From the Dog Whisperer…………..

The bond between humans and dogs is a beautiful thing, and watching it
develop can be almost as satisfying as forging it yourself. So it’s not
surprising that dogs are such a popular gift idea.

The person who gives a dog as a gift gets a front row seat to watch those
first wonderful moments. But think about the scene in which you present your
loved one with their furry gift, and look at it from the other side: the
excitement of the holidays can produce a frenzied, almost manic atmosphere,
and excited energy like that can be an unhealthy way to begin a new canine
relationship.

Dogs need structure and leadership, and shrill cries and cheers from a new
pack leader in training don’t fit the bill. Those first key moments should
be met with a calm, assertive energy so that puppy can get acclimated to the
new family hierarchy - affection should be saved until the dog’s fresh
energy has been burned off and he is ready for sleep. Sometimes it is even a
good idea to hold that affection until several days into your new
relationship; as much as a week is recommended.

Another speed bump along the road to a responsible pet ownership is making
sure that you choose a dog that fits with the energy of the person who will
be receiving it and with the rest of the family as well. Following through
on this may mean involving the gift recipient in the selection process. For
this kind of gift, a carefully wrapped IOU can be given in place of the
animal itself, to let the person know that their gift is coming (many
shelters offer packaged gift certificates for exactly that purpose!) Their
face may not be covered with puppy kisses after the big reveal, but you can
be sure there will be a broad smile in it for you!

Remember: dogs can make wonderful gifts, but unlike sweaters or socks, they
aren’t as easily returnable if the fit isn’t just right. The new owner must
be ready to make a commitment for the animal’s entire lifetime and be
prepared to accept the responsibilities that come with their new family
member. The relationship between human and dog must be approached with care
and respect - only then will you have a gift truly worth giving!

You may be wondering this indeed. I haven’t posted in a very long while. I have had a very busy summer and fall. During the summer, I was busy preparing what was needed for my being the Grounds Chair for our Havanese National Specialty. I needed to get together a team, determine all that needed doing, order a couple of MUTT MITT dispenser systems, and get myself to Chicago for the specialty, and back again. I also spent time at the Minnesota State Fair in the Pet Center spending 12 hours a day educating people about this fabulous breed, and letting my little sweeties show just how adorable they are. THEN, after I had recuperated from that, I have had to begin working on the preparations for next year’s Havanese National Specialty, as I am the Show Chair for that event. (What have I done?)
Besides that I have been training my 2 up and coming puppies for their first Conformation shows. That should happen in about 2 weeks for the first one, and another couple of months for the second. I have to admit that I have been distracted by all the sweetness coming my way by these 2 love bugs. I can’t wait to get them out to Dog Shows, as I want to see them strut their stuff.
Hopefully, I will be better at keeping my blogs going from now on.

This is Venus, the most easy going, sweet girl with a very intelligent brain. She was the first of the litter to learn everything, and loves to cuddle and kiss. She actually lays against your shoulder like a baby. And yes, she’s been taken by a lovely family that tells me she is lively and fun, too.

This link to a news report is very revealing.  It tells you how very little of the $$ collected by HSUS is actually used to help animals.   Check it out.

http://is.gd/zVTj

Check out this beautiful litter!   Miki and Cupcake will be checked this week to determine if they are “preggers”.  They are sure acting like it, so I expect we will have little explosions of our own on the 4th of July!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziF1NbJRbCI&feature=player_embedded

Chihuahua puppy using the Potty Park. - Just 10 weeks old!

The above is a link to a great video on Youtube. It is amazing in that Chihuahua puppies are so hard to train.
This product is unbelievable. If you consider how much you spend on puppy pads and clean up products, its is not expensive. I have ordered mine, and can’t wait to get it. If you want to ask me how it is working, feel free. If you want to order one, use this code for free shipping and handling….mngin09. If you want to go look at their site, too, the address is www.pottypark.com

Cupcake has been with her current “husband” and will be coming home soon.  Can’t explain how much I miss her.  Her little butt wiggle is enough to brighten anybody’s day.  She has been gone a week, and that’s just too much for me.  I think she will be coming home on Tuesday with lots of stories to whisper in my ear. 

Meanwhile, Miki has been visiting the vet regularly this past week, checking progesterone levels.  The day Cupcake comes home will probably be the day Miki is artificially inseminated at the vet’s office.  We are going with a transcervical insemination with fresh chilled semen from California. 

Both litters are well planned and shoud produce some very nice puppies.   

Taylor’s new owner wanted to have one last litter from her. Perhaps on Tuesday, when everything else is happening, she will give us her puppies.  I am sure Heidi will be taking very good care of them.  I will be there for the whelping if I can, but this isn’t new to Heidi, so I have every confidence in her ability.

Tags: Havanese Puppies, healthy puppies

The link below is website that talks a lot about different angles of being a dog owner.  Besides talking about ways to pick a good breeder, it has a page on it about leadership and how you can show leadership to your dog.  I found it very interesting.  Check it out.

http://www.voice4dogs.com/dog-breeder.html

Tags: dog breeders, responsible dog ownership

This is often the biggest concern puppy buyers have.  So many people want female, and won’t consider males.  I have a propensity for females myself, but you can’t get puppies from a boy.  AND I LOVE PUPPIES. 
This is an interesting post about male versus female puppies.  It is worth a read.  pocketpuppy.com/maleVSfemale.asp -   

With Havanese, both sexes are terrific, I should explain.  Neither is aloof or overly aggressive.  Neither tries to get in big fights with same sex dogs.  But if you think you know it all, read the above article, and see if it is true!

I’ve tried about 3 times now to post the article from the LA Times.  Apparently WordPress doesn’t like me copying the article here.  If you go to the following link, you will be able to go directly to this well written article about how people expect to get the perfect dog from rescue, and why that just doesn’t work.  Hopefully you can find this article when you look.  

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-lewis15-2009mar15,0,288756.story