[Missy]

Sydney is is 5.5 months and is learning things really quickly now! Except “No” !
She is definitely an adolescent.

On the brilliant side: she is great at potty training. She learned how to jump through my husbands arms. She stays and waits like she was born knowing that. And she is a great kisser!

On the brat side: she can escape from her pen (a top is on order.) I was on a zoom and she was safely in her pen. I heard the jumping, and all of a sudden there she was at my side. She is chewing everything in our house. She has decided all of a sudden that grooming is a form of torture (up until now she’s been fine.) I might as well be telling her to “stay” instead of “come.” Sometimes with those good kisses comes a little nip.
And, my good little sleeper is suddenly scratching to get out of her crate early in the morning.

tell me about your little adolescents!

 

[Steward Robbins]

Your post and the photos of the little darling warmed my heart, as we have so recently been through the same thing! Pippin turned 1 on October 12th, and on November 9th passed his CGC test. And everything is gradually getting better. There IS light at the end of the tunnel! Is Sydney going to classes? If not, get her in to school. If she is, know that if you keep it up and are consistent with your training that she WILL grow up. I will admit that we have rearranged some things in the house so they are not temptations for the tiny devil, and we keep our bathroom door closed so that he doesn't have access to toilet paper....but that is just setting him up for success. And the oriental rug is still rolled up on the raised hearth. My first goal is to get it on the floor again with the fringe unmolested. The mouthiness when he is excited is getting better and happens less often. Now with a little training under his belt, I can withdraw my hand and he sit automatically and calms down. I don't even have to give him a hand signal to sit anymore. I will say that even though Pippin was already 6 months old when we got him, his has been the most challenging and tiring puppyhood we have experienced, and that includes Bull Terriers, Bouviers, and Border Collies. His breeder did more socialization with her puppies than any other breeder we have dealt with, so even though he was a returned puppy, he was virtually house trained when he arrived and was used to daily grooming. (Although he used to think he was going to die if you touched his tail.) Now he tolerates everything involved with grooming. We do keep him short and will always do so, as the arthritis in my hands and wrists wouldn't tolerate daily grooming of a normal long Havanese coat. So he will always LOOK like a baby, but that is adorable. And here he is wearing the evidence of one of his transgressions.

Kathy Robbins

 

[mudpuppymama]

My dogs are 14 years old and still have some “brat” in them. I think it is part of their charm!

 

[Tere]

It's a good thing they are so cute!
I think my first puppy turned me into a tidier person! You have to be thinking one step ahead of a very clever puppy!

 

[Sheri]

Missy, it is nice to see your new pup and to hear from you on here, it's been a long time. I hope little Syndey is keeping you busy enough to distract you a bit from the pain of losing Cash and Jasper. It sounds like she is! 😁

She's a doll!

 

[gabbygool]

Very cute! I love the mischievous side of havanese, it's pretty amusing.

My boy is 7 months now. He is fully potty trained (one accident every so often - very rare these days, usually my fault or only if it's raining outside lol) and he LOVES trick training. He's a smart little guy, he loves puzzles too.

Enzo also had no problem with nail trims when he was tiny, but suddenly now is super uncomfortable with them (no biting though. He just is quite jumpy)

His naughtiest behavior is STEALING. He LOVES to steal. We have most areas in the house gated off, and he is never left alone unsupervised (he has a playpen and crate for when we leave). He's obsessed with finding things that belong to other people to bring to his chewing bases. Right now he is obsessed with my beanie, since it has a fun pompom on it. He used to steal shoes and hair ties before we had the baby gate. It's adorable though, since he's really not strong enough to destroy anything and we've done a lot to prevent any escalated resource guarding behaviors. The most he does is walk away, or make me whip out a biscuit to trade for a higher value item. He's also OBSESSED with sticks, but he's really not supposed to bring them in the house or chew on them. Sometimes, he will sit at the door (his signal to go outside to go potty) and instead of going potty he just tries to grab a stick to bring in the house. LOL. He's stubborn about it but not mean.

 

[Missy]

Missy, it is nice to see your new pup and to hear from you on here, it's been a long time. I hope little Syndey is keeping you busy enough to distract you a bit from the pain of losing Cash and Jasper. It sounds like she is! 😁

She's a doll!

Sheri, thank you! She is so very different than the boys. But every now and then she does something that reminds me of them. I am not sure how I forgot the boys ever being puppyish. I remember their antics as funny/scary stories… like the time Cash stealthily, patiently chewed through the support dowel under a wicker chair. And the time Jas was chewing on a carpet remnant and got a staple stuck in his mouth actually stapling his jaw stuck. So, I do know they were puppies too! But that was so long ago. In many ways she is easier than they ever were. And oh boy is she keeping us busy.

 

[Missy]

My dogs are 14 years old and still have some “brat” in them. I think it is part of their charm!

I agree that a little brat is part of the charm!

 

[Missy]

Thanks for your stories! The only thing that really concerns me is the getting out of her pen, cause I’m afraid she’ll hurt herself. (Pen cover comes on Tuesday 🤞) She did it again today. I’m slightly concerned about the biting/mouthing which is never mean spirited, and most people tell me she will stop on her own. But I would hate for it to continue. She does it when she wants us to play, as if we’re her litter mates. So we try and train through those moments ask her to sit, stay, etc. to distract her.

 

[krandall]

Sheri, thank you! She is so very different than the boys. But every now and then she does something that reminds me of them. I am not sure how I forgot the boys ever being puppyish. I remember their antics as funny/scary stories… like the time Cash stealthily, patiently chewed through the support dowel under a wicker chair. And the time Jas was chewing on a carpet remnant and got a staple stuck in his mouth actually stapling his jaw stuck. So, I do know they were puppies too! But that was so long ago. In many ways she is easier than they ever were. And oh boy is she keeping us busy.

Actually, I remember BOTH of those stories!!! LOL!

 

[krandall]

Thanks for your stories! The only thing that really concerns me is the getting out of her pen, cause I’m afraid she’ll hurt herself. (Pen cover comes on Tuesday 🤞) She did it again today. I’m slightly concerned about the biting/mouthing which is never mean spirited, and most people tell me she will stop on her own. But I would hate for it to continue. She does it when she wants us to play, as if we’re her litter mates. So we try and train through those moments ask her to sit, stay, etc. to distract her.

I agree that the pen escapes would worry me too, but you have a plan! You’ll get the better of that little monkey! LOL!

Both Elizabeth and I supplement our moms and puppies with DHA, which studies have shown improves cognition in puppies. Smart puppies are a double edged sword, though… They learn faster, which is great, but you also need to keep them busy. Over all, though, I am all for smart dogs! ❤

 

[skubler]

I agree that the pen escapes would worry me too, but you have a plan! You’ll get the better of that little monkey! LOL!

Both Elizabeth and I supplement our moms and puppies with DHA, which studies have shown improves cognition in puppies. Smart puppies are a double edged sword, though… They learn faster, which is great, but you also need to keep them busy. Over all, though, I am all for smart dogs! ❤

Have you found one brand of DHA to be better than the others?

 

[krandall]

Have you found one brand of DHA to be better than the others?

I’m not sure the brand matters so much, but I’ll go check the bottlesin the morning and tell you what Elizabeth and I have been using.