Adventurous Havanese Dogs

Gidget (formally Paris) was over visiting with her person(s) Audrey and Audrey's mom.

Gidget will be back on a sleepover this Friday having a doggie holiday. We can't wait.

Gidget was checking out the rustling of the leaves and for a moment I thought - oh no - that skunk again but it was the Abs, under the plants having a grand time but not knowing how to get out till her daddy laid down and guided her.

Kooba is coming along really great. She tried to play with Gidget but Gidget had a one track mind and just wanted Kat. ROFL Don't they all. We will see how that all unfolds when she visits.

Whenever a new dog enters the mix, the pack changes and it is always interesting to watch. If you have multiple dogs and take one in, you will see what I mean and we rather like that it mixes things up as it gives us the opportunity to help them deal with changes and it often adds some fun laughter as well.

Well, as you know, we have been on this diet kick. I am only down 3 lbs. Risa is down 4 ounces (sigh), Fiona gained and is now a 9lb dog as much as Kooba and Gidget. I haven't checked the others but we are heading down the right track. Yes, Fiona is on the diet I want - eat all you want and just gain, gain, gain. Well not too much but I want those genes.

Hoping you have a great weekend. Tomorrow we start training Kooba with basic commands. We will let you know how it goes.

HFC Rescue is a Lovie

The HFC rescue that we are fostering is a small Havanese but not thin - not under weight - has great muscle tone and although she will be 7 years old next month, she plays literally like a puppy non stop with the duo here and takes on Kat and Shoshi as well.

She goes for her health checkup at the end of the month.

If we didn't already have so many dogs, she would be staying here in a heart beat. She is an entirely different dog from arrival to now.

Let's see who she is today. She now sleeps on our bed. She cuddles while watching TV. Comes to you when she wants you to pick her up and give her hugs. She has learned to be patient. When treats are doled out, she waits her turn and now does a sit when requested. She 'comes' when called and without hesitation. She is a fast learner.

We are exposing her to people and outside dogs. Although hesitant for a few minutes and I mean just a few minutes - her curiousity gets the best of her and she checks people out - gives them kisses and plays with visiting dogs. We are saturating her with all different types of people and dogs. Yesterday she gave kisses to our groomer not once but a number of times and played her heart out with a visiting Wasabi pup. Today we are hoping she does the same with Gidget (formally Paris) who we believe is about the same size.

When we find her a home, we hope it is with another dog as she adores the play and company or someone that has frequent visits with other dogs. She adores walks and I mean adores them. Only barks when introducing play and the other dog isn't getting her desire. Is easily corrected even in this mode. She's bloody intelligent - fast learner - and loves learning.

She is now ringing the bell to go out or goes and gets you so she can do her business outside. She nests in a crate and seems to have comfort with the door open. We have not closed it yet.

She now plays with toys but has not learned retrieve yet though intently watches Abs play it. We shall see if she joins in. If you play with toys with her in a tug fashion, she has a ball.

She has managed to slow down her eating and drinking. She was choking quite a bit from eating/drinking too fast but she now trusts that her food is her food. She has no food aggression. We have taken necks - which she loves out of her mouth and given them back. She trusts she gets them back. She has slowed herself down in drinking. We believe this was a trust issue at first where she was afraid it was not going to be there. She also shares the water bowl with the others now. Before she waited till they were done.

Check out the gorgeous colours this gal has coming in and I do mean gorgeous. When a longer coat comes in - this gal will be stunning - but I like longer hair - others like them like this. Shaved down like this, she has a really pretty face.

Well, I could go on and on and we travel this dangerous game as we do with our pups - falling madly in love but this one has made it so easy. She is not at the bottom of the pack but each day she gains more and more of who she is and will be. She's becoming quite confident and an addition that not only fits in but as I said would remain if we didn't already have a pack.

So, the hunt is on to find her that perfect home where she counts - has playmates and someone that walks her as she adores those walks. If interested, let us know. We will direct you to the HFC rescue coordinator where you will have to fill out forms. If you are in the Toronto area and are interested - well let us know and you can come over and see what we see with your own eyes.

More of her adventures and the Talemaker crew as we live it...

Remembering Havanese Names

Risa Says:
I am so confused. I think those humans told me that one of my son's (Kat's) kids flew the coop today. Okay - not the coop per se but went to his forever home. That's way exciting.

Yvonne is down 1 pup and another goes tomorrow and yet another Sunday. Oh my - exciting times. Still a couple of pups left for those that want absolutely gorgeous pups with A+ personalities.

Either pups from Maggie or from Lola and a Kat coupling is related as Maggie is one of mine and so is Kat. Those kids are way busy. Me - I have closed shop and retired. You can only have so many kids you know then you have to remember their names. Don't test me. :-)

Havanaese Showing Signs of Concern

Our Havanese rescue that we are fostering is coming around just fine.

When Kooba 1st got here, she was overwhelmed. There were many changes that were about to unfold and your dog doesn't understand what is going on.

But if you keep at it, even the most sensitive dog can open up and gain balance.

Kooba continues to make huge leaps in becoming assertive and balanced. She's even going in the crate now and moving the furniture around, so to speak. She's also cuddling while watching TV.

As you can see, Kat is enjoying her company. One more girl - well that is okay with him.

Soon we will be looking for a new home for her and hoping we will stay in touch. We rather like this one - bigtime.

Havanese Upset Tummies - Allergies?

This is going to sound like a totally gross subject but it should be discussed. The quickest way to tell how your Havanese is doing is its stomach but why do the havanese have loose stools at times? It could be illness or allergies but it could be something else.

It can also simply be that it is an irritant not an allergy. For instance, when I had acid reflux (had it when I was very overweight - went away completely when I lost), certain foods would increase the acid content not due to allergies but they were irritants. If I avoided them, I would eliminate or reduce. With reduced weight, I can eat those irritants and although I get slightly gassy - I don't have a bad case.

I brought this up to Guelph when I was dealing with a dog's sensitive tummy and found that stress also plays a part in the shape of your stomach. Therefore weight, sensitivity, allergies or stress or any combo can throw everything off kilter. For each dog it would be different but watch a dog that gets stressed and then listen to their tummies. Their stress level shows up in their tummies very fast usually - in grumbling to soft stools to diarrhea to even vomiting or any combo.

When we go into a vet, we often do not talk about stress but stress is very real in dogs and those dogs need their self esteem built up - their confidence. Or they need slow conditioning to whatever is stressing them out. That's not to say that is the case in any dog but it *CAN* be a factor that is over looked. It is something I overlooked and usually I just assume it is the food or some parasite -they are sick etc but if it is longterm no matter what food - one has to consider stress. That doesn't mean there is anything WRONG with your dog. It just means he/she is a sensitive soul and when you boost their confidence, it usually all comes together.
All dogs have fears just like us but some have better coping skills and some need to learn coping skills with our help.

It is also why it is VERY important not to get a puppy too early as the last few weeks they learn critical coping skills from their canine mom. Shoshi took a long time to become assertive and this year I can tell you she has found her voice and backbone completely but even with my help - well the pack helped her the most. I mean she is even lifting her leg to do her business like the other females. Time -it is a good thing.

Visiting Havanese & Humans

Exciting times at the Talemaker Home. We have our son Joe that came home for leave from the navy and his wife. Kooba took a HUGE liking to Joe and Juliana and was playing with a toy with them.

We were told she doesn't play with toys but here she is doing just that. It's quite nice.

Well, we are practicing 'no bark' and not from Kooba who seems to be silent even though we have heard her bark when she wants to initate play and the other dog is not listening.

We have people working on the house outside and the noises is driving them crazy but finally - they have stopped reacting to every single sound. It's rather hard when they see people at your windows. hehehehe

If you are getting your house painted too - it's time to teach 'no bark' as it's a useful command. The painters said they were amazed that they all listened to me. Me too with all that distraction. HA!

Kooba Making Strides

We introduced Kooba to the craziness of Kat diving in the swimming pool. It scared her at first and she ran up on the deck but shortly after that she came halfway down to watch. Then the 3rd time she sat there and watched.

The dogs do this run after Nathan thing that is a bit noisy. It can be a tad overwhelming to those not used to it.

Kooba is making great strides and is trying to figure out where she fits in. She tries to play with all and that's a great thing. She's even correcting when she is not in the mood to play. This shows she is gaining her grounding. As long as she adheres to the rules and boundaries - and it's our job to have them - well life will be good.

This week we will have one of Wasabi's pups visiting and we will see how that goes. One dog at a time that she doesn't know - slow conditioning.

As you can see - she is smiling tons!

Remember slow conditioning is a good thing with non-rescues too as there is always something new that can startle but once aware - well it's no longer an issue. Take your time - expose in small doses - applaud when they find their coping skills and you will make great progress.