# My GOD the matting!



## CaptainHavanese (Apr 24, 2020)

My poor guy has incredible mats! His coat is so incredibly thick and pure raw cotton, he feels much more like a Coton De Tulear than the Havanese I've met at the Westminster Meet & Greets. It's dry, brittle, and break tiny little pieces off when you brush him. You could pinch a piece in your finger and rip the end off with very little effort, so his hair isn't strong at all. At the moment, it is about 5-8 inches long all around his body.

I brought him to meet my friends to try to socialize him a bit more (he's terrified of new people), so I brushed him for maybe a full hour line brushing his fur to make him flawless, then brought him to the park and he had developed a thick mat the size of a ping pong ball on the back of his foot! My friend's husband implied none-too-kindly that I'm a bad dog mom and that I must be lying about brushing him because there would be 'no way' I'd miss that mat. And then told me I needed to shave him down to nothing.

The mat simply didn't exist when I brushed him in the morning! His harness, as well, is three strings or a gooby harness that I wrapped in satin and I have to brush him furiously after every walk and shave out his armpits to keep him mat-free even from that.

I brush him daily with a CC butter comb knock off (lol) and a slicker, plus detangler (paul mitchell detangler spray). He is washed weekly with Biogroom Whitening Shampoo and Biogroom Silk Creme Conditioner. Sometimes, his feet and belly are washed and conditioned maybe 4 times a week depending on how black his feet and belly are after we come in from outside.

I usually snip out these mats with scissors because his dematting brush is absolute garbage (Well & Good Dematting Tool), and I refuse to shave him down because it feels like it would prove my friend's husband right - that I'm a bad dog mom and/or I can't handle my dog's coat.

Does anybody have any secrets? Or recognize the type of coat my dog has and know what I'm missing?

(apologies for the pics that are sideways! They're right-side up when I open them in paint!)


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

I see that el Capitan is 9 months old. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF "BLOWING COAT"! This is the stage when a Havanese transitions from their puppy coat to their adult coat. This usually lasts about two months of pure frustration. At 9 months we had Ricky shaved down into a "puppy cut." It is the worst mistake we have made with him. Never again, Momi was in tears when we picked him up from the groomers.

Just grit your teeth and do the best you can. It will be over soon and grooming him will be much easier. We've all been there and done that, so we can empathize with you. It is kind of like a rite of "initiation" phase. Welcome to the CLUB!

Ricky's Popi


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

He's beautiful! Willow matted too when younger. I never had her in a coat that long during the matting phase. I feel your pain and really can't offer any helpful advise. It does get better as they get older. I've discovered that a clean coat is easier to comb than one that is slightly dirty. Now that Willow's hair is longer I find I have to giver her a bath about once a week.


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

Oh gosh yes, blowing coat. That was exactly how Denver was. 
1. Puppy fur sucks so much to begin with.
2. Blowing coat is a nightmare. I remember thinking that if I just looked at Denver wrong he’d develop mats. 

But, it gets better! Like Ricky’s Popi, we had Denver shaved down when it got to be like that. Then shaved him again after his neuter. Now we are growing him out with just his adult hair and it is So Much Easier. 

Keeper is now 7 months old and more hair is starting to come out in the brush and I’m already starting to brush him twice daily. As a show potential, I can’t clip him, so I’ll just be gritting my teeth to get through it. I ended up floating his coat last week after we went to the beach and it worked so well. But I wouldn’t want to do that regularily.


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## Faithb (Aug 18, 2020)

What a beautiful dog! My pup is only 13 weeks old so can’t offer any words of wisdom. I am just learning about grooming a long hair dog.


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

*I hear you!*

Oh my goodness CaptainHavanese my heart goes out to you! My youngest is 20 months and still in her long coat. I'm still dealing with the matting issue which I thought would "never" end! You are absolutely correct, your baby can be the picture of perfection and have 3 dense mats, next to the skin, an hour later. Please be kind to yourself and do your best to let negative comments roll away, everything you're dealing with is right on schedule and has nothing to do with you being a bad Mom! Please don't give in to shaving just yet, he's so precious. Being on lockdown for several months did give me an advantage time wise which helped because I have an 11 year old and old man that needs care also. 
There were several times I almost gave up but I'm glad I didn't. The first thing I did, to try to control the mats, was cutting back the tummy hairs. My husband helped me with that and I did it again on one side on Sunday. For me, the biggest regret was cutting layers into her front paws, that seemed to makes things worse. I also cut the hair in her armpit area since it didn't show either. I tried a dozen human and dog detanglers but none of them helped. I have the same issue with feet and legs from nightly walks with Ed (husband) since Cotton is all white! I keep Cotton and the old guy (my little peanut) in puppy cuts. Every other night I fill the kitchen sink with warm water and someone gets dunked, washed and dried. I have had the best luck with Chris Christensen Diamond Series shampoos/conditioners. I use the Spectrum 10 shampoo with the Diamond conditioner for the boys. I've included a couple pics of my basic supplies that have worked for me. Most of us who do our own grooming have mountains of supplies but I'm don't want to be too overwhelming. This is just my own opinion, there are various other options as well.
The first photo has a Chris Christensen (CC) curved pin brush and a 
" " staggered tooth comb
Stainless steel cuticle scissors
Alligator clips for human hair
I use the Andis buttercomb and that works as well for me as the CC comb. The pin brush is CC because the pins are noticeably softer than cheaper ones. The staggered tooth comb is noticeably heavier than any buttercomb. However, now that I'm accustomed to it I can't live without it. Not everyone is so fond of it though, it's a matter of personal taste. The stainless steel cuticle scissors I have are sharp and helpful for me with mats next to the skin. Dull scissors are not good on any part. The alligator clips are to keep the hair out of the way so I can see. I clip it up in 4 sections and then separate each section 4-5 times. Jodie has far more hair than the other 2 combined!

On the left of the 2nd picture is a CC Ice Slip brush. It has thick stainless steel pins and is very sturdy. The brush on the right is a CC Fusion Brush. it's pins are thinner and help with fly away hair. 
The last photo is a head band with magnifying lenses. It's so helpful for using manicure scissors and checking ears. Jodie has the hairiest ears I've ever seen on a dog. Hang in there and remember it's not your fault. If you didn't care, you wouldn't have a Havanese!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Poor you! You’ve gotten lots of good advice already. “Blowing coat” is a “Havanese Hazard” and a right of passage of growing up. You and he will get theough it. I got throuh it with two of mine in full coat and cut one down. It is NOT a sign of failure to decide you don’t want to deal with it and want to cut them down until blowing coat is over. Coat grows! It will grow back!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Your little ones coat looks absolutely beautiful! What a cutie pie! I remember the blowing coat stage very well! It was a nightmare with Scout. I still find keeping the paws mat free difficult. Scout's coat is short which is easier on him and me. It looks like you are doing a fantastic job. My most favorite conditioner is SHOW Royal Treatment Conditioner. It leaves the coat really silky and has a light orange scent. It gets better!


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Wulfin, is Keeper the adorable little face on the right? Those 2 sure are cute❣


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Heather's said:


> My most favorite conditioner is SHOW Royal Treatment Conditioner. It leaves the coat really silky and has a light orange scent. It gets better!


Oh! This! I also wanted to mention that you may very well need to play around with different shampoo/conditioner combinations, both now and as his coat matures. From what I can see, almost every one of them has a different "best" combination! LOL!


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

JaJa said:


> Wulfin, is Keeper the adorable little face on the right? Those 2 sure are cute❣


Yes! This was taken when Keeper was still under 3 months old. One of my favourite pictures of the pair. Lol.

This is him now.


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

I don’t have any advice about the matting, Jojo is still so little it’s not started yet. I would say I would stay away from your friend’s husband however!


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Awesome picture, the ladies are going to love Keeper! That’s the perfect name🥰


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

KristaS said:


> I don't have any advice about the matting, Jojo is still so little it's not started yet. I would say I would stay away from your friend's husband however!


Ha! You'll get through it. Children sometimes ask me if Shama doesn't need a haircut. Nope! She's got long hair because we like it that way!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

One thing that Karen told me that wasn’t mentioned anywhere in any of the grooming advice I’d read before, is the quality of the puppy coat that is slowly falling out starts to seem worse. It seemed like mine had a really damaged coat and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. That might be what you’re seeing when you’re describing the hair that seems brittle and weak. I used heavier, human products on that part of his coat because they have more silicone and provide slip for the brush and comb. The downside of this is that these products tend to be heavier and require more frequent bathing. 

I combed every day but also kept a brush nearby and did quick once over brushes after walks, play, outside time, etc. whenever I could. I can’t prove it but I do believe this helped with thorough daily grooming, and it only takes 30 seconds or a minute.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Also, don’t feel bad about having him trimmed if you need to. Even if you do most of the grooming yourself long term, now is a great time to have him go to the groomer because it will give you a break and you can get some hands on suggestions for his coat. I wish I had found the groomer were using now when my puppy was blowing coat, because she’s good at trimming lightly with scissors, just enough to make grooming more manageable.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I remember it being impossible to prevent matting during that blowing the coat phase, especially with Scout. Even now there are sensitive areas that have a tendency to mat. The groomer shaves Scout and Truffles from below the diaphragm into a sanitary trim. This has really helped keeping their underside mat free and clean.


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## Orius (Jan 20, 2020)

You all have the CUTEST babies! Our Orius is now 11 months old and I did not bother to let his hair get long, except for his tail, of course. I'm rather glad I did that, as I don't think combing him for long sittings is how we want to develop our relationship (bats eyes). 

I do have a couple of questions, though. If I decide once this phase is over to grow him out longer again, 1.) at what general age would that be, and 2.) what will his adult coat handle/look like? 

Aren't Havanese the best babies EVER?

Kari


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Orius said:


> You all have the CUTEST babies! Our Orius is now 11 months old and I did not bother to let his hair get long, except for his tail, of course. I'm rather glad I did that, as I don't think combing him for long sittings is how we want to develop our relationship (bats eyes).
> 
> I do have a couple of questions, though. If I decide once this phase is over to grow him out longer again, 1.) at what general age would that be, and 2.) what will his adult coat handle/look like?
> 
> ...


Generally, somewhere between 2 and 3 Havanese coats are mature. That said, Havanese coats can be VERY different from each other. So there is no way anyone can tell you what your pup's coat will be like. I have three, two closely related one unrelated, and they ALL have very different coats!


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Same with our 3 kids, each coat is different. 
Yes Kari, Havanese are the BEST babies ever❣😋


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## Faithb (Aug 18, 2020)

I agree that Havanese are wonderful!


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## pvlahos (Jan 2, 2020)

No words of wisdom, just empathy. We are in this phase now with our 11 month old Duke and it sucks. Every day we find new matts and he will NOT let us brush him. He growls and fusses and bites when we try (though apparently he is an angel for the groomer). So frustrating!!


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## Faithb (Aug 18, 2020)

Have you tried keeping Duke busy with a frozen Kong or bully stick while trying to brush him? It is the only way I can get Desi to sit still for more than a minute without him attacking the comb and brush lol.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Have been Been There. You need to use a Small Comb metal comb. A Brush is pretty much useless on matts. For tough Matts I used Thinning Scissors and Cut through them, then use your fingers and tiny comb to tease them out. Or, just cut the matt out. You do need to comb the puppy a couple of times a day. Especially the belly and under their arms when blowing coat. 

It gets better. Short hair is easier than long hair especially when they're puppies and blowing coat.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

CaptainHavanese said:


> I usually snip out these mats with scissors because his dematting brush is absolute garbage (Well & Good Dematting Tool), and I refuse to shave him down because it feels like it would prove my friend's husband right - that I'm a bad dog mom and/or I can't handle my dog's coat.
> 
> Does anybody have any secrets? Or recognize the type of coat my dog has and know what I'm missing?


Scout and Truffles were groomed yesterday. I thought they were in pretty good shape, but the groomer was not happy. &#128556; This is a photo of how their underside is always shaved to help prevent matting.


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

That’s what I do with all 3 of ours. I was never able to find a groomer that would do anything besides shaving them down. It looks like you have a good one!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

She's a wonderful groomer and I wouldn't want to lose her. She has been doing home grooming for 30 years. Scout and Truffles love her. 😊


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

I know for the first several times I thought I did a great job and then my groomer would basically tell me if I didn't do better, than she would shave him and that would be that. I've vented enough about it on this forum.

But... it has only been about 8 months since the last freak out and it is amazing at how far I have come and it's all due to technique and learning to linebrush properly. And having the right tools has helped. I'm not perfect, but making sure I linebrush daily has kept the mats down amazingly. It's so nice running my fingers through Keeper's hair and not finding any snags or mat balls. It's glorious.

Denver is growing out and sadly matting where the long hair and short hair meet. It's pretty awful getting through this, and since Denver has decided to growl or air snap every time we do anything he doesn't like, grooming has become a little more difficult (as has life, but that's another post for another day).


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Wulfin, I’ve done the short hair meets long hair nightmare but I’ve just gotten to the point with Jodie (21 months) where she feels glorious😋 I line brush every day also, dividing each side into 16 sections, with legs and face done separately. Our oldest (15) won’t let me do anything around his face or legs. My husband has to pin him down which is unpleasant for all of us. I forgot how old Denver is though. Grooming is a long process of learning and trial and error.
I can’t wait to say goodbye to 2020! We could probably start a new forum with that thread.


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

Denver is 16 months. So he’s still young


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Starting at 10-weeks I started taking Patti to the groomer. She's now 2.5+ years old. For about a year she went every week for a bath. Then every other week. About every six to 8 weeks I had her groomed. I'm not always happy with how she's cut but the groomer has trained Patti to sit on a grooming table. I now bath her sometimes and attempt to do a little grooming.

While not perfect, Patti is pretty good about being on the grooming table. It takes time for them to learn to sit on a grooming table and a groomer who has experience helps...if you can afford it.

*My Point:* If you have your dog bathed by a professional groomer it will help them learn to be still on a grooming table.

I, also, purchased a Bathtub for dogs which makes it much easier to bath her. And, I have a grooming table with a leash to keep her on the table. I no longer need to use the leash as she now willingly stays on the table and ignores the hairdryer. Puppies are still learning and you have to train them how to act when on a grooming table or when you're combing them.

*Matting - Blowing Coat:* My biggest failure was NOT regularly combing Patti when she was Blowing Coat _(brushing does not work for matts)_. I was a NEW Havanese owner and thought if I skipped a day or two it wouldn't make a difference. I wasn't use to the work that a Havanese requires.

*You have to comb them with a steel comb - everyday - in the morning and evening. If you do that you will be able to keep the matts out. If you have to have them shaved down ... their hair quickly grows back. *

*Be Gentle* - Take your time when working on a Matt. If you pull and hurt the puppy they will learn to Hate Being Combed for Brushed. When I get the Comb and Brush out Patti doesn't run away. She thinks it's play time and has learned to be still when I stay No! when I comb and brush her.

Havanese are Costly and High Maintenance Dogs. :smile2:

*Another Tip* I actually worked on matts throughout the day when Patti was a wiggly puppy. I'd work on one area at a time. Sometimes she'd wear out and let me do a little more. Other times if walked her or play with her until she was tired she let me work on a matt.:x


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

They’re both adorable Wulfin!


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