# how often do you bathe your havanese?



## jerdog

hello folks I was just wondering how often do you bather your dogs, we are getting a puppy sometime in july and was wondering. thanks.


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## JodiM

I usually give my girl a bath weekly, although, there are times that we need a bath more often.. and if we're lucky, we might go a bit over a week.

It really varies per dog. My dog plays outside with my kids, so she is always in need of a bath. 

We go to the groomer every 4 weeks for now, and she gets her feet and sanitary trim done then.


Just make sure you get a mild shampoo, there are tons of recommendations on this forum. I personally like the Coat Handlers...we've been using it for a few weeks now, and I can see a big difference.


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## Thumper

About every 5-6 days. I have allergies and she sleeps in the bed with me, so she stays really clean, if she needs a bath sooner than that, I'll give her one 

Kara


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## dboudreau

Sam has a full show coat and needs to have his legs and skirt washed more than the rest (he pees on them). I put him in the laundry tub and just wash the underside. He gets a full bath every week or two, depending on the weather. 

JodiM: Love your new avatar! Princess is Beautiful.


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## whitBmom

I do the same here. I also have allergies - esp. to dust, so Oreo gets bathed once a week. Now that spring is coming, and the pollens are out, it may have to be every 5 days or so.


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## Julie

Quincy gets a bath once a week and is brushed out daily.I'm trying to keep him in full coat.....he is going to be a year old April 27!


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## irnfit

About every two weeks, or as needed because it is Spring and wet outside. I want to keep them in full coats, so Kodi gets groomed as often as he will tolerate. Shelby doesn't mat as much, so she gets brushed about 1-2x/week. They will be bathed over the weekend and I can't wait to try the new shampoo I got from Plush Puppy.


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## juliav

Bugsy play outside all the time and I swear he and Romeo (my cream poodle) are always the dertiest dogs in the park. Especially Bugsy, cause he is so close to the ground and therefore the mud.  I wash his feet and whatever is dirty as needed in my laudry sink, I give him a full bath every two weeks and brush him (and my persians) daily.


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## marjrc

When Ricky was a small pup, I gave him a weekly bath. He would step in his pee and get smelly. Once winter arrived, I bathed him every 2 weeks or so, even 3 weeks depending on how dirty he got. I have been combing him almost every day since we got him - 6 months ago - which helps. 

Spring is here (although we are expecting snow on Thurs. and Friday   !!) and the dogs are dirtier! There's sand on the roads, mud in the yard and streets.... ugh! Sammy has sable paws which I am now realizing means a dirtier looking dog! lol I gave him his first bath yesterday so we'll see just how often he's going to need one. Because he's small and his coat is silky, it's easier to groom him.

I sent Ricky to the groomer's for a "pro" bath and trim twice, in Jan. and in Feb., but I washed him last week and boy oh boy.... it takes forever to comb him out! Already the combing that I do daily is increasing as his hair doubles up and thickens, but I just didn't bother with the blow dryer this time! I know there's gonna be some major trimming going on this summer with Rickybaby.


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## JodiM

Thanks Debbie  

She is really turning into a beauty~ especially when she stays clean.


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## Al Henderson

We have to give Derian a bath once a week. He sees dirt in the yard and he has to try rolling in it every chance he gets. He don't seem to stay clean very long at all.


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## Brady's mom

I must have the dirtiest dog around here Brady only gets baths when he goes to the groomers. He goes every 4 weeks. In between, I use bath wipes if he gets dirty. He tends to clean his paws like a cat. We do not have a fence, so he is always with us when he is outside and does not get the opportunity to dig or roll in dirt. Once in a while, he will get a bath in between groomings, but not too often.


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## Doggie Nut

Valentino only gets bathed when he goes to the groomer too....every 4 weeks. We don't have our fence yet(getting one soon though! ) so he is always on a leash outside. He has a thick, dense coat so the few times I attempted to bathe him were not fun for either one of us! A couple of times I took him in between groomings and they just bathed him. That could get costly though! I may venture out again this summer and give it a try! Good thing he's not smelly! vicki


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## dboudreau

On the subject of bathing, How much to you pay to have your dog "Groomed" at the groomer? 

I used to groom professionally years ago and charged about $30-$40, to "groom" Lhasa or a Shih Tzu (Most were a mess). (No Hav's then) Just curious what the going rate is now.


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## Doggie Nut

It's about $25-$30 depending on the condition of their coat.


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## marjrc

On the two occasions I had Ricky groomed, I paid $32 for a "maintenance" as it is called there. She bathes him, trims a bit off his belly so he doesn't get soaked with pee, trims the anal area and a bit under for cleanliness, does the anal glands, trims the paws and nails as well as cleans the ears, pulling out hairs. I told her I don't want all his ear hair pulled out, maybe just half since my vet agreed that it's not all that necessary. Some pull them out, others don't.

It takes just over an hour and he smells divine and is sooooooo silky smooth after. His fur is ramrod straight because she blow dries him, but within an hour the lovely wave gets back in there. 

If he gets a cut, like a companion cut or a specialty cut like for poodles or shih-tzus then it would cost about $45.

I get the nails trimmed there because for $5 it saves me the headache of trying to do it myself on black nails.


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## MaddiesMom

I bathe Maddie every 1-2 weeks, depending. In between, I'll bathe just her white paws if they get real dirty. I took her to the groomers for a nail trim, pad hair trim, and paw neatening plus ear hair removal. I just waited for 10 minutes until it was done. It cost me $15. I had bathed her myself before taking her.


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## JodiM

Our groomer only charges $15 for Princess... even though she had previously quoted me $30 + for her after she hit 6mo.

She says Princess is soo good for her, she doesn't need to charge me any more. She always goes on and on about how well behaved she is, and how easy it is to groom her. Makes me feel great  

Now, if my dog would only be so well behaved when I give her a bath, I would realllllly feel great


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## DAJsMom

Dusty gets a bath every 10 days to 2 weeks, or as needed! She starts to look grubby and be harder to brush if we wait longer than that. She gets spot cleaning in the laundry sink when necessary. We live in a dry climate, so maybe she stays a little cleaner than most, but Dusty is a suitable name for this little tomboy! I brush her every other day or more if I can. I've taken her to the groomer once for a bath and they charged $24. The longer her hair gets, the longer the bath takes. From brush to bath to dry was 1 1/2 hours last time!


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## Jane

I bathe Lincoln (2 yrs old) every 2-2 1/2 weeks. If he gets more frequent walks, he gets dirtier on his underside. He always get a footbath after walks. I find that he is much easier to groom when his coat is cleaner. I bathe my puppy (6 mos old) every 1 1/2 weeks - and I use waterless shampoo for his underside every other day to keep that area cleaner.


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## littlebuddy

my groomer comes every 4-5 weeks depending on the season and i have never bathed my pup. he's very clean, because i don't have a fenced yard he's outside only when i am outside but i thought it wasn't good to bath your dogs that often....dry skin. my groomer uses Aveno which keeps his hair soft and shiny. he has never smelled like a dog, i brush him all the time. should i be bathing him more often?


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## marjrc

littlebuddy, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! :biggrin1: 

If whatever you are doing works for your pup, then there's no need to worry. Some dogs get a lot dirtier than others, depending on where they live, what they do in their day and activity level. I find that having an all-black dog really helps hide the dirt. Sammy has 4 cream colored paws, so I tend to wash his feet a little more often than Ricky's.


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang

Pepper's been bathed twice by the groomer, 4 weeks apart. We haven't bathed him ourselves since the initial 2 baths we gave him his first few days here. 

He's in a puppy clip so he doesn't pick up much debris, but he does get dusty. I wipe him down with a slightly damp towel and comb him every night.

Now I'm thinking we should be bathing him in between trips to the groomer. 

Wanda


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## littlebuddy

we always wipe his paws down after a walk but i think because he's in a puppy cut, he stay pretty clean, plus, he's never been one to roll around in stuff, avoids puddles, and in generall, doesnt get into much dirt. the grooming process is rather stressful for him so that's another reason why i keep it to once a month.


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## Dana

Hello,
I'm new here and adopted a 16 week old Hav. I have always owned dog with a high maintenance coat. I've had Wheatens and Schnauzers. There's nothing worse than having to struggle with grooming. So, I have started out with two baths a week, lots of handling, treats when done and it's working with Piper. While I'm washing her, the hair dryer is blowing and heating a cupped, double folded towel. When she's done with her bath, I swaddle her in the warm towel, wipe her face and unwrap her back feet and move into the warm air, fluffing the fur. I work up her body, unwrapping as I go. I then spread the towel on the grooming table and she wipes her face and neck on the towel! A treat is placed in front of her with the dryer still going. I spray a detangler on my hands and rub it through her fur as she is distracted by the treat, bone, or old round brush attachment to vacuum (her best distraction). I'm able to comb her out and fluff her up and then it's floor time. She's doing well and likes her bath and I enjoy grooming her. I do need to get a better shampoo though that will bring the white to bright. Because of my allergies, I want to keep her clean and will probably settle into a weekly or 10 day schedule. Dana


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## juliav

Hi Dana and Pipers and :welcome: to the forum.

It sounds to me like you've got quite an impressive system for bathing. 
Now all we need is to see the pictures of your baby. We love, love, love pictures. :biggrin1:


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## Julie

Welcome Dana and Piper!:wave:
Would love to see hoto: of you and Piper!:becky:


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## Mojito/Bruiser

Mojito and Bruiser get a weekly bath. We gave up on the groomers. Seems they all have a need to trim hair even if you tell them NOT TOO!.


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## Mojito/Bruiser

Oops, I am not too good at this. We bought ourselves a grooming table and a grooming blow dryer. So we are doing the sanatry trims and learning how trim nails, clean out ear etc. It was fun at first but as their coats get longer we are taking up to one and half hour per dogs at times.


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## Dana

Julia,
I don't know how impressive our grooming procedure is but I want it to be fun. As the fur grows, so will the grooming project! Learned that from the Wheatens. When do they blow their coats? How long does it last? Piper can sit, sit up and beg, come. GRrrrrr, really having trouble on "stay." She is so darn smart but has a mind of her own. I'd love to send a pic but I don't know how. Dana


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang

Well we started the weekly bathing and it's turned out to be a wonderful thing! 

We bathed Pepper ourselves two weeks ago and did an 'okay' job. He was clean and handled the process well, but his white wasn't really white. Last Monday we took him to the groomer's for his regular monthly wash and sanitary trim. He came out of that really clean, but the gal apparently couldn't resist trimming a bit of his coat even though we said "no trim" (I immediately thought of Mojito/Bruiser). :frusty: 

Yesterday we did his bath and again he handled it quite well. Plus, we got his white really white! :biggrin1: We're using The Coat Handler products and they've been wonderful. 

His puppy cut is growing out so he's got about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches of coat and we're doing fine with it so far. He's combed out every day and has gotten very used to that process, which makes his bath day easier for me. :whoo: 

Wanda


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## mckennasedona

My two go to the groomers every two weeks for bath and brush which includes nail trimming and sanitary trims when they need them. I pay $28 per dog for those visits and $33 per dog when they get actual hair cuts (I keep them in puppy cuts). I brush them a few times a week as well.

Susan


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## Mojito/Bruiser

Wanda, so sorry to hear that you also had a groomer that couldn't control his/her shears in check. The groomers feel the need to even their coats. They don't seem to get the concept that coat needs to grow out naturally. 

We have got our bath day down to a science. Brush them out, bathe them and I blow dry one while Victor starts the other. 

The hardest part is drying out their coats. Mojito hates the big blow dryer so we have to use a hand held one, and take our time with him. Bruiser is a sinch. We are using Chris Christense products.


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## Thumper

I love the weekly bathing  I'm quite a neurotic clean freak to begin with, but especially since she sleeps in my bed....she has to be **** and span! Nothing worse than a dirty dog in your face all night! lol I actually like bathing her and grooming her, and she has starting liking it as well ever since we moved from the sink to the bathtub, she doesn't fight or whine at all.

I just ordered some of the whitening products. I can't wait to try them out. Nice to hear they work well.

Kara


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## RedHeadedGator

Our three go to the groomer "to get their hair done" once a week if in full coats and every other week when in puppy cuts. We are so lucky - when Zoe was a little girl I took her in for the first time and she was horribly matted (my fault  - didn't keep her brushed). Well, after the hours of grooming, etc., when I picked her up they said "bring her once a week and we will only charge you $10 each time". I said "you've got yourself a deal". Well, they have been wonderful to us over the years and still only charge us $10 for each Hav. :whoo:


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang

Thumperlove said:


> I love the weekly bathing  ...especially since she sleeps in my bed....Nothing worse than a dirty dog in your face all night! lol I actually like bathing her and grooming her...
> 
> I just ordered some of the whitening products. I can't wait to try them out. Nice to hear they work well.
> 
> Kara


I know just what you mean! Pepper shares our bed  especially my pillow. He definitely needs to be clean to do that.

I find it soothing to bathe and groom him. He's getting so good at standing quietly on the grooming table for me, and he's even doing better at tolerating the dryer. :whoo: We have a booster bath for the big dogs and I bathe Pepper in that, too. However, I need to find a booster for the booster bath. Our sink is too small and my knees and back can't take the bending over to bathe him in the tub.

I have to devise some sort of raised tub within a tub to get him up to a comfortable height for bathing.

I don't think The Coat Handler products is a whitener, but it did work really well at getting Pepper's white parts white.

Wanda


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang

RedHeadedGator said:


> ...Well, after the hours of grooming, etc., when I picked her up they said "bring her once a week and we will only charge you $10 each time"... :whoo:


Not so lucky over here...our groomer charges $28 for a shampoo and condition and $53 if we want his coat cut.

Wanda


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## Brady's mom

Wanda,
I am with you. My groomer does a great job, but is $60 for his grooming. He goes every 4-6 weeks.


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## Jan D

When Havee was groomed the first time it was $45. All I wanted was a bath, sanitary trim and to trim around his paws. They couldn't resist--another groomer that can't keep her scissors in her pocket! They ended up trimming him a bit--not alot at all, but still more than I wanted. The last words before I left were, "Please don't trim him" 

OK--so what didn't they understand about that? I think I'm going to tackle it myself when he needs it next time.

Anyway--he's still a cutie and he's grown back nicely. One question though--Does the hair between the pads need to be trimmed? I noticed they didn't trim his.


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## RedHeadedGator

I knew I was really lucky but you guys just confirmed it for me. I do brush them out between their weekly baths. Our groomer is so incredible that when I was showing Dani, she was sure that she did a lot of research on the breed because she did not want to cut any part of her coat to mess up any chances we might have had in the ring. Again, we are so lucky and they are just the nicest of people!


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## maggiepups

Maggie gets a bath every 2 weeks and goes to the groomer every 6 weeks. She plays outside a lot but usually I wait for the "dirt" to dry (usually on her feet) and then brush her and most of it comes out. I brush her once daily, though.


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## Suuske747

daily brushing here.....
I cut the fur between the pads, under the paws, ever 2 weeks,
I trim the butt area every few weeks in a natural style, works great, no clingons and buttbaths unless she's been eating grass again hahahaha
baths every 3 to 4 weeks...


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## Aurora

I was wondering about the bathing question as well. When I got Isabel, I read all the Havanese books and they all said that they should only be bathed once a month, so that's what I've been doing. She's black so dirt doesn't show and she doesn't get smelly, so I figure it works.

She's currently got some left-over skin irritation from when I took her with me on a beach vacation over the Memorial Day holiday for which the vet prescribed special moisturizing shampoo. Poor girl looks like she's got a bit of dandruff.


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## radar_jones

Radar has not gone out as much as other hav's and we have only bathed him once. He really hasn't rolled around in the slop as much as I thought he would. He stays pretty clean....:biggrin1:


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## Amy R.

I have my 9 mo. old bathed professionally (and nails trimmed at the same time--important!) every two weeks, but will wipe him down in between. He is a really clean little guy and doesn't get too dirty outside in the grass we have here. Personally, I like him to smell fresh and clean, with no doggy odor, and that's easy with a Hav.


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