Training for a Havanese Dog Show Brace

Well, the Abs and Fiona are going to go for the trophy at Trillium. It happens at the end of the month. At a brace you have 2 dogs that walk as if they are one and they look alike. Will they be ready - will they not? You tell me?

One training session down - many more to go...

Havanese Dreamzzzzing

Well, the human mom is rather sick today so the dawgs are hanging out dreamin' and we are watching TV shows that we saved for days like this.

Abigail is hanging out with her duck - which usually belongs to the Wasabi woo but we practice sharing around this place.

One wonders what a Havanese dreams of. Is it the games, the snuggles - the joy of life? They certainly seem to have that passion that we could use some of.

We promised you a video of a brace or an attempt of one but not sure if we will get one in. It's not from the desire though the daddy can do it without the human mom and her camera but rather that couch is calling.

Do you have a snuggler, a 'pay attention to me' - a charmer? The Havanese can be and much more.

Our pups had baths yesterday. We are going to 7 to 10 day baths with mild shampoo to help us go through that once in a lifetime 'blowing coat' stage that they are in. A clean coat mats less but never wash a dog matted or it will make the knots felt like.

By the way, the big Havanese specialty is coming to Toronto over Halloween weekend. let us know if you want to buy some raffle tickets. The bags and jackets are way cool. Check them out. Then if interested, send us a mail.

Puppy Heaven Havanese Stylin'

We had Yvonne and Alex's pups visiting and this cutie is known as Mac & Cheese (do I have that right?) who is a Kat and Lola pup.

He's black and white and tan. It will be interesting to see him when he is older. He was simply scrumptious and his owner's quite nice too. Thanks for visiting us. Wish I had felt better to be more myself. heh

Well, today I bathed the duo - Abigail and Fiona and just when I think I have the struggle done - well putting them on their back to dry their tummy with the blower doing it's thing, they remind me that they do not like this position. But it is important that they 'get' that you are in charge simply by holding them in place and in a matter of fact way, continuing and saying no firmly if you must. I have to say 'no' firmly with the Fiona. She likes to test what she can get away with ALWAYS.

In photographing the dogs, I find Abigail the most creative to snap as she always has a face on her filled with emotion. She seems to be the happiest go lucky dog when she is playing.

This doesn't carry this into the show ring yet but put her together with other dogs and she is - well deliriously happy. She also makes everyone feel as if they count. What more can you ask for?

Well, she isn't the only one that is artistically creative looking captured with a camera but here we have the old gal, beardie owned by Yvonne and Alex. The pup that was visiting - well they own the proud mom Lola that coddled and loved this little one till it could go to its forever home.

Well, we just heard Kooba is on her way to Rice Lake - lucky gal and we - well we are trying to not laugh watching Nathan practice a brace with Fiona and Abigail. I promise a video tomorrow after they give it another shot.

More later.>>

Sun Snoozing Havanese

Today we have Yvonne's crew staying for the day and we will soon have a Kat/Lola baby visiting.

We hope to get a ton of photos though the human female here is way under the weather. We will try or maybe the human male will have to do it. We shall see!

Looks like the Fiona and her daddy took a sun bath snooze!

Havanese Pool Cover Fun is On

Fiona Says:

The pool cover is on - let the fun begin and it did!

The crew all ran after daddy. The pups investigated the cover. Fiona wasn't sure at first but then as you can see with her running, she got the hang of it.

But as they played, they got wtter and wetter and...

Dirtier and dirtier.

So, after all was said and done, all those baths this week was for NOTHING.

So now its brushing time and snoozing time. Anything for the dawgs!

Pool Closing - How Havanese Sad is THAT!

It's the last day of the year the pool is getting CLOSED now!

The crew was outside watching human Daddy take out the pool cleaner and clean up. No one was brushed just yet so just enjoy them in their natural stance especially the Shoshi who now that her haircut is growing out - well she has that electric, messy hair thang going on.

Even Abigail was trying to figure out what was going on but the pups are in for a HUGE treat.

When the safety cover goes on, they do that 'run-like-hell' game and the cover bounces like a trampoline and makes noise.

They ADORE it after the initial - what is this about?

All it takes is watching another do the game - and they are off and running as if it was always there.

Shoshi is looking at me as if to say - you are not taking a photo of me looking this THIS are you? Well, of course. That's the fun part - seeing them ungroomed and the way they are after a crazy play session. I find them artistically grand with hair swaying in all directions.

Tomorrow, if it's not rainy, we are supposed to have all of Yvonne's crew visiting and one of Lola's and Kat's boy. It will be wonderful to see how he is turning out.

More later as the day progresses. Yep - it's time to start cleaning that garage and bringing your stuff in. Do you think we can coerce the dogs into doing that for us?

Ewww That Food

Oh my eyes - what are they doing NOW? This was Kat's look after trying to feed him this morning. He wasn't thrilled with the choice and decided later. Yes, he actually gives you a look when he doesn't like something. If you pay attention to your dogs, they have all sorts of expressions and body language stuff going on that will tell you how they are doing. The more you study them, the more you get to know what they are saying. They do talk - just with their bodies.

Sometimes your dog doesn't feel like eating what you put down a certain food but when he gets hungry, he will. Don't fret about it.

Well, Nathan is off to handling class with Miss Abs and Fiona did her best twirling and being all that so he took her. She's learned to love that one on one time. But it's Miss Abs turn and Fiona needs to learn to share and be patient. It's not a quality that she fully understands yet. So, these classes with Abs is good for her.

We may try a brace for the specialty but it may end up being a comedy of errors. It certainly will be a moment to remember. hehehehe These two = well they are a riot together. It makes you fall in love with puppies over and over again.

Ah - it's a dawg life at Talemakers - for sure!

Play and Bath Times

How often should you wash your dogs? It really depends on when they look dirty to you. I tend to do mine about every 2 weeks or so. Today I did Kat, Risa and Wasabi. Tomorrow I will do Shoshi and Terra. Abs and Fiona was done for the shows so no need to do them.

What happens when you do wash the crew is a certain amount of excitement where they do run like hell and even those not washed get into the play.

Oh, and the Havanese do play well with retrievers. Heck, Fiona is enjoying a bull mastiff in her class.

It all depends on the dog and the more positive exposure, the better it is.

Sometimes when you give a bath, your dog can end up a complete mess as Risa does here 5 minutes after her blow dry. She just rolls, and shakes toys and has a grand time but although she looks a mess, well - she feels great and smells good too and that is what it is about.

Besides, I think dogs are meant to muck it up.

Our pool is getting closed this week. If you have a pool, consider a safety cover. You will relax more and it will expand the play area. Ours jump on the cover as if it is a trampoline and love it. We will be getting a video after it goes on this week, I can't wait to see the pups on it as it will be their first time.

Well, more tomorrow.

Stress Leads Down the Line: Havanese

Fiona was in the show today and didn't do well. She won her class the other day and Abs won it on the day she showed but today was a stress-filled day.

It started before the show and could have ended up to be a tragedy. I want to explain as this was an accident that I didn't foresee.

I have an old laundry tub that I bath the dogs in and have been doing so for years. Today, Fiona was struggling and ended up getting a foot stuck in the drain. It's one of the scariest things to occur as you do not know what to do at first. You must calm down first and you couldn't handle it alone. It tells me that I not only need a phone with me especially when I am alone but I also need a tool kit.

I screamed for Nathan and he came running. Our son came running as well.

Fiona was frightened and was screaming which added to the stress level. Her foot was solidly stuck. We tried putting conditioner down the drain and massaging her foot but it was stuck tight. She kept struggling and we kept trying to calm her down and hold her in place to eliminate serious damage to the foot.

Nathan used his head and sent our son to get tools to break the drain. We thought one side would open it up to allow her foot to come out but no, it took 4 sides broken to release the foot. During this time she had shampoo on that had started to dry in and was full of mats but initially that was not even a concern. We were worried about her being able to stand on her foot. I massaged the area and she didn't flinch so a good sign and then placed her on the floor to see if she could walk. Yep, all was looking good.

My next thoughts that randomly went through my head was, she's full of mats - now what? The sink is broken - now how to finish this. What if she needs an operation etc. Maybe we shouldn't show her but if we don't, it's like getting thrown off a horse and when that happens, you have to just do it.

Gad, I didn't realize the depth of my love for my dogs. Sure, I love them but it takes a fear like this to tap the true depth of those feelings. I think I would have fallen apart if she had been in pain and I thought she was but what I was hearing was fear cries. It's not something I foreseen. I used that basin for years without an issue. But still - to get past something like that...well it would be hard.

I got her ready for the show in 45 minutes when it usually takes me 90 minutes each dog. Adrenaline, mats and all is a crazy thing.

But - Fiona felt the stress. She refused treats from Daddy at the show. She slept all the way to the show and all the way back from the show. She was relying on me as I believe she saw me as the one that helped her when she was in trouble.

So now I will spend my time stepping back and letting Nathan become that person again. He's already working his magic. It's important for the handler and dog to connect as if no one else exists.

The point is, how you are feeling - how they are feeling affects everything for your dog. She wouldn't eat. She didn't scat and get cheeky as she usually does. She couldn't stay focused and she had STEAK and LIVER - her faves. But stress does crazy things to you AND your dog.

Compare it to a fight you just had with someone you love and and they remain angry at you but you don't understand it. They remain angry and suddenly you own their emotion by allowing it to get you down to that place they are. Well, your dog does this naturally. What you feel, they feel. They are the most intuitive beings.

The moral of this vent...

I think I would have demolished the sink entirely to save her. But, I will never be in the laundry room again without a phone. Nor will I ever have an old laundry sink with an opening wide enough to catch their feet. I will recognize that I am still upset after it is over as I have allowed my fear to sit and stay with me. This will affect my dog and I would have been better off doing anything to get past it but I did do the right thing making her get on that horse again per se.

I will have yet another horse for Fiona to get back on - 'the sink' but I will do that after a new one is in sooner than later to make sure it doesn't become an imprint that remains.

Fears are to be dealt with via slow conditioning. But what WE feel affects our dogs. We can't always control it but if we can remember that, it may minimize the depth of our emotional state.

Now on to the next day - please. :-(

Ruff Havanese Dawg Life

It's a ruff Havanese Dawg life - I tell you with that human and a couch.

Well, our poor golden last night had an issue that we think is dementia. She's starting to show signs - well has been for a bit but when they get old - you often do that denial thing.

Nathan woke up with her to take her out and she ran through the plants etc. only to stare at the fence line.

He brought her out and got her to the deck only to have her run back to do the stare so he went back in and then she came to the door. Now she is sleeping.

So, after all that, Nathan gave up and went to sleep on the couch covered with half the Havanese and Whitney laying next to him on the floor. I had the rest of the crew. The dogs can play recovery but the humans - not as easy - and he gets to show today in a fog.

It didn't stop the pups from playing today. It wasn't them suffering from sleep.

Don't ya just wish you were one of these Havanese that can just play recovery with naps? I surely wish I could. I take them and I often feel worse.

As you can see, nothing like more than 1 Havanese. Just look at these two obviously they're best of pals. I swear Fiona just adores the Abs and her free sense of play with anyone and everyone. It's a quality to love.

But when you just have one, you will often see them saying - can you play? When you do, I can guarantee you that if you have the right mindset - you will have a session of laughter. Try it!

More later - after the show...