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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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