A relative newcomer to
the show scene, the Havanese is an engaging breed causing much
delight amongst exhibitors as more and more enter the conformation
rings. I have often been drawn to the sight of this little Cuban
export who has made the U.S. and now the rest of the world his
domain.
As with all newbies, the
traditions of grooming are not set in concrete as yet and I receive
many enquiries seeking advice and enlightenment as to the best
way to go about presentation and how to make this dog look his
very best and uphold the standard. Your standard does go quite
a way to explanation on where and how this coat should be attended
to which is interesting in itself, yet, the many questions I receive
indicate there are still unexplained and grey areas to be clarified
or defined.
Like so many things in
our dog world, there is always another point of view and this
one will undoubtedly be the subject of many a discussion for a
long time. I am happy to enter the fray and put forward the essence
of all I have gleaned and learned from the insights I have been
given.
Your Havanese coat is expected to be soft and light in texture
and I have heard a good definition that states it should look
and feel like raw silk. It should not feel like a Maltese coat
which is more like refined silk. Of course the Maltese is a single
coat and yours is a double coat. The Maltese also ought to hang
straight and smooth which is a fault with the Havanese.
Your standard requires
a slightly wavy coat but not a really curly coat, nor a coarse
wiry coat. Got the picture? He is also not allowed to be trimmed
except for inside corner of the eye, feet and the nether regions
of the anal and genital areas. Ah, a naturally outlined breed!
He does have an interesting outline too, with his upward tilt
to the rear and the flashy short upper arm action. This characteristic
spring lends enjoyment and energy to the presentation of this
breed.
So, what to do? The dangers
are to go too straight and flat or too full and too much wave.
A happy balance is the order. The hard yard starts with the at
home bathing. Don't be afraid to use a couple of different shampoos
on the one dog to achieve the exact result you want. If you have
good texture and want shine, then use the Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo diluted
5 parts water to one part shampoo. Should the texture be too coarse,
then use the Plush
Puppy Conditioning Shampoo and if the coat is sparse,
then use Plush Puppy Body
Building Shampoo all at the same dilution. For instance,
if you have dog lacking undercoat, then use the Body Building
Shampoo on those areas and then maybe the All Purpose on the head,
topline and tail where you don't perhaps want the extra lift.
For white areas, you may prefer the Plush Puppy Whitening Shampoo
at anything from 3:1 to 5:1 depending on the tonal effects required
for a pearly white finish. It is a matter of tweaking sometimes
the various areas of the dog for the perfect outline rather than
a blanket all over approach.
Next, use 2 tbspns of Plush Puppy Silk Protein
Conditioner to a quart/1 litre of water and saturate well
working through with your fingers and rinse. Then add 1 tbspn
of Plush Puppy Swishy
Coat to a quart/1 a litre of water and saturate the coat
thoroughly and leave in - don't rinse. If you have a wildly, profuse
coat then you may find it beneficial to add a dspn of Plush Puppy Blow Dry Cream in with the
Swishy Coat mix. The Swishy will keep the coat from jumping all
over the place and keep some semblance of order to the drape,
and the Blow Dry Cream has the action of softening and flattening
though this proportion is only enough to keep excessive billowing
from the coat and not enough to overdo the action.
The drying process is relatively
straight forward - the Plush
Puppy Pin Brush gives air to hair and a bristle flattens,
so the choice is clear - when the coat is between the sparse to
ideal, then only the Pin is required as you don't want to overdo
the flattening or the straightening process. 99% of the time the
Pin is all that is required. It will give you just the right look.
Only use the Plush
Puppy Porcupine Brush which is approx 50% bristle and
50% nylon on the tail or around the head. The tail is required
to plume with long silky hair and fall either straight forward
or lie to one side of the body and the head needs some definition.
The Porcupine brush will assist in lightly smoothing and shaping
these areas for enhancement.
I have not covered the
cording so for this coat you don't want a lot of froth and bubbles
as you can't rinse cords for ever - use the Plush Puppy Hydrobath & Bath Wash
20:1. That's easy isn't it? No fuss, no bother and easy to rinse.
Most importantly do not use conditioner on cords. Conditioner
not only causes fluffy bits and unravels cords but also rots the
cords, being almost impossible to rinse out. Your corded Havanese's
best friend is the Plush
Puppy Seabreeze Oil which is a plant oil and is water
soluble, formulated from Evening Primrose Oil, Calendula Oil and
other such niceties. Use at 1 dspn to 1 quart/litre of water and
leave in, don't rinse. This will help keep the cords hydrated.
Don't be afraid to use this same mix for your uncorded Havanese
for in between shows around the pee feathers especially, and indeed,
tail, skirt and just about everywhere! No amount of work is too
much for a show dog after all.
Now back to the uncorded
Havanese again - a discreet amount of Plush Puppy Puffy Dog can be used on the
head piece and ears for added lift where required after bathing
and blow dried. A tiny amount of Plush
Puppy Sit N Stay warmed through the fingers till the product
changes from wet sticky to dry sticky and then applied at the
root area only, to keep the coat in place away from the eyes and
for refined definition. I do mean a tiny amount. This dog does
need to attain a natural appearance.
For your grooming spray,
mix 1 golfball amount of Plush
Puppy Revivacoat to one cup/250 mls water and use liberally
prior to brushing or for detangling. You would use Plush Puppy Coat Balm on show day to keep
static at bay and to add a touch of weight to the hem of the coat
- just smear a light spray onto your hands and wipe down the coat
lengths and add extra to the hem. You can use this several times
a day without any adverse effects to the coat and keeping the
natural feel and appearance to the coat. It just helps the coat
to behave - it does not however take the place of the use of the
Swishy Coat during the drying. It is the two step action that
gives the best result.
Maybe a light dusting of
Plush Puppy Pixie Dust
on show day too for added interest - if you can see this when
you are applying it, you have used too much. I keep reiterating
that the Havanese is to be presented naturally. You may wish to
also keep on hand the new Plush Puppy Powder Puff Regular which
is a wonderful alternative to cleansing your dog when a wet Self
Rinse is not an option - you don't want to go wetting a coat that
has been carefully dried after all. The Powder Puff is a dry powder
cleanser and deodoriser and very handy for long show circuits,
wet and muddy days and dogs who have poor toilet manners.
Your Havanese is ready
to go. This springy gaited little person with his characteristic
upheld high head and flashy gait is an emerging force in the show
scene. He doesn't always get to chase the chickens but hopefully
now he will get to chase all those coveted ribbons. I have high
hopes for this breed from all the energy I feel from the devoted
owners and breeders I speak to. The standard is your Bible for
this breed and those who follow the path after you will thank
you for the hard work you have invested in this wonderfully exciting
breed in the ring.
CHERYL LECOURT
Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo
Plush Puppy Conditioning
Shampoo
Plush Puppy Body Building
Shampoo
Plush Puppy Silk
Protein Conditioner
Plush
Puppy Swishy Coat
Plush Puppy Blow Dry Cream
Plush Puppy Pin Brush
Plush Puppy Porcupine
Brush
Plush Puppy Hydrobath
& Bath Wash
Plush Puppy Seabreeze
Oil
Plush Puppy Puffy Dog
Plush Puppy Sit N Stay
Plush Puppy Revivacoat
Plush Puppy Coat Balm
Plush Puppy Pixie Dust