Florida Havanese

I Learn Something (or a lot of things!) New Every Day

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“The time in every puppy’s life, from 3 to 16 weeks, is often referred to as “the
sensitive period.” The things that breeders and new puppy owners do, or do
not do, are important and have the power to greatly influence the kind of dogs
their puppies will become. During this time you literally have the ability to grow
your pup’s brain in size and complexity, making your pup smarter, healthier and
more confident.
As a breeder you will have your pups during much of their sensitive period.  Whether
you sell your puppies to buyers who plan to do search and rescue, agility, tracking,
service work, therapy work, hunting, herding or simply bring joy to a family,
you can increase their success by integrating the list below into your puppy-rearing
program and encouraging your puppy buyers to continue once they bring their
pups home.”
This quote is taken from a wonderful resource I discovered the other day. I was looking online for ideas
for making a puppy’s play more fun and discovered “The Adventure Box” pictured at left.
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Doesn’t this make you just want to jump inside and play?

Then I discovered the entire website called

Avid Dog at http://www.avidog.com/
It is the creation of some California dog trainers that share the same breeding and training philosophies as I do…starting, of course, with the puppy stage.
They have an e-book that I would encourage all puppy owners to download. It’s FREE!! It’s called “97 Ways To Create Great Puppies”. I am so overwhelmingly impressed with it that I want to spend each post talking about them. Here are the first six ways with my notes:

1. Supplement your dam with Omega 3 fatty acids for increased trainability in her pups.

Note: Our moms alternate between Salmon Oil and Coconut Oil. They LOVE both!
2. Give puppy kisses each day.
Note: OMG! Who could miss out on this one?
3. Supplement your dam with probiotics for stronger immune systems in her puppies.
Note: This is new for me but I’m convinced it is a worthwhile supplement. Ordered some today!
4. Run your fingers down the puppies’ tails from base to tip.
Note: I think the kisses are their favorite but this is a close second!
5. Keep mom’s stress low to increase milk production and mothering.
Note: Sometimes, with all the activity in our house, this is a challenge but it is a huge priority for me!
          I think we do pretty well here.
6. Keep room temperature so the pups aren’t crying and their mom wants to be with them.
Note: Never an issue here!
Before I conclude, let me say I am on my way to creating my own Adventure Box!!!  I have found a bunch of fun toys at the dollar section of our local Target store. Metal toy buckets, mini tennis balls, bright ABC’s and some cool plastic bowls and lids. I’m on the lookout for more. And, I’ve also ordered some stains for my PVC piping in bright blue and bright pink…because the white is ugly and boring!

And Now Maxi’s Pups Have Names!

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Introducing our Blues Legends Litter  (Potter and Maxi’s Pups) with names, weights and new photos.

All are doing quite well. I spent time with each puppy handling their paws and ears and rubbing their bellies. They also had their first nail trim. Lots of stretching and yawning going on and they are moving around like a herd of little guinea pigs!

This is when the fun begins.

We had a terrific storm here in southwest Florida last night but they never seemed to notice.

IMG_8409 Puppy #1, a boy, is Puppy #1, a boy, is now Jimi (as in Hendrix!) and weighs 14.7 ounces.

Puppy #1, a boy, is now Jimi (as in Hendrix!) and weighs 14.7 ounces.

Puppy #2, a girl, is now Etta and weighs 1#, 2 oz.

Puppy #2, a girl, is now Etta (as in James) and weighs 1#, 2 oz.

Puppy #3, a girl, is now Billie (as in Holiday) and weighs 1#, 6.8 oz.

Puppy #3, a girl, is now Billie (as in Holiday) and weighs 1#, 6.8 oz.

Puppy #4, a boy, is now Stevie Ray and weighs 1#, 7.3 oz.

Puppy #4, a boy, is now Stevie Ray and weighs 1#, 7.3 oz.

 

 

Puppy #5, a boy, is now Eric for one of my all time favorites, Eric Clapton! He weighs 1# 2.3 oz.

Puppy #5, a boy, is now Eric for one of my all time favorites, Eric Clapton! He weighs 1# 2.3 oz.

Named for Muddy Waters, another Blues legend, this is Puppy #6, a boy.

Named Muddy for Muddy Waters, another Blues legend, this is Puppy #6, a boy. He weighs 15 oz.

Puppy #7, a girl, is now Tina. She weighs 1#8.2 oz.

Puppy #7, a girl, is now Tina. She weighs 1#8.2 oz.

Puppy #8, a girl, is now Janis. She also weighs 1#, 8.2 oz.

Puppy #8, a girl, is now Janis. She also weighs 1#, 8.2 oz.

 

And…A Video of Lily’s Pups at 2 weeks old!

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Such beautiful puppies! Can’t wait to get them out and about. At Two weeks old these puppies are just beginning to explore their world beyond their mother. They are aware of other puppies in the whelping box. They make wonderful little sounds. Since they are still in my bedroom, these are sounds I go to sleep with each night. It is heavenly!

Will work in individual photos in a few days.

Mighty Quiet Around Here!

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Well, all but one puppy have left for their forever homes. I have to say they are all very fortunate to have found such happy, healthy and loving families!

Here are some photos and a note from one of them who adopted a puppy from Lily’s litter…..

…Now Pippa, she is little girl #3 with the pink collar. 
Love abounds!

Hi Jacqui,

Pippa had a great visit with our vet today. She was very healthy and was a hit at the office.

Attached are a few photos of Pippa that we thought you would enjoy!

Pippa has already brought so much joy into our home, and we are excited to have her meet our neighbors and the rest of our family.

-Dave, Patsy, Kaitlin & Margaret

Here is another from the family who adopted one of Marli’s pups.
Puppy #3 is now Tiller!

Hi Jacqui,

Tiller is fantastic!  What a doll.  He did great at the airports, seemed excited by the adventure.  Got to fly First Class on his first flight. (Spoiled already.)  Put him underneath the seat, he didn’t make a peep the whole time.  Kinda like he shrugged his little shoulders, said “Yeah, ok” curled up and went to sleep.  Natural flier!

Slept well last night, too, in his airline carrier on my bed.  Just one potty break at about 5am.

Tiller’s adapting well to his puppy playroom.  He occasionally voices his displeasure at being trapped by a baby gate, but seems to understand “quiet” and “shush.”  He settles down so quickly, I’m amazed.  He’s also a great self-soother.  He seems pretty content to play with his toys and scan for baby gate weaknesses to exploit.  (He is obviously intelligent and already responds to his name:) I swapped his litterbox and crate positions today.  A little while later, caught him dragging his placemat/water bowl across the room.  Guess he wanted in on the renovation!  When he’s quiet, I take him out every hour to snuggle/play.  He’s so snuggly, soft, sweet, and tiny!  We are bonding well. 

He’s using his litterbox (yay!).  Peed once on a towel last night (easy mistake) and once on floor today (excited maybe?).  Got a little poo on floor today, but only because his stool is soft- he did use his box.  I’ll mention it to vet tomorrow, but presume it’s the food change.  Not concerned at all. 

Went to a few stores today. Socialization opportunities abound with a puppy this cute. Everyone wants to meet Tiller!  He did great.

My seating is such that I can see Tiller in his puppy room and vice versa.  He was sleeping for awhile.  A few minutes ago, I looked over and he was just sitting quietly looking at me, patiently awaiting my attention.  Seriously impressed with this puppy!  So now he’s smothering me with kisses!!  Good time to sign off.

Thank you, Jacqui, for a wonderful pup!  Keep in touch.

Kimber

Puppies are almost 10 weeks old!

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Well I don’t have any photos of Myrtle or Maple because they have gone to their forever homes!

But here are some updates on the others. First the boys….

This is Gumbo, who is still looking for a forever home. Isn’t he handsome? Gumbo has a delightful disposition, right in the middle temperament wise. He will have a nice silky coat and will weigh about 12-14 pounds full grown.

Gumbo again

Gumbo likes playing in the grass.

Our parting shot of Gumbo!
And this is Coco. Coco is also looking for his forever home. He is a chocolate parti, which is rare in the Havanese world. He will have a gorgeous coat, brown eyes and a brown nose! Coco is a very, very sweet boy. Quite laid back and calm. He wants to be someone’s little shadow and loves to have his tummy rubbed!

Here are Sabol (front), Coco (middle) , and my new show puppy, Maggie. (Yep, I love that name!)
This is Sabol. He’s the little one I bottle fed for five weeks but now is doing superbly. Sabol is a sable Parti. He will be on the smaller side for a boy. Probably 9 to 11 pounds. He loves, loves, loves to play. He’s a little higher on the energy scale but has no problem sitting on my lap for a few special pets. Sabol is also still available.

Sabol again.

And now for the pups waiting for their families to pick them up:

This is Holly. She is going to live in Virginia with Amanda, Bhal and Seamus, one of my puppies from last summer’s litter.

Love Holly’s eyes!
This is Mango. She is turning out to be a very sweet little girl. Mango will be going to live with Lynette,  Jim and their 3 year old Havanese, MiJa. They are right nearby in Sarasota, Florida.
Mango playing in the grass

And this is Maggie. From the front she looks just like Gumbo but has a little more white on her back. Maggie is going to live in New York city with Liz, Kevin and their two very excited little girls!