Havanese Grooming 101: Hair, Ear, Nail, Style, Tools & More

The irresistibly cute button-nose and teddy bear-like eyes couldn’t keep you from adding a Havanese pup to your family.

What about the double coat of Havanese doggos?

The natives of Cuba, these pups have a double coat, with long, soft, and silky fur, perfect for making you envious. Except, you will love this small (yet long) and cheerful puppy to bits from the first day itself. These pooches never leave anyone aloof of their charming and intelligent yet friendly nature!

Caring for the Havanese is not all that difficult as they shed pretty moderately. However, if you keep your doggo’s coat to its full length—8 inches, you will have to groom it quite frequently.

This all-inclusive Havanese grooming takes you through all the steps you must know for flawless puppy maintenance!

When to Start Grooming Havanese Puppy?

Getting your Havanese baby accustomed to grooming at an early age is very important. You must start grooming the pup at around 10-12 weeks of age. If you delay the first grooming session anywhere more than 16 weeks, your experience is likely to be an unpleasant one.

The first grooming session will determine whether your furball takes it positively or not. Your pup will go through multiple sittings throughout the year, so it better be fun instead of a punishment. You got to introduce this activity as a happy event that both you and your cottonball will enjoy.

Here are a few ways to prepare your Havanese pup for the very first grooming session:

• Gently play around with the puppy’s ears, toenails, paw pads to let the pooch get comfortable to touch.
• Familiarize the doggo with the shampoo and conditioner scent.
• Introduce the furry baby to water through shallow dips.
• Let the pup get comfy with the grooming table.
• Occasionally brush and comb the fur to get the pooch accustomed to grooming tools.
• Start with short (45 mins or less) grooming sessions.

How Often to Groom Havanese Puppy?

Once your Havanese baby is at ease with grooming, you can start with the full-body brushing 2-3 times a week. If, however, your puppy has short hair, a full brush once a week should be enough.

These doggos are non-shedding despite their double coats. Still, if you want to keep their fur matt-free, you can adopt a light brushing routine on a daily basis. This will give you two quality time and keep your canine’s coat healthy by aiding even body oil distribution.

When it comes to bathing, you will need to wash your furball every alternate week. That is only if your pup has a long coat. Short-fur Havanese can make do with a bath every three weeks.

How to Groom Havanese Dogs?

Havanese differ from other double-coated doggos such that their outer coat is as soft as the inner one, instead of being coarser.

Still, when they experience hair fall, the broken hair sticks to the end of the coat instead of falling. Resultantly, your furball will have knots and mats if not brushed regularly. Needless to mention, it is unhealthy for your doggo as the knots trap extra dirt and bacteria.

Apart from the regular brushing, you also need to clean your furry baby’s eyes, ears, teeth and trim the toenails. Here’s how!

Brushing

Brushing is the prime essential part of a Havanese pup’s grooming routine. Still, you can choose to do it daily or thrice a week.

• Start by applying a mist spray to moisten your fluffy’s hair.
• Choose a small section and brush gently from the roots to the tips.
• Use a pin brush that can easily penetrate through the double coat.
• End by combing to ensure the fur is free of knots.

A popular way of brushing Havanese doggos—Line brushing is an effective technique.

• Divide the coat into multiple sections.
• Make a line from the nose to the nail such that the skin is visible.
• Start by brushing the feet section, going all the way up to the back.

Tip: Keep the brush flat against your puppy’s coat instead of an angled position. The latter may pull on the doggo’s hair or cause scratches.

Head and Face Grooming

If you wish to give your pooch a trim, make sure to bathe, dry-up, and brush the baby first. Here’s how you can go about trimming your Havanese pup’s head and face:

• Take a pair of clippers and trim from above the ears towards the beard.
• Use thinning shears and carefully cut the hair around the eyes.
• Get a comb to trim the cheeks, area around the muzzle, jawline, and under the ears.
• Cut the fur on the ears into a curved shape.
• Comb the hair into bangs and shorten the length so that it does not hamper the pooch’s vision.

Tip: Use curved scissors for a tidy cut.

Clean around the doggo’s mouth with a face wipe or a damp cloth. Do this after every meal to remove any food residue.

Routine Cleaning

Ears: Dirt and wax will often accumulate in your puppy’s ears which is why you must check them every week. Pour a dog ear solution to loosen the wax and clean the outer ear lobe with a cotton ball. Also, make sure to pluck any hair growing inside the canine’s ears. Apply the dog ear powder to weaken the hair roots, wait for 15-20 minutes, and gently pluck the hair.

Eyes: Your Havanese may often experience tear staining, especially due to the long hair. It looks unpleasant and may also become a breeding ground for germs. Take a warm, damp cloth or face wipe and gently clean around the corner of the eyes. Do it daily for a clean and healthy pup!

Teeth: If you do not clean your furball’s teeth, it may lead to developing mouth infections due to the accumulated plaque. Use a quality dog toothpaste and brush to clean your pooch’s teeth at least 2-3 times a week.

Nails Clipping: You need a nail clipper to trim your doggo’s toenails at least twice a month. Be careful not to cut the quick as it may cause bleeding. If you are a beginner, use a nail clipper with a safeguard to prevent injuries.

Bathing

Depending upon your Havanese puppy’s coat length, you will need to bathe your pup once in 2-3 weeks.

• Brush the doggo to prevent tangles from worsening.
• Wet the pup’s body thoroughly with warm (room temperature) water, keeping the head dry.
• Spray quality shampoo evenly throughout the fur.
• Gently rub to avoid knots.
• Rinse and condition the fur before the final wash.
• Start washing the head, making sure shampoo does not enter your fluffball’s eyes and ears. (Doggos often dislike this part, therefore, you need to be even more patient here.)
• Finish by drying up with a large towel followed by blow-drying and brushing. Your pooch’s hair must be soft and knot-free once you are done brushing.

Tip: Bathing too often will reduce the furball’s natural oils, causing itching and dryness.

Havanese Grooming Styles

With the beautiful Havanese dreadlocks, you can only try to resist yourself from styling the bay. Here are some super-adorable Havanese hairstyles you can experiment with!

Buzzcut

If you want minimum maintenance or live in warmer climates, a buzzcut is a perfect option. Use a clipper and shave your pooch in the direction of the hair growth.

Start with the face, followed by ears, head, and down the body. Finish by shaving the legs (top to bottom) and feet.

Tip: Leave almost 1 inch of hair to prevent sunburns.

Other Haircut Ideas

• Teddy Bear Cut: Around 3-inch long hair all over the body. Except, the head and face have a rounded cut and shorter hair.
• Puppy Cut: This hairstyle is quite similar to the buzz cut, with the only difference being that the hair length is 2 inches.

Cording

The Havanese cording style is just like human dreadlocks. Except, they are natural. You can let the hair grow naturally or bathe your pooch every two weeks and twist the wet hair into locks.

Note that it can take up to two years to achieve this style. Also, maintaining cords is very difficult as they repel water. It will take you hours to bathe and dry the doggo.

Other Styling Ideas

• Topknots: One ponytail at the top of the head.
• Braiding: Section the hair at the center of the head and make two beautiful braids.

What Grooming Tools Will You Need For Your Havanese?

You need not search for the best quality Havanese grooming tools as we have already done the research for you! Read along!

Brush

You need a brush that can keep your doggo’s hair matt-free without hurting the baby’s gentle skin. The Glendan Dog Brush comes with bent teeth to easily penetrate into your Havanese double coat. Additionally, its tips come with a rounded covering to perfectly protect your pooch’s skin.

Shears & Scissors

A pair of curved scissors are ideal for Havanese, and the Andis 8-inch Curved Shears are just that. These come with professional-grade blades so you can effortlessly groom your lovesome furball.

Hair Clippers

The Cryrio Dog Clippers come with 5 variable speed options, letting you change the clipping intensity accordingly. These are li-ion battery clippers, so you can seamlessly groom your fluffball without any restriction. Plus, it produces negligible (60 decibels) sound while functioning, so your pup stays comfortable.

Clipper Blades

You need high-quality clipper blades that stay rust-free and last long. The Andis Dog Clipper Blades are downright the best ones out there. They feature carbonized steel that is durable and has a chrome finish for rust resistance.

Nail Clipper

The Shiny Pet Nail Clipper is specially designed for small dogs. It features sharp, semi-angled blades so you can carefully watch the nails while cutting. Plus, it has ergonomic handles for your convenience.

Tables

The Go Pet Club Grooming Table is an extremely sturdy option for grooming your Havanese. It boasts goal-post style legs with rubber capped feet to prevent skidding. Additionally, the grooming arm is highly-adjustable, so you can use it for your pup as well as the grown-up fluffball. Fold its legs when not in use for compact storage!

Dryers

If you are looking for a professional-grade, premium-quality dryer, the K-9 III High-Velocity Dryer is the best option. It is ultra-powerful, offers two speeds, an 18-gauge steel body and a host of accessories. However, if you want to pick a budget option, the Free Paws Dog Dryer is an excellent choice as well!

Shampoo

Using chemical-induced shampoos can make your Havanese furball’s skin dry and itchy. The Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner is a 2-in-1 liquid for washing as well as moisturization. It will remove the dirt and nourish your pooch’s skin with natural herbs like lavender, sage, mint, and tea tree oil.

Havanese Grooming Tips

• To prevent water from penetrating the ears, insert cotton balls in it while bathing.
• Keep the hair around the anus short to keep it clean and free of debris.
• Always moisten your Havanese pup’s hair before brushing.
• Do not let shampoo enter the doggo’s eyes and ears.
• It is better to bathe your puppy before brushing as dirty hair is difficult to brush.
• Line brushing helps prevent mats.
• Always treat your well-mannered pooch after grooming.

Q&A

Q: How much maintenance do Havanese require?

A: Havanese are double-coated, non-shedding pooches with usually long hair. Though you need not worry about fur all over your place, you must brush a Havanese doggo with a full coat daily. Additionally, you will need to bathe the fluffball at least once in 2 weeks. That said, a short-coat puppy requires only half of this maintenance.

Q: Can you shave Havanese?

A: While you can trim a Havanese pup’s hair as you desire, you cannot shave the furball. These are double-coated doggos that need their inner coat for protection. If you shave off all the hair, the pooch may get sunburns, allergies, and a coarser new coat.

Q: How to keep the Havanese coat matt-free?

A: The best way to keep a Havanese doggo’s hair matt-free is brushing every day. You must lightly moisten the coat before brushing, divide it into sections, and gently remove the tangles. Daily brushing and weekly grooming are all you need to keep even the long hair free of knots and debris!