# Cottony vs Silky Coats?



## Maggie's Mom (Oct 8, 2013)

Hi,
I am new to all this and I am curious about the havanese coats. Are there different types? I know some are more straight and wavy and others can be curly, but do they also have different textures? More silky or more cottony? And if so, which are easier to care for?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yes, there are different textures. According to the standard, they are supposed to be light and silky. However there are lots with less than perfect coats that are more cottony in texture. These are definitely harder to maintain if you are looking forward to keep your dog in a long coat.

The easiest coats to care for are silky, wavy coats (straight coats are not correct, and pretty uncommon) with not TOO dense an undercoat. Almost all coat types do "blow" during adolescence, and that can be challenging, no matter what. 

As an adult, Kodi's coat is as easy as I could imagine for a long haired dog. Though I usually groom him daily, because I like him to look his best, it doesn't take me more than 10 minutes, including putting his top knot up. I bathe him weekly, which, including blow drying, takes about an hour. I could probably bathe him less often, but again, i like him to look his best. If I am away for a week, he can go without grooming while i am gone and not have any mats when i get home.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

There are so many different coats in a Havanese. I would look for a line that has a nice silkey coat. I wanted to show my Zoey and her coat is to standard but is very thick and at the age I was showing her it was twice as hard because she was getting her adult coat in. Its thicker and maybe a bit wavier than a Havanese slik dog. She only gets brushed about once a week and will only have one or two mats.The cotton coat I think would mat more and need to be kept short.?


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## Lila (Apr 9, 2013)

When Mikey is all blow dried out and brushed he looks cottony but that's because he has more curly hair and I keep it shorter. He has the softest hair I've ever felt. People are amazed how soft he feels. I had a Havenese before and he had straighter hair and it was silky and soft but not as soft as Mikey's. So I don't know, maybe there is a difference between cottony and silky??? It seems that cottony wouldn't be as soft as silky so maybe Mikey's is just curly silky???


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## Maggie's Mom (Oct 8, 2013)

Thank you everyone, this is very helpful!! I am so happy to have found such a great resource for all my havanese questions


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lila said:


> When Mikey is all blow dried out and brushed he looks cottony but that's because he has more curly hair and I keep it shorter. He has the softest hair I've ever felt. People are amazed how soft he feels. I had a Havenese before and he had straighter hair and it was silky and soft but not as soft as Mikey's. So I don't know, maybe there is a difference between cottony and silky??? It seems that cottony wouldn't be as soft as silky so maybe Mikey's is just curly silky???


I think there are a LOT of variations!


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## Linda3612 (Apr 15, 2011)

Maggie has a cottony coat. Her hair is wavy with the exception of her crown which is a bit curly. It is very difficult to manage and I keep it fairly short. Even then, if I miss a day grooming her she will have mats. Left a week and it is almost impossible to comb them out and I end up using a scissors! But she has the softest fur I have ever felt on a dog--and is very friendly, easygoing and wonderful with children which is why I got a Havanese in the first place!


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## Chere (May 22, 2009)

Our two rescue ones have different coats; Jesse's is not as soft but he doesn't mat nearly as much as Shadow. Shadow has the softest coat I have ever felt. Because of mats and because they were adult rescues with lots of fear issues around being handled we just got used to keeping them cut pretty short. We've tried a couple of times to let their coats grow out but the mats are just too much for us to deal with. We didn't get them because of their coats anyway, we just did some research and the breed seemed a really good choice for us and we knew we wanted to rescue if at all possible. If you find a dog you fall in love with but the coat is not ideal for you to grow long, just keep it shorter. We are so in love with our two that the coat length is just not an issue. I will say we tried to cord Shadow at first and that was a huge mess; somehow we thought, given how fearful he was at first, cording would be easier on him. Didn't turn out that way. My advice, get the dog you love, regardless of coat type and then let it grow long if you can handle it or do a shorter cut.


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

Chester has a very soft wavy coat that gets very silky after a bath. Since Chester is about to go into the blowing coat stage, I comb and brush him every day and he stays non-knotty the rest of the day. When he was a young puppy, Chester could go on for a week or two without brushing him. But since we give him belly rubs very frequently the hair on his belly get very messy and mats will show up in the armpits and chest. Anyway, I love him whether he has mats or not!


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## Maxum (Dec 12, 2013)

Not to high jack this thread, but how old are they when they start blowing their coats and does it happen during a particular season (spring)? Max is very soft, when his coat grows he is more silky. Because I travel a lot for business, we keep him shorter (he is trimmed up maybe once a quarter and brushed out usually daily so mats are not an issue).


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## twicethefun (Oct 18, 2013)

There are two primary variations of coat. Silky and cotton like. Both should be wavy. AKC recognizes both but states that silky is the standard for showing. All others will be disqualifed. I have two brothers now age 5 months, Oliver and Winston with different coats. Oliver has a silky coat and the hair on his head lays flat parted down the middle. Winston on the other hand has a cottony coat which is fluffy and almost floats off the body. The hair on his head is always a mess no matter how many times I brush it. I brush and comb both puppies twice a day and have managed to keep them mat free. I know they will lose this puppy coat but I'm pretty sure they will keep similar coats as adults. Take a look. Oliver is the one with one black eye and Winston is the one with most of the head all black. Take a look at their body coat too, you'll see the difference.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

twicethefun said:


> There are two primary variations of coat. Silky and cotton like. Both should be wavy. AKC recognizes both but states that silky is the standard for showing. All others will be disqualifed. I have two brothers now age 5 months, Oliver and Winston with different coats. Oliver has a silky coat and the hair on his head lays flat parted down the middle. Winston on the other hand has a cottony coat which is fluffy and almost floats off the body. The hair on his head is always a mess no matter how many times I brush it. I brush and comb both puppies twice a day and have managed to keep them mat free. I know they will lose this puppy coat but I'm pretty sure they will keep similar coats as adults. Take a look. Oliver is the one with one black eye and Winston is the one with most of the head all black. Take a look at their body coat too, you'll see the difference.


Actually, there is nothing at all in the standard about cottony coats. Here is exactly what the standard says:

Silky to the touch, the coat is soft and light in texture in both outer and undercoat, although the outer coat carries slightly more weight. The coat is long, abundant and wavy. It stands off the body slightly, but flows with movement. An ideal coat will permit the natural lines of the dog to be seen. Puppy coat may be shorter and have a softer texture than adult coat. A single, flat, frizzy or curly coat should be faulted. A coarse, wiry coat is a disqualification. A short, smooth coat with or without furnishings is a disqualification. The coat may be corded. Corded coats will naturally separate into wavy sections in young dogs and will in time develop into cords. Adult corded dogs will be completely covered with a full coat of tassle-like cords.


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