# How many Pet Havanese in full coat?



## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

I'm just curious how many of us who have our little guys as pets, not show dogs, are insane enough to keep them in full coat?

I was working on Mojo this afternoon and got to wondering why I'm doing this...but the answer is always the same: because he's so darned pretty! He's still not quite a year old and it's only going to get worse, but I haven't cut him except to see his eyes, and I hope to keep going this way. His coat is about six inches long now.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I kept Milo in full coat for almost three years, through two rough coat blowing stages and through endless grooming sessions that revealed some of the most incredible debris relocated from the backyard. Bailey made it to almost two years when I finally realized the stress we were all dealing with was not worth it. Ultimately it was mats - 1, Geri - 0 and I sadly and with trepidation, took them to be shaved down.

Yes, the coats were gorgeous, occasionally, but we're all much happier these days with grooming sessions measured in minutes rather than hours.


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

I have 3 that feel tortured daily. I would like to get to the place Jeri is at!!!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Tucker is 3 and in full coat--but, I don't know if I could do it with three! Unless I didn't work... or go to school... and had a pet drier... and maybe a maid...


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Bugsy is in full coat, he was only cut down once when he was 6.5 or 7 months old, after his neuter. I love him in long coat and don't mind daily sessions. And yes, they are daily, if/when I miss a day we both hate it. To me, a Havanese coat it's part of his charm, plus I save a fortune on grooming, which is great because my poodles are expensive times two.


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

Dusty and Indie are both in full coats and always have been. Since seeing Geri's photos of Milo, I've been more tempted to try cutting them down. They aren't hard to groom though, and it would be easier if I was a little bit more consistent with grooming daily.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I have trimmed Dora twice in her life (she is 5) a few inches but I have never been able to put her in a cut. She has an amazing coat that doesn't matt much so I am lucky but also makes me feel like I really should never cut her down.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi is 11 months, in full coat (about 7" at this point) and I plan to keep it that way unless there is a compelling reason not to. He's blowing coat right now, which is a pain, but he's the silky coated type, so after we get through with blowing coat, it should be a lot more manageable.

Also, since he's belton, I'd cut off a lot of the white on his back if I cut him.


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## Perugina (May 28, 2008)

I kept Sophie in full coat for two years. However, she has a very cottony coat and I spent too much at the groomer getting matts out! Now she is clipped to 1.5 in. with head/face long. She goes in every three weeks for a bath and brush and six weeks for clips. Someday, when I'm not working full time and the kids are out of the house, I'll try to do it all myself.


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## meganmckellar (Sep 1, 2009)

Oscar is in 9 months - and after experience a traumatizing "puppy cut" I've decided to do my best to keep him in full coat. He's got a silky coat, so it doesn't matt much. My only concern heading into summer is our pool. I'm wondering how his coat is going to hold up after frequent dips in the pool to stay cool.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Kipling just had a cut - his coat is so cottony I just wasn't able to keep him mat-free. He had a 3 hour de-matting session at the groomer and that really bothered me for his sake (despite btw my best efforts on a daily basis) - we feel much free-er now and he is incredibly soft. We like him somewhere between short, and full coat - sheepdog fluffy. So he'll likely head back in that direction once this awful blowing coat stage passes but for now he's incredibly endearing in his new cut, he's had lot's of compliments on our walks, and we're all much more relaxed about petting the poor guy! For our lifestyle I don't regret cutting him.


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Mine are not in full coats, but in longish puppy coats. Benji is 3.3 and Lizzie is 2.9 yrs. I am thinking of trimming them shorter.......and I have been saying that for at least a year!


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

Roscoe is just about 6 months and he hasn't had a haircut yet, I think I'm going to keep him in his natural coat for as long as I can. It's so silky and easy to manage, he rarely ever gets matts so I don't have any motivation to cut his hair.

I kept Maddie in full coat until she was about a year and three months...then I went on vacation, came home, and my mom and cut Maddie's beautiful red sable off  Now my mom keeps her short - too short if you ask me! She insists on doing all the grooming herself, and with her [un]artistic abilities it always turns into a total hack job...I need to convince her that it's worth it to take Maddie to the groomer. Maybe I will email her those cute pictures of Kipling and Milo!


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

I wish I could keep Pix in full coat, but she doesn't have the right hair type. She has sheep's wool, like a walking Ugg boot. Now maybe a corded coat-that we could do (but won't..) ! Love the ones in the full coat though.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Rufus and Marley are 3 and 2 and were kept in full coat most of their lives. I recently took thebody length down some in hopes of blending better with Rufus' hiney after the vets assistant shaved it! They still have plenty of length though. Originally I thought I would keep it this length, at least until R's fanny coat grows in to match, but now I'm not so sure. It's tempting to just let it continue to grow in fully from here. I LOVE the long coat!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Kodi and Shelby are in full coats. Kodi is 4yrs and Shelby is 3yrs. I groom them myself. 
Kodi just had a bath yesterday and I cut his bangs. I was trying to get a picture of him this morning and my battery died. I wanted to show the difference in his coat when I brush him and when I don't.


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## DorothyS (Aug 11, 2009)

Just last week we were so tempted to cut our dogs' hair. But we had gone just a little too long without a bath (3 weeks!) and it makes it so hard to brush them. After their bath (with IOD) they were so soft and silky, we thought - let's wait just a bit longer. 

They got another bath yesterday (we're now trying to do it once a week, as it makes a huge difference in ease of grooming, except for the 1 1/2 hours bathtime, of course, lol!), and we love them in long coat.

They are almost a year old, and the only thing I cut is their bangs and their toe hair. Since there are two of us to two of them, and my husband is an equal sharer in the grooming, it's not too bad.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

*DIzzie Rascal*

Dizzie has a full very soft and silky coat at the moment,he is 13 months old,does it change much after this age?at the moment I can handle it but it was tricky between 10 and 12 months,seems to have settled down now,but am thinking of the warmer weather coming,and him maybe going in the pool or in the sea when we go to the beach.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Augie is 17 months and has never had a haircut, except around his feet. His hair is around 9-10 inches long, wavy and the black part is fairly silky and hasn't matted too badly except when he was neutered at 16 months and wore a onesie. I should have been more diligent in keeping him brushed. His tan parts mat more as they are more cotton-like. I, too, like seeing the movement of the hair when he runs; it just sort of floats around him. If I ever do cut him down, I would like to take it back to around 3-4 inches and hopefully it will look 'frisky' and stick out in every direction the way it did when he was a puppy. He could stand a trim, as the ends are looking kind of dry. I have left them on as they are more black; he has faded underneath somewhat, quite a bit in the hindquarters. I will know it is time when he starts understanding that people we meet on our walks refer to him as 'she'! 

I need to introduce him - working on gathering a few photos.


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

This is fun and interesting reading...

I always intended to keep Mojo in a puppy cut, but once his color started to change from the black and tan we thought he was, to the heavily silvered, more sable coat that he now has, I changed my mind. His coat is soft and silky, although it does have some of the cottony stuff, too. 

Mats have been minimal, except the one I found last week. I had been feeling quite smug about how little Mojo matted, and I let a whole week go by without brushing. The result was the mat from Hell, right in the bend between his beard and neck. What a mess! Half an hour and several teaspoons of coat conditioner later, it was out, along with a good bit of the fur that had been involved. Never again!

If I cut him now he'll lose the dark ends, among other things. And I love the look. Lifestyle-wise, it would be much easier to have him cut, but I then I'd need a groomer, too, because I don't think I could manage a decent cut by myself. As it is, I do everything myself, and it's really not bad.


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

krandall said:


> Kodi is 11 months, in full coat (about 7" at this point) and I plan to keep it that way unless there is a compelling reason not to. He's blowing coat right now, which is a pain, but he's the silky coated type, so after we get through with blowing coat, it should be a lot more manageable.
> 
> Also, since he's belton, I'd cut off a lot of the white on his back if I cut him.


Karen, your Kodi and my Tucker are so much alike. Tucker is also belton and in full coat. He's just starting to blow coat I think (brush and comb are quite full of hair after grooming). He'll be 1 on 4/4.


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## DorothyS (Aug 11, 2009)

Hey, Rita - my Rascal will be 1 on 4/4 too - and he's a Belton! Maybe they're kissing cousins!


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

Dorothy, it's amazing how different the lengths and texture on your two look! They are beautiful! 

Clare, Dizzie looks very kissable!

Linda, I love Augie's coloring . . . can't wait to see more photos!

Jackson stays pretty long, but his face is always a mess so I have to keep it trimmed. You can see here he was in need! I did break down and use my new Wahl Pro clipper on him the other day, and it was amazing how it thinned out his cottony heavy coat. It's getting ready to be 80° here this weekend, and he will feel so much better. It actually does not look that much shorter, but he picks up so much debris in our yard that it will certainly help. And the slightest dampness and he starts to wave and curl . . .


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Bumi is in full coat (11 months) as well and planning to stay that way.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

McKenna is in a cheater's full coat. She looks like a Hav with a full coat but in reality the groomer cuts her tummy short and shaves her pits, the areas that are the most difficult for me to brush and de-mat. She also gets her bangs trimmed just a bit but for all intents and purposes, she LOOKS full coated. Only her hairdresser knows for sure.......


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

DorothyS said:


> Hey, Rita - my Rascal will be 1 on 4/4 too - and he's a Belton! Maybe they're kissing cousins!


That's cool! Let me be the first to wish Rascal a happy birthday.


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## mimismom (Feb 15, 2009)

I have been letting Mimi's coat grow out... and I am happy with it.. She too may have a cheaters full coat, as her underbelly is cut. Some parts of her body are shorter due to matting and trimming.

I love her coat being longer although Gordo is learning to pull and tug on her coat as they play.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KSC said:


> Kipling just had a cut - his coat is so cottony I just wasn't able to keep him mat-free. He had a 3 hour de-matting session at the groomer and that really bothered me for his sake (despite btw my best efforts on a daily basis) - we feel much free-er now and he is incredibly soft. We like him somewhere between short, and full coat - sheepdog fluffy. So he'll likely head back in that direction once this awful blowing coat stage passes but for now he's incredibly endearing in his new cut, he's had lot's of compliments on our walks, and we're all much more relaxed about petting the poor guy! For our lifestyle I don't regret cutting him.


If I thought Kodi would look like Kipling does in his longer cut, I'd be very tempted. I thought he looked adorable (though I understand why you had to go shorter for now). But Kodi has a silky coat, and I'm not at all sure it would fluff up like Kipling's does if it were cut shorter. I honestly don't have a good idea what he'd look like, and I'm afraid to try and find that i hate the way he looks and have cut off all the white to do it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

galaxie said:


> Roscoe is just about 6 months and he hasn't had a haircut yet, I think I'm going to keep him in his natural coat for as long as I can. It's so silky and easy to manage, he rarely ever gets matts so I don't have any motivation to cut his hair.


Gotta warn you, Kodi never had a SINGLE mat, with VERY little grooming until he was about 10 months. I kept grooming him all along just because I knew he needed to get used to it, but he really didn't "need" it, other than to get yard/woods debris out of his coat as needed. Even the silky ones seem to go through blowing coat to some extent.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

DorothyS said:


> Just last week we were so tempted to cut our dogs' hair. But we had gone just a little too long without a bath (3 weeks!) and it makes it so hard to brush them. After their bath (with IOD) they were so soft and silky, we thought - let's wait just a bit longer.
> 
> They got another bath yesterday (we're now trying to do it once a week, as it makes a huge difference in ease of grooming, except for the 1 1/2 hours bathtime, of course, lol!), and we love them in long coat.
> 
> They are almost a year old, and the only thing I cut is their bangs and their toe hair. Since there are two of us to two of them, and my husband is an equal sharer in the grooming, it's not too bad.


Kodi is just a bit behind your two, at 11 months, and right in between them in length. It's interesting to see the variation of length that they grow at just about the same age too. Your two are both gorgeous!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Rita Nelson said:


> Karen, your Kodi and my Tucker are so much alike. Tucker is also belton and in full coat. He's just starting to blow coat I think (brush and comb are quite full of hair after grooming). He'll be 1 on 4/4.


Kodi turns 1 on 4/30!


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## Mom2Izzo (Jul 1, 2009)

ME! Izzo is in full coat and he's 1. I only get his bangs cut and his nose trimmed so I can see his eyes. he is a sable with gorgeous black tipping and I would lose that tipping if I cut him so full coat he stays!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

I love Izzo's look and Kodi's too - the way I see it, Kipling can grow back to his shag but for now he's soft and smushy and much to my surprise just as irresistable as he always was. I hope this helps us ride out the blowing coat days a bit....


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## Mraymo (Oct 30, 2007)

Izzy was 2 in November and she's in full coat (or should I say cheater's full coat). I have her belly and underarms shaved once or twice a year because, as Susan said, that are is really sensitive and terrible to comb mats out of. I love the long coat but I must say the yard sweeping she does really makes me sometimes think I should cut her down. So far I've resisted because I love how she looks.


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

So far, Santos is in full coat. He's so hard to groom though...I don't know if it's because he's got black hair or because he's small, but I'm having problems going through the hair section by section. I guess I need to get some clips or something to put up the hair that I've already covered. He's been to the groomer once and gotten his feet and butt done. I'd really like to keep him the way he is, but we'll see how that turns out now that Spring is here....he's been picking up grass and debris from outside....some of it is hard to find!


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## Mom2Izzo (Jul 1, 2009)

trueblue said:


> So far, Santos is in full coat. He's so hard to groom though...I don't know if it's because he's got black hair or because he's small, but I'm having problems going through the hair section by section. I guess I need to get some clips or something to put up the hair that I've already covered. He's been to the groomer once and gotten his feet and butt done. I'd really like to keep him the way he is, but we'll see how that turns out now that *Spring is here....he's been picking up grass and debris from outside....some of it is hard to find!*


OH MY GOSH- those mossy things are falling from the trees and it's EVERYWHERE. Every time Izzo goes out he's full of them and the only way to get them out is by brushing him. At least with his light coat I can see where it is and if I got it all. Uggh!


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## AKathy (Mar 15, 2008)

I really like the look of full coat but I'm too lazy for the upkeep. Stella goes to the groomer every Thursday and even in a puppy cut, she's a mess by the time Thursday rolls around. I admire all of you that take the time to keep the full coat looking so beautiful!


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## michi715 (Apr 8, 2008)

Guapo just turned 2 and is in full coat (except the bang trimming and feet trimming). He has a combination of cotton and silkly hair so the matting is manageable...especially since there are two of us to groom him


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Scout is 3 years old and is in full coat. His coat is pretty manageable. 

Lincoln is 5 and in a very long puppy cut. His coat is very difficult to maintain, cottony and super thick, but I am still willing to try. I scissor off about 1/3rd of the length of his coat about twice a year. Even after that, the hair that drapes from his body is 8" long (he is a tall Hav).


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

My five (6 months to 6 years) are all in full coat. Phoebe has the easiest coat - I could count all the mats she has ever had on one hand. Javi is the toughest to maintain - he is more cottony and his feet tend to mat and collect debris. I must admit that it is getting difficult with 5 since I really do this all myself. They don't seem to mind grooming and I really like long coats. The only problem I have is that it is rare that they all look freshly groomed at the same time.

Arlene


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KSC said:


> I love Izzo's look and Kodi's too - the way I see it, Kipling can grow back to his shag but for now he's soft and smushy and much to my surprise just as irresistable as he always was. I hope this helps us ride out the blowing coat days a bit....


there are days that I envy you!!!<g>


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I am trying to grow the boys longer, but I doubt I will ever make it to full coat. But I am loving the way the look lately. But boy do I commend and admire those of you that do it. Especially with more than one.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

krandall said:


> there are days that I envy you!!!<g>


And even so...short and all, I'm picking up little tiny knots that will become mat's in no time at all - pahlease tell me this dreaded blowing coat stage passes and I'll be able to have my shaggy dog back one day! I'm really surprised by how much attention it's taking even at the shorter length to keep from ending up with another 3 hour de-matting session.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KSC said:


> And even so...short and all, I'm picking up little tiny knots that will become mat's in no time at all - pahlease tell me this dreaded blowing coat stage passes and I'll be able to have my shaggy dog back one day! I'm really surprised by how much attention it's taking even at the shorter length to keep from ending up with another 3 hour de-matting session.


Yes, it's those tiny knots that I struggle with too. You can feel them with your fingers, but they are so small they slip right between the teeth of the comb. I hate to yank them out with my fingers, but I know if I don't get them out, by the next grooming session there will be a mat there!

Kodi was matting less for a couple of weeks, and I thought it was coming to an end, and then the last couple of days I've been combing out mats again, sometimes twice a day. :frusty: They're not huge, and I can usually get them out pretty quickly, but I still feel sorry for him when I need to do it!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

krandall said:


> Yes, it's those tiny knots that I struggle with too. You can feel them with your fingers, but they are so small they slip right between the teeth of the comb. I hate to yank them out with my fingers, but I know if I don't get them out, by the next grooming session there will be a mat there!


Exactly - I use my fingers to find them and I tease them apart using my fingers and in some cases the knot itself ends up in my fingers. But those little things are the trouble makers that lead to mats...OY!


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## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

Max is in long coat and I'm letting Cooper's grow out. Max's profile is low to the ground and he picks up all kinds of trash in the yard. Cooper is longer legged and somehow escapes the trash.

My biggest worry about Cooper is that he doesn't tolerate heat very well. Last year, at the hottest of the summer, I could only allow him about 10 or 15 minutes play time before he was panting, head wobbling and staggering. It was frightening! Even today, when it is only in the 70's, he panted for longest after I let him back in.


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## Gandorf (Jan 16, 2009)

Gandorf has his full coat and like others he has black tips on a lot of his hair and we don't want to lose that so he is going to stay in his full coat. He is now 16 months old.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I wanted to post these here to give an idea of how different a coat can be on one dog. This is Kodi after a bath and dry. The curlier side hasn't been brushed yet, and the side that was brushed looks like cotton candy.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Wow,Kodi has such a lot of color!!! I'm surprised, because it sure doesn't show in your avatar. He's beautiful!!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks, Sheri. I think in my avatar, kodi had lost all his color. One day I noticed red hairs coming in, and his color came back. It's not as red as it looks in the pictures, it's lighter.


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