No More Sleeps in January 10 for Saki

Okay, that sounds like no more sleeps at the Talemaker Household but that's not what it is. It's just that Saki has gone home and we feel Saki-less. But she was over the moon to see her humans and that made us feel great!

They are really nice people so it was wonderful to see their eyes light up to see their little gal.

That's what it is about here. We are sucks. We cry when each puppy goes out the door. We miss our boarders and wonder what their day is like. We fall in love. It's a crazy cycle but we are immersed and we definitely love them all. They make it so easy - even the ones that try to make it difficult - well you see beyond that and get them through it and just fall hard.

Tomorrow Rocky is coming overnight. Zack and Coco go home tomorrow and I believe we are down to just our own crew till just before the that LOVE day - Valentine's Day.

Terra, our resident golden who helps us socialize the Havanese puppies and boarders to big dawgs will be going in for her 2nd cruciate operation on Tuesday. Nathan will be carrying her up and down the stairs all 70lbs of her so she can sleep with us. 8 weeks later we hope for success and she goes back to loving and playing with the crew which we are hoping will include lots of puppies. Then she will have to swim at least once a week to build up those muscles even after rehab has stopped. All a golden needs is a body of water and the desire. heh I think our Havanese Kat feels that way too!

Havanese: Stress & Fun

How can you tell your Havanese is under stress?

There are many signals through which you may spot this condition before it becomes out of hand or critical to performance.

Common things that can indicate stress are:
-Yawning
-Sleeping Too Long
-Arching the Back
-Stretching
-Drooling
-Tense body
-Barking
-Whining
-Runny bowels

Why am I mentioning this? It is normal for humans and dogs when exposed to unknown events or things to feel some stress. It's our job as a human to enable them to find their coping skills.

How can you do this? By slow conditioning NOT avoidance.

Slow conditioning is exposing your little one to things that they feel uncomfie with consistently till it is not an issue.

Recently, we had our roof done and one of our pups started growling at the men on the roof. This was foreign to them and anything lauding over them so high up is perceived as something in charge but also not touchable or attainable. Instead of keeping this particular dog in, I kept taking her out over and over in small doses and correcting and saying a keyword which is 'silly girl or silly boy' and I say it in a really silly voice as if to say - gee there really isn't something to be afraid of. If your dog trusts you, the key words will help. How do you gain trust? You have to be consistent, give rules and boundaries and you must not give them the idea that their behavior is valid. Never hug when reacting this way no matter how much you want to feel you need to. Hug when they sit, calm down - whatever positive coping skill they use - reward BIG time and eventually that is what they will rely on when faced with an unknown.

You are their teacher - their pal, their leader of the pack and the reason they attain a balanced state of mind. Don't get frustrated. Stop and get your emotions in check if you do.

Here's a photo of Fiona who did her first show. She showed minor stress by yawning and sleeping. But as she keeps getting exposed to so many people and dogs and people prodding her - that will disapate. Between shows we will take her to handling class and get her 'slow conditioned'.

Fiona got 2nd place in her first show. She did well. She is an alpha dog through and through but even alpha dogs can feel stress.

Pay attention to your dog and act accordingly. You will reach an amazing relationship with your dog when you do always!