Havanese Shanty Gal

Shanty's breeder is a friend of ours. She found a home but sadly the owner fell 2 weeks after getting her and was bed-ridden. Eventually the owner went into a nursing home and at that time, Shanty came to us.

Check out this video showing Shanty playing with our boarder, Cesar.

Shanty's Breeder just had a baby and lives far from the Toronto area so we offered to help her be all she can be till we can find her a forever home. Shanty is still a puppy, under 1 years old.

When she came, she wouldn't walk on a lead. We were told she was never on one except for one obedience class at which she froze. When I first placed the lead on Shanty, she hit the ground and played dead. She would not move. Now, after weeks of working with her, she is starting to become comfortable on the lead but has yet to go for a proper walk. WE are hoping by weeks end she will be investigating the neighbourhood. She is food motivated, which is helpful. We believe in positive reinforcement only so using a treat or even a single kibble to motivate her to get up and walk works for us and is something she understands.

She plays with the boarders and visitors and is not shy. No question the environment in our home is helping her as she has many dogs to watch and learn from now. It's as if she had limited development due to a lack of opportunities to socialize for so long. We are making up for lost time.

If you think you might be interested in acquiring this sweetheart, knowing that you do have some work ahead of you, obedience courses for certain, making chances to socialize, just being with her and loving her, please let us know.

Grandkids Played With Havanese Visitors & Our Crew

I washed Kat, Shanty, Louis, Coach and Sassy. Coach and Sassy are going home tomorrow morning and Louis went home tonight.

It was a whole lot of washing. We already miss the Louis.

This afternoon we also had our daughter and the grandkids stop by to play a game or two with the havanese. Do yourself a favour and check out the photos today to see how much the havanese enjoyed the kids. It was a pure delight.

It's their visit and the washing that set me behind in posting but it was worth it.

They will be back on Friday but everyone will be gone except Ripley who comes on Friday too.

It was a delightful and warm day other than that spitting rain this morning. The crew walked and played their hearts out. It will be sad to see more go tomorrow. Ah, it's the life if the Holiday Talemaker Havanese crew. How else could we have so many dogs? When they come to hang out, well our hearts - well it does one good.

Havanese Basking in the Warmth

The crew can't get enough of this fabulous weather. When it is time to walk, they all want to go over and over. hehe

Nathan is out nonstop with them as am I.

When it is time to play outside or simply lay out and watch, well it's like the revolving door. In out, in out, in out, well you get the point.

That toy I got at 'All About Pet Show' is still their all time fave. I wish I got two. Silly me. Maybe they will have them at Woofstock in June.

Check out today's photos.

All the crew is fascinated with the pups. If they make their little noises, their heads cock to see what that's all about. I can't wait to see them when the pups can go outside.

Well, tommorrow Louis goes home. Such a short visit for a sweetheart of a dog. We love it when he comes.

Before the Windstorm: Havanese Fun

Jay & CoachToday has been an interesting day. We went to a seminar while our son watched the crew. He helps out with the dawgs and is walking the crew as I type before teh big windstorm hits. The subject was BODY LANGUAGE: YOURS, MINE AND OURS.

It was enjoyable. I haven't got out much lately as it's been dawgs and more dawgs so to get t a show and a seminar was a treat but then you get home, you snuggle with the dogs and you play catch up but it was worth it.

Nathan took a few photos today. Check them out.

Everyone is playing so well together.

Dawgs got groomed. We had play sessions. They are walking now and soon I wil be snuggling with them at bedtime.

I go from one to the next all giving them their own time before I close my eyes to go to sleep. That's what makes it truly special - that extra time just before we all catch some zzzzs.

New Visitor Today

LouisLouis came early this morning and will be here till Monday. He's always a delight.

Coach and Sassy are here till Tuesday morning and Jay and Cesar are here till Thursday. Then Ripley comes on Friday. We will have a lot of changes this week.

As I type this Cesar and Jay are playing up a storm running up and down the hallways here.  Coach and Sassy are snoozing after playing a very active game of chase.

It's been a wild house and while I was off at the 'All About Pet Show' Nathan also had Yvonne's 4.

By the way, I really enjoyed getting out and it was a huge treat. I am also going to a seminar tomorrow while our son watches the crew for a couple of hours. It's been forever since I have been out. The subject is 'dog language. WE tend to try to keep learning so any of the dogs and boarders can benefit. It's a win/win for us and them.

Shoshi & TreasureI bought this absolutely grand idea of a toy at the show. You put a plastic bottle inside of it and they use it to crinkle and retrieve but the bottle doesn't get splintered or a mess and you can always put a new one in to replace it.

Here you can see Treasure nearly having a heart attack as Shoshi had the audacity to beat her to it first.

You can get a better photo of this toy in today's photos. Still don't have tons of photos but as things wind down in the busy department, I will.

This toy is a huge hit!!

As you can see, although exhausted, I came back and played with the dogs, snuggled with the puppies and cropped photos and updated the blog. I could use sleep after getting up at 5am.

No, the dawgs didn't wake us but Nathan was doing a favour for someone and driving them to the show. If you do go to the show, go to Breeder's row and say hello to Val Weston. She's in the Bichon booth and she has one of Fiona's pups and yes she is bouncing and saying hello to just about everyone. Give her kisses for me.

Lost Dawg Day

SSassy and Coach came last night and are fitting in really well. Remy and Jay are really enjoying the additions. Tomorrow Louis joins us. It's a truly fun house and Shanty is joining in on the fun.

I know I promised photos but it was a nice day and I couldn't help but get caught up in dawgs and playing with puppies and then Yvonne came with her dogs and Audrey came with Gidget and the day got away from me.

It happens and I hope you forgive me but I have been having lots of snuggles and fun with the dawgs and the human visitors than came. Forgive me!

The Havanese Dance

Jay & TreasureIt's fun to watch the play - what I like to call the Havanese dance. Treasure loves it when the boys pay attention to her like this. Jay is heavily smitten. What will we do?

Today Cesar won the retrieval toy more than Treasure did and it drove her crazy. It was so silly - this game. You swear you are watching pre-teens.

Tonight Coach and Sassy arrived and Friday Louis comes. Tomorrow Yvonne's crew wil come for a visit. It's going to be a crazy house for sure but a fun one. Watch for photos tomorrow.

We moved the puppies downstairs so we had a lot of moving and changes so it was moving, playing, walking and fun but not much time for photography but I promise tomorrow brings more dawg fun!

Chasing Games in the Yard

Cesar Got the Ball & Treasure & JayUsually Treasure gets the ball but not this time. Cesar beat her to the punch. Any game that is played, Treasure plays to win. She should just play to play. She's learning.

It's great that Treasure learns the game of fair play. That's the bonus of having boarding, she gets to deal with a variety of personalities and more exposure for any of them equals a better dog if done right.

Socialization is important. I believe it is key to a balanced dog.

Today we played ball a number of times. We did the grooming thing. Someone asked me how long it takes to groom a dog. Well puppies about 5 or 10 minutes but the more dogs you do, the faster you become. It used to take me over 2 hours to do a proper bath and blow dry but I can do one in just over an hour depending on the condition of the hair, of course. I line comb them completely looking to see if there is a knot I missed.

Now if a coat is going through the 'blowing coat' stage and I had 3 visitors here this year that was doing so at once, I have to brush and comb several times a day or you face a huge job and I try to avoid this.

It's warm weather, dried what have you is yanked through the house especially if you are us and you don't do a proper fall cleanup. That increases grooming time but hey, it's warm and who is going to the All about Pets Show? Don't know what it is about? Check out the Events page. Then check out some dog action with ball seeking fun on our visitors photo page.

Remy Goes Home

RemyThe Remster has left us and I bet he is already snoozing as I type. He will be missed.

It's rather quiet around here with just Cesar and Shanty. Cesar is smitten with Treasure and has been running after her nonstop and she is loving it.

Treasure's that gal that always gets attention and revels in it. I am not sure why the boys like her but it has to be her fun lovin' way she embraces life.

I washed, Remy, Fiona, Wasabi and Abigail today so no photo gallery today. I hope you understand. I am now off to watch the puppies and relax. More tomorrow.

Missing Guests

Obi, Zack and Coco went home and Remy goes home tomorrow.

I tried my 2x extender out that I have had for eons but never used. It came with a lens I had bought quite sometime ago and I found it's a whole level of steady required so blur, blur, blur so not many photos came out. I promise to do better tomorrow or yank out that tripod.

Obi and Shanty was busy playing this morning. Obi is a sweetheart. He's a snuggler too. I am going to miss having a puppy that age around.

Remy has been playing with Cesar and Treasure and Ceser - well Cesar plays with anyone that will. Remy is a snuggler especially at bedtime. His fave human here is Nathan. I can't blame him.

What can I say about Zack and Coco. They are regulars and we just love them.

Jay Jay joins us soon. I can't wait!! Then Coach and Sassy and Louis - oh my real fun in store for us and wow what a fun week this will be.

Playing Ball & Much More

Playing Ball Talemaker StyleIf you ever wonder what we do around here, well here's what our day has been like so far.

We woke up and took the dog's out. Nathan gets to pick up the deposits. We go out in front and get the paper, make cofee and get the breakfast ready for the crew. Nathan is the one who prepares the meals. I just do it when he is not available.

Then we watch the crew to make sure everyone gets their own food and nothing more and then take them back out. Each time we go out, either Nathan (more him) or I get to clean up.

We come in for a bit of play and go out maybe 40 million times - well not really but we are in and out all day long through the evening.

We do walks, 2 at a time and I do groom each and every one of them.

When we go out, we just don't clean up but we play games. In today's photos, you will be able to see how much fun they have going after the ball. It's a riot to watch and truly fun to play. We do this one a great deal as they love it so but we do running and hiding and all sorts of silly games including laying on the ground. Why? Well we believe if the dawgs aren't having fun, we shouldn't be doing this.

Hope you enjoy!

New & Old Friends at Talemaker Havanese

Treasure & ObiWe had 1 new visitor come today and some of our regulars. It's exciting times. Check out the photos here.

This is Obi playing with Treasure. I think Treasure has taken over Abigail's role now that Abigail has pups.

Well, what can I say about our visitors? Obi does the stairs up and down and he's a wee pup of I think 3.5 months. He's hanging out with Treasure and with Shanty. He's fitting in really well. He's here till tomorrow or Sunday depending on the game score. That's another story. :-)

Cesar arrived and well Cesar is a great fun filled dog who I love to snap photos of. He just finds the fun with everyone. He ran up to me and slathered me with kisses.

Zack and Coco arrived and well they fit in as if they are always here. They tend to play with everyone and Coco tends to be curious always checking anything new out. Zack was already standing in line to get his treat after grooming. hahahaha

Remy is playing with Treasure a great deal but he is also branching out and playing with the rest of the crew especially with Zack. It's nice to see.

It's a crazy dawg house tonight and I love it!!

I can't wait till tomorrow to see what the day brings. Catch you then!

Snooze & You Lose

Remy EatingPeople wonder how we ever feed so many dogs at once. It takes practice but if we have a very slow eater, we have gates and we put a couple in another room together or one alone but usually they all eat together.

But some are used to grazing and what I mean by that is they just eat and walk away and expect it to be there. It's there still due to us. We pick it up if they walk away.

You should see their faces when they can't figure out where it is gone but if they keep doing this routine, we don't put it back down till we can focus just on them.

There are techniques but our crew, other than the Treasured one knows you eat your own. Poor Treasure just thinks the world is hers and hers alone. hahahaha

We have had another low key day. Tomorrow we have a few new visitors joining us. It's going to be exciting. But in the meanwhile, we have played retrieve and run and find the toy and now it is snuggle time. No photos today. I promise some for tomorrow.

Quiet Times

Remy Looking OutRemy is really adapting and enjoying the gang. He's no longer reacting but has learned to relax.

It's wonderful to see. But he can't figure out this screen. So far we have had to hold it up so he 'gets' that you go through it to go out. It's a usual issue with each that have never experienced one.

I figure before he goes home, he will be an expert.

We have a crew coming this weekend, Obi, Zack and Coco and Cesar. It's going to be a ton of fun and soon we will also get to see Coach and Sassy. It's been awhile. Plus in early April we get to see the Louis and Jay. We can't wait.

It's been rather quiet here. Kat thinks Treasure may be coming into heat but we are not seeing anything. It's supposed to be Fiona. We shall see. With dawgs, it's always interesting.

It is my b-day today so I didn't do a lot of camera clicking but check out a few photos. Weather is good.

I can't wait till the puppies come downstairs. You'll have to check out the puppy blog as we have videos and photos we posted.

Remy Tries to Get Abigail to Play

Remy & AbigailSomething about Abigail that Remy really likes.

We just have Remy and Shanty till Friday. Remy started playing with Shanty last night. It was an interesting game of chase.

Then Abigail came down today and Remy just had to be where she was.

Remy is really missing the guys but Treasure is his mainstay.

No photos today as it was a wet and cleanup day.

I may not have any for tomorrow either - sorry as it's my b-day and I intend on relaxing and enjoying learning something new - well I hope. We shall see. But I will be updating the pages.

When I do photos, it takes me a long time to resize then upload then update the pages here. I don't mind but once a year I get to be lazy, I hope.

Coco & Zack Freshened Up

It's time for Coco and Zack to go home but they will be returning on Friday just for the weekend. We also will be getting Obi (a Coton puppy) for the weekend too. Puppies are so much fun.

Cesar will also be joining us that day. Those that remember the photos I took of him will also remember that life needs a bit of Cesar in it and we are looking forward to it!

Zack and Coco had a bath and I have yet to take photos or groom the rest of the crew as Nathan was picking up a dog an hour and a half from here to help a friend out.

So, he just got home leaving me a tad behind. WE might not even do photos as the rain is starting but I am going to try to take some puppy ones as they are 2 weeks now.

Zack

Zack refused to pose for me. It happens.

I was alone trying to get him to sit as pretty as his housemate, Coco but you can still see that he is clean and besides, he's a boy who isn't supposed to want glam shots. hahahaha

The dogs played a bit of retrieve with me and Zack and Remy was playing up a storm.

Shanty is coming along and now back to grooming.

Do any of you watch the 'Good Wife? Should she stay or should she go to Will?

Daisy Leaves Us

Daisy Freshly BathedI didn't know which to show you first.

The freshly bathed Daisy going home or the dawg that was having such a splendid time that I had to brush her several times a day as she just got trees, dirt and all sorts of things stuck in her coat.

I can't believe they are the same dog but after I bathed her, I had to keep her in my office while I groomed the other dogs just to stop her from getting dirty yet again.

Remy and Daisy was awaiting for her to come back out and get into her usually messy fun status.

But she is now at home and Remy and Treasure are playing with each other but missing the Daisy.

This is what Daisy looked like as much of the day as she possibly could muster up. Coco and Zack also helped this state of Daisy along as they did the chase game through brush and mud.

But it was so much fun. I think Daisy got brushed and combed more than anyone else.

Personally, I like to brush dawgs in the morning and be done with it but with puppies and rain and mud, well it's often 4 or 5 before I am done. hehehehe

Check out some photos from today and yesterday, here.

The weather has become cooler. The game of get the ball is something they all adore.

Life is fun with a bunch of Havanese!

Tomorrow Zack and Coco go home and Remy is our only visitor till Cesar arrives then Remy goes home and Jay arrives the next day. March disappears and so does another birthday for me and Whitney.

Remy - he finally has his groove on. It's nice!

Scout & Tiger Lily Goes Home Today

ScoutScout just got freshly bathed and he left us today. sniff sniff. He's a little guy with a big personality filled with fun.

Tiger Lily will be going home tonight, Daisy tomorrow and then we will be down to just Remy, Zack and Coach. Then on Monday Zack and Coco will leave us and then come back to us just for the weekend. <smile>

Tiger Lily has been enjoying the gang including Fiona.

Remy has been hanging out with Daisy, Treasure and he adores Abigail when she comes down.

Life is ever changing. It's almost SNOWING and no photos today. We only took about 20 so we will include then with tomorrow's photos. I hope you don't mind.

I need some snuggling time with the dawgs and of course the hubby. More tomorrow!

Visitors Going Home

We just had Chico, Jasper and Rufus go home today. Below you will find photos of them freshly bathed. It was a chore to keep thiscrew clean after a bath as they wanted to play and play and play. I think I brushed Chico and Jasper 3 times, hehehe

Wait till you see the photos of Daisy with ahem black feet but they play Mommy and have so much fun and she wil be clean by the time you see her.

WE ARe true dawg people and don't worry about dirty feet til you see them. Oh we brush and rinse feet off etc but they do have fun!

Tomorrow we have Tiger Lily and Scout leaving us and Sunday Daisy. Life is changing but soon we will have Jay, and Cesar join us and Remy will remain till the end of the month. Zack and Coco go home early next week.

We were blessed with being able to capture different dawgs doing different things today. Mostly it was Nathan. I got a few too. But check them out and today's title is visitors going home.

Great Weather Havanese Fun

Chico, Flying Jasper & DaisyWe had another great day of splendid spring weather and exciting times were had. We had the addition of Tiger Lily, Remy and Daisy.

Tonight Jasper, Chico and Rufus gets washed as tomorrow morning they wil be heading home. <sigh> It begins already.

By the 8th of April we will have mobile puppies and just our own crew at least that's what is happening so far unless we get more boarders. Then more fun begins.

Check out today's photos 'Wonderful Dawg Fun' including Jasper flying in the air playing with Daisy. It was really fun to watch.

Then on Saturday we have Tiger Lily and Scout going home. then on Monday Zack and Co leaving us with our crew and Remy till Jay comes.

Today we had a ton of fun but now off to wash and Nathan gets to play fun and hard with the crew then walks then sleep. they all just finished eating. Woof, it's gone with all this hard play. hehe