Video: 2 of Wasabi Pups, Let's Go Crazy

My does time fly when you are having so much fun. Two of Wasabi's pups have been visiting our resident crew of 6 havanese and 2 retrievers. Check them out in action on this video and see how much they have grown.

They are now 6 months old. It's hard for even us to believe. Gad - we just adore the pups. We must have done something right to have them in our life! Take a look....

You should see how Wasabi lights up when they come. Hey - they all do!

Wasabi Goes On Holiday

Miss Abs likes to mix it up with Fiona every chance she gets. Take a look at this face in midstream of doing just that.

The duo has gone to visit Yvonne with Nathan and Wasabi but Wasabi will remain till she is past her heat. It became intolerable - yet again - sleeping separate, whining, crying for her and panting, not eating nor sleeping. It meant I didn't get a heck of a lot of sleep. Next place we live, there has to be a live-in solution - such as a different wing - ROFL. Get that lottery ticket, dear!

I asked daddy to take photos of Abs, Fiona and her sister so I could post something. Good thing I called as he was about to leave and not take a single photo. Men...I tell you. Well, I am hoping I see a good photo out of what he takes but I suspect I get what I will get.

It's back to being quiet again after 98 minutes of panting, searching, jumping, whining and now he is sleeping. It's much quicker than the last frustrated time for him. Perhaps he is improving or getting conditioned - sigh. His time will come. ha!

Well, more later after we hear about the visit hoping Yvonne is feeling better than she has in the last 2 weeks. You are a gem for doing this, lady!

Lost My Brain Dawg

Well dear old Wasabi is in heat again and she will soon be taking a holiday at Yvonne's. We can't show a photo of Katsuro as he looks worse than that sandy photo. Those boy dawgs lose their minds at this time and that's an understatement. They don't eat, they don't sleep - nada if the gal is around.

The moral of this story is get your dogs fixed and you won't have to deal with such craziness.

We are going to take him to Remy's class just to get his mind off ...well ... maybe a cold shower?

We will fill you in when we get back. We also have a CD of all our last 2 classes for Maryanne. Drop by and get it.

Ice Storm Warning & Relationships

Sometimes that male dawg just snuggles with the human mom and us. Human daddy wasn't fast enough with the camera but they were seen nose to nose sleeping just before that.

The relationships in a multi-dawg home is mighty interesting and you can learn a lot from your canines from watching them. Katsuro used to want all the attention to be on him but he has learned that there is enjoyment in building his relationships with the other dawgs and therefore has become a more confident dawg understanding that there is enough love to go all the way around. Besides - nothing like a gal dawg to hang out with. ROFL!

Well they are calling for yet another ice storm and before you say - well we will just stay in - be aware that if your dawg slips the wrong way, they can hurt themselves just like we can hurt ourselves. Tread carefully and until the ice is not on the path of your walk, find fun ways to entertain your dawg inside such as retrieve.

Our son recently tested our dawgs for a paper he is doing for university and we had interesting results. We may try it again to see if the way it unfolds changes with the 2nd time around.

Games help to reduce the causes and symptoms of stress and build a strong bond of understanding between your dog and you and simply they are plain fun.

Games you can play with your little one inside are:

1. Fetch (find a hallway where you are at one end and there is no exit except past you and the learning will be faster.

2. Hide the treat. Show them you have it and then hide it. See how quickly they find it. Use the command 'find it' and you can graduate to toys and much more.

3. Soccer - yeah soccer - take a half inflated ball the size of a soccer ball and kick it around. I say half inflated as then your dawg can grasp it in it's teeth. We had a dawg here last summer that pushed a ball all over with it's nose. For some it comes natural - if given an opportunity and others you have to give them the opportunity. This can be a real joy to watch - inside or out.

4. Practice your commands in a really fun way by being upbeat and creating interest. Sit/stay/down etc Be creative with it. If you already know all the basics - well if your dawg does then try leading with a treat in a crazy 8 way through your legs. This is the first step to training them to do all sorts of fun things with you.

5. Agility training - there are cheap weave poles you can use, you can make a teeter totter and even use a hula hoop as a jump plus buy a cheap tunnel.

6. Hide and Seek - yes we had a German shepherd that played this with our youngest son but you can also play it. Just put him in a stay or have someone else hold your dawg and then when you are hidden call the dawg and let him find you. After he knows the game, just hide without the vocal and you can create all sorts of fun.

There's more but start with these and share your own games - please!

Talemaker Havanese: Happy Valentine's Day

If you click on this photo (you will see a larger version - my quickie photoshop job - really I am capable of better but it's early), the theme of this is - snow isn't the only thing you need to protect your little ones from but on this Valentine's Day, when chocolate abound, be sure to heed this warning.

If you want to know how to reduce the snowpiles on extra wet snowy days, put on a jacket that covers the under carriage. If you don't, place them in a sink. Have someone else hold them. You pour warm - not hot water on them and brush. The brushing part is important as it will reduce any knots. You will be glad you went the extra mile here.

We, at Talemaker's are going to have a low key day. Sassy is off for an adventure tonight on the long weekend. After she is gone, the dawgs, human mommy and daddy are going candlelight (yes those candles will be out of harm's way) and watching some sappy movie, eating, lovin' and spending time with the furry pack. They make any adversity we face easier -I tell you!

Have a very Happy Valentine's Day and give your fur pals extra hugs. They deserve it even when they drive you C-R-A-Z-Y!

Havanese Grooming Day Tips - 1 More Done

As many of you know, Opal chewed off Katsuro's hair so we have had this inbetween hair growing in. It's sort of like dealing with puppies as their hair grows in but not long enough to do a beardie knot back.

There are ways I make grooming easier.
1. I use a grooming table.
2. I put a treat bag on my waist for easy access.
3. I use a hose/sprayer in my sink.
4. I arm myself with spray conditioner, a great brush that helps take knots out, a cat comb with flexible teeth, a face comb and a blower that I do not have to hold - just direct.
5. I use Cindra hair gel .

I use the treats as an incentive for the dogs to stay put and they do as I, layer by layer, spray with the leave-in conditioner, brush and then use the comb to make sure no knots exist. I don't dry bone dry but as you can see here - pretty much dry - just slightly damp. This way the hair stays in good condition. I also use this Cindra hair gel to flatten down the hair around Katsuro's forhead near his eyes so he can see and you can see his eyes. I simply put a dab on my fingers, distribute and comb/brush in the direction I want it to go with a face comb. Face combs are great for that daily cleanup around the eye area. Eventually, when the pups get older, the cleanup around the eyes is much less much like a retriever - just clean the corner of their eyes. I will fill you in on cleanup around the eyes after I do the pups.

As you can see in this photo, Katsuro is ALMOST dry and I will do a comb/brush through later but its enough. In the summer, I may skip the drying all together and just brush/comb a few times to eliminate any knots and let the air dry him.

When I want the feet cleaned up (may have to learn this) I just have a groomer come in to trim the feet so they look neat and cut the hair between the pads to eliminate slipping on walks, and shave the tummy area and around the butt to eliminate any stuck poo.

Sorry for being so graphic but couldn't think of any other way to put it. Hair artist, I am not.

Now I just tried 'gold on gold' shampoo on Fiona and Abigail to see what I get. As you can see from this photo, Abigail is a tad relaxed, more so than Fiona, but that comes with age and a conditioning process to this bathing stuff. They do relax especially if you reward them as they go along.

I have a grooming table noose that I didn't have to use on Abigail even though I line brushed her - and that takes a bit more time but comes out nice. She has a lot of patience. I even used a face comb on her feet and she had no issues with it. Usually the feet and the bum area are the most sensitive to puppies. She doesn't seem to mind at all.

With Fiona, I had to use a bathing tether in the sink (a suction cup with a noose) and a grooming noose (see the blue thing hanging) to get her done.

These tethers do NOT hurt them in any way, shape or form but rather allow you to free your hands. This also allows me to focus on getting her done and focusing on making it a positive experience.

As you can see, Ms. Fiona looks really calm but as the blower was going, the brush and comb and the spray - well she wasn't so complacent but she also wasn't crazy - I can't handle this experience either.

Fiona actually enjoyed the blower more than Abigail. It was sort of like the dog that hangs it's head out the window to feel the breeze. That is what she did.

As you can see, she's snuggling with her daddy, glad its all over.

This is also a way to reward them for a job well done by lovin' them up.

Doesn't she look like a tiny bear, all soft and smelling wonderful. Now she is sleeping after a good lunch.

She's having marvelous dreams, I imagine and is calculating ways to undo the 'looking good' that human mom did. Ah - well that's okay as a dawg has to live too. It's not all about those looks.

They do tend to sleep after you spend this time with them cleaning them up but that's a good thing. They stay clean for longer, allows you to do other things like typing on this blog and then they wake up and you can enjoy them again.

Here's daddy trying to stack Abs midair after her bath and she's doing her best to do a pointer stance. You want my tail up? Nah...I am a pointer - don't ya know?

Well, how do I take care of the eyes?
I clean the eyes with a makeup pad saturated lightly with 'Eye Envy' liquid solution. I use a face comb, and I take the 'Eye Envy' powder with my finger on the staining around the puppies eyes. I then use the face comb to make sure it covers the entire cuticle. This keeps the area dry and stops it from staining any further. Cleaning twice a day on a regular basis gets you through the stage where they have leakage to the stage where it solidifies making the cleaning MUCH easier.

I have also used plain old vaseline to coat the staining and end up cutting the ends off over time till no staining exists. But I have had good results with 'Eye Envy'. It's just a pain to remember it. It's easier to remember once a day vaseline vs. twice a day 'Eye Envy' but the labourous route gets them cleaner and gets rid of the stain over a matter of a month. They say days but I haven't had that experience.

Another thing you can do instead of the vaseline on a white dog is use Chris Christensen White Creme Cover-Up. This stays on and covers up the stain but also protects it from getting further stain and gives you the perception that there is no staining. You brush it in and comb it through. It does not run off - has to be washed off with shampoo. This will also work where you can cut the ends till the stage where the leakage starts solidifying and you will no longer get stains.

I still keep my dogs eyes clean and none have leakage as adults but I like to get rid of the crust or what some call fondly - eye boogers. It also allows me to remove any stray hairs from their eye that they can't remove that may be irritating them. You stay aware of any issues by investing time in grooming. It's not just about them looking good but also this timeframe allows you to see if anything is not the usual.

Well, I THOUGHT I run out of steam. I did manage to get Super Sassy Lassy to have a bath and she has wonderful silky hair - not a SINGLE knot in her. Must be that magic brush, her hair or just luck but wow - nice! Doesn't she look great? I was going to do her Friday but she is off on an adventure starting tomorrow on Valentine's Day so I wanted to get her smelling just gorgeous as she is.

Sassy is off to hang out with Coach for the long weekend. We can't wait to see the photos of those two.

I decided my Valentine gift to myself was to have a 'no grooming' day. Can you imagine that?

I still need to brush and comb the rest but no more baths. I did 4 today and then start in again on a few more on Friday. It all depends on my energy level but the dirtiest was cleaned already. Boys...heh - yeah you guessed who was the dirtiest.

Gad, I just adore snuggling with the really clean ones.

Havanese Nights

Hey - daddy went out with Sassy tonight to go play with Coach at his house. Daddy didn't get any great photos but here he is after getting home pretending to exercise. What - you don't believe it? They were all exercising. Exercising what? Their best stare- hahahaha

Dear old Abs gets comfie in the best spot - on high.

The crew is upstairs so I have to finish this off. Usually some of them wait for me but tonight it's only the Shoshi. I guess that means that the crew is way tired. Sassy came back and played her heart out with Fiona and Miss Abs. She sort of had no choice as they decided 'tag' she was it. I imagine now she is fast asleep. One wonders if Coach is flaking out too. Watch - I will go upstairs and she is playing with Abs...heh

This is the lone photo that Nathan got of the two playing. I can hardly tell who is who. They surely look like siblings. Can't wait to hear all about the adventures tomorrow unless the Sassy deigns to whisper in my ear tonight and tell me all about it. Wouldn't it be nice if they could? I certainly think so.

Well Westminister is on tonight and tomorrow on OLN they say. I missed tonight so can't wait to hear the news. Hope the Havanese are showing well. Let's hope for the miracle....yes Beth's miracle. :-)

Two of Katsuro's Brothers (photos)

This is a photo of Katsuro at 6 days old. Below you will see him this past summer. We chronicaled the pups that were born here daily. For us this is interesting as havanese can change even in adulthood.

We just got an update from two of Katsuro's brothers (Risa's last litter). One is in a puppy cut and one is a half stage growing out stage. One of them retained his black and white and the other has gone to a steel grey. For those that are interested in doing a puppy cut, this will give you an idea of what one will look like.

Can't wait to see them up close but I suspect the steel grey one also has some colours on the coat like Katsuro - who also has beiges and browns. Check them out.

They CAN change in colour. They may retain their colour. It depends on the genetics in their line.

It's one of the visual things about them that also make them so interesting.

Talemaker Coach Visit & Snowy Days

Miss Abs & Coach got along fabulously. Coach was more gentle with her than with his canine mom Wasabi. Miss Wasabi Woo was delighted and it's a joy to watch her excitement when seeing the pups. A great time was had by all. Now it's snowing and we are also including the photos of that - snow covered dawgs - such fun! Another grooming day...hehehehe

Snow tends to invigorate the Havanese. Enjoy the slideshow below!

Windy Havanese Moments

The dawgs need baths - the wind is blowing fierce and our dawgs are loving it.

But for some, the wind is an unknown and when it is this strong, it may throw them off a bit creating a fear. Be sure to not make an issue of it if they do react and be creative on ways to make the experience positive and a fun one.

For our old dawg - it throws her off but we offer distractions, act as if it's an enjoyable thang that is going on and it all works. Realize your dawgs react from your state of mind. If you are tense, they are. Practice your yoga chants - if you must - hahahaha and stay in that healthy state of mind for you and your canine pals. It helps them and therefore helps you. It's all in the head - you know.

Havanese Monday Blahs

Nathan and Miss Abs did their class homework. Did Sassy Lassy and Sebastian? We will find out come Saturday - hahahahahaha

Just to update you, I am a bit under the weather. Not sure why but feeling chills. I usually only feel that in other places. We are still working on the video of Abigail making her transition and the video from Yvonne's house but it may take me till tomorrow. Still hoping but want to crawl on the couch. Also, Yvonne will have some photos up on her blog and I will put a pointer here when she does from the weekend. Look for it soon.

By the way, Miss Abs has totally made the bridge. She stole a tug toy from Risa and played with her. She plays with Wasabi and Shoshi every chance she gets. She hangs on Katsuro's back and on and on. But for those that know Risa - stealing a toy from her - well the gal has guts and she has made it completely. ROFL

Wasabi even plays with Abs just like she did Sassy so that gal has real get up and go. Oh my! What fun to see.

Havanese TV Time & Dreams

Well, I am just finishing up getting things ready for tomorrow - charging cameras etc. and I couldn't resist putting up Miss Abs laying on our long leather ottoman that sits up against the couch. Do you think she is worried about anything?

I sat watching TV grooming and she was already done and decided to conk out. Well, I will tell you a funny thing about what happened while Miss Abs was snoozing. She must have been having one heck of a dream as she had her eyes closed, making noises and her tail was wagging but she was indeed sleeping. I would LOVE to know what fun dream she was having. It had to be a good one.

Well - off to bed myself as we have a full couple of days. Miss Abs and all of the crew except the Shoshi and Katsuro is up in bed with daddy.

One more update tomorrow morning then not again till Sunday night.

New Havanese Puppy Transitions

Well Miss Abs is getting her comfort on. Today she was playing full on with Wasabi but couldn't keep up with her like the Sassy Lassy but we suspect if she keeps it up, her round little belly will fade. Such a cute belly too as that gal loves to eat. I don't blame her - me too. Wasabi is rather relentless in her play holding on for hours. Sassy was too.

But much to the delight of Terra, Miss Abs played tug with her off and on and Terra was even squeezing the pull toy to make noises to attract her. She was indeed delighted that she has another Havanese that isn't afraid of her size and will play with abandonment.

Then if that wasn't enough, Katsuro, as wet as he was from rolling outside said - hmm this one is staying around so let's play with her too! This is a cute photo but poor Katsuro with that hair growing out from Opal yanking it out - is something else - it's long enough to point straight out now. ;-) I think I have about 50 shots of these two rolling around in all sorts of angles even next to that lovely box that has teeth marks on it - hmmm I wonder who did THAT! Some were much better than this one but this shows the comfort level that these two have and they let me shoot and click over and over.

Miss Abs also found the tunnel play today. At first sauntering on up to it, peeking head in and slipping right in. Then she ran the lengths, poking her head out and making all sorts of noises. It was a riot. The Havanese just adore these hiding devices and for me - the more the better.

Right at this moment she is sitting on a pillow under a table that we have to give our dawgs comfort and fun places to relax in. They really enjoy this craziness and we don't mind having a dawg house of sorts. Some may but I find the more comfort you give them, the more they make you laugh and that's what life is about - laughter and dawgs!

More later.>>

Havanese Changes

The crew is a bit off today as Sebastian is not here and neither is Coach but they are working it out.

It brings up our observations that whenever there are changes, there is always an adjustment. When we have visitors, the dogs get so excited and then when they go home - they go - now what?

Havanese are a highly sociable dawg. It's not that you can't just have one but 2 play differently with more enthusiasm. It's just a fact.

Now one would say but you have all those dawgs - but puppies bring a high level of enthusiasm to the mix and that's what the crew is missing. We know this is a temporary thing but as we are so in tuned with our dawgs, we watch and digest what is going on. Changes are always a 'good' thing. It helps your dog adjust to life as life is not stagnant.

We suspect by tomorrow, the crew will be back to themselves and Miss Abs will find her own needs met by the adults learning what she can get from which.

On Saturday, we are going to visit Yvonne's crew and stay over with the dawgs this way Miss Abs can really mix it up, deal with another change, have yet another car ride (we are giving her as many as we can) all with the goal to be very balanced so she can deal with anything life throws out at us.

For now, Miss Abs is playing with Nathan, trying to play with the Shosh and Katsuro and even trying to get Terra going. They play but not with enthusiasm. But as we know from experiences in the past, this too will pass and we will be back to crazy Havanese times.

So do, follow our journey.

Camera Lovin' Havanese

Sassy is having a bit of Sebastian rub off on her or is that the other way around? The camera comes out and it's strike a pose - such a runway gal.

The crew is up and the 'no bark' is working so well that I pointed my finger - said no bark this morning when a dog in the distance was barking and they are finally getting it. Good one!

Sassy, Wasabi and Sebastian are playing their little hearts out this morning having a roaring good time. After my breakfast, I will bathe her, brush her, Nathan will do her nails and get her ready to be stylin.

Well, it's cold outside. The crew is rolling around having fun and I need my coffee. More later!

Talemaker's Havanese Ritz Abode

There are some Havanese dawgs that love comfort and Risa's line reeks of THAT! Risa loves her sleep time, her pillow at the top of the bed that Sebastian stole last night and they love their zzzzz's - always have but Risa and Katsuro take the cake as they love the pillows, the blanket over them and it can't be any pillow but it must be soft, comfie and just right.

Due to a new visitor, Sebastian, Katsuro has decided to catch some zzzs on the couch this morning. Laying high also gives him the illusion he is top dawg surveying all.

Sebastian and Sassy are also nodded out together in the big dawgs bed. Sebastian is going to get a comb out when he gets done snoozing. He decided today to mimic Risa in the snow. Risa goes out, lays down in the snow and does a body rub. Sebastian thought that was rather interesting and tried it himself. Sassy just looked and I swear said what are you 2 nuts doing? Ah - but Sebastian and Risa are satisfied that she hasn't got a clue. They now have all that fresh white stuff to themselves to roll and get a mess in.

COMMENTS:
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Mark and Maryanne has left a new comment on your post "Talemaker's Havanese Ritz Abode": I'm glad to see that Sebastian got his choice of pillows on the bed last night. He's learning that he is the king and all others are his loyal subjects!! Let's not let it go to his head. Posted by Mark and Maryanne to Wasabi's Havanese Adventures at January 14, 2008 1:33 PM

What Makes an Outstanding Havanese?

This morning, Sassy was relentless with Katsuro. He wanted to sleep - she insisted that she wanted to snuggle. It was as if Katsuro wanted to say - 'will you just leave me alone?'

This was the beginning of their social interaction today. Each day it varies on what she learns from each. It's a huge bonus for her to remain with many dogs as she will learn a bit from each and it will help her learn important communication skills. It's hard for us as we bond with them. But as we found in the past and with Sebastian yesterday, when a pup comes to visit and enjoys and is comfie in our home, it means they have good imprints from where they began. Then when they are done playing, show that their new owners are their person, and they go home, it also shows us that this learning, security and love has continued and that lends us comfort as it's all about the dawgs to us more than you can ever know!

To continue on what happened this morning - Then as time went on, they just fell asleep together. Relationships at this critical stage are important as they lay the base for how they will react as adults unless you intervene and immerse them in slow conditioning but why start with baggage? It's best to expose in safe environments to give the best result. Easier said then done at times and things do happen and you 'can' recover.

What that means is it is important to expose them to dogs you know that will give them positive reactions to help them learn how to interact. That's not to say that the growl from Risa as one is getting too close is not a good thing. It is but when no altercation exists but rather communication, the puppy learns.

You can click on any photos in this blog to get a larger view.

Today we are working on a video with Sebastian to show you how siblings react to each other. It's a joy - a true one. But I need to find the time to edit and we have much to do today - am shooting for tonight at the latest to post.

To elaborate on what makes a dog balanced, secure, even temperament and all that you want it to be - is it genetics? I will take a piece out of Kathryn Braunds book, The Joyous Havanese (I suggest you buy this book) that tells what makes a dog be all they can be.

"Your dog is 50% dam, 50% sire however both dam and sire are a product of generations of genes. Each canine mom imprints her puppies with habits she has and the way she responds to their and her human's guardians every action. " (My note: with multi dogs - that includes all the dogs that interact with the pups)

"Ingredients in making a dog be all they can be:

1. Interactions with siblings (other dogs in home)
2. Interaction with the breeder
3. Permanent socialization from 8 to 20 weeks
4. The final touch covers adolescent from 12 to 15 months. Socialization during this period cements all past genetic and environmental happenings in the not so closed brain.

Note that many genes do not come into play unless they are utilized early on such as retrieving. It is why you should be teaching your dog as much as he can by 15 months. It doesn't mean learning ceases after this age but the brain is more receptive till this age."

Puppy relationships start in the whelping box. You as a potential owner should be asking what the breeder does in regards to socialization, relationships etc.

Here, we take it very serious and invest our whole heart and soul in it but it's a learning process and once you stop and become stagnant, it's not good. Life is changing so learning should never end. From 4 weeks to 16 weeks is a very critical stage.

"Let's see what makes a Havanese tick. We already know the Havanese have genes honed into them through centuries of rearing, which makes him loving, exceptionally happy and bouncy. His stereotype is of a sensitive, willing, attention seeking, charming athletic dog.

However each Havanese is an individual and each has been gifted or denied by nature and environment with certain talents above and beyond the breed's basic characteristics., just as humans are. Each Havanese will develop different emotional responses to experiences he meets in life."

It's good to know that the Havanese you own (or will) completes his personality development and his uniqueness through interaction with you and your family.

Happy Havanese New Year

Well, we just got back from having a fab time at our friends Yvonne and Alex. The crew is sitting in their living room sopping wet and they had lots of snow and if I can get a video rendered, you may see then running like the dickens outside having a grand time.

Sassy had her shots so yesterday she was sore but not too bad. She weighed in at 4lbs 6 ounces. Her vet loved her patellas - said wow - really great ones. He thought she was in excellent health and we are glad and he said - oh my this one looks like her mommy - such a beautiful face. That was nice.

We spent a really great time at our friends but one can't sleep with 6 Havanese in a queen size bed. It's way too funny and we had all sorts of issues with technical stuff but hey that calmed down and we watched TV and human daddy snored and Yvonne had to say - ah let's go to bed and Risa was asking for hours already.

Today we tried to render a video but will have to give it a shot here. Till now, you can look at Sassy and her mom out in the backyard at Yvonnes. She soooo adorable in looks and personality - I tell you. Big dogs, little ones - she got her grounding and played in such a short time - it was great to see. Even when Britney (an old Beardie - the leader of the pack at Yvonnes and Alex) was barking she said - what was that and continued on without issue.

I need to eat but wanted to say Sassy did well on the long ride there, the shots, the strange house, the different bed to sleep on and all those doggies to play with. She had a roaring good time and so did the rest of the pack but when we said home, Katsuro got excited then the rest did and they are almost all conked out except Louis, our visitor (who goes home tomorrow - sniff) and Sassy who are playing up a storm. More tomorrow and hopefully a video but too tired tonight to pull it together.

By the way, Sassy has really and I mean really perfected her jumps through snows and her going up and down stairs. Me thinks she's going to be quite the athlete like Wasabi.

You Can Teach Your Havanese to Dive

Many Havanese really like to swim but it matters how you introduce them to the sport. If you create a high level of enthusiasm and a great deal of praise, you can end up with a dog like Katsuro that has a passion for jumping in the pool. In this video, you will see how Nathan started him out by getting them all excited at the diving board then coaxing him to jump in. Then he praised him greatly in a really upbeat manner and it created a swimming monster - hahahaha - well not quite that but he adores the pool and can jump a far distance now. We believe it's important to find that passion for us - for our canines and when you do, you have a truly happy dog that makes you laugh and smile and they look forward to what the next day will bring.

Our Wasabi was just finding her passion for the pool but ended up pregnant and on another life journey so the practice jumps didn't last long. There's always next summer for her and for you.

Be sure to continue our Talemaker Havanese adventures at http://www.talemakerhavanese.com/ where there's always something new going on for our crew. It's pups right now and then we will move on to other things.

This is How Havanese Play

Today Mommy Wasabi and Katsuro was playing inside and outside today while us youngsters watch them. This was mommy's 101 lesson on how your flirt with the boys and it was Katsuro's lesson on patience brings great things as he's been waiting a long time for Wasabi to get back into play mode.

She's also been having a roaring good time with the puppies. It's nice to watch. The pups tried the Merrick's lamb mixed in with the Fromm's kibble and only half is gone. It's not that they hated it but not so in love with it either.

More later. We have company and human mommy is not feeling all that well so nap time sometime before then.