Havanese and Warm Weather

Warmer days are coming and yesterday the garden furniture went out. It's about time don't you think? But don't put out plants just yet - cooler weather is coming tomorrow. Remember all sensitive plants shouldn't be placed out til the end of the month.

Well, we made progress. Nathan pulled a million and a half dandelions and I cut back some branches and shrubs and the dogs just had a grand old time dragging the sticks from my cutbacks from here to there.

The Havanese are like us - they can't wait til warmer times but when the really hot weather arrives - hey give me that pool or air conditioner - any old time.

Yvonne's puppies from our Kat and her Lola's are already 10 days old. WOW! We still have 12 days to go till Wasabi's ultrasound and tomorrow Zack and Coco are coming for a week to play. It's going to be great fun.

Then today Linda's mother and Linda of course are coming - 89 years old to be surrounded by all these dogs. It's the start of a great holiday weekend. What have YOU got planned? How about a walk with your fave Havanese. Did you know that they create conversations wherever you go? I find that to be rather nice and when that happens - you get to human socialize them. That's a GOOD thing!

Havanese Heat NO MORE

Well - not - never but it's done - ah...and till the next time. I adore male dogs - I do and I mean totally do. They are so lovees etc. but not stud dogs that are kept away from a gal in heat. They are an entire 'nother beast but today - calm...no interest - and tomorrow a bath as the marking outside has stopped.

We were going to take Kat out to class tonight to get him to get away from the scents but now it will only be the Treasure. She's practicing for the show coming up and we like to keep her exposed to kids, other dogs, different scenery etc. It's important especially during their fear stages.

Treasure hasn't been around screaming - running kids so last night I asked the kids to stop at class (class was outside) and say hello to her. All of this is done to make her realize that no matter how headache driven the screams are - it's all harmless.

Oversized Havanese or WHAT?

This weekend someone asked Nathan to show a 130 lb dog. Can you guess what it was?

When the judge said run it around twice, Nathan got his full workout.

Nathan really enjoyed the experience though a dog that size - when it wants your treats - well who is going to win? You, of course but it gives new meaning into getting your dog trained. This one was a rather well trained special who already had his championship.

Well, today was a catch-up day with much grooming. Due to rain, and not being here - well I had work to do and - well sometimes they say - there are days like this....

Can we have another day?

Abigail Championship

Well, Abigail now has 13 points - you need 10 for their championship and the question is - do we cut her down or do we leave her in full coat? What do you think?

That's it - Abigail can play to her heart's delight and muck it up, swim and not have mommy give her all those deep conditioning baths.

Life is going to be sooooooooooo much fun. ROFL

Abigail Finishes

Well Abigail does it with a bang - beating out all the specials for breed and finishing her championship and get this - with a blown coat.

More after today's show and a champion photo tonight.

Gad - am I tired or what and soon we have to pick up our friend Valerie Weston that helped us and continues to and I get to watch her TT in the ring today as she is on this afternoon while Nathan is on this morning with Abigail and Treasure. Fiona gets to hang out at home and enjoy already getting her championship just a few weeks ago.

We are sooooooooooooo excited to have 2 champions in such a short time.

Another Show Day: Simcoe

Here's the 3 at the show yesterday. If you think it is easy showing 3 at a time - well it's a tad - well challenging the way we do it but that's okay. I had all three on the table waiting their turn to be brushed.

Last night I had to wash the crew. I fudged - I half washed Treasure - fully washed the other two. I was out of steam. Treasure wasn't dirty other than underneath and her feet and her face so that is what I did. My bad but it was almost a full bath and thinking back on it, I may as well just had done the whole thing but it did save me a bit of time. Tonight I get to wash only 2 as Fiona is staying home. It will be much easier with 2 but get this, we are on at 9am - yikes - yeah Happy Mother's Day to me.

I then went to bed crashing hard with Wasabi, Shoshi and Katsura. Kat would have none of that sleep stuff so I may be sleeping in the car. This heat business is getting old. It's almost 530am and I have to wake the crew up soon anyways so we can get back on the road yet again - to another dog show.

No dog show next week - hooray and the next one is only with Treasure - much easier for ME!

Well, today we are going to drop Val off and we are - well I am hoping to buy some plants. There are a bunch of greenhouses and nurseries out that way and that will be my Mother's Day or celebration to me for surviving. Don't want to do it tomorrow as it will probably be a zoo but hoping we find the time today. We shall see.

Hoping for a good day at the show. Win or lose - it's a great chat!

Abigail's Almost There

Last night Darlah bathed no less than three dogs: Abigail, Fiona and Treasure.

This morning we picked up our friend Val at 7:00am and then headed for Simcoe, Ontario. Today was Abigail's day.

In spite of the fact she's in heat and dealing with the fact that Kat wants her as much as she wants him, she was wonderful in the show ring. She won Winner's Bitch, then Best of Winner's and Best of Opposites picking up two more points towards her championship.

She needs just two more to finish. She's almost there! Val helped. Rita helped on lead when I had to show two dogs at once. Darlah helped most of all by doing a wonderful job on Abigail's coat even though its still growing back. And right now as I'm typing this Darlah is doing it all over again in anticipation of tomorrow's show.
Nathan

Havanese Bitches in Heat and the Dogs Who Love Them

As those of you who follow the blog know, we have one male in our home, a single boy among eight females. Some of our females are spayed for various reasons and will live out their lives with us happily ever after but four are not. And when those bitches come into heat our boy, Kat, knows it. He also knows what to do about it. Last week, for example, Wasabi was in heat and right in her prime and he knew it. This time, lucky boy, he was allowed to breed Wasabi and breed they did, eleven times. As soon as her time was over she growled him off and he understood.

Then Abigail went into heat. Our bad luck she didn’t go into heat at the same time as Wasabi but one week after and this time he was not allowed to breed. So instead of last weeks’ experience, with Wasabi flirting and dancing and him flirting and dancing right back, tails wagging, snuggling, licking ears and generally loving each other, followed by a tie, this week as much as he is desperate for us to understand that Abigail is in heat, we don’t seem to get it. Worse, as much as he pathetically whimpers, whines, claws at doors, crates, barred gates and windows, we aren’t seeming to understand that Abigail is calling him and she needs him right now! As I look up from my desk Kat is standing in front of the gate across my office door which prevents him from getting to Abigail. Of course Abigail is playing right along, lying a foot from the gate on the other side slowly wagging her tail and batting her eyelashes at him. If there was ever a more perfect name than the designation ‘bitch’ for a female dog, especially one in heat, I’ve never heard it.

At night I am now sleeping in a separate bedroom from my wife so that Kat is with me and away from Abigail. Risa, Shoshi and Fiona join us. The rest stay with Darlah. Just about all night long Kat comes to me to ask if he can please go see Abigail now. It reminds me of our children, once upon a time when they were young, asking repeatedly “are we there yet?” In Kat’s case he jumps on the bed, off the bed, snuffles at the closed bedroom door, back on the bed again trying to make his suddenly dumb daddy understand that Abigail really needs him right now. “Don’t you understand, Daddy? Abigail NEEDS me” he says in his best telepathic manner, willing me to understand and let him out.

He has finally settled down sitting beside my leg and is looking up at me with these big wide open eyes. He’s not quite sure why I’m being so particularly dense but he’s no dummy and he realizes I control the gate. In fact, he is so very bright and alert at the moment I wish I was showing him this weekend. Instead, we’re showing the bitch and she is in a mood.

We are travelling to the dog show in our van each day. We are bringing Treasure, Fiona and Abigail. But we are also picking up our friend Val and she’s bringing her fantastic Tibetan Terrier and another male dog she is showing this weekend. Imagine, if you will, five dogs in the van together for no less than 4 ½ hours each day, back and forth from our home to Val’s to the show. My two other girls could care less that Abigail is in heat but Val’s two males are certain to be in a special mood by the time we arrive at the show. We warned Val but she says this happens all the time in the show world so the boys have to learn to tough it out. I think she’s nuts and I’m really glad I’m driving, leaving Darlah and Val to deal with the whining and whimpering while I zone out and focus totally on the road.

Wish us luck this weekend.

Nathan

Havanese Males Intact Woes

This heat business....argh... We are sharing this lovely stage of breeding with you so you 'get' that its not all fun but despite it all - we are trying to laugh - and hope you laugh with us - not at us!

We are showing a semi-old photo of Kat as you do not want to see him today despite that I bathed him thoroughly and do semi baths daily.

Someone suggested I use lavender scented things to help but it doesn't work!

I tried using the disguise scent method but we must be in the height of things as he has reached an entirely different level. It doesn’t work. Problem with multiple females – they aren’t all in sync. If they had started at the exact time Wasabi did – all of this would have been history as today is day 21 for her.

The good news in all this is we really believe after all the mating that the Wasabi Woo is preggie.

Oh well – just going to make staying awake for the shows this weekend impossible. Think I will be taking the boy with me at bedtime so Nathan can drive and I don’t have to worry. I am hoping I can sleep in the car. Now, I get up and Nathan grabs the gals and goes to bed and Risa and Shoshi and Kat and the retrievers stay downstairs with me so he can get an hour of sleep. Then he has to take a nap to feel human. Not sure how he will do that at a show unless he goes out to the car himself and snoozes. If he wins – no rest for the weary. ROFL – Can you say HELL weekend for both of us? If it wasn’t for the points for others and the $$ we already paid or the extra person we are driving there that is counting on us – I would stay home.

But thanks…appreciate all tips. It’s just a dawg house at Talemaker Havanese….yeah…that’s it!

PS: If I won the lottery, I would design a house that only the male dog and human can frequent at this time with electric security gates that send out aromatherapy scents that distract the males at this time - yeah right - now can you see how much sleep we are getting?

Good thing this is over when Zack and Coco come visiting. ROFL

Pencil Drawing: Havanese

Each year we bid on some items at the auction. This year we won a pencil drawing. The HFC (Havanese Fanciers of Canada) auction ia a great event for the Havanese Rescue and this is how our winning item came out. Can you guess which one of our Havanese it is?

The auction that happens each year is for a good cause and we love this memory we ended up with. Now to frame and get it on the wall.

We are still dealing with gals in heat. Wasabi is done - but we have others and the dear boy losing his head but we are surviving.

We are off to a dog show this weekend a huge drive away back and forth and all day at a show. Will we survive? Time will tell.

Meeting of the Noses

You meet all sorts of friendly faces at all sorts of places. Here, Treasure was touching noses with a Beardie. This is a correct meet and greet and if you notice, both were ever so relaxed.

Treasure and Abigail was at handling class and tomorrow it will be Fiona and Abigail's turn.

It gives them practice but it also gets them out and about.

We have a busy week - and a show this weekend.

Then we wait and find out if the Wasabi is pregnant and with all the ties, I would be very surprised if she wasn't. But we won't know till the very end of the month so stay tuned...

Kat and Lola puppies will be making their debut any day now. We can't wait!

Tomorrow....rain...sigh or so they say...

Visiting Friends: Havanese Style

Remember Lil' Man? He's now known as Milo!

Well we went to see his human pack leaders, Helen and Suzi and Milo of course and then lo and surprise, they got a Bichon called Hugo to keep Milo in line or is that keep the humans in line or???

Well, you know these precious little ones. They tend to wrap you around their fingers and look at you with those eyes, and it's all over.

Here, Treasure was hanging out on Helen's shoulder doing her neck warming job of playing, cuddling and standing on high and Helen was kind enough to accommodate her.

Isn't it wonderful to spend time with like minded people who adore their dogs?

Milo just had the snip, snip so he gave us loving but he also was a tad more subdued than usual.

Wouldn't you be if you were snipped, snipped?

I know *I* would be....

Milo couldn't wait to introduce us to his new pack mate, Hugo. We have a feeling Hugo is going to be a delightful playmate for Milo who is a dog who just adores mucking it up with him. It was really nice to see.

Of course Suzi and Helen was way too generous as usual offering us pastries that were delightful and fruit and coffee. Oh my - will my stomach ever fit into a bathing suit.

Then Nathan just had to stop to get that fatty, smoked meat sandwich that is to die for - oh well - tomorrow is another day. Besides - if Wasabi is preggie - who has time for such things.

Shows, puppies - gracious puppy lovin' friends - how much better can it get? I know - a crazy partner (husband/wife) that loves the dawgs as much as you do.

I'm Going to Get You Havanese Style

Who says big dogs can't play with little dogs just fine? Treasure just adores her Terra and I can understand why. She has the patience unlike any others despite Treasure acting like the puppy she is. She yanks on Terra. She jumps at her till she says okay, I will play and I do believe she loves it!

Are two dogs better than one? You bet but 2 Havanese can do that famous run-like-hell game unlike any other but still the Terra tries - and oh does she try.

The weather is getting better and it's time to take photos. Look for photo opportunities. You will be glad you did!

Havanese Communications

More dogs die as a result of behavior problems than all preventable medical problems combined. Frustrated owners simply give up, and their untrained dogs often end up in animal shelters with uncertain fates. Luckily there is a Havanese rescue but the answer is to find a way to make it work - not give up or you will be wondering why things happen as they did.

Part of the problem lies in miscommunication. It's easier than you think to teach your Havanese the wrong thing. Well meaning owners do it all the time. We've all seen owners yell and yell for a dog to come as the dog blissfully ignores the command, madly chasing squirrels instead. When finally the dog comes, the frustrated owner may pop the dog on the nose and yell some more. The message? Would you go to somebody who might hit and yell at you? Consistent training and positive reinforcement with treats and praise work a lot better to enforce the right message.

Teaching a dog proper behavior means knowing how to correct him when he does something inappropriate. There are both good and bad ways to correct your Havanese. Owners should avoid spanking, kicking, rubbing his nose in it, or yelling at a dog. Besides rarely communicating the message the owner intends, this type of correction can cause even more behavior problems.

If you spank your Havanese for going to the bathroom inside, the message is, don't do it when I'm looking. Havanese are intelligent but they need to know what you are asking.

A common history in dogs with behavior problems is that they are not walked regularly. Owners may have difficulty walking a dog that pulls or barks, so walks become less and less frequent. A Havanese that is not exercised regularly will find other -- often destructive -- ways to vent his energy. That's why teaching your Havanese to walk calmly on a leash is so important. If your Havanese pulls on the leash, change directions suddenly. Whoever determines the direction has leadership. The idea is to interrupt the bad behavior and praise the good.

Learning to communicate with your Havanese is complicated. But when it comes to your Havanese, a little patience and consistent training will earn you years of enjoyment. Enroll in a local training class to master the communication tools you need to make the most of your relationship with your Havanese. You will create a bond and learn how to achieve the 'desired' behaviors you are looking for.

Not all schools are equal. Ask others that have attended or visit an ongoing class and then join. If you practice what you learn, you will end up with an amazing Havanese doing what you want it to with personality thrown in.

Teeth & the Havanese

I am a puppy so my teeth are still coming out and new ones are coming in. My teeth are rather white but what if you have an adult with plaque? What should you do?

Someone who follows the blog mentioned that they took their nail and scraped it off - well you can do that and many a show person does. It surely beats going to the vet to be put under.

The tartar can be irritating to the gums and can cause an inflammation called gingivitis. This can be seen as reddening of the gums adjacent to the teeth. It also causes bad breath. At this point it is necessary to remove the tartar with a special instrument called a scaler - that works much like your fingernail does. Problem with this method is it works but it also doesn't polish the teeth. If plaque is bad, you may still want to have it done at your vets office. They not only clean them but polish them.

But if you are simply trying to stay on top of the issue, you can brush daily, use a scaler to take off minor plaque and/or use a product called Leba. Leba works but it is pricey.

What else can you do? Bones - chewing on bones helps scrape the plaque of naturally and most times it does an excellent job.

Well, today was bath time for some - hang out time with daddy outside but now it's raining yet again.

Now where is that sun? The lack of it surely didn't stop this play.

Handling Class: Socialization

When you go to handling classes, you meet all sorts of dogs, from big to large to SUPER large. It's a great way to socialize and slow condition your dog to all sort of breeds.

It takes time to do classes with your dogs but it can be ever so rewarding. It doesn't matter what type of class - from obedience to tricks, to agility to handling - it's all fun but you do have to practice in between.

Today, I did day 2 of exercise, planted plants in the rain and the dogs got muddy and wet. Then had a backup and cleaned out the laundry room - wow - huge mess then handling class and oh yeah I did lots of work too. I know Fiona has knots from today so guess what I am doing next...sigh --- and that bed is calling me - and you?

Craziness at Talemaker Havanese

I woke up and exercised today as I need to get back into that groove - the you know - nothing fits groove so I have no choice and it's HOT and why did I wait so long. But that's okay - Nathan is doing the same running around the backyard like a banshee with the pack and walking the entire pack two by two - the usual.

We have a weekend home doing nothing but dawgs and gardening, I suppose.

Running with the dogs is grand fun. Why don't you give it a try? Maybe all this exercise won't kill us and we will become healthy - yeah - right - and you?

Talemaker Havanese Brags

We had a busy weekend this week with good company and fun moments - like Fiona's sister getting her first 2 points this weekend.

We are excited for Yvonne BIGTIME! Fiona thinks her sister is so fabulous dahlink!

Treasure and Fiona and Nathan had a fab weekend - Fiona finishing her championship - which isn't all that easy to do - it just looks easy to some, I might add and Treasure collecting enough points now to put her halfway to her championship at 6 months old.

You can't show them till 6months and Treasure just turned that.

One thing that has become evident that this showing is a roller coaster ride. You are excited as everything comes together or you are shaking your head wondering what went wrong or you are realizing you are always on a learning curve or all the above. There's more to show handling that putting a lead on a dog.

You have to do classes to perfect your skill and just when you think everything is perfect, the real show comes around, a balloon pops - the judge doesn't see what you do, your competition leaves a show early so you don't get points needed - and then some.

Then of course there is the grooming and that's a learning curve unto itself. It's not easy. You make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. But you get there you think and then you learn some more and you are always perfecting and that is what is true in the ring as well.

What is evident in this photo above is Nathan has a good time with his dogs. He laughs in the ring, he has a great attitude and it shows.

None of this is easy and not all dogs are meant to be show dogs. Some are meant to romp and be dawgs - perhaps get into rally or agility and just enjoy life but some dogs - well they just think this runway stuff is all that. I don't get it but it's true. Not all dogs in the ring have that something extra that makes you smile but some are born with it - some grow into it and some have better things to do. None of that is right or wrong. It's just life.

Thank you for allowing us to brag as we are so very proud of Nathan and his gals. They are everything to us and they make me proud.

Now that Fiona is a champion, I can woo her over to my side. tee hee... I can hear Nathan saying - not likely but we shall see. It's hard for me as I have to love them, care for them but try not to allow them to get too close as a bond with a handler and their dog can make all the difference in it all but when they achieve that championship, you can decide to go on and special them or be proud and find another passion for them and have fun.

I just adore the Havanese and those that do not have one or two in their lives (we have 7), well you don't know what you are missing. It's hard to explain but it's truly amazing.

Thanks again - and now for more shows and more challenges and more ups and downs and on to perfecting our skills I gather. That's life!

To Crate or Not Your Havanese

Some people think of crates as a cage and I guess as a human we perceive it that way and some dogs do not like it but maybe we are impressing on them our own feelings? We make sure all our puppies are comfie with crates by putting one in with them with an open door early on. This way if they ever have to stay over night at a vets, they have their comfort level. We also leave them open under our desks and use them at dog shows when I am doing two or more dogs. This way, one can sit safely while I am grooming the other but I don't walk away and leave them in it.

I will never feel safe just walking away at a show and leaving them in one. I would rather walk them around with me. Pros with many dogs have to but we will never be at that stage.

But what if you don't do dog shows? Well, I find with toys in it, my dogs LOVE their crates but I use it as a bed - a retreat and they rather like that. You will always find one or two hanging out in one just because they want to be close and have the cushy comfort.
Our dogs sleep on our beds, lounge on our couches and chairs and enjoy all the comforts but we owe them to get them to feel that a crate is safe. That way, if they are ill and have to stay in one, well a crate will be comfort not stress.

One hopes they never get ill but you never know.

Fiona Gets Her Championship

Just had to share that Nathan and Fiona got their championship. I say that as it was Nathan training her every step of the way and making that connection with the Fiona.

I am truly proud of this duo. Now Fiona gets to be a dawg and only be taken out to have some fun - when she wants to.

PS: The bad parents that we are - well we indulged her with chicken and part of a milkshake. She deserved every bit of it - so did Nathan.

Huge thanks goes to Yvonne of Chicadoro in entrusting us with this delicate beauty. She certainly has a mind of her own and that lovely scat, scat is - well it's precious. Thanks for letting us brag...