Grooming

Lúdico Havana Silks

"Preserving the Original Cuban Form"

Diane Tomasevich

South King County, Washington

(206) 919-8311

These dogs take regular care. Next to inheriting a nice silk coat, you need to provide a healthy, balanced diet. In addition to a good diet.  You can keep their coats long, keep them in a puppy cut or cord them.  If you prefer to keep them long, here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

Step 1 Brushing - The earlier you start brushing your puppy the better. Puppies have short attention spans so it will take some time to work up to a full brushing session. Brushing your dog regularly will help keep his coat tangle free and in good condition. I spend about 15-20 minutes every couple of days to make sure that mats don't form. Puppies going through a change from their puppy coat to their adult coat will need to be brushed every day.

Adult dogs can be brushed every couple of days. You will need some basic equipment for

everyday brushing: soft pin brush, a fine comb,  detangler and/or conditioner spray.

I line brush my dogs. This is where the entire coat is brushed in layers of about 1 inch. This is usually easiest if the dog is lying on its side. I teach my dogs the command 'lay side'. You can lay your dog on a table or put them in your lap. If you use a table, make sure it is stable.  After laying your dog on its side, spray their coat with a conditioner or detangler. I start at the back and start brushing about 1" of hair opposite of the hair line. I do this across the entire back. I then go back and brush approximately 1" of hair. I do this until the side I am brushing is complete. I then turn the dog over and start the process again. Remember to brush their tail, belly, chest and head.

Step 2 Bathing - You will need to brush your dog and make sure there are no mats before bathing him. I bathe my dogs once a week in my kitchen sink. Some breeders bathe their dogs every two weeks. A good shampoo and conditioner are all that is required. Make sure to rinse out all the shampoo and conditioner unless the conditioner is meant to be left in.

Step 3 Drying - Towel dry your dog as much as you can to get the moisture out. Once towel dried, you can brush them out. I use a hair dryer to dry my puppies hair.

Step 4 Trimming - Your silk dogs feet will need to be trimmed. If left untrimmed, the hair will grow to cover the pads of their feet and the dog will track dirt. I use a small battery operated clipper and scissors. The hair around the feet should also be trimmed. Following their weekly bath is a good time to trim nails, clean ears and brush teeth.

Step 5 Finishing Touches - To complete grooming, clean their ears and brush their teeth!  All clean to run around and play in the dirt again!

Updated: 1/23/2010