# Blowing coat



## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

I've read a lot on this forum about Havs "blowing coat" but I'm not sure exactly what it is and never gave it much thought because, whatever it is, it's not been a problem. I'd begun noticing this past week that there was an unusual amount of doggy hair and hair balls on the floor. DH and I gave Eli a bath yesterday and I was stunned to find a huge knot behind one of ears and smaller knots in the area between his front legs and torso. I managed to cut out the huge clump behind his ear and, luckily, it's really not very noticeable. I haven't been as lucky with the hair in his "pits" because it way to close to his skin and I'm afraid to cut him. I think it requires shaving but he doesn't sit still and my hand isn't steady enough for that. I'm going to keep brushing him and hope they don't get bigger. When they grow further away from his skin I'll try cutting them off again. Also, I was petting him and noticed a ton of hair flying into the air and onto my lap as if he were shedding. Yikes! 

Is he blowing coat? How long does this last? How often does this happen? Aside from brushing him what can I do? 

If it's telling, my doggy allergies have also kicked into high gear. They really weren't a problem but for the past several weeks they've been a nightmare. Could this be related?

Thanks!


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## evaofnc (Feb 22, 2011)

When my family's spitz is blowing coat you'll find big tumbleweeds of her hair blowing around the house and yard ound: I didn't realize this is something Havanese can have happen as well.

We use this type of brush on her: http://www.target.com/Boots-Barkley-Rake-Shed-Brush/dp/B003V5LL04

I guess you could use it on a Havanese as well?


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

yup, sounds like blowing coat to me! we have survived the worst of it, for now.
But, yes, brushing and combing, de-matting several times a day is essential!!
It was pretty high maitnence for about 4-6 weeks... she is now just shedding from her ears, around the flap they get super matted if I don't comb them all out twice a day... sigh... this too shall pass!


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

evaofnc said:


> When my family's spitz is blowing coat you'll find big tumbleweeds of her hair blowing around the house and yard ound: I didn't realize this is something Havanese can have happen as well.
> 
> We use this type of brush on her: http://www.target.com/Boots-Barkley-Rake-Shed-Brush/dp/B003V5LL04
> 
> I guess you could use it on a Havanese as well?


Oh my gosh, another brush to purchase! Between the 3 shampoos, 4 types of snacks, and $15 for a 5lb bag of food, DH is going to kill me! 

Thanks for the advice. I'll stop by the pet store today to see if I can find something similar.

Any idea how long this "phase" lasts?


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Can't remember, how old is Ellie?It certainly sounds like coat blowing,the main thing is to keep brushing.If Ellie has bad mats you can use a de tangler spray,or failing that, she could go to the groomers for a one off to get you back on track.Our Nellie is nearly ten months old,and she is starting to blow her coat right now, so I brush her at least once a day,and the fur flies!Our Dizzie blew his coat at about eleven months old and then again at about 19 months old, each time it lasted about three weeks,I get my pups groomed professionally once every couple of months and that keeps them in check.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Try getting as many mates out as you can and brush out all the undercoat coming out then give him a bath and use a good conditioner rince it off and if you can try pulling and separating out any mates left on him any mats that were left on him. Add more conditioner and leave it on him . wrap a towel around him and just pat no rubbing . Add more conditioner and comb in. let him just air dry you could put him in his crate in a warm place I was told this really helps stop matting. He may not look as nice ( I have not done it because my puppy's have not blown coat yet) Keep working on the mats . And let me know if it works!


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

If your pup has a coat that is slightly curly I wouldn't advise air drying,it can matt even more,on the other hand if the coat is more on the silky side then that is fine.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

clare said:


> If your pup has a coat that is slightly curly I wouldn't advise air drying,it can matt even more,on the other hand if the coat is more on the silky side then that is fine.


I agree, Kodi's coat is only wavy, not curly, he's very silky and he's past blowing coat and I STILL wouldn't air dry him. The minute they lie down on wet hair, they are going to mat it.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ellie NY said:


> I've read a lot on this forum about Havs "blowing coat" but I'm not sure exactly what it is and never gave it much thought because, whatever it is, it's not been a problem. I'd begun noticing this past week that there was an unusual amount of doggy hair and hair balls on the floor. DH and I gave Eli a bath yesterday and I was stunned to find a huge knot behind one of ears and smaller knots in the area between his front legs and torso. I managed to cut out the huge clump behind his ear and, luckily, it's really not very noticeable. I haven't been as lucky with the hair in his "pits" because it way to close to his skin and I'm afraid to cut him. I think it requires shaving but he doesn't sit still and my hand isn't steady enough for that. I'm going to keep brushing him and hope they don't get bigger. When they grow further away from his skin I'll try cutting them off again. Also, I was petting him and noticed a ton of hair flying into the air and onto my lap as if he were shedding. Yikes!
> 
> Is he blowing coat? How long does this last? How often does this happen? Aside from brushing him what can I do?
> 
> ...


It does sound like he's blowing coat. Most only do it one really badly,(when they lose most of their puppy coat) but they can do it once or twice more to a lesser extent. I would strongly recommend combing rather than brushing... it's REALLY hard to get down to the skin with a brush.

I also wouldn't leave those knots under his pits. They won't "grow out", they will just snarl more hair into them and make bigger mats. If you can't cut them out yourself, take him to a groomer and have them do it. Shaving is a great way to solve the problem in that area. You can even easily do this with a dog that you intend to keep in long coat (not a show dog though!!!) and not have it show at all. I always keep Kodi's pits short, and you'd never know unless you flipped him over and examined them closely.

As far as the allergy part id concerned, I have allergies too, and didn't notice them being any worse when he was blowing coat, but of course everyone is different, and there is definitely more hair in the air while they are blowing coat. That just gives you one more reason to keep him extra clean. Not only will it keep your allergies down, but the cleaner he is, the easier he'll be to brush out and the less mats he'll get!

The good thing is that this is a phase, like potty training. WE all get through it! Havs are NOT like Spitz, that blow their coats a couple of times a year. Havs only do it a couple (or, rarely, a few) time in their entire lives!


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

since coming through the worst of blowing coat, the best advice I got was:

#1 use a COMB (the long metal kind with the 2 different spaced prongs) no need to spend LOTS of $$ of "products and brushes, etc"
#2 use corn starch to lossen up matts...
#3 take it ONE matt at a time and go slowly ... 
#4 and LOTS of treats and praise!!
#5 it isn't the end of the world! we ALL have survived! 

oh and give him a GOOD combing before the bath, condition good and BLOW DRY while combing out... Don't let him air dry.. you AND Eli will be sorry! LOL
bath every week-10 days the cleaner he is the less he will matt and they will be easier to get out!!
I think I just repeated what everyone else already said. oh well! LOL
good luck, and if all else fails, you can always have him trimmed down a bit, I had the groomer take off about an inch and a 1/2 of her length and it really cut down on the matting... but she was also towards the end of blowing coat...


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

clare said:


> Can't remember, how old is Ellie?It certainly sounds like coat blowing,the main thing is to keep brushing.If Ellie has bad mats you can use a de tangler spray,or failing that, she could go to the groomers for a one off to get you back on track.Our Nellie is nearly ten months old,and she is starting to blow her coat right now, so I brush her at least once a day,and the fur flies!Our Dizzie blew his coat at about eleven months old and then again at about 19 months old, each time it lasted about three weeks,I get my pups groomed professionally once every couple of months and that keeps them in check.


Eli turns 9 months in a week. He gets professionally groomed about every 6 weeks. DH and I wash him weekly. I brush his hair a few times a week but I kind of prefer the shaggy hair to when he's overly brushed out. Sounds like blowing coat is a right of passage for Havs. Should I expect this annually?!


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

They usually only go through the blowing phase a couple of times, possibly three times in their lives.So it's not too bad!


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

Suzi, Clare - I normally don't let Eli air dry after a bath because it's winter time and I'm afraid he'll catch a chill. I need DH's help so Eli's baths are at night after his last walk. I hate the idea of him going to sleep with damp hair. It doesn't feel good for me so I expect he won't like it much either.

Karen, Tammy - I used Pantene conditioner and comb Eli's hair with a metal brush. However, yesterday I used a slicker thinking it would grab more hair but I think it may have made things worse. I'll try to tackle the matts with cuticle scissors. I can probably get closer to his skin than with traditional shears.

He's keeping his distance from me today. I don't have the comb in my hands when I approach him but he senses my evil intent.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Ellie NY said:


> Suzi, Clare - I normally don't let Eli air dry after a bath because it's winter time and I'm afraid he'll catch a chill. I need DH's help so Eli's baths are at night after his last walk. I hate the idea of him going to sleep with damp hair. It doesn't feel good for me so I expect he won't like it much either.
> 
> Karen, Tammy - I used Pantene conditioner and comb Eli's hair with a metal brush. However, yesterday I used a slicker thinking it would grab more hair but I think it may have made things worse. I'll try to tackle the matts with cuticle scissors. I can probably get closer to his skin than with traditional shears.
> 
> He's keeping his distance from me today. I don't have the comb in my hands when I approach him but he senses my evil intent.


 I am glad to find out no air dry I could not remember what I was told to do  Poor guy poor mom I am not looking forward to the blowing coat thing.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Sorry about getting muddled up with Eli and Ellie!


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

> Sorry about getting muddled up with Eli and Ellie!


No worries. And, by the way, he isn't named for me.  My daughter named him after some character on one of her tween shows. All similarities end there.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ellie NY said:


> Eli turns 9 months in a week. He gets professionally groomed about every 6 weeks. DH and I wash him weekly. I brush his hair a few times a week but I kind of prefer the shaggy hair to when he's overly brushed out. Sounds like blowing coat is a right of passage for Havs. Should I expect this annually?!


You'll probably have to up that combing out to at least daily if you want to keep mats to the minimum while he's blowing coat. It's MUCH easier to stay ahead of it than to catch up one you've got mats!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ellie NY said:


> Suzi, Clare - I normally don't let Eli air dry after a bath because it's winter time and I'm afraid he'll catch a chill. I need DH's help so Eli's baths are at night after his last walk. I hate the idea of him going to sleep with damp hair. It doesn't feel good for me so I expect he won't like it much either.
> 
> Karen, Tammy - I used Pantene conditioner and comb Eli's hair with a metal brush. However, yesterday I used a slicker thinking it would grab more hair but I think it may have made things worse. I'll try to tackle the matts with cuticle scissors. I can probably get closer to his skin than with traditional shears.
> 
> He's keeping his distance from me today. I don't have the comb in my hands when I approach him but he senses my evil intent.


You really need to get a comb rather than a brush... you can work specifically on the area you want, work slowly and get right to the skin with a comb... hard to do with a brush. Kind of like the difference between writing with a crayon rather than a pen.

Keep up with the daily grooming, and as long as your gentle and use losts of treats, he'll learn to tolerate it. Don't expect him to come running to you for it though! Make sure YOU go to get HIM, pick him up firmly but gently and matter of factly, and take him to wherever you groom him. In between, make sure you go pick him up frequently, just give him a cuddle and a cookie and put him down. Let him know that MOST of the time when he sees you coming, it means something good will happen, not something unpleasant!


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## marlowe'sgirl (Jun 17, 2010)

Most useful purchase I've ever made: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3706191

If the mats are bad, it's the only thing that works for me - short of just cutting them out.

And agreed with everyone else, comb him daily during BC! I always give a frozen peanut butter/yogurt treat after grooming sessions - and only after grooming sessions. My guy hates the comb, but during the worst of BC, he would tolerate a good hour of combing/dematting (ie while watching tv) with the promise of peanut butter.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

marlowe'sgirl said:


> Most useful purchase I've ever made: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3706191
> 
> If the mats are bad, it's the only thing that works for me - short of just cutting them out.
> 
> And agreed with everyone else, comb him daily during BC! I always give a frozen peanut butter/yogurt treat after grooming sessions - and only after grooming sessions. My guy hates the comb, but during the worst of BC, he would tolerate a good hour of combing/dematting (ie while watching tv) with the promise of peanut butter.


 What is the product? I followed the web page but have no Idea what one you like ?


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## evaofnc (Feb 22, 2011)

Ellie NY said:


> Oh my gosh, another brush to purchase! Between the 3 shampoos, 4 types of snacks, and $15 for a 5lb bag of food, DH is going to kill me!
> 
> Thanks for the advice. I'll stop by the pet store today to see if I can find something similar.
> 
> Any idea how long this "phase" lasts?


Yeah any pet store should have them. They're made specifically for getting to the undercoat and removing all the loose hairs. It's amazing how much it can get out in a single brushing!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I'd be very careful with any shedding blade or "rake". Havs have soft, delicate coats that can be damaged by rough tools.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Ellie, for Tillie her MAIN blowing coat was about 6 weeks... give or take, but 6 weeks where I REALLY had to keep up with grooming her a few times a day. She is at the tail end of it and I am getting lazy again... LOL every other day for brushing again! yay!!


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## Sivi (Jun 1, 2010)

Oscar is blowing coat as well. We should start a support group  
He is 8 month old now, and I noticed a lot of mats under his arm pits, chest and behind his ears. I had the armpits shaved down and that helped so much. I also use starch on the mats which is working great. 
I just wanted to thank everyone that posted with advice. It is so helpful to me; I would have had him shaved down if it would not have been for the tips I found on this forum.


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

What about shedding? I know Sissy did blow her coat when she was about 10 mo old but ever since then (about 2 months ago) she seems to shed all the time. We have a green couch and it is always covered with white fur. Smokey on the other hand never seems to shed a single hair. Sissy also scratches all the time...could this be why there is so much hair loss?
Thanks!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

TilliesMom said:


> Ellie, for Tillie her MAIN blowing coat was about 6 weeks... give or take, but 6 weeks where I REALLY had to keep up with grooming her a few times a day. She is at the tail end of it and I am getting lazy again... LOL every other day for brushing again! yay!!


Do you mean 6 MONTHS? You didn't even have her at 6 weeks, did you?<g>


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Havanesex2 said:


> What about shedding? I know Sissy did blow her coat when she was about 10 mo old but ever since then (about 2 months ago) she seems to shed all the time. We have a green couch and it is always covered with white fur. Smokey on the other hand never seems to shed a single hair. Sissy also scratches all the time...could this be why there is so much hair loss?
> Thanks!


If it's only been 2 months, it COULD be that she's still blowing coat, just less than she was before. And it could be that your other one is going to blow later. (the timing seems quite variable) BUT she shouldn't be itchy because of blowing coat, unless she has mats that you ahven't found, down near her skin. If you're sure she doesn't have any mats, I'd get that checked out by the vet.


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## Narwyn (Jan 24, 2010)

krandall said:


> I also wouldn't leave those knots under his pits. They won't "grow out", they will just snarl more hair into them and make bigger mats. If you can't cut them out yourself, take him to a groomer and have them do it. Shaving is a great way to solve the problem in that area. You can even easily do this with a dog that you intend to keep in long coat (not a show dog though!!!) and not have it show at all. I always keep Kodi's pits short, and you'd never know unless you flipped him over and examined them closely.


Karen is definitely right here, the mats will only get worse with time! In addition to bigger mats, they trap moisture and don't allow air to the skin, which can result in hot spots and other bacterial/fungal/skin problems you just don't want to deal with!

Also consider chatting with your groomer. Many offer a brush-out for a pretty reasonable price, which can really help keep things under control between full groomings.


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## marlowe'sgirl (Jun 17, 2010)

Suzi said:


> What is the product? I followed the web page but have no Idea what one you like ?


Sorry - it's the "Top Paw Dematting Rake." When the comb/patience fails, tt's a better alternative to using scissors to cut the mats out.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

marlowe'sgirl said:


> Sorry - it's the "Top Paw Dematting Rake." When the comb/patience fails, tt's a better alternative to using scissors to cut the mats out.


Actually, sharp scissors can be a big help and do minimal damage if you just can't work out a knot. You can slip one blade of the scissors under the mat and slice vertically (in the same direction the hair grows) through it. Sometimes you need to make more than one slice, if the mat is large. Once you've used the scissors to slice through, you can usually carefully tease the rest of the mat out with a comb.


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