# Help with hair around face and another question!



## David1969 (Nov 12, 2015)

Hello (again),
Oliver is 11 weeks and the hair around his eyes is getting unruly and he can't see (or at least I can't see him!). I posted a picture so you can see and possibly offer some advice on what I should do. I won't have him groomed yet because he hasn't received the proper vaccinations. Maybe I just have to wait it out until it grows longer.

Another question….Oliver stays in the kitchen for the most part, and when he's gone to the bathroom we bring him into the den (which is carpeted). Problem is, he gets into everything while there….behind the TV stand, tries to get the cords, under the couches, and he has even gone to the bathroom in there a few times (this was right after he pottied outside). I don't want to leave him in the kitchen all by himself….he will whine at the door anyway. Is an expen a good idea for this situation?

Finally, do you think he is sable? I attached a picture of him getting a toy from his basket so you can see his body color. I have no idea what the difference is with all the colors. Do you think he will change to all white?


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

David1969 said:


> Oliver stays in the kitchen for the most part, and when he's gone to the bathroom we bring him into the den (which is carpeted). Problem is, he gets into everything while there&#8230;.behind the TV stand, tries to get the cords, under the couches, and he has even gone to the bathroom in there a few times (this was right after he pottied outside). I don't want to leave him in the kitchen all by himself&#8230;.he will whine at the door anyway. Is an expen a good idea for this situation?


I do think a Xpen is the right solution for you. When our Ruby jumps off the couch we quietly put her in the Xpen. Now as soon as we stand up to get her she hops right back on the couch.

But sometimes she will stand by the Xpen because she wants to sleep in her own space.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

David1969 said:


> Hello (again),
> Oliver is 11 weeks and the hair around his eyes is getting unruly and he can't see (or at least I can't see him!). I posted a picture so you can see and possibly offer some advice on what I should do. I won't have him groomed yet because he hasn't received the proper vaccinations. Maybe I just have to wait it out until it grows longer


Our breeder suggested we grow out the face hair but I couldn't stand it anymore and I am pretty happy with the short look and can commit to regular grooming appointments to maintain it. If you can't go to the groomer yet, a little daily smear of vaseline will get the hair to lie down.


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

Definitely a sable because of the black hairs sprinkled in his coat. Havenese colors can help you with color ID, but his breeder should have determined his color for you. There are Havs with a lot more black that to me look like Brindles, but people are calling them sables. But Oliver looks easily like a sable. He will probably lighten up a lot, but his gold won't turn white, probably a light champagne.

He can peek through the hair enough to see. At this age its probably best to just let it be. It will lay down once it gets longer. This stage doesn't last long. I get my very important eye contact while holding and petting my pups. I push the hair out of their eyes and gaze into them then. Here I'm talking about the eye contact that releases oxytocin, the love hormone in both of us. Eye contact for training is different. Its not that important that you lock eyes then. You just need to know that your puppy is looking in your direction and they are paying attention. You may not see their eyes completely, but know they are looking at yours. With practice you can tell if they are not looking at you. When they lock in, they get rock still. Karen Randall and others can probably speak more to the training eye contact. I only do very basic name recognition and standing still exercises. But I heard you saying that you wanted to see his eyes.

When I take a young pup out of confinement outside to potty, especially in the morning, I just pick him up and carry him quickly out. Little guys take two steps and pee if their bladders are really full. And I don't want them to fail by going inside. At 10 weeks I only allow pups supervised freedom. That means I'm interacting with them by playing or snuggling or some other activity. No lying on the couch watching TV while they are free to entertain themselves. That will come later. So, yes the expen is a must. Everyone's house is configured differently, but I always put my dogs in an area that they can see us most of the time. So, if you can't do that in every room your in, maybe try tethering the pup to you? 

Oliver is super cute!

PS I wouldn't put the ex pen directly on the carpet obviously.


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## Marbel (May 20, 2014)

Oliver has too much freedom at a young age - he needs to be constantly watched Until he is potty trained he should be kept in his ex-pen or crate with supervised freedom for short periods of time.


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## Debbie611 (Jan 4, 2016)

I use the expen for my puppy and it works out great. He will even go in there thru the doggy door and go to sleep. When I go out I latch the doggy door shut and he is fine.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I agree with everyone else... If your puppy is having accidents, he needs closer supervision, and confinement when he can't be supervised. That generally means an ex-pen, though some people use a crate. I just think a crate is AWFULLY confining for longer periods.

As far as the hair around the eyes is concerned, Here are my two girls. As you can see, Panda has almost "no eyes". Yes, it bothers me. But I'm willing to put up with a couple of months of THAT to get to a face like Pixel's at 11 months. Once you cut it, you are fighting that "grow out" over and over again. Yes, you can choose to grow it out later, but you have a period where it looks bad between every single grooming. I'd rather just get it over with. I also think the soft baby hair is less irritating to their eyes as it grows out than the sharp, cut edges of more rigid adult hair.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Rexy is in that grow stage. I have, this week, finally been able to catch some hair in a topknot so we could train and I could be sure to "catch and reward" eye contact. Rexy is 5 months on Monday. I cut Leo's and never managed to get him to accept a topknot. Rexy seem to be ok with a topknot so I don't plan to cut his hair at all. I only put his hair up when I'm around because I don't want him scratching at the topknot and breaking off the hair or getting the band out and swallowing it. Try catching a bit of hair in a band and see if you can see his eyes that way. He may be at the age where you just have to put up with the shaggy look for a few more weeks.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

The groomer got mini clips for Truffles. You can find them at Bowbiz.


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## Askavi (Nov 5, 2015)

Raffy is nearly 7 months old and is between the Panda and Pixel phase in regards to his facial hair. Top knot success is minimal, but I did not allow the groomer to cut his facial hair other than to trim some staining off the tips of hair not around his eyes. I'm hoping I can see his eyes sometime soon!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Askavi said:


> Raffy is nearly 7 months old and is between the Panda and Pixel phase in regards to his facial hair. Top knot success is minimal, but I did not allow the groomer to cut his facial hair other than to trim some staining off the tips of hair not around his eyes. I'm hoping I can see his eyes sometime soon!


Be strong! You'll get there!


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

Lola at five months, six months, seven months, and at nine months. I'm glad I chose to wait through the awkward period.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

It is much easier to have the hair around the eyes trimmed. Scout needs to be trimmed every four weeks because his hair grows like a weed! I do like seeing his pretty eyes.  It took a very long time to grow Truffles hair out. Arranging her bands or bows takes more time daily, but it does look cute. Still having trouble with those little fly aways...


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## Lisa T. (Feb 5, 2015)

Beautiful pictures.


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