Havanese Grooming

How to Care for Your Havanese Dog

Follow these critical steps to keep your Havanese dog healthy and happy for the entirety of its long life.

Brushing and Combing

Brushing and combing are the most important things you need to do for your Havanese dog every day. That’s right, you need to brush your dog’s hair every day. While you can do this leisurely on the couch with a brush while watching television, there is a more effective way to do it. 

This is called line brushing. Before you start, spray your dog’s coat with a mist sprayer that contains a small amount of conditioner. Roughly one tablespoon of conditioner will do, mixed with ordinary tap water. This is because brushing dry can break your dog’s coat.

After you lightly mist your dog, start the brushing. First you want to separate the hairline. You should make a line with the dog’s hair going horizontally from nose to tail, which will allow you to see the skin. Now brush their hair up and then down. You want to start at the feet and then move up to the middle of the back. Hold the brush completely flat and brush gently.

It is ideal if your dog will lie on their side while being brushed, as this will make the whole process easier for everybody. In fact, your dog will be so comfortable getting brushed that they will probably start to fall asleep after so many sessions. This should not take more than 5 or 10 minutes.

Bathing Your Havanese Dog

Bathing frequency depends on your dog’s coat, skin, lifestyle and haircut. Use a dog-safe shampoo and ask your veterinarian or groomer to recommend a schedule that keeps the coat clean without drying or irritating the skin. VCA Canada’s grooming guidance also cautions that excessive bathing can contribute to dry skin. 

Brush out tangles before bathing, rinse thoroughly and dry the coat completely. Dogs with skin conditions may need a veterinarian-recommended shampoo or bathing schedule. 

Be sure that you brush your dog before the bath. You want them to be free of knots and mats. Use a quality shampoo, we’ve listed some below that we use. You may have to experiment with different brands until you find the one that both you and your dog enjoy. 

Remember not to spray your dog in the face if using a sprayer for their bath. A plastic bottle is better for rinsing. Ensure you clear away all of the shampoo before drying, otherwise the dog’s skin could be irritated and itchy afterwards. After their bath, be sure to blow dry them at low heat and to comb out their tail as it can get easily matted after a bath.

Products we love and use:

TropiClean SPA Shampoo

This lightly foaming facial cleanser soothes and balances the skin and is a game changer for us when it comes to cleaning our Havanese’s face. It is a gentle soap free shampoo that has natural exfoliating activity and gently hydrates. The refreshing blend of vanilla and blueberry effectively removes dirt and tear stains, and will not irritate eyes.

Burt’s Bees Oatmeal Dog Shampoo

Another shampoo we love to use is the Burt’s Bees Oatmeal Shampoo. This formula is free of fragrances, sulfates, colorants, and harsh chemicals and includes ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, honey, and beeswax for sensitive skin. It also comes in a variety of sizes.

Feet

Taking care of your Havanese dog’s feet can be stressful. Their feet are extremely small and difficult to properly maintain, but it can be done. In order to take care of your Havanese dog in full, you must take care of their feet. Not only will they appreciate feeling clean and comfortable, but so too will you enjoy having a well-maintained puppy dog. 

Start by using scissors to trim the hair that grows between the soft pads of their feet. This will help keep their foot hair neat and reduce the amount of debris and garbage they track into the house with them. The reason so much outdoor garbage gets brought inside by a dog is almost always because of too much hair around their feet. 

To do this, simply stand your dog on a flat surface and then trim the hair around their feet. Let your dog lie down, then extend their legs and brush the hair down around each foot. Any hair that hangs down beyond the bottom of their feet needs to be trimmed. The rest can stay as it is. Even if your dog makes a big fuss about their foot haircut, it will be worth it for everyone in the end.

You can also use an electric hair trimmer like the one linked below to trim the hairs around their pads. If your dog is comfortable with a vibration and low buzzing sound, it is a lot quicker to use this technique and quite safe as well.

Products we love and use:

This is the perfect grooming kit as it comes with a variety of tools including thinning shears great for trimming around the mouth and beard, curved and straight round tip scissors a pet comb and cleaning cloth. All of these tools will be useful in trimming and tidying up areas on your Havanese. Ignore that they say for cats, as it’s actually best used for dogs.

Face

Between getting your Havanese professionally groomed, keeping their face tidy is something you will have to maintain. Havanese dogs often have long hair around their mouth, resembling a beard and moustache. By using thinning shears to shape and trim the hair, will help ensure it’s well-maintained and doesn’t interfere with eating or drinking. Thinning shears are easy to use and don’t leave start straight lines, so you don’t have to be an expert when trimming hair.

It’s best to clean your dogs face and eyes regularly. Use dog-safe wipes or a damp cloth to gently clean your Havanese’s face. Pay attention to the tear stains that can accumulate under their eyes and wipe them away carefully. Be gentle around the sensitive eye area.

Nails

The toenails are arguably the most painstaking task of taking care of any dog. Just like a Chihuahua or a rottweiler, your Havanese dog is not going to like being held down while you clip their toenails. That said, time can work in your favor as the dog gets used to this activity. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you start cutting your dog’s toenails from a very young age. They must get used to it. 

For a beginner, the toenails are a nightmare. While there are a lot of different tools for cutting toenails, you want to get the special clippers that look a little like a wire cutter. And while some people use a special sanding tool to grind the nails down instead of cutting them, I don’t recommend it for Havanese dogs. If there are any stray hairs left when you are using the sanding tool, and the tool touches one of the hairs, it is going to painfully rip that hair out. 

Also, to grind your dog’s toenails generally involves your dog being wrapped in a towel and held down by someone else while you pull one foot at a time and grind down the nails. You generally have to do this anyway for particularly cranky mutts, but I find it much easier to use the clippers. 

When using the clippers, you must look out for the quick, which is the part of the nail that will bleed when you cut it. It would be like cutting your own fingernail and a little bit of your finger with it. Suffice to say, it is a painful experience for your dog. 

The quick is easily identifiable because it is a different colour than the normal toenail. The part of the toenail you want to cut will appear light and translucent, while the quick will be darker. You will see the difference when you start cutting.

Products we love and use:

These clippers are perfect for cutting Havanese nails. This pair also comes with a hidden nail file should you need to file them down.

Eyes

Everyone is familiar with the staining that grows around a dog’s eyes, commonly known as tear staining. This is especially prevalent in Havanese dogs. It sometimes looks like mascara exploded underneath their eyes and stained the fur of their cheeks. So, how do you get rid of it? 

There are a few ways to cure tear staining. One of my favorite ways is using a tear stain shampoo as it’s gentle and the ingredients won’t burn their eyes.

As a general rule with any dog, always clean the gunk out of the corners of their eyes. Do this every day so that they get used to it and so that there is no buildup. If there is excessive staining around your dog’s eyes, I highly recommend a visit to your veterinarian. Especially if you are maintaining your dog properly. There could be a problem.

This breed is known for their long, silky hair, and the hair around their eyes can often become wet or discolored due to tear production or eye discharge. This can result in tear stains or dark staining under the eyes, which is more noticeable on light-colored fur.

Tear staining is generally harmless and primarily a cosmetic issue. However, it’s important to regularly clean the area around the eyes to prevent any potential skin irritation or infection.

There are a few strategies you can try to minimize tear staining in Havanese dogs:

1. Keep the face clean: Regularly clean the area under the eyes with a gentle dog-safe wipe or damp cloth to remove any tear stains or discharge. Be gentle and avoid getting anything into the eyes.
2. Manage tear production: Ensure your Havanese has a healthy diet and provide them with clean, fresh water. Excessive tear production can be related to allergies or certain health issues, so consult with your veterinarian if you notice persistent tearing.
3. Trim the hair around the eyes: Consider trimming the hair around your Havanese’s eyes to help keep the area clean and reduce the chances of staining. Be cautious while trimming to avoid any accidents or discomfort.
4. Consult a veterinarian: If tear staining is excessive, persistent, or accompanied by other symptoms like redness, irritation, or discomfort, it’s advisable to consult a veterinarian. They can assess your Havanese and determine if there are any underlying health issues contributing to the tear staining.

Remember that tear staining is a common occurrence in Havanese dogs and is generally harmless. However, if you have any concerns or if the tear staining is causing discomfort or affecting your dog’s well-being, it’s best to seek professional advice from a veterinarian.

Here is the link to the Tear Stain Shampoo we use and love:

Teeth

I brush my teeth, you brush your teeth, and your dog needs to brush their teeth. You want to do this every day to avoid the loss of teeth during old age. If you brush your puppy’s teeth every day and continue into adulthood, then your senior dog is going to have all their teeth still in their mouth, and they will be clean and white. It’s not as if your dog is going to pick up smoking and coffee.

To properly brush your dog’s teeth, use a flavoured toothpaste that your dog will love, something that tastes like tuna or poultry. There are special dog toothbrushes that you can buy, or you can just use one of your own worn-out toothbrushes. Some specialized brushes come with an extra-long handle that works a little better to get inside a small dog’s mouth.

Like Chihuahuas, Havanese are prone to dental issues. But if you brush their teeth from day one onwards, you can basically avoid any dental problems. It is the exact same for humans. Don’t brush your teeth and they are going to fall out!

Products we love and use:

Our Havanese runs to get her teeth brushed when we use Petrodex Toothpaste. She loves the taste and it makes it a much easier process to brush her teeth.

I like using a soft toothbrush with a small head, being that the Havanese has a smaller mouth. The bristles on this toothbrush are very soft and safe to use on your dog.