Woofstock - ing It Havanese Style

Well, Fiona and I are off to Woofstock but Daddy had to buy into the combined government and big oil robbery by adding gas to the van. Oh - but how else could we go to our much enjoyed Woofstock. They sure have us by the ...... fill in the blank.

Fiona wasn't sure of it all at first. She had her tail down trying to survey all the dogs and people and - oh boy there were a ton of those in this sweltering heat. But after meeting other Havanese and getting used to the meet and greet, her tail went up and so did everyone else's.

This is GREAT socialization for our guys if you are proactive in watching the signs of dogs that aren't friendly.

Woofstock can be a tad overwhelming for those that haven't seen this many dogs at once before. This was Katsuro's 2nd year so he wasn't ruffled in the least.

We were able to hookup with Yvonne, Flora and Downsey. We didn't see anyone else from the Hav group.

You can click on any photo to see a larger version.

Downsey is Fiona's sister. Flora is from an earlier breeding of Yvonnes. You will see her at the Orono show and you will also get to see Miss Abs there.

Well, we were lucky enough to bump into a really nice lady that had the 'Rens Pet of the Month' photo of Abigail. Please post and tell me your name. Silly me for not getting it. I want to thank you SOOOOOO much for bringing it. I need one more copy - if anyone has one so I can send it to Miss Abigail's breeder. Thanks ever so much again.

It was Havanese heaven of sorts and we kept bumping into a number of them but I didn't get photos of all. Sorry. But, one was a deep red colour so I wanted to share it with you and no that cutie in the back is not a Havanese. ROFL!

We got a ton of samples from shampoo to treats. Let's see - to cover a small sample, we got 'Barking Mad' natural treats, Benny Bullys (small packages of 4 different new types and we also bought some, Natural Planet Organic dog food, to training pads, poop bags, to Doggie Dinner casserole - frozen and much more.

Poor Fiona loved all the treats so much that she came home to a tummy ache - loose bowels - sigh. See - even someone who knows better needs to remind themselves that Havanese normally can't have so many variety of treats at once and she loved them all. Katsuro was picky and didn't eat but a few.

We also saw some really cool jackets and collars and I mean way different ones from molded what have yous growing from the coat - hahahaha. You have to see it to know what I mean.

Talking about red Havanese, we saw a red sable with a puppy cut called Jasmine. It had such a tight curl that I imagine it is much easier to care for in a shorter hair-do. It reminds me of my Shoshi who is from teh same kennel.

All of the Havanese were friendly. We only saw a handful of non-Havanese that were unfriendly but they came in all sizes. The owners were proactive though - all but one.

We talked to a guy that had a Havanese that was manning a booth. He just adored seeing more of these guys.

We talked to people that were waiting for a puppy - to those that had just acquired one and the list went on.

The colours all varied as you can see in this photo. It was fun to see so many out and about. I wish I could go back tomorrow with 2 different dogs but how many samples can someone get. hahahaha

What will you see at Woofstock? Many, many vendors, lots of dogs, tons of people and maybe a ton of Havanese - if you are lucky.

What was missing this year? The Wellness booth, the spraying thing guy, the greenies booth unless we missed some of the show but we saw many new ones as well including a shampoo company up from the states. I can't promise I will try it on Miss Abigail for the show but I may try it on someone else and then try it on Abs when she's not needing to look her best. Each shampoo reacts on each dog differently thus - the - we will wait on her. More later when we try it.

If you are going to Woofstock tomorrow, be sure to bring water for you and your dog but one of the vendors had ICE cold water - yum and we gave some to the dogs whose tongues were hanging down to the ground in need of refreshment. Just check out that tongue on Katsuro. Hey, mom - it's downright hot out here - you know! We probably gave them something to drink every 10 minutes throughout our visit. It was that hot.

Many vendors gave away frozen yogurt for the dogs. Our dogs weren't a fan of any of them.

We did manage to get some great beds for a CHEAP price. They are way soft and I will tell you the dogs loved them. I also bought a cooling coat for Fiona but it was actually too big and was hanging down on her. It fits the Miss Abs perfectly and that is what she will have on her during outdoor shows. Ten minutes before I can just fluff her up and she will be ready to go and she will stay cool. We have another one coming in the mail as they were running out of the toy size FAST. Anyone who does outside activities in the heat should consider one as they are light and stay cool for a long time. I got home and ours was still cold.

What else - well I know this is not a Havanese but it rather sums up the day. It was a DOG day for sure in so many ways. You should head to Woofstock tomorrow. You will be glad you did.

Sweltering Hot Havanese Day

It's going to be a sweltering hot day today here in the Toronto area so use caution with your furry pals. Make sure they stay hydrated. Use cooling devices if you have them but you can also make some home ones - such as wrapping your ice packs that go into your cooler.

We are off to Woofstock this morning and will be hitting the St. Lawrence Market when they open and going home before the crowds get too busy and the dogs get too cranky.

Then we are back for the pool and then to our grand daughter's party at a movie theatre and then back to the pool. Do you hear a theme here?

POOL......

Woofstock Bound: Havanese Socializing

Fiona says: We are off to Woofstock tomorrow and we can't wait but mommy thought I should have a bath and be blow dried. Sweat was pouring off her face as it was so delightfully cool with a dryer blowing. When it was done, I looked in the mirror and went - who the hey is THAT?

Mommy did a double take too as she saw part of Katsuro in my face but she says my head is smaller - well doesn't mean he's smarter or better looking or.... Hey - I am only 6 months anyway!

Well, we are supposed to meet Yvonne at Woofstock at 10am. Hope the rest of you are touring the aisles as we would love to see you.

Take a REAL GOOD look at me now as you may never see me like this again - hahahaha. Mommy says we will for those doggie shows that Miss Abs goes to but I am a junkyard dog who loves to muck it up. So, if you see me tomorrow, and I don't have every hair in place - just know - I am just being ME.

Shhhh and those humans love it. ROFL!

Chillin' Havanese Pool Style

Human daddy is at it again shhushing the dawgie crowd and having a blast in the pool. I finally caught Katsuro mid-air as he jumps in. I never did see a Havanese that adores the water as much as he does.

We are enjoying the finally hot weather chillin' or is that sweating at the pool? The dawgs are too till we come in and they then enjoy the air much more so - hahahah But love us they do so they hang out till we can't take it anymore. I tend to put cooling blankets/mats and even bring out bean bag frozen things so the dogs can lay on and chill if desired. Us humans bring out our computers to work on. That's the beauty of wireless. I couldn't do a summer without the pool and wireless.

We also managed to get our visitors in the pool with Bailey enjoying it more than Dickens. If the weather holds up, we will try again tomorrow.

Our retriever, Terra had a blast too and even dove in - yes dove in. She's had enough of watching Katsuro and had to show him up. Who can blame her.

Well, we are off to Woofstock tomorrow with Katsuro and Fiona. We figured they need crowd conditioning. We were going to take 3 but 2 is more manageable and these two can stand to be loved up by many. Not that the rest can't be but we rotate the crew to give them that one on one attention as well. Besides - they will bring the free treats back to the rest - won't they? hehehehehe

Well - more later as the day progresses.

Havanese Visitors Bring Smiles

If I had a better camera - these action shots would be less blurry but in honor of the 'fun' that Miss Abs incorporates into this house with all visitors - well we had to have a photo that showed her in action.

We have had a very busy couple of days and managed to take a few shots of our time. We don't just hang out but believe it's important to have fun with the crew.

Dickens and Bailey are fitting in nicely. Though Fiona being small as she is - well the visitors thought she could be tackled but not her... She tends to get on top every chance she gets. It must be the small thang!

Bailey remembered all of us - the house etc. It was wonderful as it means we must have left an imprint. Bailey was born in this house and coddled and loved through and through. He's Katsuro's brother. Bailey slept right on my arm till it went numb last night. But - I wouldn't have it any other way. I just love the dogs. Dickens decided everywhere was his bed.

Today we also had the crew out playing tug, retrieve and just having a grand amount of time. See how our Miss Abs runs her fool tail off with the visitors and sometimes even Kat joins in.

Check out the newest slideshow.

Havanese Visitors & More

Risa's pup Bailey is visiting and the trio was checking what was going on outside.

They are fitting in really nicely with no transition necessary.

Little Dickens is also here and Fiona and Dickens have been playing up a storm. I swear Miss Abs is jealous.

It's great to have the visitors over.

Miss Abs is off to handling class again tonight. She has a reprieve of a weekend without a show so we are going to drag her to Woofstock along with Katsuro and Fiona. They are in for a treat.

Dog Heaven Week

Exciting times at Talemaker Havanese this week. We have Bailey, one of Risa's pups coming over tomorrow to stay till Sunday. We also have a relative of Miss Abs - Little Dickens coming. The dogs are going to have fun this week.

Then we have the biggest celebration for dogs - a must see event once a year called Woofstock and it's happening this weekend. It's a must to go to. You can bring your dog. You can even eat out on a patio of many of the restaurants with your dog.

No where else in Toronto can you go shopping for your dog and with your dog to so many places at once. It's a feast of a dawgie celebration that you really should attend. We will be!

Havanese Colours & Pool Safety

I find the colours in the Havanese to be a fascinating thing but it sometimes throws off the judges, those that don't know the breed etc.

One of our puppy owners owns one of our black and white pups and a brown sable from Yvonne's breeding. She's often asked which breeds they are. Some have no clue that they come in so many colours though black and white in various degrees are often seen more.

Here you can see Miss Abs soaking wet from her swim today. She has similar colours to our Golden Retriever with a variety of other colours mixed in.

The gal fell off the diving board and dove in head first. Instead of coddling her and validating any fear she may have had from such an ooops Nathan instead directed her to the stairs and made it into a game.

Katsuro fell in last year once and hasn't gone in since unless Nathan is in it. He won't even go when I am the only one in. Why? Nathan made it a game Katsuro shares exclusively with him and no other human. It's a smart thing to do as it created an amazing amount of fun for both, got him past that - oh my - I fell in and it was only 50F but also stopped him from just going in by himself. It's a win/win. He attempted to do the same with the Abs and hopefully we will get her jumping in too. She certainly has the potential.

Now, Miss Fiona is a different personality. She really is not crazy over this swimming business so Nathan has taken another angle with her to make her feel her comfort level. She is now staying around the swimming pool vs. running for the house after her swim today. So - Nathan is on the right track with her. Here you can see her doing just fine in her journey to love the pool.

Note: Fiona is the top photo on the right and Abs is the bottom one on the right.

None of our dogs swim without us and Nathan spends an amazing amount of time showing them how and where to get out of the pool, over and over again. The first thing that they learn is how to get out of the pool. They were born knowing how to swim.

So, never get complacent with a pool. Don't take for granted that they can figure out how to get out on their own. Give them the tools that may save their life and do not coddle them when they have an oops. If you do coddle, you have just validated their fear of whatever they are reacting to. Redirect - refocus and teach and you will help your dog find solutions instead of relying simply on his/her emotions. Your dawg will be glad you did and you will end up with a more balanced dawg.

Remember you can always click on the photos to see a larger view.

Long Havanese Day

It was a long day. I even hid in the tunnel when I heard the water go on. That's a first for me but they tell me I have a 12 day reprieve. Now how dirty can I get? I am still pretty clean right now...but...

Well, Yvonne's gal picked up 2 points and we are way excited for her. Way to go - LOLA!

We may be seeing Little Dickens and Bailey this week for sleepovers. - We got to see Jazzy and he's gorgeous!

More tomorrow.

Being a Puppy Vs. The Show Ring

I am in a bit of a quandary. Darlah and I are surrounded by contradictions and wondering how we can best satisfy all requirements. I know we are already quite forthcoming about the doings around our home. If any of you are following Darlah’s blog day to day you have a fairly good idea of our life. We hide nothing. We lay it all out for you to see. We believe in being open, in sharing our own experiences as we learn from others and from our dogs each day. But I digress.

On Friday we were unsuccessful in the show ring.

I know that Abigail is a beautiful, wonderful example of the breed. She exhibits the best features in the breed guidelines and has been complimented on her grooming, shown natural as the breed dictates, her “excellent” top line with which she was born thanks to the breeding lines of Beth Obrecht and Rockhurst Havanese, her perfectly straight legs and beautiful bouncing step.

But, in comparison to the other Havanese against which she competes, she has, for example, much less hair and she is not trained perfectly, yet. I can explain both and here-in lies our dilemma.

While we are a registered CKC Kennel, we do not have a kennel per se. Our dogs live in our home. They sleep on our bed or on the floor around us, they have free access to every part of the house and backyard and are encouraged to play, at all times. Now that the summer is maybe finally here we will be swimming almost daily and when I say we, I mean Darlah and I, and all of our dogs at one time or another. Besides that it is excellent exercise for everyone, most of them really enjoy it.

But this does not help us present a perfectly groomed dog in the show ring. Abigail went swimming on Thursday. She plays with Fiona off and on all day long. When they can, they get Kat to play with them. Then Shoshi joins in, Wasabi speeds around them and even Risa starts romping in excitement. They jump on and over and around each other like banshees and we love it. They are all so obviously having a great time with each other and with us. If you saw the video from the other day Kat’s excitement and enthusiasm comes through.

But this does not help us present a perfectly groomed puppy. Fiona nips at Abigail’s hair and vice versa. They all do the same with Kat. They aren’t hurting each other, they are playing. The solution is to isolate Abigail. I’m sure within a few weeks there would be a significant difference to the length of her coat but I am equally sure she would be miserable. So I search for the trade off, constantly. We do not want to sacrifice her pleasure as a pup for the fleeting glory of the show ring. The question is whether or not we can have it both ways and I’m sure we are not inventing the wheel here. I just don’t see many people discussing this aspect. (Darlah says: For her the solution is inbetween shows deep condition and leave it in as Fiona doesn't like the taste)

Of course it doesn’t help that I am not a professional handler. I just own and love my puppies. Abigail and I entered the ring together for our very first time. We are getting better every time we walk into the ring and we are diligently attending two different handling classes to get better in our technique. But I won’t take away her play time. I won’t. And so I ask you all to bear with us as we work to get Abigail’s championship. It will not be a quick win but in the end it will be a very satisfying one. Stay tuned for the ups and downs and please, do not hesitate to comment. Your posts are welcome here. Constructive criticism of any kind is welcome. Encouragement is especially welcome.

Yesterday, Abigail won Winner's Bitch for 2 more points. We are on our way to our Canadian championship.

Thanks for listening.

Nathan