# Sherman's long hair



## Sherman (Sep 20, 2006)

Hi, I'm puzzled about this! I've never had a dog before, much less a Havanese, so I don't know if this is kosher or not. Sherman is 10 1/2 months old now and I was trying to let him have a "natural" coat and not cut it at all. But it parts in the middle of his back like a Lhasa Apso's coat, and grows 6-7 inches down. It isn't soft, and it isn't silky. It just lays there. So he isn't fluffy anymore. That's not a natural Havanese coat, right? All the photos I saw showed fluffy, wavy hair, 2-3 inches long.

You guys have been so incredibly helpful with suggestions on his potty training, etc. and I appreciate this forum so much. If I could figure out how to post photos I would, but I'm pretty clueless on computers too. Sorry!
But if someone could help me on this I'd really appreciate it. 
Thanks, Carol.


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Hi Sherman's Mom,
Havanese coats do differ from dog to dog. Kodi is 16 mos and Shelby is 6 mos. Their coats part down the middle. I believe this is natural for the Havanese. 

Kodi has a much more wooly like coat on his back, with his sides and legs being more wavy and silky. It is not very long, but that could be because it is wavy, which would bring the length up. His hair mats and I brush him every day to keep the mats out.

Shelby has straight, silky hair that is a little longer than Kodi's. She hardly mats at all. 

I think if you read the standard regarding coats, it will help you understand what it should look like. However, if you go to a dog show and look at the Havanese, you will see that not all coats are alike. Maybe the breeders on the forum can expand on this.


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Hi Carol,

Ricky has hair that sounds like your Sherman's. As he got older, he didn't appear as "fluffy" which I think is what the younger pups look like. That's where you'll see the fluffy, 2-3" long hair. Ricky's hair parts in the middle and yes, that is pretty much the norm for Havs as they get older. He also has a lot of wave in it and it falls about 5-6" off each side, though I've been trimming here and there since the messiness of spring.


----------



## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

Hi Carol, Here is a recent picture of Sam. (15 months old) His hair parts down the middle naturally, and it is about 6" - 7" long. Sam has a correct coat. (I believe) I'm not sure what pictures you mean about the hair being 2" - 3" long. That sounds like a trimmed dog. Does this help?


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Hi Debbie
Great pic of Sam. But Kodi's hair isn't that long and he's about the same age as Sam. His hair is only a couple of inches long on the sides and he is bushy on the saddle. He is wavy, so maybe that's why it looks shorter?


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

GREAT shot of Sam, Debbie, as always. He's such a beauty! 

Ricky is only 9 mths. old and has a wave to his hair so it isn't quite as long as I'd previously said. oops!  In these shots you can see the part down the middle on both Ricky and Sammy and see how wavy Ricky's hair is. 
I'd trimmed him a bit at this point.


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Their coats can indeed vary a lot from one dog to the next, but also diet and different shampoo and conditioners have a noticeable effect.


----------



## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

Re:reading the standard, the AKC standard does not give a length but says in part:

_"The long hair is abundant and ideally,wavy. An ideal coat will not be so profuses nor overly long as to obscure the natural lines of the dog"_

The Canadian Standard does have a length:

_"The topcoat is very long (12-18cm in adult dog), soft, flat or wavy and may form curly strands."_ (5 to 7 inches)

These are not the complete description of the coat.


----------



## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

I don't have a Hav of my own and am just learning but I sure have seen a wide variety of coats. If your dog is 10 1/2 months isn't he getting ready to "blow coat" anyway? It's my understanding that the adult coat will be different than the baby coat. 

Debra, Sam just takes my breath away. He is stunning!


----------



## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

Dusty's coat also parts naturally down the middle

I went to a local dog show recently. It was the last day of the show and there weren't too many havanese, but I was really suprised at the variety in coats. There was one puppy that had so much coat it looked like a chow. A few others that were about a year old (I asked) had much straighter and heavier looking coats (weight, not volume). There were a couple that were more heavily groomed than the others that had coats more like what I was expecting. All but the youngest had longer coats than Dusty, but hers seems to grow slowly. It is wavier than any I saw at the show, but not curly. Dusty's is fluffy and very fine, but what I think is her adult coat coming in is shinier and coarser. I still don't understand the blowing coat phase. Maybe Dusty is just slow to start. I do see new hair coming in. What else is supposed to happen besides horrible matting? Are they losing puppy coat or gaining adult coat, or both? Do they lose all their puppy coat and completely transform, or do they end up with a combination of both textures? Or does it all vary as much as the coat types??


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Any of the above.


----------



## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Valentino has a thick coat.....almost like a chow.....when it gets longer it starts to almost get a corded look. Corded is not something I would be interested in doing. Seeing all of your havs and reading about them has made me wonder if Valentino's coat is too profuse?? Reading Dusty's mom's post about seeing all the different types of coats @ the show, esp. the part about the ones looking like a chow's coat does make me feel better! His coat is very soft and he doesn't mat. Any thoughts??? I have never let his coat get long. I keep him in a type of puppy cut. Also he is beginning to get some of the black on the middle of his back again. I am so glad because I thought since I kept him shorter I would never see any black again but I was wrong. His coloring is almost identical to Deb's Sam....a golden sable I guess. Vicki


----------



## Sherman (Sep 20, 2006)

*Thanks to everybody!*

You guys helped so much. I didn't know Havanese dogs' hair parted in the middle--I've never seen one a real live Hav except Sherman. I must find a dog show to attend. I got him groomed last week and they cut his hair by hand with scissors until it was about 3 inches long all over. And the weird thing is he feels softer now! But he still doesn't look fluffy and his hair isn't wavy. I think he looks like a Shih Tsu or a Lhasa Apso with his hair long, but maybe when he gets his "adult" coat he'll look more like a Havanese dog. I like the photos of all your dogs. I wish I could post a photo of Sherman.


----------



## Shada (Feb 4, 2007)

This has been a interesting and helpful post. 

I am in the process of trying to decide if I should get a Maltese or a Havanese. I have always had large dogs, but I find myself now wanting a small lap dog to love. 

I love the Maltese, but the Havanese is so similar to the Maltese, I find myself drawn more to the Havanese right now, as the Havanese comes in so many different color combinations. Maltese are so beautiful, but as we all know come only in white. 

The Havanese are beyond beautiful! I love having the option of having a solid color, or the parti colors. Stunning!

Learning about the different coat types and the care in taking care of the grooming is so helpful. 

This is such a wonderful forum filled with much information and great people. 

Thank you all!!!


----------



## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Welcome Shada - hope you become a Hav owner soon!! You will learn just about all you need to on this forum. Good Luck.
Laurie


----------



## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

Welcome Shada; Good luck in your search for the perfect dog to love. I too have always had large dogs until now. I love the portablilty of a small dog.


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Hi Shada and welcome, 

I have always been (and still am, just look at my siggie) a large dog person, but caught a Havanese bug when I saw a picture of one and fell in love. I did a lot of research and just knew beyond the shadow of the doubt that this was the only small dog for me. I did consider the Maltese and they are very pretty, but the standard is 4 to 6 pounds with 7 being tops and I wanted a sturdier dog to go with my Poodles. Even though I love all the gorgeous colors that the Havanese come in, my daughter only wanted a white (actually cream) one, period.  She is of a firm believe that there is nothing prettier than a fluffy white dog. 

Good luck with your quest for a little companion.


----------



## Shada (Feb 4, 2007)

juliav said:


> Hi Shada and welcome,
> 
> I have always been (and still am, just look at my siggie) a large dog person, but caught a Havanese bug when I saw a picture of one and fell in love. I did a lot of research and just knew beyond the shadow of the doubt that this was the only small dog for me. I did consider the Maltese and they are very pretty, but the standard is 4 to 6 pounds with 7 being tops and I wanted a sturdier dog to go with my Poodles. Even though I love all the gorgeous colors that the Havanese come in, my daughter only wanted a white (actually cream) one, period.  She is of a firm believe that there is nothing prettier than a fluffy white dog.
> 
> Good luck with your quest for a little companion.


You have beautiful dogs!
I will probably always have a larger dog also. I am also considering a standard poodle. In time. Hope you don't mind if I copy you! 
I find myself getting a little tired of the dog hair everywhere, so I want to go with the non-shedding breeds.

I have two dogs right now, a lab Sara, and a handsome mutt Keller. Sara will soon be 10 years and Keller is 15 years.
So they are both getting up there in years. I love them both dearly.

I will probably wait till the Bridge calls for one of them before I aquire a new companion.

Till then, I will do my research to learn more about these special dogs.


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Shada - good luck with your search and I know in time you will find your perfect dogs. I love my standards so much that I couldn't even consider a miniture or a toy poodle (not that they are not great), I just found them lacking compared to standards, as the standard is the original poodle and they had to use something to downsize them.  

Best,


----------



## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

so nice to finally see Sherman. what a cutie.


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Nice to 'meet' you Shada! I hope you don't have to make the decision of a new dog soon, but your large dogs are getting on in years. It's so difficult to think about it, I'm sure.

The reason I so love the Hav is because of it's "solidness", that you don't find in the Maltese. My neighbor got a Maltese a week before I got Ricky and Nikko is only 5 lbs. and more sensitive to sun and snow. After she was there a week, their 5 yr. old daughter dropped her and she had a sprained leg.  It's not a good match for me and my family of 5 (3 teens) and all that we do around here - there's lots of activity that I knew wasn't well suited to a Maltese. It really depends on what you like, need and want in a pet. Good luck with that!


----------



## Cosmosmom (Jan 12, 2007)

Cosmo has a thick wavy coat an if I do not brush him his hair starts to cord on its own . Ahnolds hair is finer but his coat is improving and getting thicker .. He tends to mat a little more and he is not cording . Even though they are both black Ahnold has a brownish tint in his coat and Cosmo is a true black .
Asta was black - his coat did change but he was very soft and a little wavy . Three dogs all black and all different ..


----------



## sky (Mar 31, 2007)

Hi Shada!
We are in the same boat. I, too, am a big-dog person with two labradors. I have (for the first time ever) caught the little, non-shedding dog bug and I am smitten with the Havanese. I did not consider the Maltese as the Havs just sound sturdier, more outdoorsy and smarter. I am sure I will be corrected on that last one! I am also considering a laid back schnauzer, but less so the more I learn about the Havanese. I just took one of my cats to the groomer for a nail clipping and asked the groomer if she runs into many Havanese and she said she had just done two that day and loves grooming them because they are so easygoing. As lab lover, that was sweet music to my ears.


----------



## Cosmosmom (Jan 12, 2007)

I had a large dog as well but wen he hit his senior years it was hard .. He had problems with his back legs off and on ..
I love the Havanese - they just have so much personality and such a zest for life .. 
I have a friend who has a Maltese and he is very clingy and needy and he is the only dog Asta did not care for and I thought he loved everyone but he was not too keen on Niki . I have another aquaintance and she has a maltese and she says it barks too much .. 
I do not remeber people saying much negative about the breed until just recently .. 
If you have a good vet ask them what they think .. I know the vet I go to totally talked me out of getting a Coton de Tulear ..


----------



## sky (Mar 31, 2007)

Cosmosmom said:


> I had a large dog as well but wen he hit his senior years it was hard .. He had problems with his back legs off and on ..


Yes, lameness is one of the problems I am dealing with right now in my labs. Hard to watch otherwise vital dogs decline in that way. Still, at 12 they love the woods, hiking and swimming/ wallowing!

..[/QUOTE] I know the vet I go to totally talked me out of getting a Coton de Tulear ..[/QUOTE]

Makes sense that you might consider that breed. I also have been reading up on the Cotons. Their temperaments sound more iffy to me compared to the Havanese. I guess I am partial to very easygoing, outgoing dogs.


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I had a German Shep X. He had hip dysplasia from a pup, but never had a problem until the year before he died at 16 yrs. I would have to hoist him up and got tennis elbow from doing it. The day he died (we were going to put him down the next day) he went for a walk, came back in the house and laid down. He chose his way to go. He was a great, gentle dog. So, that's why I got smaller dogs. Tennis elbow is no fun


----------



## sky (Mar 31, 2007)

Hi Michele,
What a bittersweet story. It is so lovely that your dog took a last walk and died on his own. My two labs were carefully chosen as adults from very high quality breeders, having been OFA x-rayed and with outstanding lineage. Still, my female went on to develop severe dysplasia in both hips (a possible but low frequency occurrence after sound 2 year old x-rays). She is actually the livelier of the two. At 12 she is still mistaken for a puppy. But labs are stoic and sometimes she whimpers or trembles and I know she is in pain. My male, coincidentally also 12, and a couple of months older than the female, has fine hips but has developed some significant hind end problems due to nerve damage possibly due to degenerative disease or spinal arthritis. This Havanese forum and the vicarious pleasure I am getting from reading about everyone's dogs and new pups is really keeping me going. I am hopeful my two will hang on for a few more years as they are still doing fine despite mobility issues, but I know the reality. I think I will get a Havanese pup to keep company with the remaining dog when the time comes. I hope I can connect with another dog as much as I do the labs. Their non-verbal communication with me is just amazing! And they are so tender toward every living thing.


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My other dog was a lab/husky and she was my child. She was so smart. She died at 17 yrs - just got sick one day and the next day gone. If only people could go that way.


----------



## Sherman (Sep 20, 2006)

Hi all, this is Sherman's mom, Carol. He got a scissor cut 2 weeks ago and still looks like he was run over with a lawnmower. I think I'll let his hair get as long as it wants to grow, but keep his head in a puppy cut. That way he can see and we can see his sweet Teddy Bear eyes. I wonder if that will look weird. Anyway, he and I are a work in progress! Thanks for all the photos and advice.


----------

