Costs

Unfortunately starting in the New Year, our costs will go up. Please contact nathan for updated costs.

Picnic Photos & Details

The picnic date took place on August 17, 2019 from 12pm to 5pm at Yvonne's place in Brighton. Check out the details here. Photos from the 2019 picnic can be found here. Yvonne's place is NEXT DOOR to her old place. I will try to put a havanese flag out front. Hope you can join us. Directions are here. The house # is 25. There is no picnic in 2020 due to COVID but hopefully in 2021. Stay Tuned!

Grooming 101

Want to see how I get a smooth coat and what equipment I use? I am continually learning and perfecting but I created this video Windows version) and for you Mac apple folks - here's a conversion. - not a professional one, to help you get a head start and perfect your own skill. Got questions? Ask away.

Want to know how to create a bathing machine that will save you time, product and wash your dog better than ever before? Check out Dick and Irma's instructions on how to create your own machine for a fraction of the cost.

Woofstock Is Back

Meet us at Woofstock. Dogs are welcomed. We meet at the restaurant across the street from Woodbine Park. Here is the location. Meet up happens on June 22, 2024 at 9:30 to 945am. Rain date is the next day. Look forward to seeing your havanese there and the humans too! Don't have your havanese yet? Well join us anyway! 

Award Photos
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Certified Pet First Aid

Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid is a recognized National Pet First Aid Certificate course for dog and cat professionals and pet owners. Talemaker Havanese now has that certificate having taken and passed the course.

Friday
Dec162011

Ah Laying Down

I placed this photo up of Treasure as this is how I feel at this exact moment.

I want to lay down not caring how I look and just chill and not move but I am blogging away.

Tomorrow morning I wake up and groom all the dogs first thing. Why? I won't have time as we have puppy people coming and dinner guests so a fast comb through is all they will get. I wonder if Nathan will help me.

Looking forward to Chinese tomorrow night that I don't have to cook - yum!

I am also looking forward to getting under the covers and cuddling up to Nathan and the dawgs. I imagine I will fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Are you feeling exhausted from the holiday shopping?

Thursday
Dec152011

Grooming

Baths are almost finished. Tomorrow is the last day till 2 to 3 weeks from now.

I may get to update my help files, create some new ones and take a nap but not till next week.

Are you having a quiet weekend?

Wednesday
Dec142011

Yes, It's Raining

 Roxie had a bath today and she looks delightful, imho but I doubt it will last. She looks so much like her mom., Abigail. It's raining tonight and all day tomorrow but I like that she is clean. I just hope I can make it last despite the rain.

Wasabi and Abigail also had a bath and so did Teaser.

I was busy today as I also had 4 play sessions with the pups and burnt my lunch.

I am really enjoying my new clippers. I am adjusting so I am getting the feet cleanup to be a fast process.

Getting Wasabi to look at me or to stay still was futile when I tried to take a photo of her.

Now that heats are over (YEAH,YEAH,YEAH) it's nice to get them all bathed.

Truffie didn't get this heat business (thankfully) but adored that the gals flirted with him.

People do not understand heats but hormones are off kilter. Gals flirt with boys. Boys who can't have gals get grumpy and you swear they are possessed.

I remember Kat at the height of the heat (remember no gal for him) beside himself and focused on one thing. Getting them to eat is hard. Many first timers lose a ton of weight. He is not a first timer but still food is not what he is thinking about.

Then the heat stops and the demeanor changes. They go back to being loving and playful and relaxed.

For Katsura this time he wouldn't let it go, the thought of maybe. The gals were over yesterday but not to him. Today Wasabi gave him tons of kisses and wouldn't leave him alone and he mumbled under his breath at her. This is usual as she tends to drive him crazy kissing him when all he wants to do is sleep. You have to tell Wasabi - ENOUGH. Wasabi adores Katsura. So we knew, it's over for him too.

Life goes back to normal and just in time for the holiday season. Sometimes the timing works... most times NOT.

Tuesday
Dec132011

Truff & Abigail

Nathan took this photo today but I don't know what the story is behind it. Truff is looking mighty strange and Abigail is looking at him as if to say okay what the hey are YOU doing?

Truffie had a bath today but Abigail waits till tomorrow to get hers.

Truffie almost looks like he has a pageboy haircut here but Truffie has never had anything but his feet trimmed. Must be that finishing brush.

Monday
Dec122011

Winter Where Are You?

 They say rain coming on Thursday. I am washing dawgs this week (they are overdue) go figure. Itrains or so it seems every time I wash. By weeks end I will be done. I do have other things that I have to accomplish in a day. Just because you think I am the washing queen doesn't mean I am - hahaha.

This photo was taken last year of Abigail tackling Spice.

I am looking forward to such fun and looking forward to trying out my settings with a background of snow. I 'think' I know more this year on how to take a photo with so much snow but we will have to wait to see if the thinking is reality.

Today the dawgs had a low key day chillin and playing and chillin. I did a lot of retrieve with them. It's cold outside and the son wants to take over my computer. There's something about installing a hard drive on the server and testing and formatting it on mine.

Till tomorrow...

Sunday
Dec112011

Gentle Soul

 Truffie is a Fiona and Phantom pup. He is a gentle soul who loves to play and loves his Mommy the best.

I love the way he plays with the pups. He's agile and gives them the spark of fun.

I think it is important to expose them to all types of personalities and over the weeks the pups will have exposure to all.

He also loves the cold and rain and swimming and thinks I am scary looking when I put on this big hat with fur that looks rather funny but when I talked he went oh, it is you.

Expose, expose expose in a positive way. I can't say it enough. 

Saturday
Dec102011

Puppy Time

The Rox and Nathan freezing their ahems off but hey look at Nathan with this big coat and Rox with nothing.

Do the dawgs need coats? Sometimes they are nice but in weather like this it isn't absolutely necessary.

Rox doesn't seem to mind a bit. How can I tell? She thinks coming inside when you are shaking up a storm a bit unfair. So what humans if you can't handle the cold. I LOVE it!

Friday
Dec092011

Snowflakes

Today we had a few snowflakes and I managed to catch a photo of Risa, grandma to many. She is our grand dam who still squashes the pup and corrects them if they are  doing something wrong.

She's also the dog that we count on to tell us if someone should really get our pups. Don't laugh but if she doesn't like you then there is usually a reason. She really is good with those emotional senses.

This gal still loves the snow, plays with the crew and although she is a senior she doesn't act that way. She is as healthy as they come though wider in the girth than when she was younger but aren't we all?

I love that she still snuggles with me at night and still makes my heart skip a beat.

Daily we will be putting fun possibilities of gifts for your dogs on our Silly or Not Dog Products. Each day I will be adding a couple of items that are fun. Check it out. No one pays me to suggest this stuff. It's just things I want and I figure you may want them too.

Thursday
Dec082011

Interesting Read

Take a look at this article and tell me what you think. Click here. Then look at this one.

Thursday
Dec082011

Fave Toy

So now that the holidays are upon us what is your fave toy for that fave canine gal or guy? Is it a tunnel or a fish bed or a crinkly squeakie toy that looks like a newspaper?

The best toy is something that you can do with your dog or when you need to be away a toy that will keep them busy.

Sometimes the best is you!

Wednesday
Dec072011

Toy or Tree?

When I look at that photo it appears as if Cody, Truffie's brother is saying, hmmm toy or tree?

From Nadia:

I just wanted to share a few photos of Cody. This past weekend, we decorated the house for Christmas and I have to admit, we have a lot of stuff. Cody was just hilarious. He was very curious about everything and had to sniff everything but the funniest was these four guys (I sent you a picture of them).

When they came out of the box, he was seriously annoyed! He just barked and barked at them and went into attack stance. We did have them on the floor at that time right on his level. Anyway, he would back away and then go in and bark at them some more. I wished I had it on video. Anyway, finally, I put some treats around their feet and let him discover them on his own and since then, they have been great friends. What a laugh! So this will be an interesting month and we will definitely need to keep an eye on him. He never goes in the dining room as he doesn’t like it in there but now we find him in there all the time because of the tree in there! He knows he’s not supposed to touch the trees but of course he tries all the time! He particularly tries to eat the bead garland and a couple of the wooden instruments. It’s just like when the kids were little and we couldn’t decorate the bottom third of the tree!

That last photo was taken by our groomer, Lora, as I had him there today. We can’t wait until Christmas morning when Cody gets to open his presents LOL!  

Tuesday
Dec062011

Muddy Floors

 Before you think I don't wash my floors this is from one coming in experience today. Each time I take a damp towel and walk it around to pull up the dirt and then wet mop the dirt away and rinse.

Each day Dennis has been washing it thoroughly only to have it look like this yet again.

It makes you want to give up.

I celebrated the snow yesterday thinking no more mud but its gone, it's warm enough to keep that mud surfacing and the dogs get black.

I am at the point where I rinse and don't even bother to dry just take a shammy and take the wetness out and brush and let it air dry. I need more shammies. :-)

Logan and Panda's dad came by to get them early and when he called they had the black belly, feet and I had to laugh. I just rinsed them and he got them damp. But they are having fun and that counts the most.

Monday
Dec052011

Wet Havanese: Havanese Rainy Tales

I want you to know that I refuse to take photos of muddy, dirty, wet Havanese. Okay if it is raining tomorrow I will so you can laugh.

Did you know not all Havanese like the rain? Shoshi hates it. To get her feet wet in rain is a crime to her but we don't allow such preoccupations. Then there are Havanese like Truffie who would lay out there and get sopping wet without a care in the world. Sometimes I wonder what possesses him to lay on the deck and get sopping wet or jump in the puddles as if he is a 2 year old juvenile human.

I love them both dearly but they each have their own personality and that makes them unique and special. I rather like that!

Sunday
Dec042011

Visitors

We had Oreo, Majik, Andy and Meeko visit us this weekend. All had a real blast. We are tired, well I am tired as Majik walked up my body every hour or so wanting to snuggle and Oreo wanted to get the gang playing. I blame the son who stays up all night with Fiona's crew and our other son making noise below us - a tad unfair in the scheme of things. They were up and the dawgs knew it. But our dawgs know the routine. Poor Oreo and Majik didn't have enough time with us to get it. Where Andy and Meeko went into their crate and fell fast asleep.

I will crash tonight in a BIG way. I suspect Oreo and Majik will crash too at their house. What's life without a bit of dawg challenges.

Tonight Maxine thought it was a great game to play hide and seek in the rain. Tomorrow we start to teach her come in a big way. I gather she loves the rain. Me, not so much. Drip, drip, drip. Oh she came to the door to come in finally but it was her timing. I don't think so. Tomorrow bigtime training begins.

Maxine also gets crate training tonight. I figure by tomorrow when she is not sore it is perfect timing. She's going to have fun, fun, fun and no afternoon meal so we can instead use that amount of food to train. After reinforcing come we will figure out what next to teach her.

Walks outside begin as soon as the rain stops. When will it stop????

Saturday
Dec032011

I Remember

 I think its been a week and a bit since Andy was gone. He came in, acted as if he knew this place and decided that the TV room was his and so was Dennis as he makes an excellent one to cuddle up to despite the mud. He doesn't seem to mind.

hahaha

He even likes these strangers to him, Oreo and Majik. The more the merrier.

Maxine also found them quite fun. It's nice to see them with dogs they don't know and its as if they say, ah the more the merrier.

Friday
Dec022011

Visit at Panda & Logans

We were invited over to Logan and Panda's house last night.

We had great food, great company and even got to watch X-Factor and try to figure out who was to be axed.

We watched Logan figure out that if he went out, barked, was told to shhh that he could work it for a treat. But his mom figured out too. Oh Oh Logan you got found out!

We watched Panda and Rox and noticed they are so alike it is unreal.

Their colouring is different but they are truly 2 peas in a pod.

Abigail and Phantom made truly wonderful dogs with great personalities.

Thank you Lynda for saying so!

Thursday
Dec012011

Run Fun

Yesterday the crew was running out the door with excitement like this but today its almost all melted.

Can you believe and they are saying we are going to have the warmest December yet.

Time will tell.

I am a greedy thing. I like watching the pups in that first snowfall or running through tunnels we create.

But not shovelling is good too.

How many of you dealt with snowballs on their coat and how did you deal with it?

Wednesday
Nov302011

White and Some Mud Play

That white stuff fell and everyone just got into the play.

I think Logan thinks its the best thing ever but how he managed to get into the mud still today is beyond me.

He's just like Wasabi who loves to muck it up.

But Auntie Darlah I can't help it!

Tuesday
Nov292011

Terra Magic

What is it about Terra that all the Havanese gravitate towards her. They literally snuggle up with her like she is a big bear blanket and settle in and catch some serious zzzs.

It doesn't matter if it is a visitor or our dogs, they all find their way to her.

Today with the wet they are snuggling in more. I think they like her body heat while I go one by one drying the motley crew.

Logan was completely clean and then went out after and was only clean on the top of his back and part of his face around his eyes. I was talking to his mom when I saw him and had to let her go. I should have taken a photo. When I say he was black oh boy he was BLACK!

Monday
Nov282011

Looking for Photos

I am looking through older photos.

We are filling our walls these days with fun photos of our pups. If you have any that you want included, please send them my way.

Do you know who this cutie is? Hint he is from a Wasabi litter and he doesn't live in Toronto.

We are looking for those we can use that are 4x6 material or 5x7 or 8x10. I can print them out if you can send.

There was a great photo of Sophie in the sink but I only have a small low res version.

Priceless photos doing what have you is what I am looking for. If you email, I will print.

There is nothing more that would please us to have their photo on our wall or fridge so we can start our day out with a smile.

Don't feel obligated... just if you can.