# Help me understand daily grooming habits!



## Stark1026 (Mar 19, 2014)

My first and only dog is a beagle (at my parents house ever since I got married and moved). Obviously, there is much less grooming to do with Maxie the beagle. We pick up our handsome hav in 8 days and I do need some general grooming tips. There's a lot of threads on CC combs and brushing but I would love to know, especially those who keep their pups hair not too long, what do you do?

Do you brush twice a day?
Do you use special dog hair detangler before you start combing?
Any specific brushing order you find works best? 
Any way you brush to avoid damage?
How did you know the pup was blowing coat? What did you do differently then?

Non-shedding dogs are new for me! I am excited but a little nervous and I want to make sure i'm doing the best I can for my pup. I might be overthinking this so don't hesitate to let me know if I am!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I groom Leo twice per day. I have done so since he came to live with us. I use a CC#005 Buttercomb, a CC cat carding comb and a flea comb (for eye goobers). I use The Coat Handler Detangling spray. I tried several others but this one neither dries his coat nor leaves it tacky feeling. The spray bottle seems to provide just the light fine mist that is needed without adding too much product to the coat. I kept Leo in full coat until early March and have kept him in a puppy cut since. Right now he is growing out some as I like some fluff but probably not as long as a full coat. You will recognize coat blowing as you'll start getting more loose hair out of the coat when you comb and you'll encounter little knots/tangles in the coat every time you touch him. I think what enabled me to get through coat blowing without shaving Leo down was the fact that we were in the routine of 2 baths per week and at least 2 comb outs per day. A freshly clean coat just doesn't mat as much. However, I thoroughly combed him out right before bathing him and I use a Kool Pup dryer to dry his coat. Additionally during coat blowing I kept him out of his harness and collar as much as possible. Even now when his coat is shorter I still find that frequent comb outs provide the opportunity to find burrs, bits of sticks or leaves or pine resin in his fur and remove those before they can contribute to tangles. I generally bath Leo once per week now though if he has an especially vigorous play session with his dog siblings he will get another bath. Havanese grow hair in their ears some more than others. Leo's grows enough that I use an ear powder and my fingers to pluck some of it out every couple weeks to once a month depending on how much has grown. Some Havs don't grow enough ear hair for it to need plucking. I use an Andis nail grinder on Leo's nails once per week after his bath while his feet are still really wet because it's easier to keep the wet hair back off the nail so it doesn't get caught in the grinder. I love the Andis tool because it is quiet and will stop instantly if any hair does get caught. By doing Leo's nails weekly I only have to take off a little so the process goes quickly and he tolerates it well. I do use nail scissors on his dew claws as I just can't seem to get them with the grinder. Havs also grow hair between their paws pads. I scissor this to keep it short so it picks up less stuff outside. Some folks use a clipper for this and others have the groomer do it for them. The only brush I use on Leo is a CC wooden pin brush and I only use it when I am blowing him dry after a bath. I think a brush makes it too easy to skim over the top of a tangle which will just grow and grow until a dog will need to be shaved. A comb tends to catch on tangles so you then can tease them out so the coat is tangle free. You want to comb the coat in small sections, separating it so that you can see down to your pup's skin. This should be done all over his body - behind the ears, under the chin, on the sides of his face, under his arms, on his chest, back, legs, around his paw pads top and bottom. Again while he is so young his coat doesn't NEED this twice per day but this will give you the time you need to help him accept grooming and to help yourself incorporate his grooming into your daily routines. Leo learned to lay across my lap (as he grew part of him is on a pillow next to me) for me to comb him. He will often just go to sleep. I start at his head work over him and finish with feet and tail. Whether you keep your pup in a long coat or a short coat he will need ongoing grooming throughout his life. Helping him learn to accept grooming while he is young will make this more pleasant for him and whoever is grooming him. If your pup has a coat like Leo's it will be abundant and therefore will be really important to establish good grooming routines.


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## Stark1026 (Mar 19, 2014)

This is perfect, thank you! I wonder how many people bring these pups into their lives and not realize the maintenance involved. I am very lucky I work from home that I can devote this attention to him! I'll also look into those combs, and detangling spray. Anything to make this painless for both of us! Does Leo feel uncomfortable when you pluck the hair in his ear? For some reason, I enjoy pulling out my husbands (very few) grey hairs when he least expects it, but feel bad doing that to my pup!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I do think there is a bit of discomfort when I pluck the hair from Leo's ears but using ear powder a grasping and twisting just a few strands at a time seems to reduce the discomfort. I also don't pluck too much at once just a bit from each ear then do it again later. If you stay on top of it you can keep the ears open enough for air to circulate. You don't have to get every hair out. Also not all dogs need their ears plucked but Leo is very heavily coated and just seems to grow a lot of hair in his ears.


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## Stark1026 (Mar 19, 2014)

I guess we'll see, but if his pictures are any indication of how hairy my Benny will be, he's going to be one furry puppy!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

A lot depends on the type of coat the Havanese has. Some are definitely more difficult than others. What I seem to see is that dogs with thicker undercoats, and ESPECIALLY dogs with curly coats are harder to manage. I've yet to meet anyone with a curly coated Hav who hasn't given up and put them in a shortish puppy cut pretty early in the game. 

Kodi has a silky, wavy coat, and his undercoat is not as thick as some. I definitely had to do the twice a day grooming routine while he was blowing coat, but once we got past blowing coat, once a day was fine, even though he has always been in full coat. Once his coat matured, between 2-3 years, I found that I could go even longer. While I still groom him just about daily, just because I like him to look his best, if I'm sick or if I have to go away for a few days, I have found that he can go for up to about 5 days before he starts to mat much at all, as long has he's on "house dog" status. If he's home with my husband, who takes him down to the lake to roll in the sand and play in the water, with no grooming in between, he's a matted mess after 4-5 days and requires a pretty extensive grooming session. (now HOW would I know THAT!?!?  )

Every Hav's coat resonds best to slightly different products too. (though most everyone prefers CC combs and brushes!) For Kodi, I alternate between BioGroom SuperWhite and CC Spectrum 10 for shampoo, and between Bio-Groom Silk and CC Spectrum 10 for conditioner. I make my own grooming spray, which is approximately 9 parts water to 1/2 part conditioner (whichever I'm using at the time) and 1/2 part CC Ice on Ice.

… And Kodi is one of those Havs who rarely needs his ears plucked. I think I've done just a little bit twice in 5 years. His ear hair is very loosely attached, and he doesn't have that much. (maybe that's why it doesn't build up?) He shows no signs of discomfort when I have plucked the few hairs that seemed to need it.

Puck's mom and I groom about as frequently as anyone on the forum, and you can see that, based on our particular dog's coats, our routines are slightly different. You'll learn what works best for your pup as you go along. The biggest advice I can give you is get him used to grooming WAY before it's strictly necessary, and DON'T let it get ahead of you. If you find that you just can't keep ahead of the mats when he's blowing coat, there is NO crime in cutting him short until blowing coat is over. There are lots of Havs in full coat who were cut short during adolescence. The good thing is… hair grows!


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## Stark1026 (Mar 19, 2014)

Thanks for that response! It'll be a learning process for sure, but i'll start him early to make sure he's comfortable with grooming and being touched!


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

Oscar is 9 months old and I discovered that I'm not interested in blow drying his long hair. I don't really have a good setup for doing it. So I took the easy way out and I take him to the groomer every 2 weeks. They reduced the rate by half because he goes often. I just comb him (with spray) every night or two while we watch the news. Then I brush my other dog and they both get a treat. We all enjoy ending the day this way.
In the mornings I wash their eyes with eyewash and look into ears which I clean if necessary. It's more likely to be my spaniel that gets ear yuck but once I found some in Oscar's ear.
If the grooming charges become a burden I'll probably give him a puppy cut. I'm fairly good at doing that outdoors if the weather is good.
I would have never dreamed that any dog would need bathing so often but it does make a tremendous difference. The hair is just beautiful and there is no doggie odor. It's so worth the work.


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Really great input from the members. I'd only add make sure you learn the proper technique. I was grooming earnestly twice daily or more - but doing it wrong. The thread is on here and reads like a Stephen King novel.


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## Stark1026 (Mar 19, 2014)

Deacon, I read your thread. I figured if poor Rory got the shave down, it's in Benny's cards as well. But we shall see. I think I might make an early appointment with the groomer to go over brushing in person. 

Dianaplo, I wish I were able to take Benny to the groomers for a scrubbing every 2 weeks, but living in a city without a car can be a challenge. We found a mobile groomer with great reviews that stops monthly at our local pet supply store. It's perfect as it's only a 3 minute walk!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Stark1026 said:


> Deacon, I read your thread. I figured if poor Rory got the shave down, it's in Benny's cards as well. But we shall see. I think I might make an early appointment with the groomer to go over brushing in person.


Remember! The brush is the LEAST effective tool for keeping a Havanese mat-free. A good comb will be your most important tool, with a good quality slicker as a back-up for breaking up mats that have already appeared. As someone else said, (Puck's mom, I believe?) the ONLY time I use a "brush" is a CC wood pin brush to brush him out while blow drying.

A brush just goes over the surface of a Havanese coat and doesn't get down to the skin&#8230; and that's where mats start&#8230; next to the skin.


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Stark1026 said:


> I think I might make an early appointment with the groomer to go over brushing in person.


You're absolutely doing the right thing is getting guidance from the community. In my case it wasn't 'brushing' at the heart of my difficulty; it was the weak *combing*.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Do get in the habit of daily grooming. I was so good for the first three years. I've been slacking lately and when I do groom I feel it is way to much work for me and isn't as much fun for any of us. For such small dogs they are a lot of work. I am comming close to having mine shaved.


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

Pucks104 said:


> I groom Leo twice per day. I have done so since he came to live with us. I use a CC#005 Buttercomb, a CC cat carding comb and a flea comb (for eye goobers). I use The Coat Handler Detangling spray. I tried several others but this one neither dries his coat nor leaves it tacky feeling. The spray bottle seems to provide just the light fine mist that is needed without adding too much product to the coat. I kept Leo in full coat until early March and have kept him in a puppy cut since. Right now he is growing out some as I like some fluff but probably not as long as a full coat. You will recognize coat blowing as you'll start getting more loose hair out of the coat when you comb and you'll encounter little knots/tangles in the coat every time you touch him. I think what enabled me to get through coat blowing without shaving Leo down was the fact that we were in the routine of 2 baths per week and at least 2 comb outs per day. A freshly clean coat just doesn't mat as much. However, I thoroughly combed him out right before bathing him and I use a Kool Pup dryer to dry his coat. Additionally during coat blowing I kept him out of his harness and collar as much as possible. Even now when his coat is shorter I still find that frequent comb outs provide the opportunity to find burrs, bits of sticks or leaves or pine resin in his fur and remove those before they can contribute to tangles. I generally bath Leo once per week now though if he has an especially vigorous play session with his dog siblings he will get another bath. Havanese grow hair in their ears some more than others. Leo's grows enough that I use an ear powder and my fingers to pluck some of it out every couple weeks to once a month depending on how much has grown. Some Havs don't grow enough ear hair for it to need plucking. I use an Andis nail grinder on Leo's nails once per week after his bath while his feet are still really wet because it's easier to keep the wet hair back off the nail so it doesn't get caught in the grinder. I love the Andis tool because it is quiet and will stop instantly if any hair does get caught. By doing Leo's nails weekly I only have to take off a little so the process goes quickly and he tolerates it well. I do use nail scissors on his dew claws as I just can't seem to get them with the grinder. Havs also grow hair between their paws pads. I scissor this to keep it short so it picks up less stuff outside. Some folks use a clipper for this and others have the groomer do it for them. The only brush I use on Leo is a CC wooden pin brush and I only use it when I am blowing him dry after a bath. I think a brush makes it too easy to skim over the top of a tangle which will just grow and grow until a dog will need to be shaved. A comb tends to catch on tangles so you then can tease them out so the coat is tangle free. You want to comb the coat in small sections, separating it so that you can see down to your pup's skin. This should be done all over his body - behind the ears, under the chin, on the sides of his face, under his arms, on his chest, back, legs, around his paw pads top and bottom. Again while he is so young his coat doesn't NEED this twice per day but this will give you the time you need to help him accept grooming and to help yourself incorporate his grooming into your daily routines. Leo learned to lay across my lap (as he grew part of him is on a pillow next to me) for me to comb him. He will often just go to sleep. I start at his head work over him and finish with feet and tail. Whether you keep your pup in a long coat or a short coat he will need ongoing grooming throughout his life. Helping him learn to accept grooming while he is young will make this more pleasant for him and whoever is grooming him. If your pup has a coat like Leo's it will be abundant and therefore will be really important to establish good grooming routines.


Where did you order your CC comb ? From their website or Amazon?


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I ordered my CC combs from their website but you can google Chris Christensen combs and sites such as www.showdogstore.com, www.cherrybrook.com, and others will come up. You can see if pricing is different for the tools you are looking for. You might find a deal.


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