Havanese
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These small, charming dogs came to Cuba during the
Spanish Colony period. The majority came from sea merchants from the
Mediterranean region who brought them to Cuba as gifts in trade to the
wives of the Cuban nobility.
The Cubans cross-bred variations of these small
breeds until finally developing
what is now known
as the beloved Havanese.
When Castro took power in 1959, the breed was
nearly lost as the wealthy families who owned them fled the country. They
seemed to virtually disappear until 1974 when a woman named, Dorothy
Goodale, came in contact with several of the families that had fled during
the revolution. Dorothy and her husband purchased 12 Havanese dogs of
various ages from these families in a committed effort to the preservation
of this charming breed. These 12 dogs are the ancestors of most of the
Havanese who now live in the USA and Europe.
The Havanese was accepted into the American
Kennel Club, from the rare breed registries, in the year 2000.
Picture (left) is Sybastian
at 8 months and (right) is Stormy at 10 months.
Our Havanese are
perfectly content as long as they are with their people. They all do
their jobs of companionship very well...giving love and entertainment day
in and day out. As with the Cotons, they are said to be hypoallergenic and
shed very little to none. Our female is a beautiful vanilla blond with
exceptionally thick, silky hair. She has the rick-rack curl and very nice
natural coat
length. She loves children more than any dog I've ever seen. Sofi is also
a flirt and struts about when she wants something and has laid complete
claim to my husband, Jim. She adores him and often she will be seen
sitting on his lap, studying every detail of his face absolutely
enraptured. Our male is an exceptional Havanese also. He is small,
beautiful and as sweet as he can be. He is very vocal - not barking, but
just vocal antics. It's not uncommon for him to come up on his hind feet
and "talk" to you...entire conversations, with emotion and physical
expressions and gestures. Sybastian is a real clown, sure footed, fast,
and with the biggest heart I've ever seen in a dog; he literally melts if
he senses sadness or tears within his human family. We also have a
pair of younger Havanese that we have not bred yet (Shimmel and Sunnie),
they are complete opposites; Shim is quiet, regal and thoughtful.
Sunnie is a nutzy girl with imagination, eagerness and respect all
rolled into a very small, beautiful body. She is inquisitive and
very, very funny! Our Havanese walk around with their food in their
mouths and carry it to wherever we are, then drop it and eat it in our
presence, they like to lay up high like cats, love to give you face-kisses and
are very contented lap dogs! I have found the
Havanese to be exceptional family dogs, perfect for children as they learn
very quickly which is gratifying to young trainers and are sensitive to
young tender hearts. This breed is also
dear to us and we do our best to breed for health and temperament always
keeping our goal the AKC standard.
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There are many helpful and informative web sites
for you to visit about Havanese dogs of seasoned breeders and lovers of these
dogs, so I will try not to repeat all of that information here but rather
give you my own experience and thoughts about what I've learned.
GROOMING:
Much is written and discussed on the grooming and
appearance of this breed. It is good information. Although most
information that I read states that they are non shedding, and hypo
allergenic, I have them to shed minimally - they lose hair when they are
brushed (as we do). The long, flowing coats are what catch the
eye. They are beautiful and their hair is as pleasing to touch and
snuggle as it is to look at. To hold a Havanese in full coat is very much like holding a living, breathing "stuffed
animal." My Havanese have very long, silky coats and
after I decided to clip them down they all look puppies with their
shorter coats.
I shampoo my dogs every 2 weeks. It can be done
weekly without any problem at all if you have the time and keep it
conditioned so the coat doesn't dry out. They benefit from one or
two good brush outs each week and I have also noticed that when they
need bathing their hair is more prone to tangles. The Havanese
need baths at least once a month as their hair has more oil in it - thus
the beautiful silky look of the glorious Havanese. I brush out my dogs while I watch
the evening news on TV. It's a relaxing and easy way to get the job done
and a wonderful way to love and handle my dogs. One of the best products I
have ever found to aid in keeping my dog's coats beautiful and mats to a
minimum is Chris Christensen's Silk Spirits.
It is a lanolin based product that smells heavenly and feels like silk.
It goes on wet, but dries to a beautiful, light weight sheen and really
helps keep the tangles to a minimum. I lavish it on after baths and then
once or twice on dry coats between bathing. My grooming tools include a
pin brush, slicker brush and comb. Also, nail clippers, which I use once
every three weeks, hygiene tools for teeth and canine toothpaste.
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Training for Humans
TRAINING and
PHILOSOPHY:
**Cesar Millan, one of the most respected dog
behaviorists of our day, teaches us to have Calm Assertive Energy as
Pack Leader. A pack leader is the dominant one of a group.
(God is pack leader over Jim and I; Jim and I are pack leader over all
our dogs).
The Goal: You may be single and live
alone with your dog -you are the pack leader. You may have 12
children and 10 dogs - you are the pack leader. That puts you in a
dominant position where all the others are looking to you for
protection, guidance, instruction and provisions. Your calm
assertive energy in the family pack is needed to keep order and balance,
giving boundaries, rules and limitations to the children and all the
dogs. The human family as a unit is the pack leader over all dogs
living in the family.
The Failure: Your dog is pack leader.
Your dog dictates to you what to do next...bolts through doors first,
excessive barking, digging, aggression, fear, protectiveness, pulling on
leash dragging you here and there, neurotic behaviors, begging for
treats, begging for walks...all these are symptoms of the dog being in
charge of your home and all you possess.
Having a well behaved dog is truly a blessing; having a misbehaved
dog is totally frustrating to you as well as all your friends. Good behavior
is the reward for consistent work. A dog will challenge you for
dominance all it's life. (There is a difference between dominance and
aggression). I believe the key to training a dog is
to train yourself to rethink your
relationship with your canine friend. Dogs are NOT human although we
in America are fixated on treating them as though they were. Dogs
read body language and don't speak English. All dogs have a purpose;
they have
a job to do whether it is leading the blind, herding chickens, searching
for the lost or keeping a lonely person company. Our companion dogs are
just that - they are bred for companionship. So, their training is
essential to a peaceful co-existence with us. Remember to ask your
pooch to do something for you before you pop that treat into its mouth;
if you ask before you treat, your reward will be great. It doesn't need to be a huge request; a simple sit,
trick, or down/stay, but have them do something and remain calm and
submissive to you to earn the reward.
These little guys learn very quickly. Our little Sybastian gets so
excited when he thinks we're going to ask him for a high-five that he
literally almost jumps out of his skin! He wants to please us with all of
his heart, but he does not get rewards for his overly excited behavior, he
is rewarded when he is quiet and submissive; then his reward is
affection. Dogs are so similar to children; both are tenderhearted,
sensitive, always testing boundaries and need to feel important by earning
their place in the pack or family. They both need to be quiet and calm,
respectful of their leadership to receive instruction/discipline and
then given affection as a reward. So, give your canines boundaries,
rules and limitations and be consistent, firm, loving and kind.
Now go walk your dog and be the best Pack
Leader your family ever had!
**Paraphrased philosophy from Cesar
Millan
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