# Hair gathering in comb when grooming?



## hayesj23 (May 19, 2012)

Hello,

Is it normal when combing a Havanese for hair to build up in the comb? It does not feel like I am brushing hard enough to pull the hair out, and the dog does not seem disturbed at all. 

My reasoning was that the hair the dog sheds would just get caught in the coat, and so when combing the hair that was shedded would get caught in the comb and removed before it mats. However, after a bit more reading it seems a Havanese isn't supposed to shed AT ALL.

Any idea what's going on?


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Oh yes, that is normal. They are low shedding dogs. They don't throw hair all over the house like say a husky or corgi, but you definitely will brush/comb hair out of them. My youngest, Finn, at 14 months, is going through a second session of blowing coat, and he is matting and I am combing large quantities of hair out of him at this time. I seem to be combing quite a bit of hair out of Augie, who is three, right now too. And after combing them, I will look down and see fine hairs all over my shirt. Maybe Augie is just 'sympathy shedding' so Finn won't feel so alone - :biggrin1:. Most of the time, now that he is older, I would say the amount of hair I comb out of him is probably like a human would lose in a brush. 

I see this is your first post. Welcome...and introduce yourself and your pup! We are a nosy bunch here! :biggrin1: Pictures are always welcome too!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I always get some hair on the comb, especially after a bath. Compared to Nessie, my Aussie, who filled an entire plastic bag two weeks ago, what Jack sheds is nothing. I actually didn't notice when Jack blew his puppy coat. It must have happened but when you are chasing huge tumbleweeds of hair from an Aussie, a couple of extra combs of hair is missed. 

Nessie has a triple coat which she shreds twice a year. It is a nightmare.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

I collect lots of hair at different times while combing the boys, and it is all over me too.


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## AckTivity (Mar 28, 2012)

All this talk about collecting hair makes me wonder if I would be able to spin my puppy's hair.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

All dogs shed, some more then others and its how they shed, our dogs shed more like we do and this hair gets caught in their coats and can cause matting you will not see much on your carpet, chairs,etc.. Our dogs are low dander dogs, dander is what bothers most people with allergies. You will see hair in the comb and brush this is good, means it will not wrap around other hair and cause a big matt, and sometimes more hair then other times. The undercoat makes a difference also, our dogs undercoat is mixed in with the top coat, my dog Yogi has a cotton type under coat it gives him big hair...makes him look wider and bigger, I get lots of hair on the comb with him. My girl Misty has a very silky top and undercoat, seldom a mat (itching too much and she will get a tiny one) easy coat to care for.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

AckTivity said:


> All this talk about collecting hair makes me wonder if I would be able to spin my puppy's hair.


 I have a bag full and Karen also has a bag full she separates Kodys hair (white and Black) I just have a mix Maybe it would be fun to start a club! You know I'll trade you some black for brown! we could all make a scarf or hatound:


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## AckTivity (Mar 28, 2012)

Suzi said:


> Maybe it would be fun to start a club! You know I'll trade you some black for brown! we could all make a scarf or hatound:


OMG THAT WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN! :clap2:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

AckTivity said:


> All this talk about collecting hair makes me wonder if I would be able to spin my puppy's hair.


You can! And if you are not crafty yourself (like me!!!) you can collect it and then send it to one of a number of sites on the web, who will spin it and send the yarn back to you. From what I understand, dog hair doesn't have enough strength and "give" to it to make good yarn on its own, so the mix a certain amount of another type of wool to it.

I've been told that you need about a gallon to get a worthwhile amount of yarn. I've been saving since late last summer, and have about a solid quart of white, and a lot less black. (I want a B&W scarf, of course!:biggrin1


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## AckTivity (Mar 28, 2012)

krandall said:


> You can! And if you are not crafty yourself (like me!!!)


Oh, I'm definitely crafty. I spin _and_ knit. We're hoping to buy a farm in the next five to ten years so we can raise sheep and alpaca and I will have all kinds of fibre to work with.

But I love the idea of spinning and knitting up some of my puppy's hair. I will start collecting immediately.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Rosie's hair reminds me of Mohair, so I know it would be easy to knit, but a lacy scarf. I gave up knitting. The last think was a little Red Riding Hood cape for granddaughter with baby yarn and tiny needles and it was a size 2. I thought I would never get done, so now don't want to even think about starting something.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Luciledodd said:


> Rosie's hair reminds me of Mohair, so I know it would be easy to knit, but a lacy scarf. I gave up knitting. The last think was a little Red Riding Hood cape for granddaughter with baby yarn and tiny needles and it was a size 2. I thought I would never get done, so now don't want to even think about starting something.


I'm not going to spin and I'm not going to knot. I'm going to farm both jobs out... but I'm STILL gonna get my "Kodi scarf"!:biggrin1:


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Karen, I admire your style!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

The Laughing Magpie said:


> Karen, I admire your style!


:biggrin1: I just know my limits! :biggrin1:

(and that was "knit", not "knot"... I do everything possible to avoid knots!ound


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What a cutie!


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Luciledodd said:


> Rosie's hair reminds me of Mohair, so I know it would be easy to knit, but a lacy scarf. I gave up knitting. The last think was a little Red Riding Hood cape for granddaughter with baby yarn and tiny needles and it was a size 2. I thought I would never get done, so now don't want to even think about starting something.


I know this is an old thread but found it when googling undercoat.

Had anyone here gotten havanese yarn made yet?

I want to do this at some point , but am concerned about the mixing with wool. I'm allergic to wool...I've gotten itchy hands just from hugging someone with a wool coat on. I have had issues with cashmere as well. I'm hoping that it could be combined with cotton. I have a sweater that is cotton and angora which I love.


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## ClaireVoyant (Jan 26, 2012)

Ewokpup said:


> I know this is an old thread but found it when googling undercoat.
> 
> Had anyone here gotten havanese yarn made yet?
> 
> I want to do this at some point , but am concerned about the mixing with wool. I'm allergic to wool...I've gotten itchy hands just from hugging someone with a wool coat on. I have had issues with cashmere as well. I'm hoping that it could be combined with cotton. I have a sweater that is cotton and angora which I love.


I haven't actually done this yet . . .but do spin and knit and would imagine those offering this service would be willing to mix it with angora or cotton as every order would be custom anyway.

Does lanolin negatively affect you as well? Seems like lanolin is included in an awful lot of products.

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

I never knew about spinning dog's hair to make yarn, but I save the fur from each grooming session (only one per week due to the puppy clip) and in the Spring put it out in a net bag for the birds to use as nesting material. When we clean out our many bird houses each fall, we find some pretty plush nests. We have the most spoiled birds in the area.


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I've heard of people spinning and knitting Sheltie hair; don't see why not Havanese hair. Actually I think it would be better. Haven't knitted in decades and don't plan to so I just throw out the hair.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

ClaireVoyant said:


> I haven't actually done this yet . . .but do spin and knit and would imagine those offering this service would be willing to mix it with angora or cotton as every order would be custom anyway.
> 
> Does lanolin negatively affect you as well? Seems like lanolin is included in an awful lot of products.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


Lanolin is a problem. And I always tell docs along with penicillin allergy. And one time when I had a metal splintery thing, they gave me this thing to clean the wound with...and I checked and it had lanolin! I had already started so I washed it off real good..I don't remember if it bothered me or not, the tetanus shot kinda distracted me. ;-)

I've had people tell me my reaction can't be that strong or fast. Other people claim it's chemicals used in refining wool and I also wonder if some breeds of sheep are more problematic than others. Who knows. It's hard to find good chapsticks with sunscreen in them and no lanolin.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Cey sheds SO much! Even now, at 2. His (very long, very pale) hair is constantly on all of my black clothes, my bags, etc. 

I also collect it when I groom him. It would need to be washed to get the cornstarch out, but I was thinking along the same lines of trying to spin it and make something cool!

Karen, by a gallon is that just normally thrown in there, or stuffed down? I probably have at least half a gallon so far but not if I squish it all down 

Anyway, yes, I concur with everybody else - no dog is actually non-shedding, even a Havanese, and apparently some havs shed more than others haha.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Oops, thought this was a new thread.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

AckTivity said:


> All this talk about collecting hair makes me wonder if I would be able to spin my puppy's hair.


Yes you can! I've been collecting Kodi's hair for about a year. I actually have two bags... a white hair bag and a black hair bag. I've been told by friends who spin their dog's hair, that you need about a well-packed gallon bag to produce enough yarn to make anything of significance. I've got a REALLY well-packed quart of white hair, and about a 1/4 of a quart of black. I think the black will be for trim!<g>

It takes a long time with a single Hav. My friends who actually knit with their dogs' hair have Huskies, and they can get get plenty of coat in a couple of weeks to fill a gallon bag!!!ound:

Sorry! I thought it was a new thread too!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ewokpup said:


> I know this is an old thread but found it when googling undercoat.
> 
> Had anyone here gotten havanese yarn made yet?
> 
> I want to do this at some point , but am concerned about the mixing with wool. I'm allergic to wool...I've gotten itchy hands just from hugging someone with a wool coat on. I have had issues with cashmere as well. I'm hoping that it could be combined with cotton. I have a sweater that is cotton and angora which I love.


You do need to mix it with another fiber, because dog hair doesn't have the little "hooks" on it that keep "wool" together and make it strong. But my guess is there are different options as far as what KIND of wool is needed. I assume, when you say "wool", that you mean sheeps wool. Cashmere, I believe is goat, and since sheep and goats are pretty closely related, I'm not surprised that both bother you if one does. Angora is from rabbits, and can be spun in its own right, so if you aren't allergic to that, that should be an option. Or you could look into alpaca wool. There might be synthetics that could be mixed in too... I'm not sure.

It takes a LOT of hair, though, when you only have one Havanese... I've been collecting it for over a year, and have about a quart plus another quarter of a quart. I've been told you need a tightly packed gallon to make it worthwhile spinning.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

heatherk said:


> Cey sheds SO much! Even now, at 2. His (very long, very pale) hair is constantly on all of my black clothes, my bags, etc.
> 
> I also collect it when I groom him. It would need to be washed to get the cornstarch out, but I was thinking along the same lines of trying to spin it and make something cool!
> 
> ...


I think all wool needs to be cleaned before it is spun... It certainly is awfully dirty coming straight off a sheep!!!

I was told the gallon bag needs to be tightly packed to have enough to bother with. It has taken about a year to get a SOLID quart of Kodi's white hair... a lot less of the black. My guess is that by the time I'm done, I'll have 4 quarts of white and MOST of a quart of black.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

krandall said:


> I think all wool needs to be cleaned before it is spun... It certainly is awfully dirty coming straight off a sheep!!!
> 
> I was told the gallon bag needs to be tightly packed to have enough to bother with. It has taken about a year to get a SOLID quart of Kodi's white hair... a lot less of the black. My guess is that by the time I'm done, I'll have 4 quarts of white and MOST of a quart of black.


Guess that's why they raise sheep to produce wool and not Havanese dogs haha ound:


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