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Grooming and Showing the Havanese
Grooming
Non-shedding does NOT mean no-maintenance. Your
Havanese dog will benefit from frequent grooming sessions
several times a week. Routine grooming helps to keep your dog's
skin, coat, teeth, gums and nails in peak condition. As well as
general improving your pet's overall appearance, grooming also
provides you with an excellent opportunity to examine the skin
and coat for early signs of problems such as parasites, foreign
bodies, skin disorders, mats, growths and wounds.
Good grooming behaviors should start at an early age, as
soon as you acquire your Havanese puppy. Begin by getting it
used to being placed on a steady table for grooming. Use a
rubber backed mat, small carpet or towel to prevent slipping.
Teach your puppy to lie down and/or stand quietly and to relax
and enjoy your attention. Scratching the ears or chest may help
to sooth an anxious pet, while a hand under a young puppy's
stomach provides support and promotes confidence as you gently
brush through the coat. This early training taught by
repetition, correction and praise is important to ensure that
your Havanese dog learns to accept grooming and thinks of it as
a pleasant experience.
Showing
the Havanese

Since the first standard was approved, Havanese dog
breeders and exhibitors have preserved the "natural" appearance
of the breed. Havanese dogs are exhibited in a completely
natural state, clean and freshly brushed out. The only trimming
that is permitted is the tidying up of the feet. This trimming
is limited to the feet only, and should never extend up the leg
of the dog. While there should not be any groomed-in parting of
the coat on the neck or back of the dog, a natural parting of
the coat while the dog is moving is permissible. The exhibitor
would usually brush the "parting" out when setting the dog up
during judging.
The individual examination of the Havanese dog is done
on the table. While being judged in the classes, the dogs may
either be set up by the handler or free stacked. The dog's ring
attitude should reflect the breed's happy character. When
gaiting, the Havanese dog should be on a loose lead and moved at
a moderate rate of speed. Their typical "springy" gait may be
observed by an occasional "bounce" as they move.
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