow dried or brushed, but they tolerate it fairly well. The Ninja is much better with being combed than the Bandit, but the Ninja is a messy little guy. I swear he is filthy five minutes after a bath.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Baci tolerates baths. I still don't have a dryer, so can't comment on that. He is very good with nail trims.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Hi Boomana! What blowdryer do you recommend?


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

I feel fortunate that Whimsy seems to really enjoy her bath. She could do without the nail trim after the bath, but a few treats with that and she's good about it.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Teddy hates bath time!
He grips on to me (really tightly - like we're trying to throw him in a fire!) when I'm trying to put him in the bath and starts whining if he is there for more than 2 minutes!

He seems to tolerate his bath at the vet's office (groomer) not sure if its because there are other dogs being washed too - or he is playing me for the cheer up treats he gets after his bath....... (I use the same water depth, same temperature and same shampoo as the vet).... 
Or maybe some kind of gender bias??
The vet claims that he enjoys his bath... (we're not allowed in the room during grooming sessions so I can't be sure but have never heard him whine when being washed there).

Had another dog - when I was in high school who would hear the word bath and get so excited. He would even whine if you forgot to wash any part of him (like an ear or paw) or if you didn't get enough soap on him - he would even move the ear towards you or lift his unwashed paw as he whines so that you know what you missed out!


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

Teddy Bear said:


> Teddy hates bath time!
> 
> Had another dog - when I was in high school who would hear the word bath and get so excited. He would even whine if you forgot to wash any part of him (like an ear or paw) or if you didn't get enough soap on him - he would even move the ear towards you or lift his unwashed paw as he whines so that you know what you missed out!


That's funny about your other dog! :laugh2: We had a dog once that if you even said the word "bath" you had to drag her out from under the bed!


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## Chocdiva1 (Jun 30, 2014)

Can anyone recommend a dry shampoo for my smelly girl?
Vet says not to bathe often but she smells to bad to come inside and sit on my rugs!
Pinterest suggests a mixture of cornstarch, baking soda and essential oil...???
I want something I can use every two/three days.
Ava likes to roll in the wet dirt and leaves?!
Please help me


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Chocdiva1 said:


> Can anyone recommend a dry shampoo for my smelly girl?
> Vet says not to bathe often but she smells to bad to come inside and sit on my rugs!
> Pinterest suggests a mixture of cornstarch, baking soda and essential oil...???
> I want something I can use every two/three days.
> ...


I use Pure Paws Starline no rinse shampoo for touch-ups because they get groomed every 3-4 weeks. Chris Christensen has a no rinse one that foams too. I use both, but the Pure Paws leaves a nice scent. Pure Paws H2O hydrating spray is great for brushing and it leaves them soft and smelling good too. Vetoquinol groom-aid spray is another one I like. I wish they could be groomed every week, but that would be too expensive. I'm afraid Scout would be a matted mess if I tried bathing him myself. &#128551;


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

There is absolutely NO reason not to bathe your Havanese as often as you want, as long as you use a mild shampoo and conditioner combined (a good one is Chris Christensen Pro-Line Fair Advantage) or a mild shampoo followed by a good conditioner.

Our dogs do not have the oils in their coats that sporting and herding type dogs do, so there is no worry about stripping those oils from the coat. Their coats are actually much easier to maintain if they are kept nice and clean. My three get bathed about weekly. The puppy sometimes gets bathed a little more often, because she is blowing coat, the older to sometimes get stretched to about 10 days. Almost never longer than that, though.

If I need a no-rinse shampoo in between, I use Chris Christensen Self-Rinse. If they are relatively clean, but roll in something stinky, I wipe them down with Nature's Miracle Wipes


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I bathe Leo and Rex at least weekly. Sometimes more often if they get dirty. I use Chris Christensen Spectrum 10 shampoo and conditioner. Then for Leo I work a nickle size amount of Marc Anthony Arian oil into Leo's coat before I dry him. Both of the dogs have beautiful skin and coats.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I use Chris Christiansen Pro-Line Self Rinse Plus in between baths.


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## Bowie's Mom (Oct 1, 2016)

Does everyone use a blow dryer? Is it ok to towel & air dry? Do you comb when wet or dry? I'll be keeping Bowie in a puppy cut...


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

Lola hates her weekly bath. I currently use a people dryer set on low to dry her coat. I'll probably upgrade to a dog dryer though as it's taking too long to finish the beauty routine.


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Mayzie had a medicated dip of some sort at the vet Friday, and the vet said that bath would have stripped her of the oils necessary to hold the Revolution oil he is giving her for her mange, so I had to return with her 3 days later, which was today. So this morning I drove all 3 of my dogs to the vet to get them all checked for heartworm (I don't use any monthly meds) so that we could give them Revolution - Mayzie's to treat the little mites, and Coco and Porky to protect them from contagion. We didn't apply it at the vet's, just brought it home. 

Well, Mayzie gets very carsick, and she barfed all over her crate. She hates baths so much, and she looks so darn pitiful that I sighed, stripped down, held her, and walked into the shower with her. I didn't even use shampoo for this bath (so it would be safe to apply the Revolution when she was dry), just rinsed all the yucky wetness off of her. We had been applying a tea tree oil ointment for itching, and that came off in a yucky wetness too. I didn't even brush her out (she's missing so much hair that it isn't a big deal) or blow dry her. Just towel dried her and let her run around our bathroom while I went back into the shower and lathered up twice. 

I sure hope she doesn't think she's getting personally accompanied into her baths in the future!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I think giving puppies frequent baths is at least as much about teaching them to accept bathing and blow drying as it is about keeping them clean. As much as some puppies don't like baths, a Hav really needs to reach a place of resigned acceptance if they don't learn to like baths. 
I use a Kool Pup dryer and dry the boys after bathing.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Bowie's Mom said:


> Does everyone use a blow dryer? Is it ok to towel & air dry? Do you comb when wet or dry? I'll be keeping Bowie in a puppy cut...


I don't always blow dry Emmie after I bathe her; occasionally I towel dry her instead of using my Kool Pup Dryer. I only do this when I'm sure she'll dry naturally, so early in the day, either when the weather's warm or when the heater's on indoors.

I always comb Emmie's fur when it is damp or wet, not dry. So if it's not after a bath, I spray on some detangler or water to give it a little spritz.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> Well, Mayzie gets very carsick, and she barfed all over her crate. She hates baths so much, and she looks so darn pitiful that I sighed, stripped down, held her, and walked into the shower with her. I didn't even use shampoo for this bath (so it would be safe to apply the Revolution when she was dry), just rinsed all the yucky wetness off of her. We had been applying a tea tree oil ointment for itching, and that came off in a yucky wetness too. I didn't even brush her out (she's missing so much hair that it isn't a big deal) or blow dry her. Just towel dried her and let her run around our bathroom while I went back into the shower and lathered up twice.
> 
> I sure hope she doesn't think she's getting personally accompanied into her baths in the future!


I sometimes take Emmie into the shower with me too.


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

You poor thing...what you're going through.....


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## Cyn (Sep 18, 2017)

So far, Mojo hates her baths. She fights for a minute or two, then just stands there and whines. And brushing her can be done only when she is mellowed out. I wrap her snugly in a fluffy towel and cuddle her for a few minutes before I pick up the brush.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Perry's become resigned to his baths. He doesn't like them, but he's stopped trying to escape (though he does still put his front paws on my leg and look at me with the 'poor me' eyes in hopes that I'll take him out! He gets a bath, max once a month.


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

Tux is a condo canine. He, like his predecessor before him, prefers pavement over grass. Grass is to pee and poop on, and then get the heck off. Consequently, he stays pretty clean. Now that his puppy coat has left town, and the mats with it, he is a breeze to maintain. He doesn't like baths, but tolerates it as long as I'm careful about the temperature. He doesn't mind the hair dryer. The attitude with combing and brushing has done a 180 degree turn since the mats are almost non-existent. He seems to really like it now. His face stays white because his food is natural. His paws are supposed to be white, but one trip to the grass and it's another story. A good brushing gets most of the dirt. I keep his ear canals plucked which doesn't bother him. (he gets a treat after each ear). Toenail clipping seems scary mostly because of the sound and feel, but he tolerates that too. It helps if my husband holds him while I clip. For some reason it must feel less threatening. I have a word or phrase for every action I take with his hygiene and let him know in advance what I'm going to do....."Butt-check" is self explanatory. Baths are not necessary but he gets one about once every 6 weeks or so. Brushed, combed, once a day. Plucked and trimmed when necessary.


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## nadi_n (Jul 8, 2019)

Toby does not like it. He does not try to run away, but we can see it's definately not his favourite thing.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

For Me.... I hate the bath and grooming MORE than the dog. :crying:

I've decided what I pay the Groomer is a BARGAIN....and I'm considering hiring them to bath her once a week. :wink2:


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## Chuys mom (Feb 28, 2021)

Lucky me, Chuy LOVES bath time. Well maybe not so much the actual getting in the sink.... but once he is under the warm water and getting rubbed with shampoo he just settles in for the pampering. Best of all he does love the brushing and especially the blow dryer. He practically does back flips trying to get all his parts in front of the dryer but he will hold his chin up as long as I will stand there and hold the dryer. Pretty cute stuff. Am feeling inspired to give him a bath right now!!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Chuy (pronounced Chewy) was on our short list when naming Ricky Ricardo. It is a very appropriate name for almost any Havanese. Chuy is a Spanish nickname for men formally named Jesus.

If you are in the mood to give a bath right now, where do you live? Ricky will be over there within minutes. 

BTW, welcome to our pack here at Havanese Forum, we are a playful bunch!


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## Chuys mom (Feb 28, 2021)

Hahaha. Yes, Chuy is actually Chico but he looks like Chewbacca so I compromised with Chuy. I was having a naming crisis.
We have been combing for the last hour so I decided to do the bath first thing in the morning. There’s a double sink here so send Ricky on over!!!


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## Chuys mom (Feb 28, 2021)

PS. We are in Austin!


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