Havanese

Oh The People You’ll Meet…

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Took 3 of the “kids” to the Farmer’s Market yesterday. They learned how to walk with a harness and leash. They will also benefit hugely from this exposure. It is a real confidence booster because everyone LOVES them! We will be doing this exercise with all the puppies. Of course, we never made it to any produce stands! The puppies were real show stoppers.
One of the first persons we encountered could not get enough of Jefferson.

“I want to take him home!”

And then she met Georgie.

Puppy kisses.

Jefferson climbing into her purse!

Jefferson and Sparky were a hit with this woman as well.

Jefferson meeting another dog.

Georgie is not so sure about this Golden

But he got his bravery on.

Then there were more dogs.

And even more.

Someone taking Sparky’s picture. Note the two dogs in the foreground.

Sparky learning to negotiate a curb. That’s my daughter Jenny encouraging him.

And…he made it!

Here he is getting lots of praise for his bravery.

Jefferson chilling out in the grass. Below is a video of the day.

A Sunday Play Date

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We had so much fun Sunday with the puppies. Jenny, Jen, Michael and Alex all helped me play with them. Such a terrible job!!! Then yesterday Maxi’s eight pups went to the vet for their first shots, de-worming and general exams. They did great…no complaints on the half-hour trip there and just a few on the way back. They were hungry and exhausted! I fully intended to take photos but got a little bit distracted. Maybe next time.

Tomorrow my friend and dog-sitter will come by to help me assess the personalities of Maxi’s pups. I’ll get those up on my website, https://www.carneyshaven.com,
 hopefully tomorrow evening.

                                                                      Rain with her determined look. >>>>>>>>

Franklin seeming to ponder which toy to choose.

Franklin with a fleece. I make these from the fleece fabric. Just three strips braided. They are just about indestructible.

Contemplative Franklin

I love this!!! Lightening giving me the high-five!

Lightening with a beef shin bone. My big dogs get them first, then the pups. Always a hit and good for their teeth.

Lightening bossing Franklin
Lightening and Dew are very sweet girls. They are a bit on the quiet side but do like to play

Blaze and Storm. Blaze is Maxi’s littlest one but is bigger than Boomer now and just about the same size as Storm.

Breeze with a fleece toy.

This is Lightening

Jefferson pulling on my shoelace…next to Sunray.

Jefferson’s play smile!

Now Lightening has the fleece toy.

Lightening’s play smile.

Two hands full! Lightening, Franklin, Sunray and Breeze

Daughter Jenny with Lightening.

Rain and Breeze playing tug of war.

Rain in a quiet moment. Love her eyes!

Storm and Sunray.

Sunray with a dinosaur.

Sunray with her smiley mustache.

Dew and Franklin

My How Time Flies!

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Boomer–one of our little guys–is doing just great!

Don’t you just love Thunder’s markings!

Maxi’s puppies are growing by leaps and bounds, especially since starting them on the puppy kibble and goat’s milk mush. They love it. A few days ago I started both litters on a very discreet potty training, building on their natural instincts to potty in a different place than where they sleep. We now have a soft terry cloth towel to encourage their nesting at one end of their box and a piddle pad at the other. It is so important to build into this natural instinct that dogs have to keep themselves clean. Here is a shot (slightly graphic–my apologies) of the puppies in their “latrine” after lunch.

Puppies using the piddle pad after lunch.

Breezy and Sunray

What else is new? Well, Phoebe’s pups have their eyes fully opened. Georgie loves to climb over the whelping box barrier and sleep with his cousins. Funny, this morning when I brought out the puppy’s mush Georgie was all protests from Phoebe’s side of the box. He didn’t want to miss out on breakfast! Never mind he got himself over to Phoebe’s side in the first place. 
Georgie and Hancock playing
Thunder (on his back) playing with Breezy and Stormy

Dew and Flash

Marli also has a preference for Phoebe’s puppies and I often find her snuggled up inside taking her nap with them.

Maxi is still nursing and will for a couple more weeks, just not as often. It is nice to see her filling back out again. Even with four meals a day she had trouble keeping up with the demand!

Dew and Lightening sharing kisses

Georgie waiting for Phoebe and Maxi to come out and play. I crate them during their meals so I am sure they are both getting the right amount of food.

Georgie over at “Flash’s House” trying to get him to play. These guys are getting so strong. Soon they’ll all be sharing the same box. Then the fun really starts!

Phoebe’s pups will get their first pedicure today and will start on their “stress-reducing” exercises in a few days. Meanwhile, enjoy the pix!

Happy Meal

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Sparky LOVED the mush

I started Maxi’s pups on mush yesterday. Puppy kibble soaked in water, then mushed up and mixed with goat’s milk for a very creamy consistency…more milk right now than mush…warmed up to about 95 degrees F. Yummy!

Actually, so did Blaze

It is interesting to observe the logistics in all this. Of course the puppies have no clue what this bowl set in their midst might contain. I am sure they can detect the milk but it is not their mother’s milk nor is it our vet’s formula that some have been fed. With a gentle nudge of muzzles to mush they slowly get it. Why? Because it tastes good.

Still there are problems as there are with any new experience. They have to learn to keep their noses clear of the substance or they sneeze. They have to learn to balance themselves or their front end drops into the dish of mush. They have to learn to lap at the food instead of sucking it. And they have to learn to keep their feet clear of the mushy stuff because it feels funny. At least it did to some of them. A couple had no problem diving right in and remaining there.

It took Boomer a few minutes to get the program

And Georgie just wanted to play

Today Maxi’s pups got their second nail trim. This time I did front and back toes for a total of 64. It took a while. I also spent a few moments gently laying each puppy on my lap…on its back. This is a very strange sensation and one of complete submission which some pups (and adult dogs) have difficulty with. This exercise teaches them trust. It also teaches them to better handle stress.

In time they will have other exercises as well. The U.S. Military was actually instrumental in developing these “Early Neurological Stimulation” exercises to improve the dogs’ performance for military purposes. Of course, some puppies can handle this stress better than others and it is important to appreciate the difference so as to not “freak out” the puppy. With tiny, gentle stimulations they will become better adjusted pets…each at its own pace.

But ten minutes in…they were all interested and chowing down

Then there was the ceremonial cleansing of feet
And, here is Phoebe with her babies…all growing nicely

I’ll talk about the four other kinds of stimulation later.