Grooming the Havanese

By Cindra Grooming Products — USA-Made Professional Grooming Essentials

The Havanese — Cuba's only native breed and a true "velcro dog" for its devotion to family — carries a long, soft, profuse double coat that ranges from wavy to curly, with a wavy texture preferred under the breed standard. The coat sheds very little, but don't mistake that for low-maintenance: loose hair gets caught in the coat rather than falling out, so regular brushing is what actually keeps this breed's signature long, tousled look from turning into a mat.

COAT

The Havanese is a double-coated breed with soft hair in both the outer coat and undercoat. The hair is very long and profuse, shown completely natural — the breed standard specifically penalizes any trimming or sculpting of the coat beyond minimal, non-noticeable trimming of the sanitary area and neatening the hair on the feet. Coat type ranges from straight to curly, with a wavy coat being preferred; a coarse or wiry coat is a disqualifying fault. Any color or marking pattern is permissible, with no preference given to one over another.

Head furnishings are left long and untrimmed, falling forward over the eyes or to the sides, and may be held back in two small braids per the standard — no other hair accessories are correct for showing.

CHARACTER

The Havanese is affectionate and happy by nature, friendly, playful, alert, and intelligent, with a sweet, non-quarrelsome disposition — aggression or shyness are both considered faults to the breed's correct temperament. This easygoing, people-focused personality generally makes Havanese cooperative and even enthusiastic about grooming sessions, which is fortunate given how much regular brushing this coat actually needs.

Recommended Cindra Grooming Products

Common Coat Problems & Solutions

Problem Solution
Detangling / dematting Apply Moisture Plus full strength liberally to the mat. Wait 15 minutes, then pull the mat gently apart with fingers or a comb.
Greasy coat Use Cleansing Shampoo in place of Moisturizing Shampoo for that bath.
Coat lacks body Use Texturizing Shampoo in place of Moisturizing Shampoo.
Dingy white or light-colored coat Use Cleansing Shampoo on the first lather, wait 5 minutes, then rinse. Follow with a Moisturizing Shampoo lather and rinse.
Urine stains Use a small amount of Cleansing Shampoo full strength on the area, wait 5 minutes, and rinse.
Flyaway hair Make an anti-static spray with 2 tablespoons of Moisture Plus diluted into 1 pint of water.
Damaged coat Wet the coat with warm water and apply Moisture Plus liberally as a hot-oil-style treatment. Wrap in a hot towel for 15–20 minutes, then shampoo with Moisturizing Shampoo and rinse.
Thin leg furnishings or feathering Spray diluted Texturizing Mist into a damp coat and fluff dry with a blow dryer.

Source: adapted from Cindra's internal grooming reference archive.

Hands On Grooming Guide

Brush at least twice a week if the coat is kept long, more often if you can manage it — a pin brush or slicker brush worked in small sections from front to back, all the way down to the skin, prevents the dense undercoat from packing into mats. Mist the coat lightly with water or a conditioning spray before brushing dry hair, which reduces breakage and static.

Bathe roughly every 2 to 4 weeks for most pet Havanese, fully saturating the coat before shampooing since the dense double layer resists water penetration more than it looks like it would. Rinse completely and follow with a conditioning rinse to keep the coat's soft texture and ease future detangling. Dry with a low-heat blow dryer while brushing through the coat in sections — air-drying a coat this dense, especially in the undercoat, risks it drying matted.

Check eyes and ears regularly during grooming; ears that aren't kept clean are prone to infection on this breed given the dropped ear shape.

Corded Coats

The Havanese is one of a small handful of AKC breeds, alongside the Poodle and Komondor, where a corded coat is recognized and correct for showing. Cords form when the coat is left unbrushed for an extended period, allowing it to separate into tassel-like sections rather than being brushed out smooth. In young dogs the coat will naturally separate into wavy sections first, gradually developing into full cords as the dog matures — not every Havanese coat texture cords successfully, and starting the process generally means setting the brush aside entirely for several weeks while the coat begins to felt on its own.

Cording is a real commitment, not a one-time style choice: once a coat is corded, it generally has to be shaved off if you decide you no longer want to maintain it, since brushing out a fully corded coat isn't a realistic option.

Natural Coat vs Puppy Cut

A natural, untrimmed coat is what the breed standard calls for and what most show Havanese wear — long, flowing, and brushed rather than cut, with only minimal trimming permitted around the feet and sanitary area. This look requires the most frequent brushing to maintain.

Many pet owners instead choose a puppy cut, kennel cut, or teddy bear cut — all shorter, more uniform trims that reduce daily brushing demands significantly. None of these are incorrect for a companion dog; they're simply a tradeoff between appearance and maintenance time, the same choice owners of other long-coated toy breeds make.

Do Havanese Shed?

Very little. Loose hair tends to get caught in the outer coat rather than falling to the ground, which is why the breed has a reputation for being allergy-friendly, though no breed is completely hypoallergenic. One honest exception worth knowing: a recessive short-coat variant sometimes nicknamed "Shavanese" does shed more like a typical dog, but this coat type is a disqualifying fault for showing and isn't representative of the standard Havanese coat.

Puppy vs Adult Coat Care

Life Stage Coat Characteristics Grooming Focus
Puppy Softer puppy coat, full double-coat density and texture not yet developed Build daily handling and brushing tolerance early; coat thickens and lengthens with maturity
Adult Full, long, profuse double coat ranging from wavy to curly Brushing at least twice weekly in natural coat, bathing every 2–4 weeks, trimming every few weeks if kept in a shorter style

Quick Grooming Schedule

Task Frequency
Brushing (natural coat) At least twice weekly, more if possible
Brushing (short/puppy cut) Weekly to twice weekly
Bathing Every 2–4 weeks
Trimming (puppy cut) Every 4–6 weeks
Nails Every 2–3 weeks
Ears Weekly
Teeth Weekly

Havanese Grooming Resources

The Cindra Touch

A Havanese's coat is soft, forgiving, and built to look effortlessly tousled — but that look only holds up with real, consistent brushing underneath it. Cindra's formulas are built to keep that soft texture intact, whatever length or style you choose to keep it.