Every month I will share how our experience is going with growing Panda Bear’s hair out. He’s a 7 year old havanese, who’s had many different hair styles in his life, but never had it fully grown out!
For those of you who don’t know, a Havanese is a toy breed of dog usually ranging between 7-13 lbs, although it can vary. Their hair can range from silky/straight to wavy to curly. They don’t shed, therefore need to be groomed on a regular basis to keep their hair tangle free and in good condition. Most people will get them shaved or trimmed, but if they are shown in the conformation ring they must have their hair grown out nearly to the ground and untrimmed. They are part of the Bichon family which includes breeds such as the Bichon Frise and Maltese; unlike those breeds, they come in a variety of colours. Their temperament is happy, outgoing and very trainable, these dogs love to entertain and are often referred to as velcro dogs because they love to be with their humans.
Panda Bear is a 7 year old Havanese, he is not registered, nor is he well bred, but we love him to death anyway! I got him as my second havanese, when I was about to graduate high school, before I knew anything about well bred dogs and good breeders! He is curly coated, which is unfavourable in terms of showing, as it is much harder to grow and keep maintained. He’s slightly large for his breed, weighing in at 14 lbs.
Panda has allergies that we are constantly trying to get under control with a raw food, chicken free diet, fish oil, other supplements and special medicated shampoo during bath time. He has been unintentionally growing his hair out for a couple months since I couldn’t decide what to do for his haircut this time. His allergies have been flaring up a bit lately, so I have decided to start his weekly bath routine up again. I think I’ve finally lost my mind, because I’ve decided this is the perfect opportunity to grow him out and see how it looks!
Weekly grooming routine:
What you’ll need:
- A willing dog
- Shampoo, conditioner and detangler specially made for dogs
- A bath or sink depending on the size of your dog
- A grooming table or somewhere safe to groom your dog
- A slicker brush and comb
- A high velocity dryer
- Clippers and a 10 blade
- Thinning shears, straight shears and curved shears
- Lots of treats
I always start with the bath so he’s clean and dry before I start the grooming process. I use a generous amount of shampoo and scrub him well paying special attention to his itchy areas, such as his paws. I allow him to soak in medicated shampoo for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and use a generous amount of conditioner. I then allow him to soak for a few more minutes before rinsing him a final time. Once rinsed I wrap him in a towel and bring him back to my grooming table to get blown out. Before I start drying him, I spray him with a detangler.
*I always use lots of treats during grooming to keep him happy and make grooming a positive experience.*
I dry him with my high velocity dryer, this is his least favourite part of grooming, so I use the majority of his treats during this part. I make sure he is extremely dry as it straightens his curls and allows me to brush him out easier.
Once he’s dry I start with the slicker brush all over his body. Then I take my comb and comb out all of his hair, starting at his head, and going to his tail. There should be no hair untouched and there should be no tangles at all.
For trimming, all I do currently is his sanitary trim, trim by his eyes, shave his paw pads, and lightly shape his feet; then I trim and grind his nails. Once he’s done, I give him more cookies and let him go about his day!
Subscribe so you don’t miss any posts! There’ll be monthly updates on how Panda’s hair is looking, let’s see how long it can get before I give up and trim him!
