# To Trim or Not to Trim!!!



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

I need the adivce of all the experienced Havanese parents,

My puppy seems to have started blowing his coat and he looks soooo strange. At first he looked like he was missing hair right in the middle of the back and you could see down to the skin. His tail also looked very pittyful. His coat was also pretty streight (think Maltese) and more cottony than silky. Now he is getting new hair and you can really see it in the middle of his back. It's thicker, silkier and wavier (which I really like). He still has quite a lot of baby hair on the sides, but the new hair closer to the skin is much thicker and where the old hair looks like one out of each follicle, the new ones seems to be more like five or more (that is much thicker). Is that normal? Also, I've heard that it takes up to three years for the adult coat to come in, is that true? 

Having said all that, would it be nicer to give him a puppy cut all over to even out the hair or should I just let it come out as it will? Also, can someone please post pics of a good puppy cut I can take to my groomer to show?

Thanks,
Julia


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

IS your dog a pet or for show? Pet its all up to the owner if you want to do shows let it grow it will take time but it will grown and get all straighten out.I am working on Yoda coat UGG Yoda tail looks sad LOL he is 8 months and blowing coat so now he is on a vita. supplement and egg yolk and I switch his food to solid gold . I use a real good product for shampoo and conditioner and also a good leave in conditioner. With what I am doing to his coat he should be all pretty in about 8 weeks so much to do but I hear it is so worth it.MY Hub told me I am going to brake the bank just getting his coat in good shape. I was told by a breeder to work from the inside out so that is what I am doing beside the batheing when he is done with the shampoo he gets queen helen conditioner put on and put in a crate with force air dryer and he has that on for about 20 mins then he gets it rinse out.Keep your fingers cross for me that this all works.Good luck there coat is so wonderful when it is grown out just remember you cant put the cut hair back on LOL make sure that is what you really want


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Hi Susan,

My puppy is definitely a pet, even if here were good enough to show, which he isnt.  I feed him Solid Gold Wee Bit dry and add tiny perl size drop of Wysong's 95% all meat canned food, as he doesn't care for dry alone. How often and how much egg yolk do you give him? 

I am really impressed with all the time you take to get your puppy ready for show. I am just too busy with my two teenagers, their afterschool activities to even entertain an idea of a show dog. We take minimal time with grooming, just what is necessary (daily brushing, cleaning the eyes, ears, etc.). But all three of my dogs get two 30 min to an hour (each)s walk a day. Both off leash, so they can play with other dogs at our park. They love it and I get some exercise and fresh air. 

I am leaning towards giving him a puppy cut. While you are right that I can't put the cut hair back, it is hair and like human, sooner or later it will grow back (if I let it).


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

It is hard when you have kids still at home thank G mind are all grown up now I baby sit my grandson but Yoda is my number one at the moment. And thanks I love doing all this for yoda I look at it this way a heathly dog with lots of attention is a happy dog.which inturns makes me happy . Yoda is a pleasure to be around. And my in laws helps alot by spoiling him LOL They said they are grans and grandpa and that is there job LOL they buy special treats for Yoda like turkey breast or chicken from the deli they claim they dont but I know better LOL Yoda dont care for dry food either I do give him some can solid gold in his food daily like a teaspoon per feeding Yoda eats 2 times aday and I give the egg yolk to him over his food and mix it well he gets that 2 times a week.And his vita. he gets every other day. with a little plain yogart maybe about 1 table spoon it will help some what with his coat just like you would give a nursing bitch Just not as much LOL Yoda coat is getting thicker which is a very good thing. Oh the egg yolk he dry egg yolk.I got it on line a lb of it is like 6.00 pretty cheap really.It sounds like you like the puppy cutt so why not do it you would have a little less grooming time still having to groom but not as much as long coat talk to you later susan


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Yeap,

It seems like I am really leaning toward a puppy cut. But if it were up to my hubby and kids all of my dogs would be in long hair. Why not, they don't have to do it, right!  

I think I might try giving Bugsy egg yolk twice a week. What kind of vitamin suppliment do you give your dog?

Julia


----------



## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Julia, As you can see from my pics, my girls are done in puppy cuts. I like to keep them short, less worry about matting (although you still get some) but they do go to the groomer every 5 weeks for bath & cut. I cut them a little shorter in the summer just for their comfort, and let them get a little longer in the winter - but would rather play with them, than have to sit & brush them constantly. With show dogs, you really have to keep their coats brushed.


----------



## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi! I'm a fairly new Hav owner....Valentino will be 1 yr. on 12-7! Do all Hav's "blow coat"??? If he has I didn't know it! He's always had a nice thick coat...sometimes i wonder if it is too dense. I still plan to post a photo but I'm not too nifty on the computer so I may need some help! Anyway...do they "blow coat" at different times or all around the same age?? Please enlighten me! vicki


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

They blow coats at different times and different rates. It doesn't seem to even go with coat type or texture, just individual differences. Unless one of ours is showing they are cut down. Pam uses clippers with different length combs to cut the body down with and scissors the legs a little longer than the body but the same length for the length of the leg. The head and tail are left shaggy but the bangs are clipped above the eyes but still hang down some. They still look like Havanese. A lot of groomers like to taper the legs and sculpt the head to make them end up looking like poodles. We like the shaggy look without the upkeep. The dogs that are cut down are 10 times quicker and easier to wash and dry and there's not much brushing other than the ears and tail.


----------



## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks Tom! You are a virtual Hav encyclopedia! My groomer does a pretty good job w/him....i keep him in a puppy type cut. I will share your info w/her though. What exactly does happen when they "blow coat"?? vicki


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I'll try to attach a pic. This is Keeper cut down about an inch long on his body. Without the weight of the longer fur sometimes the short cuts look sort of curly depending on the waves in the fur. 

I need help with inserting an image. I'm used to there being a paperclip icon that I don't see..........


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Tom,

Thanks so much for the info on a cut. You wouldn't happen to have a pic of the cut you've decscribed?

TIA,
Julia


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I put it in the gallery. I know how to post there.


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

That's kind of long for a puppy cut but when they are so gorgeous with their show coat it's usually hard to cut them down really short. That was just the first pic I found of a puppy cut.


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks Tom,

I am off to print the pic and have it ready for the groomer. Bugsy is scheduled for a bath and possible the hair cut and it's great to have a picture. 

Julia


----------



## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Here is Goldie in a puppy cut. I just cut her because she is easier to keep up and she is done showing. Im terrible about grooming so I trimmed her down. 
I like her better cut. 

I will keep Stogie long. Even though he is finished, I still Special him for fun sometimes. He has so many colors in him, if I trimmed him, I would cut some of them off! He has about 4 different bands of colors.

Stogie went through a bad bad stage of blowing coat about 10 months of age. He is 14 months old now. So he is MUCH better. His new coat is SO silky. I did notice it thin out, but now its growing in nicely. 

I also took photos in for my groomer to look at and I made sure I spoke to the actual person who cut her. I think it helps a lot to take pictures. And make sure they dont have any mats when you take them in.


----------



## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Melissa, your photo is beautiful of the puppy cut. I took Toms picture to my groomer & told her I wanted to try to grow the girls a little to look more like the havanese - you guys keep mentioning "blowing coat" what is that?
Laurie


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

Blowing coat is like shedding with Yoda when he was blowing coat you would see tiny little matts since the havanese dont shed like regular dogs .They still shed but it dont fall all over the floor say like other breeds they loose there hair in matt sections if that makes any since. Have you ever seen the matts that you can just easly pull out with your fingers? When they are puppys they loose there puppy coat out witht he old and new with the new.Adults get it to.Changeing of the weather from hot to cold or cold to hot .Summer coat and winter coat is a easy way to think of it.Yoda coat was so damage when I got him and now with the proper diet and great shampoo and conditioner His coat is looking so much better he is growing coat now which I am so excited about,IF I only new I would end up wanting to show Yoda I would of never of trimmed his bangs so Hopefully in June they will be grown out maybe sooner.Hopefuly some one will anwser your blowing coat better than what I did at least it gives you an idea.


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

Laurief I use galaxy products you can order it online I have tryed so many shampoo ect and I just love the way it makes Yoda coat feel and looks . I use the Glimmer for the shampoo and the revive conditioner .The product is out of La Calif the web page is www.pfwh.com it runs about 20- for shampoo and 35 for the conditioner the shampoo is 1 part to 4 part ratio and you mix it in a blender I only mix what I would use for a single bath.the condtioner is 2 table spoons to 1 quater of water. It truly is a great product I would not use any thing else and brushing out is so easy with these product then during the week I use a waterless shampoo which works great and I also use Ice on Ice detangler.IF you order it on line it comes from NY but the product is made in La my mom knows the person that makes the product so that help me out alot.I just buy the quart size because it last a long time since it is conc.You can buy it buy the gallon to .


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Hi gang,

Just wanted to let you know that I took the Bugsy and Tom's pic to my groomer yesterday and my puppy is now officially in a puppy cut. He looks adorable.  We couldn't yet have a great hair cut like Tom's dog, as Bugsy just didn't have enough hair, lol But I did leave the pic with my groomer for future refernces. George (the groomer) is excellent and I constantly get stopped on the street by people who want to find out who did my Poodles. I will also take Melissa's picture of Goldie to him next time.

Thanks again,
Julia


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

HI Julia that is great I m so glad you are happy with the puppy cut you will need to post a picture of him with his new doo LOL


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

On blowing coat. Havanese don't shed all the time like most other dogs do. They do loose some hair all along but it's more like people do than normal dog shedding. But "blowing coat" is not talking about that. They go through 2 or sometimes 3 different coat stages. The first is the puppy coat. After the next coat has started to come in pretty good and has some length, the puppy coat will "blow". In other words it just turns loose and falls out. But since the next coat (either adolescent coat or adult coat-depending on the dog as some don't have an adolescent coat) has some length it holds the blowing puppy coat. If the dog is not brushed a LOT at that time it will quickly become totally matted up even to the point of it being almost impossible to do anything but cut the dog down. The blowing stage can last months or a week. It depends entirely on the dog. Posh as an example never had a puppy coat but has had an adolescent coat from the start and is maybe 1/3 through blowing it at 2 years old (the adult coat is awesome by the way). The adult coat is always the best coat. Judges get to see very few Hanvanese adult coats as the vast majority are finished and cut down early.


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

It varies from about a year and a half to almost three years. Most seem to only have the puppy coat and adult coat but some can have puppy, adolescent, and adult. Posh's first coat looks like what would be his adolescent coat and has been changing to his adult coat over a period of months. Twinkle had all three coats. Her coat in the gallery picture is her adult coat when she was between 3 and four. Her adolescent coat was almost white.


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

Any helpful ideas would be great.I am thinking ahead right now.We are going to Hawaii the end of Feb for 20 days.Yoda has a problem when I leave.Thats right Anxity problem Even when my husband has him he dont care Yoda just wants me.I even had my husband drive yoda home one day from our outting and Yoda cryed the entire ride home with my husband.Then sat by the back door until I got home.What can I do to break this of him?Or can I ? I do have some one takeing yoda for me while I am gone they do have a hairless crested I was thinking that might help him a little.Or should I buy a ticket for yoda? Kinda stump here thanks


----------



## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Wow Susan have fun in Hawaii. 

You are probably too late on taking Yoda with you. The state of Hawaii requires a lot of preplanning as they are a quarantine state. I took Goldie last year and I had to do blood work, which then has to be sent to a lab in Kansas. You then have to wait a period after that and make sure they dont have rabies. They also have to have more than one rabies shot. etc etc etc...
Its time consuming and requires months of planning in advance. 

Your best bet would to leave him with someone you really trust. After a couple of days, he will be fine. Even though they are attached to our hip, they seem to be very good in other situations. 

Have fun in Hawaii! Im going after Christmas, I love it there.


----------

