Havanese Dogs & Shedding: Here’s What To Expect (+ Grooming Tips)

Are you considering a Havanese dog? Then you might be wondering how much shedding to expect from such a long-haired dog.

How Much Do Havanese Dogs Shed?

Havanese dogs do not shed much but they do require a lot of grooming to keep the long hair free of tangles and knots. You should expect some shedding during the early spring and the late fall but outside these shedding seasons, the Havanese breed doesn’t shed much.

But there are other things to consider as well.

Hang with us for a moment as we go over what you need to know about Havanese dogs and shedding.

How Much Do Havanese Dogs Shed?

When you look at the Havanese dogs you would typically expect them to shed all over the place.

Not true.

The Havanese dog breed is one of the breeds that shed very little. The hair has a long life cycle and will not die and fall off as quickly as with your average dog breed.

If you brush the hair weekly you can almost keep your house free of dog hair. This is great and also the reason why the Havanese dog breed is very popular among city dwellers. When you cannot take the dog outside very often you need to groom him/her indoors sometimes.

And then it’s very convenient to have a doctor that doesn’t shed very much.

People get tricked by that long fine coat because we tend to believe that the longer the hair, the more shedding we should expect. But this is not true for the Havanese breed.

The breed is categorized as a hypoallergenic breed. This means that it is a very good choice for people with allergies because the hair will stay on the dog.

We find very little shedding in this beautiful dog breed outside the main shedding seasons. When you brush the long hair you will only take out the dead hairs. You don’t need to grab deep into the coat with a de-shedding tool because the underlying coat doesn’t fluff up too much.

The Havanese dog is the perfect dog breed for people who are looking for a small dog with almost no shedding.

The puffy coat is really soft and light. It’s perfect for people with kids who like to cuddle with their pet because the hair will stay on the dog as the kids play around with it.

But you should expect more shedding in the early spring and late fall because we are dealing with a dog with a double-layered coat. This means that the coat will get thicker during the winter and the Havanese will need to get rid of some of that fur when spring arrives.

A Great Trick to Reduce the Shedding Indoor…

An anti-itch shampoo is a great help when your dog is throwing hairs all around. This way you can limit the amount of hair that ends up on your sofas and floors.

Use a good de-shedding tool (more below) to get the hairs off outdoors or in the shower. And then you can use this shampoo to make sure the dog doesn’t scratch itself too much indoor.

How About Havanese Puppies And Shedding?

All puppies will shed their puppy coat at some point. This is also true for the Havanese puppies.

When the time comes, you should be prepared for more shedding.

Remember, the Havanese dog breed is a small dog and the puppies are obviously even smaller. So, even though they will shed off their puppy coat over a couple of weeks you will be able to handle the hair just fine.

You just need to prepare yourself with lots of patience because the puppy will not understand what’s going on. You need to brush the little puppy gently because the skin is fragile and puppies only have one layer of hair.

The Havanese puppies won’t develop the double-layered fur until they have shed off the puppy coat. This holds true for all dog breeds.

All puppies have one layer of coat and when the adult coat grows out, some dog breeds will develop a double-layered coat.

When the puppy turns 6 to 8 months old it will start shedding the puppy coat. It will take a couple of weeks and after this period, you are officially out of the woods. Now you will have the perfect dog because he/she is cute, long-haired, and he/she hardly sheds at all.

Are Havanese Dogs Hypoallergenic?

The Havanese dogs are hypoallergenic dogs.

This basically means that they are ideal for people with allergies to the dander in pet hairs.

This is great news because it’s a really fluffy and cute dog breed. Many other hypoallergenic breeds have shorter hair if they have hair at all.

If you are allergic to dog hair you need to consult your doctor before you get any type of dog. This is important because even though the Havanese dogs are hypoallergenic it doesn’t mean that they have no shedding doing on at all. All dog breeds will shed a little bit.

Nor does it mean that there is no dander on the hair. The hair will have dander on it they’re just less shedding going on.

You should be prepared to brush the dog regularly to get rid of as much dog hair as possible if you are having allergic reactions to pet hair.

How Much Grooming Is Required For The Havanese?

The Havanese requires a lot of grooming. You should expect to brush and groom the fur daily in order to keep it free from tangles and knots.

It’s a pretty small dog so it shouldn’t take too long.

You always need to start by using a curry comb or a similar brush. This is the best way to straighten all the hair and make sure there are no tangles and mats. When you have done so you can use a de-shedding brush if you need to remove some of the underlying coat.

Considering trimming the coat

If you want to avoid having to groom the dog daily you could consider trimming the coat down a little bit.

If you have experience with it you can do it yourself but if you haven’t got the experience, you should let a professional groomer do it for you.

The fine silky coat is not meant as insulation for the body. The Havanese dogs are exotic dogs and that long fur was originally meant to cover from the sun in order to avoid sunburns and overheating.

So you shouldn’t worry about whether the dog will get too cold when you cut off some of the hair. But remember that it was bred for a warm climate (Cuba) so if you are living in the cold regions in the north you need to take precautions. You shouldn’t take very long walks in the freezing winter months.

You need to make sure that the undercoat is thick enough to take the dog outside in the winter. Sometimes the undercoat will (almost) disappear.

If you suspect this to be happening you need to consult a veterinarian or a professional groomer before the winter season. Just to make sure you don’t expose this little dog to too low temperatures.

Some people choose “cording”

Cording is a technique where you create dreadlocks all over the fur of the dog.

In some countries, this is really popular among competitions and dog presentations.

You should be aware that if you choose to do this you will need to spend even more time cleaning and trimming the dog hair. This is because the dreadlocks tend to attract dirt, leaves, and everything else that can get tangled up in the long hair.

It’s not a short cut to avoid grooming the dog. On the contrary!

Related Questions

Are Havanese Dogs High Maintenance?

Havanese dogs are very high maintenance dogs because they have a very long coat. You need to groom them daily to make sure the long hair doesn’t get tangled up. You should expect to spend at least 15 minutes every day in order to keep the coat of the Havanese dog in good shape.

Do Havanese Dogs Have Double Coats?

Havanese dogs have double-layered coats. But sometimes the inner coat is almost absent. The long hair on the outer layer is used for protection from the heat of the sun. This is to prevent the dog from overheating as it is originally bred in the warm regions of Cuba.