Havanese Grooming Guide — Coat Care, Costs & Schedule in Orlando FL

The Havanese carries a long, soft, wavy to slightly curly double coat that is lightweight and silky in texture. Despite the breed's Cuban origins, the coat does not handle sustained subtropical humidity as easily as one might expect. The soft, wavy texture is more prone to tangling than wire or tightly curled coats — moisture absorption causes the strands to cling together and form mats from the inside outward. The Havanese has a low ground clearance, meaning the belly and leg fur regularly contacts ground-level debris — sand, dust, and grass are common in Orlando. Professional grooming every 5 weeks is the standard recommendation for Havanese in Greater Orlando, with more frequent appointments during summer months.

A full mobile groom for a Havanese includes a pre-bath brush-out to work through the wavy coat and remove debris, a bath with a silky coat shampoo appropriate for the fine double coat, blow-drying with careful attention to the undercoat layers, a haircut to the owner's requested style (puppy cut or teddy bear are most common in Florida), scissor finishing around the face, ears, paws, and sanitary areas, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and eye area cleaning to manage tear staining. The corded style — though striking — requires a specialized grooming approach and advance notice.

Mobile Havanese grooming in Orlando ranges from to . Dogs in good coat condition with a puppy cut or short teddy bear trim run toward the lower end. Longer styles or significant mat removal cost more. The corded style requires a specialized appointment and is priced separately. The mobile fee is included in the base price.

Every 5 weeks is the recommended grooming interval for Havanese in Orlando. During summer months (June–September), the higher humidity warrants scheduling at 4 weeks to prevent rapid matting of the wavy undercoat. Shorter puppy cuts at 1–2 inches are the most practical summer style, keeping the dog cooler and reducing the surface area available for debris and moisture accumulation. In Orlando's mild winter months, slightly longer styles are manageable for owners who brush consistently. Weekly eye area cleaning at home reduces tear staining between professional appointments.

Matting from humidity is the primary challenge for Havanese owners in Orlando. The soft, wavy coat texture is more susceptible to tangling than tightly curled or wire coats because the loose wave pattern does not have the structural resistance to tangle forces. High-risk mat zones include behind the ears, under the armpits, along the belly, and around the base of the tail. The low ground clearance compounds this: the belly and leg fur picks up sand, grass clippings, and debris from close contact with the ground, and moisture from outdoor surfaces adds to the mat-formation cycle. Tear staining is also a common concern, particularly on lighter-colored Havanese. Heat sensitivity is relevant despite the breed's tropical origin — Florida's direct sun and humidity combination is more extreme than the Havanese historically adapted to.

A Havanese arriving with a debris-filled, slightly matted wavy coat transforms significantly after a professional mobile groom. After a thorough bath, careful blow-dry, and neat puppy cut, the coat is clean, even, and free of the ground-level debris that accumulates from the breed's low clearance. Before-and-after transformation photos from our Orlando Havanese appointments are available at /transformations/havanese/.

Schedule your Havanese's mobile grooming appointment with Orlando Pet Grooming Co anywhere in Greater Orlando. Call (689) 216-9889 or use to request your preferred appointment time.