# Detangling spray?



## Stacey (Aug 2, 2011)

I have seen posts related to using detangling spray and some have mentioned using a spray bottle with diluted conditioner. I am assuming that they both serve the same purpose?? Do you use it every day when grooming? Does it build up on the hair? My breeder told me to only bathe Digby once a month to cut down on the chance of overdrying his skin.


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## MoirasNiceLady (Jul 11, 2011)

Good grief, if I waited a whole month to bathe Mo she'd stink us out of the house! LOL Once a week she gets a bath, and when it's time the whole family knows it. I don't remember puppies getting so smelly so fast, and I groom her every day.

Anyways, when I groom her, I use a spray bottle with watered down conditioner as a detangler, yes. Also keeps the smellies at bay  It doesn't take much and sometimes I spray the brush instead of her fur so I'm not using as much and it cuts down on the buildup. Hope that helps you.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

If you bath more often you really want to dilute the shampoo and use a good conditioner. The natural oils are important for a healthy skin. I have wondered the same thing about too much bathing. I use baking soda dry powder to help get mats out it really works great!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I think corn starch works better than any of the sprays, just rub it into the mat and then comb it out. I wish I would've discovered it before I spent a small fortune on detangling stuff 

Kara


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## DonnaC (Jul 31, 2011)

Baxter gets a bath every Sunday. He loves to go outside, and by Sunday, he's a mess. The looks of the bathwater tells me he needs it!


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

MoirasNiceLady said:


> Good grief, if I waited a whole month to bathe Mo she'd stink us out of the house! LOL Once a week she gets a bath, and when it's time the whole family knows it. I don't remember puppies getting so smelly so fast, and I groom her every day.
> 
> Anyways, when I groom her, I use a spray bottle with watered down conditioner as a detangler, yes. Also keeps the smellies at bay  It doesn't take much and sometimes I spray the brush instead of her fur so I'm not using as much and it cuts down on the buildup. Hope that helps you.


Is Moira outside mostly? Is she rolling in yucky things? The one thing I have noticed about my Havs, is their LACK of stink, even after a month of not bathing! In fact, they don't often get bathed any more often than 3-4 weeks.  If their fannies get dirty, they get a butt bath, or their feet, etc, they get rinsed off. And I wash their faces with a cloth. But they have never gotten what I considered at all stinky. Finn does step in his pee once in awhile when he overshoots his potty tray, and I rinse off his feet in the tub. His urine seems to smell stronger than Augie's did as a pup.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Stacey said:


> I have seen posts related to using detangling spray and some have mentioned using a spray bottle with diluted conditioner. I am assuming that they both serve the same purpose?? Do you use it every day when grooming? Does it build up on the hair? My breeder told me to only bathe Digby once a month to cut down on the chance of overdrying his skin.


Yes, diluted conditioner and detangling spray both can serve the same purpose. As Kara said, (and I think Suzi meant... she wrote baking soda, but I bet it's corn starch she's using and just mis-typed) corn starch works better than any spray-on product for removing mats.

The important reason to use a spray of some kind is that you don't want to groom a dry coat... you'll break the hair. So you just mist them lightly with... something. It can even be water. If you choose a commercial spray, make sure it's one WITHOUT silicone in it, as this dries the hair and makes it brittle. You can even use just plain water to mist them, but many of us find that the best solution is a very dilute solution of our regular conditioner, (I happen to use BioGroom Silk) 9 parts water to 1 part conditioner. This sprayed lightly on the coat as you are grooming, will not cause a problematic build-up, but some heavier conditioners might, I suppose.

As far as bathing is concerned, There is NOTHING wrong with bathing your Havanese more regularly than once a month. I've checked with several vets, including a dermatologist about this. They all said the same thing. You wouldn't wait a month between washing your own hair, would you? Many people wash their hair daily, and as long as you use a good quality shampoo and a good conditioner, it actually keeps your hair in better condition. The same is true for your Havanese. They don't have the heavy oils in their coat that, for instance, a hunting dog would. You don't want to bathe those oils away, because they protect the dog in bad weather. Our dogs don't have them to start with. (you will soon learn that a Havanese is basically a walking sponge)

I bathe Kodi weekly (you will find a lot of people on the forum bathe their dogs weekly) but speople who show their dogs in breed sometimes bathe even more often than that. Just make sure you use a mild, good quality shampoo, rinse THOROUGHLY and condition well after you shampoo. I think the reason Suzi is suggesting to dilute the shampoo is to make sure it all gets rinsed out, as that is very important or you WILL dry their coat and skin. But you don't HAVE to dilute the shampoo. Kodi is mostly white, and to get the stains out of his feet, I often have to put shampoo on full strength and let it soak for 5 minutes before rinsing it out. It IS easier to spread the shampoo on the rest of him if it's diluted first, so I decant shampoo from my gallon bottle into a squeeze bottle and mix half and half with water for the rest of him.

If you have any intention of keeping your dog in long coat, you will HAVE to bathe more frequently... the cleaner you keep his coat, the less matting you will have to deal with. Plus, I like my dog to enjoy a "real dog" life style, which includes a lot of outdoor time. Dogs who go outdoors often, especially white ones, get dirty!

As far as the person who said her Hav smelled if he wasn't bathed frequently... I don't think that is a common problem. Most people find that Havs have very little odor of their own, even if it's a while between baths. Kodi gets smelly at times, but it's from rolling in... turkey poop, deer poop, dead animals...ound:


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## Stacey (Aug 2, 2011)

Thank you all so much for the great information! Digby is cream with apricot ears, and his feet are mostly green thanks to the freshly cut grass! I have been washing his feet and face, but was wondering with him being lighter colored if a bath at least 2x a month would be in order.


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## tootle (Jun 19, 2007)

The cleaner you keep your Hav, the less matting that you will have. I bathe mine every 5-7 days and don't have trouble with dry skin.


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## MoirasNiceLady (Jul 11, 2011)

motherslittlehelper said:


> Is Moira outside mostly? Is she rolling in yucky things? The one thing I have noticed about my Havs, is their LACK of stink, even after a month of not bathing! In fact, they don't often get bathed any more often than 3-4 weeks.  If their fannies get dirty, they get a butt bath, or their feet, etc, they get rinsed off. And I wash their faces with a cloth. But they have never gotten what I considered at all stinky. Finn does step in his pee once in awhile when he overshoots his potty tray, and I rinse off his feet in the tub. His urine seems to smell stronger than Augie's did as a pup.


We've only had her four weeks. The first two she had the runs because of a change in food (the food they were giving her is not available near us and because of buying her at a pigeon parade event we didn't get a chance to plan for her), so lots of bum baths and smellies resulted. The third week we had her there was a lot of dew on the grass and she got to smelling kind of sour, like laundry left too long in the washing machine? This week however, she was bathed last Friday and still smells lovely so perhaps we are past the smellies. She will still probably get a bath at the end of the week, partly because I want her to get them often enough that she does not mind getting them. So far so good on that front. We use a gentle shampoo and conditioner and have not had any trouble with dry skin as yet, but I am keeping an eye on her for it just in case.


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