# This is "Blowing Coat"



## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

When we got Cicero, I did not know what "blowing coat" was. I had not read about it on any of the sites that I had researched on the breed. Then when I got on this forum and started reading about it I still wasn't sure what it would be like. People talked about it...and the mats...and at times I would think "maybe" this is blowing coat. If I found one mat near his ear I would think "oh, we are in the beginning of blowing coat"...nope!

We are NOW blowing coat...no guessing or doubt about it. So for all the newbies...you will "know" when they are blowing coat. All of a sudden you will find a golf ball mat that appears overnight...and say "what the heck". 

In the picture, you can see where I brushed a huge wad of hair out on Tues night. My MIL is in the hospital so I missed Mon brushing him - and was shocked that he had so much hair in the brush Tues night. There were a couple of mats on his chest and some on his ears that I had to pull apart...like trying to seperate a cotton ball!!! The strange thing to me is that it is mostly the black hair that he is losing...and hardly no white hairs. :suspicious:

Then yesterday I combed through him 4 different times...and you can see the small wads that came out each time. I now understand why people have to have their dogs shaved during this time. I think it is going to take a lot of brushing to stay on top of "blowing coat"!!!!!

Hopefully it will not last long....and we will make it without cutting him down. DH wants to keep his big feet...ound:


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Oh, what fun, what memories! But, I've no doubt that you will make it through without cutting him down. You keep him so beautifully groomed all the time! Hang in there!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I just asked a question about this on another thread a moment ago as I think Scooter is too! He'll be a year old in March so could it be? I get wads of hair like that too and I'm finding mats where I haven't before. Behind his ears, on his chest, and in strange places like the middle of his back. We had just decided to let his coat grow a bit but may have to rethink that. LOL


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Dale, trust me. That's not that much hair! :biggrin1: I brush/comb the boys every 2, 3 sometimes 4 days and I get that much out of them twice or 3x a week. I DON'T have the big mats, though, just a few tangles here and there. Nothing to sweat over which is why I can sometimes go 3 or 4 days without grooming them. 

When I'm done, I have that big wad you show here. 

Do you mean that when you brush Cicero every day, when he wasn't blowing coat, you hardly have any hair left on your brush/comb?? That almost never happens to me, but that's because I don't comb them every day ..... probably, right? :suspicious:


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

I don't miss that at all. Even with daily brushing, I wasn't able to make it through the blowing coat stage. Marble's hair is still short from when he was shaved a few months ago  Good luck, Dale. Cicero's coat is so beautiful!
Gina


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Dale, I'm right there with you. I have two blowing coat right now. Thankfully, one of them has a ton of hair and this stage is no big deal. My girl is another story; she's losing hair like crazy.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Sheri...how long did this last for you????

Ann...it sounds like you may be blowing coat also if you are finding more mats .. especially in odd places where you hadn't had them before. But...we can do this. 

Marj....I can't believe you get this hair each week. NO, Cicero has not lost hair...not enough in his brush to even hardly notice before this started...and it would take a week before I cleaned what little was in the brush...with daily brushing. SO...this is a big difference in grooming for Cicero. I hope after he gets over this he will go back to no tangles!!

Gina...I am beginning to understand. It has been easy to do the daily brushing...and we enjoyed them. Now, Cicero is wondering why am I having to pull apart his hair...and take so long on finishing the job. A 15 or 20 minute brushing is now taking an hour. I can comb him...he goes outside to RLH in the wind...and comes in with tangles from the wind blowing. That has never happen before. I'm just glad it is happening now because he doesn't want to stay out long in the cold. Summer would be a bad time for him!!!!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Kimberly, I don't know how I would handle two at the same time blowing coat.

I will be honest...I have seen some bad haircuts on this forum...so DH told me to just worry about Cicero -- and nothing else -- because he doesn't want him shaved. ound:

I do have some olive oil sheen spray for dry hair that I mist him with and it seems to help with the tangles. Also, I think the fleece in his crate was causing a bigger problem so I put a satin pillowcase on it and I think that helps....as least he likes it. I just don't want him to get where he doesn't like his grooming...since he is so good about all of it.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

Dale and Ann, I totally sympathize as does anyone who has experienced this. Jackson was actually about 14 months before his started, and it kind of caught me by surprise . . . I just thought his hair was getting too long and that he needed a little trim. I worried that he wouldn't have any hair left there were so many mats. I thought about "thinning" because I couldn't get the comb through above his back legs without a new one forming. I did end up cutting off about an inch all over one day with scissors, and although it wasn't perfect like the groomer, it really helped. I was worried the groomer would either shave him or hurt him and he would always dread going back. 

We also used LOTS of treats during the poor, pitiful stage. :hungry:


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Dale, I totally agree that because Cicero is such an angel about grooming, you want to keep things that way. I am not at all worried though because you are a very good mom to that adorable boy. 

I thought I'd share a picture I took of the hair that came off the brush and comb when I groomed Ricky and Sammy this a.m. This is two days since the last grooming.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Marj...so is that normal most all the time for you? Was it much worse when they were blowing coat? 

You know the big wad in my picture....if I had saved all of the hair Cicero has left in the brush in his first year, it would no where have been that much!!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

DH said we could make a new Scooter with what we're pulling out of the brush!


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

yup, blowing coat here too- I caved and gave Paige a puppy cut today.
I just can't deal with blowing coat, plus Heidi in full coat, plus the babies, plus two kids, a job, and just life- have some personal stuff going on and have to make some changes to make day-to-day stuff easier. Having the dogs in puppy cuts is a lifesaver for me!
Kudos to you that can keep all your dogs in full coats- I just don't have extra hours in the day to keep them up right now.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Dale,
I didn't have the Forum for info when Tucker blew his coat, so didn't even think about keeping track of how long it lasted...I just thought "my goodness, I don't know if I can keep this up for 15 more years!" :suspicious: But, I love the long hair so much that I figured I'd keep at it until I was a screaming loonatic! I was so glad to learn it was just a stage! :biggrin1: 

It may have lasted around a month; I'd brush him at least 3 times a day for about 15 minutes each time. 

Grooming isn't such a big deal once you've lived through blowing coat.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Katie ~ if I had all you have going on, Cicero would be shaved clean from head to toe. I don't know how you do even one Hav. We only have one and are empty nesters, so I have plenty of time ~ still I don't want this to last long.

Sheri ~ good to hear it will be easier once this stage is over. It has been easy till now and I'm having a time and his ears seem to be the worse to mat. You do a super great job keeping Tucker looking so nice. His color reminds me of my sweet boy!!


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Dale, hang in there! It is worth it, and I know you can do it! The coat blowing lasted about 8 weeks for Lincoln. It seemed like an eternity!

Well, I think we should _all _post photos of the hair we remove after grooming! It is interesting to see how much comes off each dog!!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Marj, that's what it looks like when I brush Shelby. :biggrin1: She went thru her first round of BC a little late, and I think she is going thru round two now. Neither one was as bad as Kodi's, thank goodness.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Jane, that is a good idea for people to post some pics of how much hair is coming out...with or without blowing coat. I have wondered what it would be like. I'm just never had enought hair to even clean the brush till maybe a week of brushing. For all of us that are hitting our first time....We need to know!!!! ound:

I've said it before...I will say it again....Jane, I don't know how you brush Lincoln...that is a lot of hair !!


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

Dale, you haven't seen *anything* yet! You wouldn't believe what I used to get out of Maddie. Now I have to thin her coat because its so thick. As a matter of fact, I'm *thrilled* when I get a chunk of hair out. That means less to brush and blow dry. :laugh:


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

LuvCicero said:


> Marj...so is that normal most all the time for you? Was it much worse when they were blowing coat?
> 
> You know the big wad in my picture....if I had saved all of the hair Cicero has left in the brush in his first year, it would no where have been that much!!


Wow. I can't even imagine that Dale, since I've never known that. Isn't it funny just how different our views of "normal" hair loss is?! :suspicious: I have to remove hair from my comb and brush many times during a grooming session or I'd not be able to continue!

Yes, we went through a blowing coat stage with Ricky and that was one reason why I trimmed him right down to an inch when he turned 1. I couldn't keep up, it was killing my shoulders and making him and me miserable. Sammy did have a period where he got massive mats, but they were never impossible to get through. My longest session with Sammy, in the two years I've had him, has maybe been a half hour. Yes, I'm very grateful, though I do wish his hair would actually GROW ! (I won't count the time I let them out in the mud and rain w/o having brushed them first! :frusty: That one took me days to get over!)

I remember once when Kara posted just how much hair Gucci was losing due to blowing coat. When I saw the picture of "all that hair", I though 'Huh? That's nothing compared to what I get every time I comb and my boys aren't even blowing coat!' Yet, for Kara, it was so much more than her usual. Very weird........ and yet, very fascinating!!

I agree. Others should post the wads of hair after one grooming session in this thread so we can all ooh and ahh and compare. ound:


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## JeanMarie (Mar 2, 2008)

Riley is in the middle of BC at 11 months. I've been working like crazy to keep the matts at bay. He went to the groomer today and she showed me the pile of matts she got out of him. She did say that I'd done pretty well...so at least he's not had to be shaved. We'll see how it goes this month... 

How long does this last?


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## moxie (Feb 6, 2008)

I am determined to make it through without a haircut. Moxie is a year old and I get a large palmfull of hair every day. Sometimes we go through again at night and I get a smaller pile. I try not to skip a day.


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## Salsa's Mom (Mar 18, 2008)

Dale, I hope you can make it through. Cicero's coat is just so beautiful. It really would be a shame to cut it.

I think I'm going through the second BC with Salsa. The first was around 8-10 months, then it got better and now it just got worse with new golf ball size mats everyday. She tolerates grooming better this time around, but I still feel like I'm torturing her. I also have a fleece pad in her crate and was thinking about getting a satin pillowcase to cover the pad with. I don't know, I may have to get her cut shorter. :frusty:


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

I'll add in my encouragement! Dusty has a ton of coat. It's very wavy and not easy to brush. She went through the blowing coat phase pretty late also-around 15 months or maybe even later. It lasted 6-8 weeks and was not fun at all! I could see new hair coming in all over her because it was dark at the tips and the rest of her coat was lighter. I couldn't skip a day of brushing. I almost gave up and got her a haircut, but right about when I was thinking it was hopeless, she suddenly stopped. Now I can go several days without brushing her and she only occasionally gets small mats around her neck where her coat is the thickest. I rarely find any big mats on her at all these days. The exception is when we travel and leave her with someone else. I think she stresses and loses more hair than usual, but she is fine after one or two brushings once we are home. 
You'll make it through! Just be very persistent with brushing!


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

LuvCicero said:


> _*I'm just never had enought hair to even clean the brush till maybe a week of brushing. *_
> 
> I've said it before...I will say it again....Jane, I don't know how you brush Lincoln...that is a lot of hair !!


Dale, are you serious? I pull about 1/4-1/3 cup off of Scout everytime I groom him, and about 1/3-1/2 cup off of Lincoln. I groom them every third night or so.

I just love looking at Lincoln, all puffed up. But if I ever get a third Hav, I'll probably cut him down...not totally, but a lot.


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## [email protected] (Dec 19, 2008)

*blowing coat*

How long does blowing coat last? If you needed to cut the coat down are you able to show the dog once the coat grows back?


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Is it harder to maintain a longer coat if the hair is more curly? Scooter's hair doesn't part and fall to the side, he just seems to get puffier. :suspicious: Not sure what to do with him.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I think the curlier coats would be harder to maintain. I don't think Dash has blown coat but he has an amazing silky coat but he is only 14 months. I remember Dora doing a bit of it, but I didn't know what it was at the time and just cut the matts out on her belly and arm pits. Yesterday I bathed and groomed all the dogs. Dora has completely straight hair. If I let her air dry her hair is completely straight naturally, she has slightly more wavy hair on her legs. Dash is also slightly wavey but if I blow dry him it stays straight until he gets wet outside. I honestly only brush Dora out once a week and with her straight hair it is pretty easy to take care of. I have to do Dasher more cause he runs up against the fence and gets all the trees in his coat. I think I am spoiled with both my Neezers and with that I think if I got one with the giant coat or curly coat, I couldn't keep up with it. So big pats on the back to those of you who can keep up with those type of coats!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Okay...now I'm really confused. After reading some of the post...I don't know if this is "blowing coat" or not. Since getting the hair pic I posted....I thought it was. Now after reading how many of you get hair out all the time...may it's not. :frusty: I'm beginning to think he doesn't have the same kind of coat...or missing undercoat...is why for the first year there has been no hair coming out. I am serious...I can line brush him and cover every inch and maybe get enough hair to make a M&M size ball....untill now...when he is having some mats and I'm getting the hair in my brush.

I wish I was at a playdate with a dozen Havs :hurt: I want to feel and see what others are like. I think I will go to Nationals so I can check them out !!!!!

Ann...I have noticed how Scooter looks curly and Cicero is straight. I have wondered if some look curly because it's short without the weight of longer hair. :suspicious: I don't know!!

I will see how much hair I get this afternoon -- and probably keep asking myself "is he" or "isn't he" blowing coat.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Amanda, Dora sounds a little like Cicero. Maybe the straighter hair is easier and doesn't mat as much. I guess if it's more curly or wavy it grabs the loose hair and mats more. It doesn't sound like you were going nuts with Dora....so I'm hoping it want get bad with Cicero. Dash's coat does look amazing in his pics. !!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Dale, I understand your confusion. Until I'd met other Havs, I didn't know what was really 'normal' for MY Hav, esp. with Sammy, who in my eyes, was so completely different from Ricky that I doubted he was even a purebred Hav. I was convinced he was part Maltese. The fact he came from a Hungarian breeder and I got him from a friend, didn't help to quell my suspicions.

THEN, I went to a Hav picnic with both my boys. There were 38 Havs there and I was aghast at the many, MANY differences in sizes, coat types, colors, head sizes, body lengths and heights, eye shapes, on and on........ It was mind boggling, but reassured me that, yes, Sammy is indeed very much a Hav. lol In fact, other than his coat (being single), he looked like quite a few Havs there and Ricky was the 'big guy' of the group. It opened my eyes and, as I've mentioned to a few breeders since, would drive me crazy if I was showing/breeding since even in the ring, there are obvious differences in Havs.

Seeing the Havs in a show won't help you much, because they are the ones that most closely meet the standard, but even then you see diff. coats and sizes. The best is to attend a large playdate! :whoo: 

I think Cicero IS blowing coat. HIS coat has changed. This is all different for YOU, so he must be blowing coat. Eventually, he will get back to the usual lost hair or two on your brush. Maybe. LOL


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

LuvCicero said:


> I wish I was at a playdate with a dozen Havs :hurt: I want to feel and see what others are like. _*I think I will go to Nationals so I can check them out !!!!!*_


YES!!!!!:whoo:


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Marj...Thank You.!! Yes, things have changed so I'm going to call it 'blowing coat'.  I told DH one night that "a poodle is a poodle...but a Hav IS like a box of chocolates." It's amazing to me how some coats are so different...but I love it. Lucky you...I can imagine being around 38 Havs. When the weather gets warmer I'm going on a road trip to locate more of these little dolls!!


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

My hair gets shorter during coat change :biggrin1: I had one that had a coat change from heck and made it through with the coat intact and me intact. Then along came one of my other dogs and chewed off her ear hair. One minute it was there, the next it was gone. Then to add insult to injury, the next day the other ear hair was gone. The following week she was going out with a handler. That ended that.
I have one puppy buyer that I talk to all the time and kept waiting for her to mention that he was matting. Every now and then she'd say she had to comb a tiny mat out of him. He went well past the coat change stage and I finally talked to her about it and told her how lucky she was. I doubt she really understands it but if she gets another hav she will. She can't get that lucky twice and it's the only one I know of that was that easy. 
Why can't MY dogs be like that!


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Dale, I definitely think Cicero is blowing coat since it is so much more than usual. Abby was blowing coat when I first got her at 8 mos. of age and I thought it was always going to be like that and thought I would never last going through that everyday for years! Then I eventually found the forum and realized what was happening. I was getting piles of hair probably three times the size of your biggest one and I do think it lasted six to eight weeks - maybe a little less. Since I didn't know it was a stage, I didn't keep track of it. But now I just get piles the size of your tiny ones so I guess that is normal for her now. But, I usually only brush her two - three times a week. You are so consistent with it that I think that is why you don't get as much as most. And, after hearing from everyone on this thread so far, I see that there are so many hair types that every dog must just have their own "normal"....LOL

Please hang in there, though, as Cicero is such a beautiful boy, I would hate to see you cut him.

Kathie


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

This is the dead hair I removed from Scout (left) and Lincoln (right) last night while grooming! :biggrin1:


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Jane, Scout's amount of hair looks like what I pull off Kubrick every 4-5 days!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

I brush Tucker almost every day. This is one day's grooming.

I didn't scooch it all up, it's pretty loose.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Well, I don't think I have a Havanese...








Jane, I can't believe you have that much hair and they are not blowing coat.

Jan...there is another Hav that really does not shed hair...and easy to brush and comb. We have never seen any dog hair on the floor. I use a dust mop and only get twigs and leaves but not hair.

I have had hair in the brush lately that I had to clean out so I thought we were blowing coat but now wonder if the few tangles are just from being outside in the wind. Yes, I'm having some mats that I never had...in the black parts of his coat and the picture below shows what it was yesterday when I brushed....which has not been happening...but as you can see is not much now. Thin layer in the brush that is a see through layer.....small strip in the comb. Maybe floating him in the Cure Care does help with hair loss....I don't know. My Pom never lost much hair either and other Pom owners seemed surprised about that too.

I guess time will tell....but "if" he is blowing coat, I think I can handle this!! I'm just at a lost as to why some of you are getting that much hair on a non-shedding dog.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Dale, maybe Cicero's coat is healthier and that's why he doesn't lose as many hairs. His coat is so thick and beautiful! I think the fact that he is losing much more hair now than usual _does _indicate he's blowing coat - Cicero-style! 

Also, for Lincoln, he is a BIG boy, probably 50% bigger than Cicero.

Carolina, I am amazed at how similar in size (height and weight) and coat type Kubrick and Scout are. I hadn't realized it the first time I met Kubrick. It is funny that you get the same amount of hair when you groom!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I brushed Shelby last night and this is what I got out of her. I probably brush her 2x per week, unless it's a bath week. Then there is an extra brushing. I don't get anywhere near that amount of hair out of Kodi.


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## Esperanita (Jul 12, 2008)

LuvCicero said:


> I wish I was at a playdate with a dozen Havs :hurt: I want to feel and see what others are like. I think I will go to Nationals so I can check them out !!!!!


I'll be glad to go if someone hosts a GA playdate :biggrin1: I would, but I live in town home community and everyone would have to be on leashes - not a fun play date.

I thought Cuba was starting to blow his coat, but like Dale, after reading these posts, I'm not sure. I used to seldom get anything in the brush when I would groom Cuba about every week and now I can groom him every other day and get a wad like in Dale's first picture.

I have also been wondering how to tell if Cuba has an undercoat as I read some Havs do not. He seems to be getting more and more cottony, although his belly hair is silky. The hair near the base of his tail is always much more difficult to brush than the rest of him too. He also has been getting regular mats on his ears and occasionally at the tops of his arms.


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## Eva (Jun 20, 2008)

After looking at the pictures of hairballs on this thread I'm amazed that you guys get so much hair off of your Hav's when you groom! 
I brush and comb Todd about 2-3 times a week (just because he likes it) and in a weeks time I get maybe a AA battery size clump. 
When I thought that he was blowing coat I got about a cell phone sized pile in a day but then he stopped losing hair after about a week so I don't know if that was blowing coat or ??? 
I'll have to save his hair and post it for you..lol


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## sweater32 (Dec 12, 2008)

The boys went through blowing coats together and I thought I did something horrible wrong and they were going bald!!! I even started them on vitamins because I thought they were missing something in their diet. And Hair was everywhere!! Simba and Bailey are brothers from same liter. Bailey has the straight hair and SImba hair is wavy and texture of soft cotton. Simba got such big mats I would cut them out and then he really looked like he was going bald. I read in the Hav grooming book that you should never brush the hair dry. To spray water or conditioner on it for if you brush dry you will break the hairs off creating split ends. Yesterday I sprayed Johnson's tangle free on them and it was so MUCH easier to manage. They usually fight me when grooming but with this spray I did their whole coats with a comb and Bailey actually went to sleep while combing him!!

 I also want to see more Hav's!!! Is anyone from the Baltimore, PA area?


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Yup Jane, those wads of hair look familiar to me! 

You know, I've actually found it so much easier to comb the dogs DRY. I know they say it's best to comb wet, but I find their hair tangles so much more when it's wet. I've had them come in from a sopping wet back yard romp and prefer to wait until they are dry to comb them out. That's just what I've found in my case.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Thanks for all the posts and pictures. I'm learning...and still thinking...if this is the real deal. It's strange because some days it's much worse than others. We are headed to the bed to do our comb and watch TV....I'm see what I get today! 

Thanks again all for trying to help me figure out "blowing coat"!!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Dale-go to Nationals, I'm going and don't know a soul! I'm looking forward to it though. We could go up on the same flight and I'd have a Crown Room buddy! A drink or two...or 9, :laugh:, always makes the flight go faster.

Hope-I'll host a playdate as soon as the weather warms up a little. I know it's warm now but it's supposed to get cold again. How about March or April when it's a little more predictable??? Dale will you come too? I make yummy pound cakes! :biggrin1:

I wonder is Scooter is blowing coat too. I could brush him and get almost nothing but now I'm brushing him once or even twice a day and getting about a palm full of hair each time. He's very curly and cottony though. One of my friends saw him the other day and said, "He's so fat!" I told her to squeeze him and she cracked up, your hands just squish into all of the hair. I doubt he'd ever have a "silky" type coat. He's a fuzz ball! I brushed him last night around 9pm and he went out to potty before bed, no RLH or anything. Brushed him again around 8:30 this morning after my daughter found 3 mats on him that weren't there last night. How could that happen??? The mats are almost right against his skin too, not like something caused longer bits of hair to tangle.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Scooter's Family said:


> Dale-go to Nationals, I'm going and don't know a soul! I'm looking forward to it though. We could go up on the same flight and I'd have a Crown Room buddy! A drink or two...or 9, :laugh:, always makes the flight go faster.
> 
> Hope-I'll host a playdate as soon as the weather warms up a little. I know it's warm now but it's supposed to get cold again. How about March or April when it's a little more predictable??? Dale will you come too? I make yummy pound cakes! :biggrin1:
> 
> I wonder is Scooter is blowing coat too. I could brush him and get almost nothing but now I'm brushing him once or even twice a day and getting about a palm full of hair each time. He's very curly and cottony though. One of my friends saw him the other day and said, "He's so fat!" I told her to squeeze him and she cracked up, your hands just squish into all of the hair. I doubt he'd ever have a "silky" type coat. He's a fuzz ball! I brushed him last night around 9pm and he went out to potty before bed, no RLH or anything. Brushed him again around 8:30 this morning after my daughter found 3 mats on him that weren't there last night. *How could that happen??? The mats are almost right against his skin too, not like something caused longer bits of hair to tangle.*


Ann, that's the most found mat during the blowing coat stage (big mats near the skin) because that's where the old hair is falling out and then getting tangled in with the hair already there. It doesn't matter if Scooter is moving, or sleeping, or falling into a pile of leaves. He will get mats (exactly those kinds of close-skin mats) even if you put him in a glass box, LOL. Good luck getting through it!


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Yes, Ann. That sounds like the joy of blowing coat. Those mats right by the skin that form instantly and are killer to get out. Sounds like Scooter has the same type of coat at Lola. I shaved her down twice now during the uber-matting stage. Neither I nor the groomer could get at all the mats. Scooter is the right age...have fun!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

LOL, I learn something new every day about this dog!


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## Krimmyk (Dec 7, 2006)

That's a regular grooming for Sully sometimes! Esp after nasty weather. I just refer to it as his molting!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Ann, yes I think we are both dealing with 'blowing coat'. I'm trying to take more time and be easy so he doesn't get to hating the grooming.  I got out a handful of hair this morning. Then when he shakes...or tries to kill his toy rat...more mats appear...ughh I hate to think that this could last for 2 months. We are going to have another brush out as we watch TV...but this is cutting into my reading. 

Yes, I would love to come to a playdate when the weather gets pretty. Just let me know and I will help with food or whatever you want.

I'm thinking about going to Nationals. I need to see how my MIL is going to improve as she just got out of the hospital. I think it would be so much fun!!


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## Esperanita (Jul 12, 2008)

Hi Ann,

April would be better for me because Isabel would have had most of her shots, but I can probably do March too. It will be so much fun meeting other forum members and I love pound cake!


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## swtxsweetie (May 16, 2008)

O wow! Momo just got shaved today. He has been matting for a few weeks. It just keeps getting worse around his armpits and on his belly. I brushed so many balls of hair out of him that I can probably stuff it all in a sock and give it to him as a toy.

I didn't think it was that bad. Dropped him off at petco, they tooked at him and said it's fine. Came back and he was shaved!! Poor baby. He looks like he's 1/3 the size now. But, I think he likes it. He's been super hyper since he got home.

Ok...I have a question... do your babies eat their own hair? Every time I clean the brush out, Momo is ready to steal the hair balls and eat them! I had to dig the hair out of his mouth many times.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Hope-I say let's wait until April so Isabel can come too! Maybe if DH sees her he'll get MHS too and I won't have to beg so much.

Scooter tries to steal the hair but I think he just wants to see what it is. He gets it and then spits it out and stares at it. Goofy dog! Now I just put the brush up and clean it out when he isn't paying attention.


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## Esperanita (Jul 12, 2008)

Scooter's Family said:


> Hope-I say let's wait until April so Isabel can come too! Maybe if DH sees her he'll get MHS too and I won't have to beg so much.
> 
> Scooter tries to steal the hair but I think he just wants to see what it is. He gets it and then spits it out and stares at it. Goofy dog! Now I just put the brush up and clean it out when he isn't paying attention.


Sounds good. It is amazing - Isabel is a trooper in the car. Doesn't get sick. Shows tons of confidence, while Cuba still throws up occasionally. I know I need to continue taking him places, but I don't have a lot of time right now... :frusty:


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## swtxsweetie (May 16, 2008)

Just wanted to show a picture of Momo now that he's been shaved.... poor baby

*edit*
i don't think the picture is showing up here......to see his hair journey, take a look at my blog: http://happycloudmoments.blogspot.com


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Ann, I am hoping to come for the GA playdate, too. I will have to spend the night up there as it is probably a 5 1/2 hr. drive from here but I do have a cousin in Cumming. We've never brought a dog with us before when we visited so I'll have to check & see if it is okay. Abby is the only Havanese I've seen in person so I'm really looking forward to seeing all the Havs and of course, all the mommies!!

Kathie


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Great Kathie! As the time gets closer we'll figure it out so everyone can make it. I have a big screened porch so we can sit out there with all the doggies when the weather is nice. I'm looking forward to it!


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## Natasha (Jul 6, 2008)

*BLOWING COAT*

Thank you for discussing this. I am new to dog ownership and of course luv the havvies.
The first time I heard of blowing coat , was yesterday,i read it on Talemaker Havanes Blog.

I thought ,what the heck is blowing coat, and low and behold the next thing I see is this same topic on the MHF.

So, my Havanese, Kayla, is 17 months old. When should I expect this to start happening to her. How often do they go through this in their life time.

She started out as a sable but now she is all champagne.

Will her undercoat come in more sable as she grows older or will she stay more on the champagne side.

I bow to all those with Havanese experience. We are loving every minute of it and luv her to bits no matter what color . Any knowledge you share would be greatly appreciated.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

At 17 months old, you and Kayla are probably some of the more fortunate Havanese teams. I suspect she's probably gone through her first coat blowing with such ease that you didn't even notice it. I've been fortunate to have a couple of dogs like that, but I've also had the other extreme where you feel like the dog will be bald by the time they are done blowing coat. 

Color changes differ by family lines and genetic makeup.


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

Well, I did post this on another thread...but thought I would post this part here. I am pretty sure Gracie is blowing coat...this is after not brushing for 2 days...it is loose and not scrunched up.

And, I have a question...Gracie's hair seems very thin...like she doesn't have a lot of hair...her belly never mats...but she does under her armpits. So do some havs just have a lot more hair on their body then others? How would I know if she didn't have an undercoat?


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

*From today...*

I brush Scooter at least once a day and this is pretty much what I'm getting every day. This has to be blowing coat doesn't it? Oh...FYI, don't brush them while wearing black sweatpants! LOL, I'm covered in his hair.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Karla- I am no expert but the lil round bushy parts in your pic are probably undercoat. I would say Dash and Belle have very similar hair both pretty silky and he doesnt have as much undercoat on him as Dora but I get a few of those on him and I never get those on Belle my Maltese. I still don't think Dash has blown coat but he has a gorgeous silky coat so maybe he did and I didn't really notice. I only remember Dora's coat blowing experience from her belly and her armpits and her inside of her thighs which I cut out. Otherwise I dont remember any matting on the top of her body at all (but I could be forcing myself to forget the bad parts!)


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Amanda, I noticed that Dora seems to have more dark hair on her back on your avatar but the picture of her on the floor doesn't look like she has as much. 

Abby is also a sable and she has way less black in her hair on back now than she did a year ago.

Kathie


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Ann - I too have learned never to wear black sweat pants or black corduroy pants while brushing Abby......LOL

Kathie


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

You know another thing I could be wrong about that being undercoat... Isabelle has completely straight hair so maybe that is why I dont get the round balls when brushing her? Hmmm another others of you with other breeds with no undercoat?

Kathie- I am not much of a photographer and bright flash washes her right out in a lot of photos especially if Dash is in the photo. She was identified as a sable parti as a puppy but I have been told she was probably a brindle parti because she has black and a light tan/caramel color through her coat. In photos it often makes her look kind of cream but she is pretty white (not as white as Belle) with the colors intertwined so it depends if she is clean and brushed out how she looks (and I am not good with that!). She faded a lot from a puppy but compared to most sables, she has a lot of color in her saddle area. The icon pic was last year at this time, she was 3 years old then. Sables are usually my favorite Neezer puppies but unfortunately a lot don't keep any color.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Ann...I think that if you are suddenly getting more hair then Scooter is blowing coat. I wasn't getting any hair and thought wow these are really non-shedding dogs...then all of a sudden the brush was full and there were mats around Cicero's ears overnight. It started the first week of this month...and yesterday when I brushed him I didn't get hardly any hair...so it was a light blowing coat for him if it is on the downhill side. I do think the different types of hair make a difference. I also think the Cure Care makes a difference...cause I've tried them all and his hair does better and feels better with it.

Karla, I do think some Havs have a finer, thinner coat than others. Cicero has been having some mats under his armpits...and since that is tender skin...I use the clippers and cut it short there where it doesn't show and got rid of that little problem.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

The mats he's getting are on his ears, under his ears, his chest, under his arms and above his tail. He's been so good about lying still while I brush him and I keep giving him treats as we go. Friday is the day though, puppy cut for him. We'll let him grow afterwards but I feel so bad when I brush and brush and brush!!!

Hopefully Cicero is done!!! That would be great.


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