# Finding myself harassed about my dog's hair



## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

First it was the vet techs and now a crazy bird lady harassed my husband in PetSmart about how long Hanna's hair is. I have only ever trimmed her feet and sanitary. Usually I have her hair up in a top knot so she can see, but sometimes by the end of the day it.can be pretty messy. The woman was saying she was going to get ulcers and we should cut her hair. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm not going to cut her hair, but do I have to be ultra cautious about her top knot always being tidy?


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

My neighbors don't say anything about Lizzie having long hair, but when I take her to get her nails trimmed I always get a comment about how she needs to go back to finish her cut. I guess most small dogs have short hair. Lizzie rarely has a top knot. The woman who watched her last week trimmed her bangs a bit and I have to say I do like it. It is still long over her nose, but I can see her eyes a little more now. Just ignore the naysayers.


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## Lisainidaho (Feb 1, 2012)

I guess the important part of your story is "crazy bird lady" lol! I'm guessing she had absolutely no idea of the breed of your dog. Ulcers? Like in her eyes or what? I've never ever heard of that. And I think the last time I read the standard, it doesn't include a topknot so I don't think Crazy Bird Lady has her facts straight. The picture of your dog looks like a traditional Havanese! I hope my puppies' coats turn out that nice.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

I get comments all the time too. seriously, as long as my dog is HEALTHY, polite, happy and not bugging you, LEAVE us ALONE! 

and what in the WORLD did she mean about ulcers? WTH does that even MEAN???


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Most of the time people think Kodi is cute, they just want to know how much work it is to take care ofhis coat. And at our training center, people are pretty dog savvy... Many dogs are kept in "breed standard" coats. But I HAVE run into the "Your dog needs a hair cut!" attitude, and it's usually at pet stores that have grooming salons. 

It seems that people who take their coated dogs to those stores do it to have their coat removed!. Several times I've met someone coming out with a small coated breed dog in a puppy cut, and had a comment like, "Oh, it looks like it's been a long time since HE got trimmed!"

I figure it's ignorant people who make those comments, and it just makes me laugh inside!:biggrin1:


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

It always amazes me how people think nothing of making comments like that. How'd they like it if I took a look at them and said, "You need a haircut. I think your hair is messy." OR "You need a face-lift. You're ugly."

Yes, I've run into it. I try to just smile and ignore it, but sometimes it's hard. And really it's nervy and in poor taste, in my opinion.


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## Blue_Persuasion (Jan 4, 2012)

TilliesMom said:


> I get comments all the time too. seriously, as long as my dog is HEALTHY, polite, happy and not bugging you, LEAVE us ALONE!
> 
> and what in the WORLD did she mean about ulcers? WTH does that even MEAN???


I AGREE!! I guess I'd look at a person like that and in my best southern genteel voice say, "Wow, I don't recall asking for your opinion! Unless, of course, you're an expert on the breed..." Then a big :biggrin1:


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## tokipoke (Feb 13, 2012)

People are used to just having their dogs shaved down. I will be shaving down Louis but it's not cause "his hair was too long." His hair is very easy to take care of. I just wanted to try different cuts and see his hair grow from scratch. I get comments like that for my standard poodle. He barely had an inch of hair one time and I walked into a pet store and a man holding the door said "I guess he's here for his haircut!" People here are not used to seeing a standard poodle, let alone a big one with hair. Mine has about 3 inches of hair on his body and 4-5 inches on his head and neck. And I'm still growing out his hair for 6 months in hopes he'll be ready for a grooming competition. I feel bad that I've gotta grow his hair so long through the summer, cause he's getting hot.

With the topknots, most people do not know how to properly band a topknot. Too many times I get dogs to groom with the tightest banded topknot that the owner leaves in for days on end. The dog has an irritated red spot there, the hair is broken or bald spots are there. It's just terrible. People who say silly things like that lady mentioned are just unaware of basic grooming.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I would love to see a picture of her the one we see is when she had a shorter coat . Please please so we can all say how beautiful she is and then you remember that the next time some jerk says something.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

Yes, eye ulcers. When she was a puppy I'd usually bring her to her appointments, but once my husband did and it was that awkard older puppy stage where the hair is growing out so it was kind of covering her eyes but it wasn't long enough yet where it would lay flat. The techs told him I need to trim her eyes down so she didn't get ulcers. I was so offended! And I'm one of the groomers that grooms about 20 feet away from them!


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

I was just taken aback a little, Crazy Bird Lady really did accost my poor husband, he was defending himself as best as he could! Poor thing! She really tried to rough him up, but I think he just had to walk away at the end.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Most people think they look cute and ask if it's hard to take care of. The one place I hear the most about cutting them is at the vet. It's probably easier to examine a short hair dog.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

omgosh, it always surprises me at the lack of 'filter' some people have with regards to their opinions, however irrelevant or unneeded they may be, lol

No, I don't think the top knot has to be perfect all of the time, Havanese are meant to have that bed head, non primped sort of look, it is what makes them most adorable. I've left top knots in for 3-4 days and the can get pretty wacky on day 3 or 4, in fact, I just changed out a wacky messy top knot about 5 minutes ago.

I like the long hair look and I am the one who has to bathe, demat, blow dry and brush it out, so it really isn't' anyone else's problem as far as I can see, and I probably would've told the lady that or something to that effect "I like the look and don't mind the grooming aspect" and leave it at that, not every hav owner is up for the long coat upkeep and that is totally okay, that is what groomers are for 

Kara


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

People are so stupid sometimes!

I would have so much fun with that "Crazy Bird Lady" it would be a delight to make her leave the store crying... Muahahahahaha (...insert evil smilie here...) :boink:


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## FancyNancy (Oct 7, 2009)

I know you ladies are probably too nice for this but I have no problem telling people to GO F___ THEMSELVES! It's actually quite fun and very cathartic!


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

FancyNancy said:


> I know you ladies are probably too nice for this but I have no problem telling people to GO F___ THEMSELVES! It's actually quite fun and very cathartic!


You are my type of gal! eace:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Carefulove said:


> People are so stupid sometimes!
> 
> I would have so much fun with that "Crazy Bird Lady" it would be a delight to make her leave the store crying... Muahahahahaha (...insert evil smilie here...) :boink:


You're very bad, Zury!:biggrin1:


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

My husband would have told the crazy bird lady that he liked the way his wife groomed their dog. Period.


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

Just think, when they're in a shorter puppy cut, then people will play the breed guessing game. I like the way your dog's hair is groomed. He looks like a Havanese. I want to let Sergio's hair grow out a bit, because I'm tired of people asking if he's a Bichon. When I see other Bichon's, they're hair is so tightly curly, he doesn't look like a Bichon.


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## Blue_Persuasion (Jan 4, 2012)

<------------ Likes Nancy and Zury very muchly.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Your dog is gorgeous. I am envious of those of you that keep your dogs in full coat. I tried growing the boys out once... I went a whole 9 months with nothing but feet, sanitary and eye trims.... But it just got too hard to keep up.


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

My neighbour who has bichon frisee say Roki looks like Santa Claus or old grandad. She says that it is a pity that young dog is looking old just because I don't want to clip him! Once I was seriously attacked on the street by lady with shaved maltese in shoes in the middle of the summer and Juicy Cotture T-shirt with millions of swarowki crystals. She said that I am torturing dog with long hair and that he looks like a mess. And Roki was perfectly groomed as we were going home from groomer. 
I know a man who has beautiful choco-white hav. They were going to vacation to Italy, so he decided to cut him very short. When they were visiting Florence, it was so hot that poor little Flecky got heat stroke. They rushed him to the vet and everythig was OK, but vet asked who was the fool who clipped havanese in the summer? He said that in heat havanese need their coat to protect them from heat. 
But most times people just adore Roki and his long coat. Couple of days ago I bathed and groomed him perfectly and we in the evening we wet for last pee-pee. In the park man with another dog said he tought that Roki is some kind of surrealistic creature!


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

I commend you for having your dog in full coat. I love that look, but I've come to the realization that there is no way I can keep up with it. People are clueless and impolite.


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## Tessa's Mommy (May 20, 2011)

It's so funny that I'm reading these posts today. My oldest (33 years old) daughter told me on the weekend that Tessa wasn't a very cute dog because she was scruffy looking. Tessa is 15 months old and I have never had her groomed or had her coat trimmed (other than mats). Her hair is about 5 inches long and not very thick. Cooper, on the other hand, has an extremely thick coat and he gets groomed every 6 months. I was very insulted because I think Tessa is the cutest puppy ever.

Anyway to make a long story short, I have the groomer coming to the house next Saturday to give Cooper his summer clip and to give Tessa a quick trim only. I'm very fortunate in that the groomer will do whatever I want as far as how short or long because she scissors trims. I will try to post pictures after the visit.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

Tessa's Mommy said:


> [snip]
> 
> Anyway to make a long story short, I have the groomer coming to the house next Saturday to give Cooper his summer clip and to give Tessa a quick trim only. I'm very fortunate in that the groomer will do whatever I want as far as how short or long because she scissors trims. I will try to post pictures after the visit.


Oh, yes; please post pictures! I'm really enjoying this thread! It appeals to my dark side. Substitutes for ME venting! HAHAHA!

Sometimes I find it hard to believe (not really) how totally RUDE people can be! When people are that rude, it give me a Holier-Than-Thou feeling, which is part of my dark side.

I keep Camellia clipped quite short. Originally, I'd hoped to do the clipping myself, but my back won't hold up to the work - breaks down very quickly (old back injury). I had her clipped down for the first time something like six weeks after she became my dog. She was something over 3.5 years old at the time.

Before I had her clipped down, I brushed and combed her daily, Sometimes had a little trouble getting mats out, but caught on to how to do it. But I couldn't keep up the job, and knew I'd never be able to keep her really well-groomed with her long coat. So off to the fabulous groomer we went.

It turned out that she does better in a puppy-clip than she would with a long coat because of her allergic dermatitis, so now I Hav An Excuse for keeping her hair short. I have it shorter in summer than in winter; live in a moderate, marine climate, but it can get hot (for us), especially, walking on the road, so I choose times, and carry water with me, and don't take Camellia out for long enough to get sunburn nor heat stroke. I liked the Italian vet who complained!

As for everyone else here, I'm all for it, those of you who keep your Havs in full coat; as long as you can manage it, hey; that's YOUR business! And they ARE, without question, GORGEOUS dogs. I happen to think they're gorgeous both in full coat and clipped down! Maybe my taste is too undiscriminating (hahaha!)

MUMMY! It's BEDTIME! Turn the darned machine off! (00)

It is? Oh, you're right, Camellia. Okay; I'm coming! ;-^

Good night all, and sweet dreams, from your INCURABLY PollyAnna friend.

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:26:49 (PDT)


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Oh, this thread is funny! :biggrin1: As someone mentioned, some people just don't have a filter - every thought passes their lips. And too late, I usually think of all the things I coulda/woulda/shoulda said in response - after I get home! :frusty: If I think of a zinger at the time, I usually hold back and don't say anything. I need to practice more, so that I am prepared for such occasions! 

The only person who really got on me about my dogs' hair was my MIL - she kept threatening to cut it if she got close enough with a pair of scissors. I just warned her that I would have to take her fingers off if she so much as touched a hair on Augie's head!  (we didn't have Finn yet when she was alive) She always gave her grandsons a hard time if they had longish hair too. 

I really like these Havs in all coat types. I love to see the flowing long coats when they move, but I love the shorter coats that makes them look more like puppies. Augie's has gotten very easy to care for as he has gotten older. Finn isn't chewing on it as much and it is getting quite thick again. Finn's is still a bit of a struggle, but the majority of him is free of mats, so we will continue on as is for awhile.


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

Maybe as Havanese owners we just have really sweet personalities ourselves, making it more likely that people, even strangers, don't see it as a problem to cross our boundaries by commenting out loud on our dogs.

Or, sometimes I overlook the 10+ positive comments that people give me about Sergio, and focus intensely on the 1 negative comment. 10 people could walk by and tell me how cute they think Sergio is, and if one person says he's "anti-social" or "shy" because he wouldn't let them pet him, I dwell on that for a while.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

curly_DC said:


> Maybe as Havanese owners we just have really sweet personalities ourselves, making it more likely that people, even strangers, don't see it as a problem to cross our boundaries by commenting out loud on our dogs.
> 
> Or, sometimes I overlook the 10+ positive comments that people give me about Sergio, and focus intensely on the 1 negative comment. 10 people could walk by and tell me how cute they think Sergio is, and if one person says he's "anti-social" or "shy" because he wouldn't let them pet him, I dwell on that for a while.


It is like with our kids. WE can make a negative comment about them, but no one else had better do it! ound: It was funny - my boys were like that too - they could talk trash about their brothers, but heaven forbid if anyone else tried!

I am sure most of you Hav owners on the forum have sweet personalities - Me? Not so much!! Hahaha :biggrin1: I usually let someone's rude comment go by, unchallenged, but there have been a couple of times in my life where I have let one irk me to the point where I let it fly - wasn't pretty! :biggrin1:


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## Bellatrixed (Mar 13, 2011)

I find it amazing how many of these threads there are! 

I personally like a "medium" length scruffy coat on my girls--not full coat, but an inch or two longer than a puppy cut. I have to periodically cut them short because I can't stay on top of the knots as fast as they get them, especially if it has rained a lot lol. As much as I love the look, I could never maintain a full coat.

I think Havanese are cute in a puppy cut, with medium length hair, and with a full coat. What is wrong with people? My only concession is that I like being able to see my dog's eyes and feel sorry for them if they have hair hanging in the way. Even if I saw someone's dog with hair in its eyes though, I wouldn't voice my opinion because it's their dog!


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