Doggy Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Havanese’

Havanese puppies at around twelve weeks are becoming more and more aware of the power of their senses. Sometimes, for them, everything simply must pass through their nose’s and mouth’s (or teeth, to be precise!) scrutiny. A puppy chewing on a leash is therefore something typical to expect. Besides, they are bound anyway to outgrow the idea that the leash is just another chew toy.

On the other hand, here are some handy ideas to put to use if you think its high time for some serious Havanese training action versus strap- and buckle-nibbling.

First of all, instead of the typical collar and leash, why not put on the dog a harness? With this, the harness’s leash goes to the back, putting it out of reach of the dog’s or puppy’s teeth.

Indeed, doing something about the leash is the starting point of the solution. The following steps illustrate another way of using the leash in order to discourage chewing on the leash.

Hook first the leash to the collar. Then take the leash and wound it around the dog’s neck to make a circle. Take the slack part of the leash, insert and pull through the leash handle. You now have what looks like horse’s reins, consisting of two shorter leads instead of one long one. In effect, the leash rides higher than the collar on the neck.

Lastly, here is a curious Havanese training way to train a dog to lay off the leash. The owner will walk backwards in this procedure, holding the leash of the dog. He or she will hold a long wooden spoon with a few smears of peanut butter, and entice the dog to follow. When there is some slack on the leash, the dog gets praise (plus licks on the spoon of course).

For Havanese dog owners that need to travel a lot, an easily car sick dog is one of things that anxiously need minding during the trip. It would definitely be great to have a dog with Havanese training that, upon an owner’s jangling of the car keys, is ready and waiting to be given permission to join the car ride!

Sadly, most dog owners are far from living this rosy scenario. So sometimes, a car ride means having to get the dog to sit near a human passenger, or to be held on the lap in order to avoid a very messy accident from happening. Other steps that dog owners take is to avoid certain types of roads that they are sure bothers the dog very much, or to avoid feeding the dog a few hours before the car ride.

But if there is a will, there is a way of course! Any of the following are bound to keep coming up in any discussions of how to resolve canine car sickness:

1. Some owners make sure about exercising their dogs before the car ride starting from the puppyhood of the dogs. Another common alternative is to give the dog a good walk. The effect of this is that the dog goes to sleep in the crate. Overtime, a dog accustomed to this routine will simply go to sleep during the trip, with or without the walk or romp.

2. If you are looking for effective drugs that can help your dog out of the rut, then your veterinarian is likely to recommend meclazine or Bonine. Consult first with your vet before dropping by the drugstore.

In the case of the latter, the ideal dosage is half of a 25 mg tablet before travel in the case of a dog weighing 9.5 pounds.

3. Another likely suggestion would be half a Dramamine pill for a ten-pound dog. The pill needs to be given 30 to 40 minutes before making the trip.

When all anti-car sickness tips and Havanese training tips are tried and judged, perhaps the best things to do are still to keep the dog well-exercised before the trip. An extra rare treat given to the dog before revving the engine will also associate the car ride with good stuff and rewards. But opening that car window may also be the straw to break the camel’s back.

Housebreaking sounds as easy as one-two-three from the perspective of Havanese training articles, but how come things seem to go different when families themselves are trying to manage the actual nitty-gritty of training the dog its toilet manners?

At the root of all housetraining concerns every owner has to deal with is the lack of set, automatic rules to set straight even two dogs of the same dog breed, try as we all might. All right, so in fact, things are not as worse as the above paragraph intended. While there are a million ways to help out a particular case, certain things fortunately remain changeless: pinning down the problem, and checking out any of the options within the owner’s control.

So what’s to be done about the almost universal story of the Hav that avoids making use of the dog door at night, and even balks at going under a little rain or snow, and in cases of these, prefers pooing inside the house?

Really, the problem above could still thankfully be worse! If there is a way that it could spill into “the perfect crisis,” it would be for the owner not to lift a finger and put into action some consistent and firm havanese training.

In the case of the above dog, looking for extra clues certainly help. For example, let’s say that the above dog is capable of staying inside the family car without complaining that it wants to be let out. This may hint that the dog will do all right if crate-trained. The current owners will also need to be more assertive, putting in place a daily routine that helps the dog know what is expected of it. If the dog has a history of being re-homed, then the dog may have picked up from its previous owners the bad habit of skipping bad weather.

Here are a few Havanese training tips to wrap things up. It is obvious in dog training that the dog generally must never be allowed to do just about whatever it wants, like turning down crate training, or refusing to go out when it is time to poo or pee. Things will go fast indeed if appeals are made to the dog via its favorite treats. Dogs take notice of treats, of course, first through its smell, then by sight. So getting the dog accustomed to being within the crate starts by placing treats bit by bit close to the door of the crate, until such time that they are within the crate, which makes the dog create an association between a positive experience and being in the crate.

As a lot of Havanese dog owners know, this dog breed happens to be among the smartest known, and do not think twice to show they are! For example, countless owners may remember how simple it was to get the dog to understand the “shake hands” command. While some would initiate a series of actions to culminate in the “shake hands”, others actually only pick up the dog’s paw and say to it “Shake” over and over. Then the day comes that asking the dog if it knows how to shake leads to the dog actually doing it! Thus it is obviously important that the dog be given time, sometimes several weeks, just to let all the information “sink in.”

A more systematic, or in some way methodical, havanese training way of teaching shake hands starts with the owner holding food in the fist before the dog. Usually the dog will check out your hand with their nose and mouth, but wait for them to eventually paw at your hand. Praise the dog lavishly when they do so. Some dog owners will observe that the dog will not use their paws when sitting, so some adjustments may be needed here.

At least one has claimed that the trick can be taught by putting one’s hand down, palm up on the ground, then with the same hand nudge the knee of the dog to make it lift its paw. When it does so, the owner needs to slide his or her hand under the paw and lavish praise on the dog.

If you want to try out a clicker training method, you will also need to get a tupperware cover. Place the treat on the floor and let the dog see you cover it with the cover. Now, the dog is expected to paw at the cover so it could see the treat. Click, and give the treat when they touch the tupperware. Repeat from the start up to covering the treat with the tupperware, but this time place your hand on the cover. When the dog’s paw touches your hand, click and give treat. Last of all, your hand becomes the cue, and this time there is no treat or tupperware. Then insert the word “Paw” (or “shake hands”) when the dog touches your hand. Click and treat to punctuate this havanese training.

When you are leaving the house on your way to work and you see and hear your puppy or dog “screaming” for you to stop, you know it is time to jump into the fray of Hav owners and seek answers. You are here to deal with the hot and highly discussed havanese training of separation anxiety.

Veteran dog owners immediately recommend crate training as a sure way to start working on the dog’s losing its head every time people leave. The routine will look something like the following (although these definitely can be improved some more): put dog in crate for a set number of minutes, then leave room; open crate door and ignore dog for set number of seconds; greet puppy and play with it; repeat and add more minutes.

Some owners apply the simple scheme of first leaving the dog alone in the crate for short periods of time a few weeks a day so it becomes accustomed to the idea of people leaving. The dog will predictably cry for a week or two, but it is sure to get used to what is going, once everything settles into what looks like routine.

So before anybody leaves, the radio or TV is turned on, the dog is told to be a “Good boy,” and is given a treat. Only after this does everybody make a discreet exit.

But if anybody wants to implement something that seeks to “attack” the problem from several angles, perhaps the following steps are needed.

1. Before leaving, the puppy must be ignored for 20 minutes. The goal is to get the dog adjusted to still being happy even if the owner is home yet not interacting with it.

2. It’s actually possible to get the dog to feel positive about someone’s leaving. The owner needs to give it a very prized treat that it will only get when the person leaves home.

3. A shirt or pillowcase full of the owner’s scent needs to be left inside the crate. The dog can get soothe by this if everybody leaves.

4. Before leaving, the owner has to give the dog the keyword that signals the owner will be back. It could be “Be good.”

5. Upon coming back, the dog needs to be ignored until it is calm. This further tells the dog that it will do fine without its person in the house.

Last of all, dog owners need to know that in havanese training, using the crate to remedy the anxiety does not have to apply all the time. Its door can be left open to allow the dog to have a transition period, although the end in mind is to actually have the dog have a run of the house in a few months’ time, right after the preceding steps are implemented. But even then, the dog’s tantrums need to be preempted by putting away all the rugs, covering and hiding the trash cans, securing the breakable bric-à-bracs, etc.

A too-submissive or too-shy Havanese is something that seriously stands in the way to reaching the target of an optimistic and positive-personality dog. A dog may be in such a condition if, say, it acts frightened or cowers from its owner, who simply is trying to get a leash on it, and recalls no incident of hitting the dog. Then, still another sign among the many possible is of the dog that refuses to sit when asked to do so during grooming, and actually curls up in response to the brushing. Lastly, the dog may also refuse to pee or poo when told to do so, and instead stares at the owner sideways and licks its lips, all of which are signs of submission. Where in these scenarios can havanese training play its role?

Training definitely can help improve the dog’s situation, first by helping pin down and identifying what exactly is the matter with the dog; shyness and submission are two behaviors that have different triggers, effects and of course solutions. In case of shyness, one solution is to bring the dog to at least 5 new places a week and staying for some ten to fifteen minutes. In a few weeks of hard work, it is actually possible to have a dog that is greatly improved.

In the case of a submissive dog, human body language and posture happen to have important details that dogs have a particular way of interpreting. Therefore, people who do not wish to intimidate a dog will need to avoid standing and leaning over. Instead, they will need to squat to the dog’s level and let the dog approach. A way to stand near the dog is to do it facing sideways. All these enable a person to appear less threatening.

An even more vast source of confidence builders and self esteem boosters are havanese training for puppies, agility classes, obedience, and therapy dog titles; its a great plus point that havanese dogs usually do not think twice demonstrating before people how much they learned. Lots of patience will be needed to help a shy or submissive dog overcome itself, but results are possible if the owner takes the first step!

The Havanese is one of the Bichon type breeds, that includes Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Coton de Tulear, Lowchen and Maltese The Havanese is a playful small dog, toy dog that were bred to be good companions, so are good with children. They love to have attention and will do many things to attract it. This need for notice means they are not the choice for a busy working couple. They will often follow owners around the apartment, however they are not possessive of their “friends”, so are great with other dogs, pets and other animals. They often like to eat with someone in the room, so stay there when they are eating, otherwise they may take their food with them and eat it as they walk, which can be messy. They are a “real dog”, playing games such as football with all their strength. Like many toy dogs, they do not require long walks, but they do love attention. Professional Dog Walkers such as London Dog Walking, if doing grouped walks will pair them with similar dogs, rather than big energetic dogs.

For dog care they are straightforward. They do not shed much, so whilst not strictly non-allegenic, they may be suitable for a family with an allergic member.

The Havanese has a slight wavy double coat, which is soft and light, with a heavier undercoat.

The Havanese should be brushed every day, as they have the tendency for their fur to mat. If not a show dog, you can have the coat cut. Whilst they have a good coat, it is a coat to keep the hot sun off the body, not warmth inside, so in some areas you may need to buy sweaters for them.

It is advisable to dry them after a bath with towels, rather than a hair drier, which can make their skin too dry and prone to infections. It is a breed that the kennel clubs, prefer and dictate a natural look, avoiding the bows and preferring the hair over the eyes, that protected their eyes from the Cuban sun.

They now come in many different colours and patterns, but were originally white.
They have   a sturdy look compared to other toy dog breeds. The Havanese weight ranges from 4-6 Kgs ( around twelve lbs). Its height measured at the withers is around 250mm(  9-11 inches). It is an unusual dog in that the rump is higher than the shoulders.

The Havanese move with an agile springy gait. The Havanese are good swimmers, but many of them do not like swimming, but be prudent when near water  if there is something for them to chase.

They have almond eyes, with medium sized ears that are well covered and hang down. The Havanese are disposed to ear infections, so regularly check their ears and clean them. Sometimes they may require their inner hairs to be pulled by hand or tweezers. The tail sweeps over the back and is also well covered. They have very sensitive noses and are trained in some countries for search. They are easily trained so are often found in circus shows, tracking, hearing assistance dogs, mould, termite and drug search.

  They routinely live fourteen to sixteen years. The Havanese being breed from a limited gene pool suffer from some genetic diseases. These include liver disease, heart disease, cataracts and retinal dysplasia ( blots on the retina). It is recommended only to buy Havanese from parent dogs who have clear eye certificates. Havanese sometimes develop brown tear stains, this is more obvious on the lighter coloured dogs.

The dog was bred from the now extent Bichon Tenerife and was taken to Cuba by original settlers and traders. Being popular in Havana in Cuba. Globally the Havanese is a relatively recent breed, taking off in the seventies from only 10 animals in the US. They were common in Cuba, prior to the revolution, but suffered afterwards. It is now one of the fastest growing registrations in most country kennel clubs. For this reason it may be difficult to acquire one, so the best of luck on finding one.

A superb family dog that is well worth considering.