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Grooming Havanese Dogs

Grooming Havanese Dogs

Havanese dogs are also known as Bichon Havanais, Havana Silk dog and Bichon Havanese. They are known as non-shedding dogs as they shed less compared to other dog breeds. These are low shedding dogs that require high dog grooming sessions.

Caring for Havanese Puppies
You need to begin grooming Havanese puppies by getting them used to the grooming table. You should keep a rubber mat or carpet to prevent the dog from slipping. You need to follow some dog training tips to teach your Havanese puppies to lie down or stand. They need to feel relaxed and you should give them a lot of attention. You should keep scratching behind the ears or chest and keep a hand under the stomach while grooming Havanese puppies. This helps calm the animal and build confidence in the young pup as you comb through his coat. Thus, grooming Havanese puppies helps them learn early on that this exercise is a pleasurable experience and a routine that he has to follow. Be sure you give them treats and praise him a lot for good behavior after grooming.

Caring for Havanese Dogs
These dogs need to be cleaned regularly as their coats get matted and tangled easily. Havanese dogs need to be groomed at least 2 to 4 times a week. The coat needs to be brushed and combed. It also needs to be trimmed as it grows as long as 6 to 8 inches. The grooming sessions not only involves the coat, but also the eyes, ears, paws as well teeth. Let us have a look at the various grooming aspects of a Havanese dog.

Brushing
Brushing is very important at it will help keep your dogs coat in a top condition. Brushing helps remove the dead hair and thus, keep the dog low shedding. It also helps provide a gentle massage to the dog and improves blood circulation. This also gives you ample opportunity to watch out for a flea or tick infestation or some hidden injuries.

When brushing, place your dog on a flat table. Make the dog sleep in its side. Take a small brush with fine metal teeth. Start brushing in layers, starting from the top side of its front leg. All your brush to move against the fall of the hair when you reach the shoulder. Follow the same steps for the rear legs.

Use a large brush with metal teeth to comb the top layer of hair from the shoulder to the buttocks. Comb against the growth of the hair. As you move down to the abdomen, comb the lower hair layer downwards. After you complete the lower region in layers, move towards the neck, chest, buttocks, tails and flank. Then make the dog stand up and brush down all the hair that you just completed combing. Make the dog lie on its other side and brush just as you did for the first side.

If the dogs coat is tangled or matted, make sure you wet the coat with a spray bottle. Use water or detangler/conditioner mix to help remove the mat in hair. Use a comb or your fingers to pull apart the tangles or mats. Oiling the hair is also important. Apply a bit of oil at least every 15 days. Before you schedule a bath, apply oil to the hair when brushing. You can apply oil to the comb teeth and pass it through the hair. The best oil to use is cooking oil. This helps in preventing the hair from getting dry, especially during winter.

Bathing the Dog
Bathing depends on the color and lifestyle of the dog. If you have a white Havanese dog that gets to spend more time outdoors, it is better to give him a weekly wash. A Havanese dog that generally lives indoors will require to be bathed once a month. Place cotton balls in the ears of the dog to prevent any water from entering the ear canal. Use a no tear shampoo and conditioner to wash the dog. After rinsing the dog well, allow air dry. You can let the dog shake off the excess water from its body.

You will see that Havanese dogs with a bright white coat develop red or discolored hair around the eyes. You need to wash the skin with a soft cotton ball or cloth near the eye. The discoloration will reduce with regular cleaning. The long, floppy ears need to be cleaned regularly to avoid dog ear infections. You should clean the ears with a washcloth and cotton swab and remover the hair in the ears with tweezers or your fingers. Do not go deep into the ear canal or you may injure the dog.

Clipping Nails
Grooming also involves clipping of nails. You need to hold your pup or dog still and separate the toes. Then, cut one nail and praise the dog a lot. Move on the other nail and continue to praise the dog to avoid it from panicking. Nails need to be clipped regularly or they will grow too long. It is always better to visit a professional groomer for dog nail clipping to avoid injury. You should also ask them to clip the fur on the paw as it may form a cushion like layer and cause the dog to slip on a smooth surface.

Cleaning Teeth
To avoid plaque building up in the teeth of your dog, you need to brush the Havanese teeth and gums regularly. You should use special dog toothpaste to brush the teeth.

You can even get a haircut for your Havanese dog. Many owners go in for Havanese grooming styles like puppy cut, teddy bear or drop coat trim. The dog ends up looking like a cute, cuddly stuffed toy that will earn a lot of Oohs and Ooos and Soooo Cute from admirers. You need to continue brushing, combing and grooming the dogs couple of times a week. This will help prevent mats and tangles in the coat.

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