Preparing Pup for the Grooming Table

Since the first day we got our Charlie we were armed with a slicker brush and medium comb. My family fell in love with the long chocolate hair of the havanese and so going in knew that our boy would always wear his hair long. Understanding that the long haired havanese would require much grooming attention we knew that Charlie would have to be introduced to the brush very early. Day 1 we gave him his brush as a toy and after much barking and wrestling with his new found friend, he soon became complacent to its very existence. We then took it in hand and each day worked it a little on all parts of the body, giving treats at the end of his stint. Once Charlie was able to sit on command, we had him sit for short periods of time with collar and leash while we brushed. We soon opted for a footstool in our family room to act as the pseudo grooming table. He is now very comfortable sitting on the footstool while having his daily groom (which ends up being a few times a day) once my daughter has her turn playing hairstylist. It will be another month when we actually do a formal groom and we'll let you know how that goes.