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Havanese Owner
Connection
INFO: Last
litter some of the harness's purchased did not work
well. Don't get an over the head harness - they
are too difficult to put on and off. I would get
the strap type, not the nylon or neoprene fabric ones.
The easiest are the step in front legs. The size
you want is an adjustable 8" - 14" small.
One owner found a
cat harness which will work on puppies. They will
outgrow it, but it is much easier to put on and take off
MORE INFO: One
of my wonderful owners found a website that sells pee
pad holders that don't even need the pee pad. No
more pulling and playing with the pads. I think
they look great and I ordered one.
www.ugodog.com
I have two and I'm
using them for training with my puppies. They are
fantastic. I plan to do some pictures and more
details on this product, but I really do recommend it.
A place where I /WE post
owner information, shot reminders, latest tips and
research etc. This site will be much better with
your help - I know some of you do a lot of research so
please e-mail and share.
The
Mylad Chronicles
OK it's
time to follow a new litter, and share in the joy and
frustration of our new parents, who again will be known
by their initials so as not to embarrass them too badly.
This does not mean Gem and Carmen parents can't continue
to update, please do - we all learn from each other so
FAQ, and things that work are definitely worth sharing.
Send in your questions and your training tips to
www.myladtrainingtips@hotmail.com
and
I'll publish.
Updates:
Previous
Tips:
-
Ear
cleaning: A reminder to do those ears every week.
Never put a dry cotton ball in the ear, moisten it with
cleaner and then go as deep as your index finger will
allow (you can't hurt the ear drum) clean in a circular
motion. If there is a yellow or yellow brown wax,
repeat again daily until there is no colour or residue
in the ear. If the build-up is dark brown and
plentiful, or looks like coffee grinds you want to check
with your vet for a medicated cleaner - could be
infection or with coffe grounds mites.
-
Watch
the poop on the bum. Remember you have long
coated dogs and poop occasionally gets stuck to the
coat. You need to have a quick check every day
and if necessary do a quick butt bath. If the poo gets stuck, it can actually block them up and
cause them pain and discomfort.
-
If you
are going to brush teeth (highly recommended) you
had better start now. Use some doggie
toothpaste on your finger, toothbrush or finger
toothbrush and just begin by rubbing into the teeth
and gums. Don't expect to make great progress
the first few times. But if you even get 15
seconds in the mouth with some rubbing action, don't
forget to treat your puppy and let them know how
good they are.
-
Time
to start grooming on their sides. If you want
your grooming life to be easier, and to keep that
gorgeous coat better start training your puppies to
lie on their sides now. Follow the pictures
and instructions under the grooming section (new
owner info). Remember to not only brush the
coat but every section that you brush also get your
comb through it, from skin to tip of coat. I
find a lot of owners think they are brushing every
day and doing a good job but they are missing the
little matts close to the skin, under the arms and
on the belly - only your comb will find these.
Tips
for New Owners:
Week One and Two Tips:
Didn't
eat: Don't worry too much on Day 1 and Day 2 as
long as 1/2 the food is consumed, and don't give
in and temp with other foods or treats. The
stimulation, new home, stress are all factors. If
after 2nd day evening you are still concerned about how
much he is taking in then grate up some natural balance
beef roll and mix in with food. If there is still
an issue CALL ME and we will discuss in more detail.
Eating sort of hit and miss - does not clear
bowl in 20 minutes. This is one of the ones where
you need to relax a bit. Don't supervise the
eating - puppies get so easily distracted they will take
a kibble wander around, take another see something
interesting etc. etc. Don't get into the routine
of being beside them when they eat - they will learn to
expect it. Best advice put their food and water in
their x-pen and leave the room. Check the bowl in
20 minutes - if they didn't eat pick it up.
Next meal grate some Natural Balance beef roll
and put at the bottom of the kibble and do the same
thing. Don't free feed - pick up the bowl after an
hour - you want to train them to eat when you feed them,
don't feed them by hand, and don't add tasty food if
they don't eat at that meal - they will learn to wait
and wait until you offer them something better.
This is a great game they can play called "what shall we
eat today" and they will drive you crazy.
Didn't poo:
Real common one - they don't always poop after dinner
before bed - it takes them awhile to get into a natural
routine - don't wait up waiting for a before bed poop -
it may never happen until the morning. They should
always pee before bed. Stop water intake 2 hours
before bed.
Waking up to Poo at night: Should be a
rare thing - try to get a nighttime poo - feed dinner a
little earlier - take for a walk before dinner.
This will happen - it just takes a little time - once
they learn what they are outside for and get use to your
potty commands this becomes much easier. You have
to be patient and learn to wait
Car Sick:
Not uncommon with Havanese - often goes away by 6
months, but I know that short car trips frequently also
help illuminate this issue. Generally it is not
motion sickness but anxiety that causes Havanese puppies
to drool and throw up in the car.
Cried at
Night: If it has been 3 to 4 hours since pee -
then take him out - remember he is going out for a pee
break not a play date, no eye contact, no
conversation - pee and back to bed. If it has been
under 3 hours and you know he has pottied, you will tap
firmly on the crate and tell him no - generally after
3rd time he will go back to sleep. We go over this
on pick up and it really does work. Except your
Havanese Puppy to sleep through the night by 12 weeks -
but many do at 9 weeks.
Week One Questions:
Note: These are things I do and try - I'm
experienced but not an expert - so please help us all
out and if you have things that have worked for you, or
your trainers have suggested please submit and I'll
publish - we all learn from each other. Send you
questions/answers/and tips to
www.myladtrainingtips@hotmail.com
Should
I potty the puppy on the lead? This depends on
how you are training. If you are outdoor training,
you can either let the puppy run free in a fully fenced
safe area, or you can take him out on a leash. I
prefer the leash at first for a couple of reasons.
The puppy actually has to learn that it is OK to pee
while on a leash (handy for walks), you can control
where you want the puppy to go and this is easier on the
grass and the poop pick-up and lastly you have a better
understanding of his routine, you KNOW when he pees and
poos this way.
How
long does the puppy sleep in the bedroom? Some
sleep there permanently, but if you plan to move your
puppy to his own special place, I'd leave him in the
bedroom until you know he is sleeping through the night,
and he is comfortable with your house and his crate.
Once you know he will hold his bladder all night, and he
never whines or fusses you can move him to his new
location - sometimes this is a week, sometimes it is 3
weeks. He will likely whine for the first night or
two in his new place, don't give in, buy earplugs for
those first two nights.
When
can the puppy have run of the house? Very much
depends on the puppy, but the more space they have the
less you will be able to watch them and spot the signs
of having to go potty. Young puppies do not train
well with lots of space, it just won't work, you will
lots of accidents. Confine the puppy when you
can't watch him. When the puppy is ALWAYS going
where you want him to go - either litter box, or letting
you know he wants outside, then you can increase his
space gradually. I've known puppies that were
total house reliable at 6 months but many are about a
year.
Puppy
is crying in his x-pen? Don't pick him
up and reward behavior when whining or barking - this
reinforces the behavior. Instead use a sharp voice
and your training command i.e. STOP - NO BARK -
SHHH Wait and when the puppy is quiet then take him out
and reward him. I'd practice getting him
comfortable by putting him in the pen while you are in
the room - let him see you, but don't focus on him.
Only when he is calm and comfortable let him out, treat
him, play with him. Once he is quiet in the x-pen
with you in the room - leave the room for short periods
of time. This is very similar to how you
train puppies to be comfortable in their crate, and you
can read that under the crate training section.
Previous Chronicles:
Gem and
Carmen litters are doing well. Here are some
pictures and comments on the almost 5 month old puppies.
The Chronicles will contine with the Poppy Arti litters,
and I will try to post more frequent updates and FAQ.
Willie now George:
George got over his waking up at night very quickly, and
he is doing extremely well in his new home. He is
a delightful little guy and very much part of the
family. George has really bonded with the kids,
and is bringing lots of joy to the family.
"
Hi Lauren,
George is the best little puppy ever. Are the
havanese always this good? He is becoming more
consistent in ringing the bell to be let outside and he
has found his little spot where he goes to the bathroom
on the grass."
George has a thing for soothers
Peaches
K owes me a picture,
but I got to see Peaches as her owners ditched her and
went to Hawaii and she got to stay with us. She
stole my heart, she is so loving and friendly. At
first she was not sure what to make of all the dogs, but
by day 3 she was tackling them. She was so cuddly
- wasn't going to let her parents know but she slept in
our bed :-) She never had one accident in the
house either, and loves her walks. We loved having
her here
Domino
now Mojo
From D "...So he starts this wed. We've been
taking him to some nice parks and he is interacting very
well on leash with other dogs. Some he is afraid of, but
he generally sniffs and plays. We are still training him
at home and taking him to all kinds of different
environments. He is really biting on his leash on walks
at times. Any suggestions on how to get him to stop?"
This is a FAQ: Biting on the leash is not cute
it is dominant behavior - your puppy is trying to be in
charge. Nip it in the bud right away. I make
a loud Ahh Ahhh sound everytime they do it, and after
the 5th or 6th time they usually stop.
Kensie
OK Kensie is the
obedience star her owners G&C have just done a fantastic
job with her. I have to post the e-mail, but
Kensie and her family are truly amazing and are an
inspiration to ME!!
Lauren, This past Saturday Kensie had
her Basic Companion Final Exam. This link outlines what
was required in order to graduate:
http://www.timeandpatience.com/15_graduation_standards.html
We took Kensie to the puppy playdate prior to the final
exam. She did so much better from previous weeks. She
played a little more with the smaller dogs and didn't
shy away under the chairs. After an hour and a half of
play the exam was upon us. I must admit both Caitlin
and I were worried. We had practiced and practiced but
anything can happen when you're outside of the living
room. The trainer said she expects 80% reliability from
the puppies. That means that 4 out of 5 times Kensie
had to sit, and go down by either voice command or hand
signal. She also had to "stand" from a sit
position...not really part of the exam but the trainer
wanted to see if we were 'working' on it. Kensie also
had to do a sit-stay and hold it for 60 seconds while we
were 6 feet away. She got a little restless with the
stays but held on long enough. We also had to call our
puppies...one at a time...from 20 feet away while
everyone else in the class clapped and walked around the
room. This distraction did little to prevent Kensie
from coming right away. The hardest part of the
test...I felt so bad for Caitlin...was the loose leash
walking. Caitlin had to walk Kensie along Eglington
Avenue and have Kensie sit at various locations while
the trainer watched. The hard part about this...and it
was totally unplanned on the trainers part...was that
during this particular Saturday a HUGE sidewalk sale was
happening with street performers, clowns, kids,
animals(petting zoo), live music, etc...The dogs had to
walk "nicely" beside you and sit and stay with all of
the sounds and sights of the sidewalk sale going on.
Kensie was Amazing!!! Caitlin has trained Kensie to
speed up using the word "Hurry". This helps us get her
past something quickly and then resume a nice walking
pace. The trainer was very impressed with her loose
leash walking which was nice to hear because Caitlin
walked her literally hundreds of times practicing her
loose leash walking. I think the trainer threatened
everyone with the prospect of failure to make sure
people practiced. Nobody wanted their dogs to perform
poorly and Kensie was one of the better puppies-she was
also the youngest in the class. The training has
improved our relationship with her, we feel more
confident and comfortable in our own abilities to train
her, and it has also helped her develop both socially
with other dogs and her own skills. She is just a
little young for the next class which deals with off
leash reliability...but come the springtime we are going
to take the next class. It really was fun and the
playdates were great too.
Sorry for the long winded email...we were both pretty
proud of kensie and wanted to share.
Mia
Just got an e-mail from
Mia's family. She was a model puppy in bed at a
reasonable hour and slept until 6:00 without a peep.
C&D congratulations - well done - and Mia too
BO
Bo went home last week
and the report was great. Another sleep through
the night - he did great with the family and the other
havanese. Everyone was having fun and getting
along just fine Bo is featured in a 2009 Havanese
Calendar
Daphne
No new pics of Daphne
but then again her parents have been far to busy,
boating, vacationing, motorhoming, and taking her
everyone, even fishing I think. They are having a
blast with her
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Links and Stuff
One of my owners has some
allergy problems with her havanese and after trying
these products has had great results. What's
worked? ... better breath - no more smelly or sort of
loose stools - way less tear stain - and no more
scratching. She had me convinced so I'm going to
try the digestive enzymes on one of my Havanese that
tears and see if I notice a difference too.
Remember if you suspect allergies go Corn Free food -
number 1 food allergy in dogs
Canned pumpkin - pure no
additives is a great addition to the diet. I use
it whenever I change food, or have a stomach upset.
It adds fibre. It's been great for new moms who
have to be encouraged and enticed to eat.
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