Panda Just Washed
Today I washed Panda, Logan and Katsura. Panda and Roxie are sisters to Abigail's litter right now as they share the same mom and dad.
Panda used to be known as Smudge as she had this look that she had a smudge all around her nose and mouth.
Logan in his Fave ChairPeople have a difficult time seeing what we see when the hair grows out. We have had enough that I can now visualize them as older.
The boy from Abigail's litter looks very much like the Panda.
When I wash a dog I take my time and do it right. How long it takes depends on the condition of the hair and the texture of the hair. I also am gentle and don't believe in pulling knots out or hurting a dog. Patience is a good thing.
Logan is not from our breeding and has a cottony type coat like our Shoshi. His hair takes me about 2 hours as I not only wash and condition him with extra oil added into the conditioner but today I put a product all over his hair combing it in called Protect-A-Coat Conditioning Oil w/Sunscreen, bagged him (covered him with saran wrap under a low dryer) and semi dried it in to help the coat along. I then brushed through all of his hair then used a comb to find any knots. Any knots I take Pek, spray it into the knot and pull it apart and brush it out and then check with a comb again.
I go through his hair one small section at a time making sure I coat it with Show Sheen lightly. It adds shine and coats the hair so it doesn't feel as cottony, doesn't knot as much and it protects the hair but you can only use Show Sheen when the coat is clean as it also locks in any dirt and ends up matting.
Logan actually looked grand but by the time I had finished Panda, he had already rolled in a bed or two and mucked it up. He has a riot of a personality and you just have to love him. I know I do!
It's raining and I wonder why I washed him today but it wasn't raining when I started. He also was overdue.
When a coat especially a cottony coat gets matted easily it is time to wash. You must get all the knots out before washing or they will felt up.
Panda's hair took me about 45 minutes. She has silky hair that rarely gets knots similar to Roxie.
I tell you all of this to realize that each dog is unique. You can get an odd one that has a cotton type coat if it is somewhere in the line or a whole litter with cotton coat if you breed a cotton coat to another cotton coat. I won't do that. Some people especially some show people like a thick cottony coat as it stands out and looks full but it isn't for the beginner.
You can create a cottony feel coat by over washing it and drying it out. If you are washing once a week you best have a high quality shampoo and conditioner and are adding some oil to the conditioner for that extra protection. If you are using a slicker you damage the coat and you end up with a nightmare. If you have a slicker I would only be using it on the feet for fullness. A slicker may appear to be easier at first but the damage it does in the long run is not worth it unless you are keeping the coat short.
Yanking out knots can also damage the hair. You are actually better off using thinning shears if the hair is thick and cutting into it and pulling it apart if it is felted or using a spray like pek, let it soak in and pull it apart.
There are so many grooming tips that you learn as you go. Our dear Shoshi had what I termed the coat from hell and I now am able to deal with it. Her coat taught me a great deal as I kept trying and trying and trying.
Show people rarely give you tips as they want the advantage. So you learn by trying. A low quality conditioner can change the feel of a coat.
I can now touch a coat and say it needs this or that and I am usually bang on. It takes time and a desire.
I like a long coat but a puppy coat even with a cottony coat is much easier. With a silky coat, long, short its all doable if you perfect your technique and brush thoroughly at least every few days. Me, I brush daily and take a break here and there.Brushing daily eliminates a marathon due to not brushing.
Then there is mud and stuck poo and snowballs and all that fun. With one dog its easy. I know a breeder friend who instead of washing her dogs back end if it has some poo streaks she puts corn starch on the back end, she lets it dry outside and brush it out. It works and its a show tip that you now have. :-)
This all makes it sound as if a Havanese coat is difficult. Many are not but it is easier if you learn a good technique and keep up with it and know what product to use. My only difficult coat in my house is Shoshi and even that now is easy as I tried to perfect and I did making the process an easier one. Shoshi now gets washed every 3 weeks and rarely has a knot and Nathan is not as thorough as me when it comes to brushing and combing. :-)