# Shaved down with a #10



## 2TwinHavs (Apr 1, 2016)

Brandon was recently shaved down with a 10# by the groomer at the vet office. Before that I had trimmed his hair down to about 3-4 inches with scissors because his coat blowing was HORRIBLE. He had near to skin tight mats on his body, at least two or three. I couldn't get a grooming appointing until 4-5 months later so I decided to take things into my own hands. > 

There was this one mat near his groin that was really bothering him, very close to the skin and very small. I was afraid I would cut his skin so I took him to the vet and then the groomer says that apparently she's worked with the Havanese breed before and said we should just shave him down as he was still blowing coat. Not knowing any better I agreed - go ahead, roast me - and now you can see all the little spots on his skin. He has very short hairs still, about 1 cm or so. :crying:

To conclude, he definitely feels much more comfortable without that mat, but he shivers like crazy and it's going to be insect season + sunny, and I'm afraid he'll get burned easily. Anything I can do to make his fur grow faster? And how long would it take for his fur to grow back to it's old 5-6 inches (before I trimmed him myself). His head was not shaved. I'm going to be looking at grooming tool recommendations here to make sure I don't make the same mistake with his brother, who is also blowing coat now.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Actually, the vet tech did the right thing. If you have hair matted to the skin, the only thing that is fair to the dog is to shave him. Just to shave the areas with mats and leave the other hair longer would leave him very funny looking, and if you couldn't keep mats from developing in other places, it's likey that they would still develop in the places that were left long. Some Havanese mat more than others, and some people are just better at keeping up with it than others. There's no shame in it! 

There is nothing you can do that will make his hair grow faster than it does naturally. It is what it is. You and he should just take a break and enjoy this time with less grooming. You may decide that you would prefer to keep him in a puppy cut going forward. Two of mine are in full coats, and one is in a puppy cut. i think she is adorable in the puppy cut, and plan to keep her that way, at least for a while!

In the mean time, get a few puppy t-shirts and/or swaeters to keep him from getting chilly or sunburned if you are concerned about that!


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## 2TwinHavs (Apr 1, 2016)

It was only on his groin, which is an area I had already shaved (part of his sanitary trim) save for that one tangle. The rest of him was completely mat free. I had already removed the other mats off of him (surprisingly easy, did it in the bath with LOTS of conditioner), everything was pretty much even. I just don't get why she decided that his groin and his body had to be the same length? She said that, as I stated above, him blowing coat was a reason to shave him. I mean, it's definitely a reason if we wouldn't keep up with it, which I fully intended to, as I wasn't aware of coat blowing until it was mid-storm. Maybe she got that kind of impression? Anyhow, thanks for the shirt/sweater suggestion. He already has a baby onesie to wear in the house. I need to get a picture of that because he looks adorable!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

2TwinHavs said:


> It was only on his groin, which is an area I had already shaved (part of his sanitary trim) save for that one tangle. The rest of him was completely mat free. I had already removed the other mats off of him (surprisingly easy, did it in the bath with LOTS of conditioner), everything was pretty much even. I just don't get why she decided that his groin and his body had to be the same length? She said that, as I stated above, him blowing coat was a reason to shave him. I mean, it's definitely a reason if we wouldn't keep up with it, which I fully intended to, as I wasn't aware of coat blowing until it was mid-storm. Maybe she got that kind of impression? Anyhow, thanks for the shirt/sweater suggestion. He already has a baby onesie to wear in the house. I need to get a picture of that because he looks adorable!


You might want to switch to just a regular t-shirt rather than a onesie. There is no reason for his hind end to be covered up, and it could lead to a mess if someone inadvertently let him out to potty without remembering to roll it up! Onesies are generally only used after a spay or neuter, to keep the puppy from chewing at stitches.

As far as the misunderstanding about what you wanted done with a groom... you aren't the first person here that this has happened to, and you won't be the last!  The good thing is that hair grows!


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## 2TwinHavs (Apr 1, 2016)

Oh no, I cut + re sewed it so there's a place for him to go potty, and his tail, even if he raises his leg. The only liquid that gets on it is drool when he takes a nap. Is it typical for a hav to drool as much as he does? Like a huge spot when he wakes up. Sometimes his beard is sticky....:surprise:


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## w8in (Feb 11, 2016)

Sun screen, you can try and use sunscreen on him so he doesn't get burned.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

2TwinHavs said:


> Oh no, I cut + re sewed it so there's a place for him to go potty, and his tail, even if he raises his leg. The only liquid that gets on it is drool when he takes a nap. Is it typical for a hav to drool as much as he does? Like a huge spot when he wakes up. Sometimes his beard is sticky....:surprise:


No, most Havanese don't drool much. Is his bite normal? Sometimes if a dog's teeth don't meet properly it can cause them to drool.


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## Nancy Collins (Mar 20, 2013)

For sun protection this is a great product SOLARDOGZ :wink2:


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