# From Puppy Hair to Adult Hair



## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

This thread would be mainly for owners of older Havs who have already gone through several "blowing of coats.

Question: Is the hair more manageable with less tangles or hardly tangles at all?

Dexter rarely has tangles and he is amost 4 years old. Jack is 3 1/2 years, just lately, I have noticed his coat becoming more manageable.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

Pixie is still a thick puff ball, so it's teddy clips for life. Mig is silkier-but they have to match, so teddy clips for him too!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

HavaneseSoon said:


> This thread would be mainly for owners of older Havs who have already gone through several "blowing of coats.
> 
> Question: Is the hair more manageable with less tangles or hardly tangles at all?
> 
> Dexter rarely has tangles and he is amost 4 years old. Jack is 3 1/2 years, just lately, I have noticed his coat becoming more manageable.


YES!!! Kodi is SO easy now. It's ALMOST possible toforget what blowing coat is like! (sort of like potty training!)ound:


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## lise (Sep 1, 2006)

I'm so happy to read the above! Made my day during these puppy hood days!


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Never had a real big problem with her blowing coat..just darn lucky I guess.
Whimsy is almost 2 1/2 years old and her coat is very manageable. A small snarl here and there once in a great while. I do comb her everyday tho. She has never had her hair cut except when she was spayed and then I think the vet went over board and cut her hair high up on her sides as well as her tummy area. Grows back fast tho.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

:bump: I know there are more of you out there. :suspicious: Please post! :ranger:


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Tillie's hair has gotten tons easier to manage in the past 6 months of so ... she still gets combed out every day and DOES have tangles and hair that comes out, but it comes out easily. She hasn't had a REAL matt in a very long time .... yes, we DO almost forget how hard it was ... LOL I was one of the ones that had MARATHON (3 hrs DAILY) grooming sessions and finally had her shaved down. I don't regret doing that, not one little bit. LOL
I trimmed her down again in March and am letting her grow again. I like being able to ave her longer or shorter, what ever I feel like .. LOL


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Augie's hair has gotten very easy to care for, and since Finn is not hanging from it like he did as a smaller puppy, it is even getting thicker and nicer again. I can go several days without combing, which I don't often do, and it is still fairly easily combed out. Augie will be 4 in October.

Finn is approaching a year and a half, and his coat is a nightmare at the moment. I hope we reach the day where I can say his is easily cared for as well. We are in our third session of blowing coat with him. I am combing so much hair out of him that I am afraid he is going to be hairless. I have never spent three hours a day grooming him, however. Possibly an hour a day when he is bad. If I don't get it done in that amount of time, it doesn't get done. We work on those parts the next day. Of if I run my hands through him during the day and feel a big wad of hair, I will take a few minutes and pull it apart with my fingers. His new hair is coming in very wavy, almost a curl - we'll see how easy it is to care for that.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Pixiesmom said:


> Pixie is still a thick puff ball, so it's teddy clips for life. Mig is silkier-but they have to match, so teddy clips for him too!


Jack was also a puff ball when younger, his hair was so fine, like angel hair. He is poofy, but. now the hair has a different texture. His hair has a coarse texture. I still check him for tangles each day, combing is less than 10 minutes because there are no tangles. I will see what the rest of the month gives me.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

I don't brush Rosie every day either now. We can go several days. Then there may be a tangle or two, but nothing unexpected. If I brushed every day there would be none. She never gets any mats under her arms either. I don't trim that hair or belly hair anymore. She does pee on one leg and that will mat. So I have started keeping that part clipped pretty close--doesn't show. She lifts one leg so she pees on the other. I have got to remember to bet baby wipes. We go through to many wash rags in a days time.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Dizzie's coat is very easy now,although we do keep him trimmed slightly,this is because he HATES being groomed,he always has he is terrified of the brush,comb,or whatever we try to use,so for his sake his fur is kept a little shorter,so he is probably only brushed once every 10 days[if that]Nellie's coat has never been a problem,but we keep her shorter because she is tiny and the weather only has to be damp and she gets soaked on her legs and right up on her belly.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

clare said:


> Dizzie's coat is very easy now,although we do keep him trimmed slightly,this is because he HATES being groomed,he always has he is terrified of the brush,comb,or whatever we try to use,so for his sake his fur is kept a little shorter,so he is probably only brushed once every 10 days[if that]Nellie's coat has never been a problem,but we keep her shorter because she is tiny and the weather only has to be damp and she gets soaked on her legs and right up on her belly.


Kodi soaks up water like a sponge too!


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

This is great to hear! New puppy owners, there is relief of the tangles and mats as your puppy gets older. But, you have to live through at least 2 years of intense grooming. 

Thanks for the responses. Still waiting to hear from the rest of you. :biggrin1:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

HavaneseSoon said:


> This is great to hear! New puppy owners, there is relief of the tangles and mats as your puppy gets older. But, you have to live through at least 2 years of intense grooming.
> 
> Thanks for the responses. Still waiting to hear from the rest of you. :biggrin1:


I think I'd modify that somewhat. For those with silky coated Havs, many of us do still have to deal with blowing coat, but I wouldn't have even called that "intense". I WOULD say that I had to be absolutely "consistent". When Kodi was blowing coat, I spent 15-20 minutes twice a day, but he was completely combed through in that length of time. Except for when he was blowing coat, 10 minutes a day has been enlugh to keep him knot-free. The nice thing is that now I can even skip several days completely if I have to, and I can STILL comb him out in 10 minutes.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I hate to admit it but I went almost three weeks with out grooming the sisters. when I did I just put them in the bath and let them air dry. I got both combed out in about an hr. Zoey has always been harder she has a very thick coat. Maddie is a single coated Havanese and its much finer. Its been about a week and they aren't to bad.


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## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

my little girl is now 8 months old and hasn't yet reached the dreaded blowing coat. I keep checking every day but she hasn't had a mat yet. What age does this coat change start? She has a fine silky coat that easy to comb right now. I look at the base of her coat and I don't see any different hairs coming thru yet. I was expecting the coat to start blowing by this age but nothing... When can i expect to need to shave her down?


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## Gabs (Apr 15, 2012)

Gabby is a little over a 1yr and I can see the texture of her coat changing, it feels much thicker now and sections of it is coming in more coarse. She was golden as a little pup, and then it changed to a cream colour, but I can now see strands of coarser hair coming in all over her that is dark golden. I'm always amazed by the colour changes they go through (very pretty).

She started to mat at around 9-10 months, and it really seemed like it happened over night (went right from easy to manage fur to matts - there was no warning haha). Since then I have her groomed to an 1 inch in length (longer on top of the head) and that has helped tremendously, but as Im dealing with right now, even short cuts can mat. She's about 2.5 inches all over right now and is matting (as long as I keep combing her it's fine, but I missed a day and so thats done it).


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tuss said:


> my little girl is now 8 months old and hasn't yet reached the dreaded blowing coat. I keep checking every day but she hasn't had a mat yet. What age does this coat change start? She has a fine silky coat that easy to comb right now. I look at the base of her coat and I don't see any different hairs coming thru yet. I was expecting the coat to start blowing by this age but nothing... When can i expect to need to shave her down?


ound: Hopefully, you'll NEVER "need" to shave her down!

Kodi has a silky coat too, though he definitely also has an undercoat. He started blowing coat around 10 months. But it was never unmanageable. I think the "fear" of it, after reading on the forum what SOME people go through, was worse than the actual event. Was it some work? Sure. Was it worth it to keep his coat? Definitely.

I was also a bit pragmatic about it. knots in places that didn't show, especially if they would be ouchy to comb out (like arm pits and his belly) I just cut off. If he got a bad mat elsewhere that was causing either of us angst, I would either slide a sharp scissor blade through it from the skin out to break it up, or use a mat buster. I know these methods remove some coat, but he was not slated for the conformation ring, and hair grows. My goal was to get through the process with our relationship AND his coat intact.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I wish I could say Gucci's is getting more manageable,there are a few places she just mats no matter what and if i comb out everyday, there is another mat there in 10 minutes :frusty: Her rump and neck and underarms are the worst. I think she just really wants to be corded...ound: My 17 yo has been begging me for years to let her cord ,but knowing my luck, she'd have perfect cords in a few spots and then a rumpled mess everywhere else as the texture is a bit different where her blonde/gold hair grows.

Kara


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Abby's hair has gone through a few changes over the years. Her hair was soft and easily matted when younger, then it changed color and got a coarser texture. She is five now and the color has changed again and her hair is softer! My husband now combs both the dogs and it takes him around 30 - 40 minutes for them both but most of that is working on McGee. He is only 1 1/2 yrs. and going through the "coarse" hair phase. I hope it will eventually end up soft like Abby's, though. Except for coat blowing, Abby has always been very easy and we could go a few days in between but since McGee needs it every day we just do them both to stay consistent. Abby's hair is much thinner than McGee's which is why I think it is easier. She is finally growing out from the "workout" McGee gave to her poor coat as a puppy. When I look back at older pictures of her I can't believe how pretty she looked before McGee got hold of her!!!


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Just finished up working 3 nights and Jack usually does not get combed out each day when I am working. I would say it took about 20 minutes to comb him out...no major tangles. I was happy!


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## rvermar (Aug 3, 2012)

I am a new Hav owner. My puppy (?) is a shelter rescue so not sure of her age, maybe around 10-11 months. Please explain what a blowing coat is????

When we got her last month, Ebi was filthy, totally matted, giant wads of mats on her legs, ears, back, tail. I cut lots of it away and am combing her out every 3 days or so. LOTS of fluffy undercoat has been removed, but her shoulders still seem to have more fuzzy undercoat yet to be removed. I'm SUPPOSED to remove that fuzz, right?


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

WELCOME to the forum 'rvermar' and congratulations on your baby!!

At 10-11 months she could DEFINITLY be blowing coat (when they shed the soft puppy hair and adult hair comes in). During this time the matts can be BAD, like bubble gum ... even in pups whose owners comb them out for several hours a day!!?? like me. LOL I would highly recommend combing her every day at least for now... good luck


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## unjugetito (Jan 2, 2011)

I love Dogs.name marcus


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## unjugetito (Jan 2, 2011)

Ilove Dogs .tomi


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