The Havanese coat is soft, silky and one of the breed’s great joys. It also needs regular care. Here’s what grooming a Havanese involves, and how to choose between keeping a full coat and a shorter puppy cut. The Havanese Fanciers of Canada have a wonderful book available called From Nose to Tail and it is a complete guide on grooming Havanese and how to keep them looking and feeling great.
A coat that doesn’t shed much, but does tangle
Havanese are considered a low-shedding breed. Instead of falling out around your home, loose hair stays caught in the coat. That’s good news for your furniture, but it means the coat will knot and mat if it isn’t brushed.
Most Havanese also “blow” their puppy coat somewhere between nine and twelve months of age, as the adult coat comes in. For a few weeks you’ll find more hair in the brush and new knots every day. It passes, but daily brushing during this stage makes a big difference.
Full coat or puppy cut?
Full coat
A full coat is long, flowing and beautiful. It’s how Havanese are shown, and it’s how the breed is meant to look. It’s also the most work: plan on thorough brushing most days, right down to the skin, plus regular bathing and careful drying.
Puppy cut
A puppy cut (also called a teddy bear cut) trims the coat short and even all over, usually to one or two inches. It’s much easier to keep clean and tangle-free, and most companion Havanese live happily in one. You’ll still need to brush a few times a week, and plan on a trip to the groomer roughly every six to eight weeks.
Neither choice is wrong. Many families keep a longer coat in cooler months and go shorter for summer.
The basics
- Brush to the skin. Use a pin brush (without the ball at the end of the pins) and a metal comb, working in small sections. If the comb glides through, you’re done.
- Bathe regularly. Lather without twisting the hair, rinse twice, and keep conditioner out of the ears.
- Dry completely. Even a little dampness left in the coat causes knots.
- Nails and ears. Trim nails regularly and keep the ears clean and dry.
- Teeth. Brush often. Toy breeds are prone to dental problems and retained baby teeth.
Leave the hair at the corners of the eyes
Many groomers will want to trim the hair at the inside corners of the eyes. Please ask them not to. When that hair is cut, it grows back up and into the eyes, which can make tear staining worse. Left to grow out fully, it lies flat and the staining often stops.
More tips
Our Taking Your Puppy Home page has detailed bathing, knot and tear-staining tips, and our Puppy Shopping List includes the grooming tools we recommend.