Thank you all. I learned on my first Havanese after she was older and calmer. Puppies are quite difficult. The most important thing is for you to be really really calm when you try this. The trick is to LEARN by snipping very tiny amounts to start, much less than you want for the final results. Mistakes are easier to correct that way. If the puppy is too wriggly, wait for a time when it is really sleepy. Talk in a low calm voice, or don't talk at all. Reassure him in a low calm voice how good he is. Also, you don't need to get this done all in one sitting! OR you can practice on your older calmer Hav if you have one. LOL I use shears that I only use to cut my hair. Sharpness makes the process much smoother and quicker. If you cut paper or anything else, get another pair that are just for hair.
The first place to practice the method is the top of the head. You grasp a THIN line layer of head hairs between your first and second fingers and pull up and away from the dog at the angle the head is shaped. Do NOT cut to the FINISHED length you desire at the first snip until you get this process down and your dog is more cooperative. Snip the hair above your fingers (not the palm side of your fingers). Lay it back down and it should fall naturally without a chopped off look. If you like that look THEN go a little shorter. Repeat the process around the head. You can even up the stray lengths just eyeballing and snipping once the puppy has shaken his head and exposes uneven places. Do not trim the EARS this way! I will explain ears separately. Study lots of Hav photos before you attempt the areas near the eyes and muzzle and be cognizant of the lengths of hair that make that CUTE look.
For the Chin and Throat you place the dog in a SIT position at your eye level if possible (you could sit on the floor). Grasp a thin line layer of hair the same way you did for the head, but angle your hand the same angle as the dogs throat. I hold the head back with the same hand so the dog is facing up (reminding him how good he is) and snip. Repeat the process around that area. When and if you get a chopped-off looking area you can even it out by grasping the nearby hairs (that don't blend) along with the ones you just cut, pull up and away and snip the longer ones just a bit (at an angle) to help even them out. Remember, tiny tiny bits at a time till you get this and the pup cooperates.
The hair at the bridge between the eyes is most critical. I have very long sharp shears and when I cut, the points of the scissors are nowhere near my dog's eyes because I cut that area from the back of the scissors. They also make blunt end scissors. NEVER use a tiny pair of scissors where the points can poke an eye! I always have control of his face, holding him still and aways reassuring. He is at the point that he knows to hold very still when I do his face. If your dog won't cooperate, don't push it. It's not worth the risk. The muzzle is done the same as the throat. You pull the hair up away from the side of the face . Then snip in a tiny delicate shape that follows the cute rounded muzzle (use your puppy's first photos before his muzzle grew long to use as a guide. (Or the puppy at the Header of this Forum) You should pull the hairs at an angle from the side of the muzzle, but angle your fingers so the hair further toward the neck and ears stays a little longer. It is the grasping and pulling up and away and angling before snipping that makes the hair fall more naturally. (I do this on my own hair).
EARS: Feel the shape of your pup's ears. They are not FLAT across the bottom. They are shaped somewhat like a soft rounded "V". Trim just a tiny bit (1/8 inch" and follow the line of the ears. I always try to hold the edge of the skin so I know to not cut anywhere close to that area. I only cut the bottom portion of the ears, never the tops or sides. Then stand back and look. If you want them shorter, (a younger look), then trim a bit more. It's okay if the hairs aren't blunt cut and even. You want a natural look anyway so don't strive for perfection.
Sometimes its best to go in stages. You may decide you cut one area too short. It will grow back. You don't need to cut everything shorter to match a bad look. Just work to blend it in the next trim cycle. The best part, is their hair grows so fast, you can get a lot of practice. Soon, you can make the first snip the best snip. Once you get the look YOU want, it's easy to repeat the next time. It's also less noticeable if your mistake is a small short snip, and not a huge chunk. There is only so much you can do with a new bouncy happy puppy who thinks this is a game. Stay calm so he will enjoy all of his hair cuts. When you both have had enough, tell him how BEAUTIFUL he is and that he is SO beautiful he deserves a TREAT!!!!!! He'll soon love to be groomed......