# cotton candy type coat



## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

Riki has the thickest cottony type coat where he is silver. In his white parts he is the normal havanese silk.

What is the best shampoo and conditioner for this type of coat for those of you with experience? Now that his coat is growing out from his short hair cut everyone thinks he is fat. It is just a giant round fluff ball because of that thick coat!

The cotton candy type coat doesn't matt much but I'll bet I could cord it although I don't want to. I just want it to look a little less fluffy and more silky!


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*difference in coat type between neutered dogs and intact*

I was wondering if there was a lessening of coat quality in the neutered and spayed dogs due to hormone changes? Many of the havanese I know are intact, and they have these glorious coats.


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## moxie (Feb 6, 2008)

Sorry, Linda, no ideas here. Moxie is the same coat, both black and white, although the white over his rump is dryer, maybe coarser. I do condition it more as it is never oily like his face/head.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*Let's hope we get some good suggestions...*

So both of us need a good suggestion or two. Maybe it is our dry air...but you are on both coasts!


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

I think this is the kind of coat Roxie has too. As her coat gets longer she just looks rounder and rounder! And since she is a big hav to begin with, she just looks huge! But underneath all that poufy black fur she is skinny as can be. I was thinking as her coat changed from puppy to adult she might get more silky... no, huh? I will be watching this thread for good suggestions too.


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## LexisMom (Sep 8, 2008)

Ah, I would love suggestions for this type of coat too. It sounds like Lexi and Moxie have similar coats. Her rump is a little coarser/more brittle and her coat overall is puffy and cottony.

She is 22 weeks old and newly spayed, so I'm sure we will go through a coat change in the next few months, but I'd love to keep her coat healthy and long in the meantime, and need some shampoo/conditioner recs for her coat-type to keep it glossy and moisturized. I've read lots about Coat Handlers and Isle of Dog in the forums. Would one of these work? Something else?


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Lincoln is the _cottony puffball_! He is already a big Hav, but in full coat, he can look huge!

I like Nature's Specialties Plum Silky shampoo. It leaves his white hair very shiny and smooth. Kimberly bathed him for me once and she used Pure Paws Reconstructive Shampoo and that worked very well on him too.

Coat Handler's Conditioner works great on him too.

(What _didn't _work well on his coat: Plush Puppy shampoo, Chris Christensen products, Coat Handler's _shampoo_, Pantene and other human shampoos I tried.)


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

Saydee's cottony too. Her black areas are more so than the white. She's puffing out as her hair grows, everywhere, including her head! She looks much bigger than her tiny frame. Jane, I agree about the Plum Silky shampoo! I just used it for the first time last night and Saydee is softer and silkier than ever before, so so nice. I wonder if blow drying is drying out the coat too much and maybe I'd be better off air drying? I know when they blow coat they're adult coat can be very different than the puppy coat. I'm hoping it will be soft and silky, but cottony's cute too!


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*Nature's specialties*

Thank you! I couldn't remember the brand, but when Riki was a puppy I used remoisturizer with aloe and I loved the smell! Time to place an order.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Kodi is very cottony on his saddle. His legs, chest, head, belly are all much more silky.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*so can we turn cotton into silk?*

Hey breeders out there...what do you use? Have you had experience with less silky coats? Inquiring minds want to know!


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*by the way...*

My dogs eat really well. It is possible the mother's coat wasn't perfect. I have met puppies from the same father and their coats are incredible. Might have been the line of the dam.

By the way, my dogs are before the days of health testing listings...


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I have Dora who is less silky than Dasher. I will say she has an amazing coat except the head and neck that Dasher ate. Her coat is very strong and I always thought of it as silky until I got Dash. He really has a silky coat. At the same token, he doesn't have nearly as much coat as Dora. Thank goodness she doesn't chew his coat the way he does hers. I will say what works on their coats is completely different. Soaking Dora in conditioner really helps. Where as I don't like Dasher with much conditioner. He gets almost oily looking.

I do love the way Dora looks and feels after floating her coat in Coat Handlers. I also occasionally use Sally's brand of the 3 minute miracle and cover Dora in and have her sit for 10 mins with it on before I rinse her. That makes her coat just gorgeous. However, with that you have to make sure you really rinse it well. Otherwise the dirt clings to her like crazy. 

Dora sounds to be the opposite of a lot of your dogs. She is a lot more cottony in the areas where she is all white. Her black and tan area is the area where she feels the most silky.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*want a good laugh*

I googled cotton candy coat and this is what I got. DO NOT use on your dog...can you imagine!

•	If the coat becomes very rough, many experts recommend that you oil the dog. The mixture should contain: Cream conditioner1/3 cup, oil 2/3 cups, warm water 4 cups - all to be mixed well in a blender. Work the mixture well into the coat until saturated. Do not rinse the mixture out.

And then what do you do? Let the slippery dog shine? Good grief. There is all kinds of advice on the internet. At least the coat wouldn't be cottony! LOL


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## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

Jane said:


> Lincoln is the _cottony puffball_! He is already a big Hav, but in full coat, he can look huge!
> 
> I like Nature's Specialties Plum Silky shampoo. It leaves his white hair very shiny and smooth. Kimberly bathed him for me once and she used Pure Paws Reconstructive Shampoo and that worked very well on him too.
> 
> ...


Capote has this type of coat as well and Coat Handlers didn't work at all on it.. I was actually mad that I paid so much for it. His coat is cotton candiny AND it matts horribly.. I try to keep him in puppy cut now..but I didn't realize how bad it was until I got Taylor and her hair is so EASY to brush! Taylor takes about 10 minutes to groom. Capote takes about 45 minutes...hours if it's time to shave him.

Right now I'm trying some whitening shampoo. It worked well on the first day but after that it was a big fuzzwad again. I'm thinking about trying Main & Tail on him.. it's for horses but I remember using it for my hair when it was permed when I was in 7th grade and my hair was always silky smooth and soft.

Pantene conditioner works a lil bit but I still haven't found anything that completely annihilate's matts.. I used it once when I ran out of the coat handler.

...my search continues..


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## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

Rikidaisy said:


> I googled cotton candy coat and this is what I got. DO NOT use on your dog...can you imagine!
> 
> • If the coat becomes very rough, many experts recommend that you oil the dog. The mixture should contain: Cream conditioner1/3 cup, oil 2/3 cups, warm water 4 cups - all to be mixed well in a blender. Work the mixture well into the coat until saturated. Do not rinse the mixture out.
> 
> And then what do you do? Let the slippery dog shine? Good grief. There is all kinds of advice on the internet. At least the coat wouldn't be cottony! LOL


...pft...that doesn't look that bad actually.. wonder how it'd work for Capote..lol. ....how about some V05 hot oil.....


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## ECudmore (Jun 5, 2007)

Racquet has a cottony coat. I have tried many shampoos and conditioners so glad to see other comments. I just ordered the buttercomb and it arrived today, very good for getting out the mats and it makes his coat look smoother.
Elayne


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Hi Mindy, I found that _how _you apply the Coat Handler's Conditioner makes a huge difference. I now BASTE him in it for 10 full minutes. (Kimberly gave instructions in another thread (I can't find it right now) about how to "float the coat" in conditioner.) I fill the sink about 3" deep with warm water, and pour 3/4 cup over Lincoln's back, and then spend 10 minutes basting warm water over him until the coat is thoroughly saturated - every single hair. Then I drain the sink (NO rinsing) and towel dry, then blow dry.

It takes forever, but it is worth it. He stays soft for over a week.


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## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

Jane said:


> Hi Mindy, I found that _how _you apply the Coat Handler's Conditioner makes a huge difference. I now BASTE him in it for 10 full minutes. (Kimberly gave instructions in another thread (I can't find it right now) about how to "float the coat" in conditioner.) I fill the sink about 3" deep with warm water, and pour 3/4 cup over Lincoln's back, and then spend 10 minutes basting warm water over him until the coat is thoroughly saturated - every single hair. Then I drain the sink (NO rinsing) and towel dry, then blow dry.
> 
> It takes forever, but it is worth it. He stays soft for over a week.


I'll try it. Unfortunately I have a split sink so I can't wash them in the sink; I do it in the bathtub...which means I have to bend over the whole time to make sure he stays in the water..that and its more water to fill it. ...maybe I'll buy a baby tub...


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## Trish (Jan 15, 2008)

I have a split sink so the easiest way for me to save my back with three pups is to sit on a stool in the tub and bathe them at that level. I fill the tub with about an inch of warm water with a hose sprayer on the tub nozzle to wet and rinse them as we go. My husband is on the other side nice and dry, and with the two of us we straddle them over the side to towel dry them and then let them run like H----! I would not want to see a video of this performance, but it does make it easier to bath them one after the other without making my back sore!! Trish


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Hi Mindy,

I have a split sink too, but it is split 1/3 + 2/3. I bathe the boys in the bigger part. 

If there is an IKEA near you, they have really inexpensive baby bathtubs that would be the perfect size. You need a smaller "tub" to do the floating - otherwise the conditioner will be too dilute in the water. I watch the clock - a full 10 minutes!  My boys will now sit there while I baste them. Poor babies!


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## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

Well I'm throwing in the towel this week..lol. I'm bringing capote to the groomer to get him professionally groomed.. his coat is just too much. I'll still do Taylor's coat because hers is easy but Capote is too much of a headache..


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## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Valentino has a dense cottony coat too. Right down the middle of his back it is very coarse. I actually like his coat this way because he NEVER mats and I'm embarrassed to say that I rarely brush him! Great dog for moi! My maltese's coat is silky & fine and a nightmare! She can mat just sleeping in her crate at night if I don't keep her in a puppy cut. Poor thing has had to be shaved more times than I can count.....and she looks so pitiful too......like a little long legged rat.....but i still love her. Right now she is in her puppy coat and looks so cute.....like a puppy even though she is 6! I take all of them to the groomer every 6 wks....there is NO way I would even attempt grooming them! I'm going to ask what they use on them because Valentino comes home the softest that he has ever been with this groomer (this is a new one I tried) AND it stays soft. I'll find out!


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

My little Chelsie has a fluffy, cottony coat - but after all, she is a Cotton Dog! She is very easy to comb and I like her wild, cotton candy look, but DH doesn't. He thinks it makes her look like a floozie, if there is such a thing as a doggie floozie! LOL! Cazzie is very silky but curly and difficult to comb. Jill, who has a Coton and a Hav, told me that Cotons have single coats, and Havs have double coats, and that in her case, her Coton Cody is more difficult to groom. Not that any of this answers your questions but it is interesting to me about the different qualities of coats. These dogs are all supposed to be related to each other at some point.

Suzy


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Rikidaisy said:


> I googled cotton candy coat and this is what I got. DO NOT use on your dog...can you imagine!
> 
> •	If the coat becomes very rough, many experts recommend that you oil the dog. The mixture should contain: Cream conditioner1/3 cup, *oil 2/3 cups*, warm water 4 cups - all to be mixed well in a blender. Work the mixture well into the coat until saturated. Do not rinse the mixture out.
> 
> And then what do you do? Let the slippery dog shine? Good grief. There is all kinds of advice on the internet. At least the coat wouldn't be cottony! LOL


Whoa! That's a lot of oil! And it doesn't say what kind of oil either. That sounds like a huge mess. When I oil a dog, I use the Pure Paws Light Oil (unfortunately, it looks like they no longer sell that product) and still only use less than a teaspoon in my conditioning water. You leave it on the hair for four days (and NO longer than that) and their hair looks awful during those four days. When you wash the hair, you have to wash it carefully with a gentle shampoo so you don't strip all the oil out, but sometimes it does take two washings so the dog doesn't still have that oily look.


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