# Unique Havanese Traits?



## mrootes (Oct 17, 2011)

Being new to the forum, I hope to determine if my dogs' traits are unique to the breed or just a "dog thing". Here we go:

1. When chasing their chew toy, they both snort as they fight and chew on it.

2. When I am sitting on the couch, Snickers will look up at me from the floor, staring. He will then scratch his back paws several times, like he's wiping his back feet. He will keep doing this till I say, "Come on boy!", then he energetically jumps up in my lap. 

3. Both dogs lick my skin like it's covered in chicken.

4. Both dogs sit on the highest point of the couch - reminds me of a CAT!

5. Both dogs think the doorbell is a reason to bark and come scrambling to the front door with all the passion of a jail break.

6. They sleep on their backs.

Maybe some of you can share if your Havs do any of these things or something unique only to your dog!


----------



## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

sounds like both my dogs, and neither are Havanese...except for number 3...only if I have lotion on...lol.


----------



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

Max snorts. It's hilarious. He loves to play under the covers. We tickle him as he roots looking for our hands, snorting the whole time.

Cooper pats the floor or sofa with one paw until I pet him. Max gently lays one paw on me and looks at me forlornly until I pet him. He wakes me in the morning by looking at my closed eyes and smacking his lips.

Both dogs lick some, but they are not obsessive lickers.

Max sits sentinel on top of the sofa, proudly guarding his pack.

Both dogs scramble for the door, barking. Fortunately, they stop when I say that's enough.

Cooper sleeps on his side with one hind foot hiked up against the sofa like he is airing out his private parts for all to see. Max sleeps with his face crammed in any crevice he can find. Between the cushions on the sofa, etc. It's hilarious when he wakes up, because his beard and whiskers are all slicked back. We call it his pointy face.

My favorite trait is their RLH. When I let them outside, they take out at a dead run. Fortunately, I have a big back yard, so they get quite a run in.

But most of all, I love their happy disposition. They never meet a stranger and wiggle all over at the sight of a child. When they burst out the door for their RLH, you see happiness all over that blur of dog. I love that.


----------



## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Maxmom said:


> Max snorts. It's hilarious. He loves to play under the covers. We tickle him as he roots looking for our hands, snorting the whole time.
> 
> Cooper pats the floor or sofa with one paw until I pet him. Max gently lays one paw on me and looks at me forlornly until I pet him. He wakes me in the morning by looking at my closed eyes and smacking his lips.
> 
> ...


May I send my little Lady Mia to you...she does not understand when I say Enough...now Sir Winston is well trained and stops..but not Miss Mia...


----------



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

I followed a Ceasar tip for the front door that actually worked well! You know, getting between them and the door and "claiming it" with your body language. Then not opening it until they have stopped barking and sit down. Can hardly believe it myself, but it worked. lol

Max is my worst barker. He will bark at something outside and when I say "no bark" or "enough", he does little "ruff"s and I praise him. It's really funny to watch him do the ruffs. You know he's dying to really belt out a bark.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Brody is a snorter. I think he may be part pig. I should get him a job as a truffle sniffing pig and make big $$$. Too bad there aren't truffles here. 

He is also a crazy licker. He licks me like nuts, the sheets, my clothes, the carpet, he's always licking everything. It drives me bonkers.

He loves to lay on the back of the couch at my head. Then he bats at my head and tries to chew my hair. I love it when he nicely rests his head on my shoulder. The second I even twitch though, he's biting and licking at my hair, ear, neck...

I don't have a doorbell, but when my oven timer goes off he jumps up and races to the stove. It's cute.

Brody is a back sleeper too. The other night he was sprawled out in the middle of the room on his back and whenever something on TV caught his attention he'd lift his head up and watch (while keeping on his back). It was so funny.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mrootes said:


> Being new to the forum, I hope to determine if my dogs' traits are unique to the breed or just a "dog thing". Here we go:
> 
> 1. When chasing their chew toy, they both snort as they fight and chew on it.
> 
> ...


1. Yes, Kodi does this.

2. Kodi doesn't do this, but I think lots of male dogs (and a few females) of many breeds do this.

3. Kodi doesn't lick much, but we discouraged it from the beginning. I don't like to get slobbered on.<g>

4. Kodi doesn't do this, but the back of our couches are not very wide... it would be hard for him. I know LOTS of other Havs do it.

5. Kodi barks when someone is at the door (whether they ring the bell or not) but he stops as soon as I say, "OK, Kodi, I've got it."

6. Yeah, I think most of them like sleeping on their backs... or doing what we call "frog dog"... laying flat out with hind legs spread out behind and to the sides... Like a road-kill frog.<g>


----------



## lkwilson (Mar 6, 2011)

Frog dog.... we refer to Coach as a meatloaf when he does that. Just one rectangular blob.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

krandall said:


> 6. Yeah, I think most of them like sleeping on their backs... or doing what we call "frog dog"... laying flat out with hind legs spread out behind and to the sides... Like a road-kill frog.<g>


Ha ha I call it his "bear skin rug" imitation.


----------



## DiegoCF_Boston (Apr 12, 2011)

mrootes said:


> Being new to the forum, I hope to determine if my dogs' traits are unique to the breed or just a "dog thing". Here we go:
> 
> 1. When chasing their chew toy, they both snort as they fight and chew on it.
> 
> ...


Diego doesn't snort (at least i've never heard him snort) while chasing one of his toys. When he plays tug of war with Olive (our bulldogge), he tends to get vocal (playfully growl and bark), but after the game is stopped, he's back to being quiet.

YES!! Diego does the kickback as well and it's usually when he plays with Olive. After they play, they take a really quick (seriously, a 5 second quick) break, and that's what he does before he hops on her again for the next round! I have no idea why, but it's actually kind of adorable 

He's not too much of a licker except when he was access to our faces. He'll sometimes lick our hands and feet, but it's mostly when we're laying down and he walks on our chests right up to our heads and go to town. The ears are his favorite parts! It's kind of gross, but cute at the same time.

He doesn't do this as often as I would like him to. Mostly someone has to be sitting up on one of the single seaters and he'll sit on the arm of the chair with that person (the arms and back are all the same height).

A knock on the door and the doorbell make both of them crazy. Olive does it because she's a guard dog and I'm almost 100% sure that Diego does it because Olive does it and he thinks he's our "big, mean, guard dog" too. But they both stop when we say enough. (Which leads me to: aren't bulldogge's supposed to be the laziest dogs? Because when there's a knock or the doorbell rings, Olive is like a flash of lightning...blink and you'll miss it!)

Diego sleeps anyway he can. Side, frogged out, on his back, curled up into a ball, against a wall, in a corner, his bottom half spread open on his back while his top half is still normally on his chest. When he first goes to his back though, he tends to wiggle around and grunt a little (possibly scratching his back?) and then finally calms down. He's also more of a solid surface sleeper (he tends to sleep either on his bed or with Olive on her bed for about 20 minutes but then usually goes to the floor for the rest of the night).


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

My Grand daughters taught Rosie to bark at the doorbell while she was staying with them. Thank God that I don't have a doorbell. But there is a commercial on the TV that a doorbell rings and Rosie starts barking and runs to the front door. I don't hear very well and she will bark and run to the door if someone is knocking. As soon as I notice, she stops thankfully. Instead of snorting, she sneezes for my attention. RLH is the favorite thing though. I warn you though, in that stage, they are almost impossible to catch or distract. Rosie will run in circles around the back yard with Josie Wales waiting to jump at her as she runs by.


----------



## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

misstray said:


> Ha ha I call it his "bear skin rug" imitation.


Haha, I call it "Superdog", looks like superman flying (albeit flat on the floor) to me when Cey does this


----------



## Trixie (Oct 9, 2010)

Trixie likes to shred paper.
(but she's actually pretty discerning, knowing what is o.k. to shred, and what will likely get her in hot water. So she sticks to paper towels, cardboard & dry leaves. She doesn't eat any of it. I've watched her closely when she does this. She tears a little piece off and spits it out... until she has amassed quite a pile.)
I'm working on teaching her to use a broom. LOL. (if only)


----------



## tcollins (May 1, 2011)

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes! Oliver does all of that! His favorite person to lick is my husband. When Rick comes home from work, he lays on the floor and Oliver stands on his chest and licks his face and head, holding Rick's head with his front paws-it is so disgusting. 

Oliver LOVES shredding toilet paper, but his favorite is (I know this is so gross)- women's panties. He digs them out of the dirty laundry, even though we try to bury them. It is soooo gross and we have tried to get him to stop-does anyone else deal with this? If you do, please tell me what you do to stop it!

Oliver also loves doorbells, knocks and I swear can hear gramma's car coming a mile away.


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

LOL, Tillie's favorite "delicacy" is panty liners. uke: 
I just have to be very cautious about always throwing things away properly and having a CLOSED lid garbage can and a CLOSED lid hamper. ha ha ha 
I know TMI and GROSS!


----------



## tcollins (May 1, 2011)

:suspicious:ound:yup, he likes bathroom garbage cans, too...


----------



## tcollins (May 1, 2011)

ok Dave...what advice do you have for that?!


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

tcollins said:


> ok Dave...what advice do you have for that?!


Covered trash cans!ound:

Seriously, life with a dog (just as with a small child) is part teaching/training, and part managing the environment.


----------



## mrootes (Oct 17, 2011)

our boys love my oldest daughter's panties. My wife is thoroughly disgusted with the concept, but I remind her - they are animals - they are dogs. This is natural to them. For all they know, we are leaving them intentionally for them.

We just put our laundry in a tall hamper they cannot get into.


----------



## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I'm sitting here LMAO. I see my troops in all of it. Bailey is my shredder and garbage man. I swear, he thinks it's his job to turn over and do a search and rescue of any paper and/or hair trapped in the garbage. 

Ruby is my mischievous Houdini, who gets past any barricade to my living room and soars across any obstacle to get to the back of the sofa. My once ivory sofa now sports a random paw print pattern, not at all pleasing to my designer's eye. She's also my licker. I had one fungus toenail and she used to lick it all the time. Try as I might, I couldn't get her to stop. I know, I could have worn socks, but I'm a barefoot kinda gal at home so she managed to spread the fungus to the other nails before I noticed it. Thankfully, and I share this in case anyone else has any, or knows anyone else who has, I found a homeopathic cure. I was not going to risk my liver or other significan organs on some of the cures available. A friend told me that coconut oil cured fungus (among many other things). So, not believing it would work, I slathered my toes before retiring at night and gave it a try. It would appear I just saved myself $1200. The other, less invasive option was to have the laser treatment at a cost of $120/toe and they do all ten. Ah, but I digress . . .

Milo doesn't, and has never climbed on any piece of furniture without delicately approaching me to grant him access. If there's ever damage to anything higher than hav level, I can rule him out as the perpetrator. He's my lover and used to always insist on his french kisses before retiring for the night. My reluctance at his ardent advances was palpable, given his predilection for digging up worms and licking less savory body parts.

All these things aside, my gang loves their RLH. It looks like a train whizzing by when they are going at it full tilt. Oh, and BTW, Ruby is my panty gal. She'll root them out to steal, savor and all too often, if she has enough time, surgically remove the crotch. Since I'm way too old to wear crotchless panties, she's cost me a pretty penny in that department.

Fun thread. We should have some of these accompanied by photos.


----------



## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

It is a fun thread I just keep laughing. My guys do not steal underware they are far to busy chewing the pockets out of all of my jeans in persuit of a left over treat....pockets are not the same after you sew them...after a few times they just can't be fix.

My guys hide favored toys under their pillows or in the back of their beds. They do many of the same things as the other and are always on the back of a couch.


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

This is where mine stay...yeah I know Josie Wales is not a Havanese, but she doesn't. They are both in the windowsill. I suspicion that Rosie thinks she is a cat.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Luciledodd said:


> This is where mine stay...yeah I know Josie Wales is not a Havanese, but she doesn't. They are both in the windowsill. I suspicion that Rosie thinks she is a cat.


As long as you don't find ROSIE on the skylight!ound:


----------



## Susan0406 (May 16, 2011)

Whisky is a licker, just about anything, but her favourite thing to lick is my BF's stinky feet - gross. 

She also likes to steal socks clean or dirty - again gross. 

I think she thinks she is a mountain lion sometimes too, not only does she like the back of couch, but she try's to clime on just about anything. 

Do any of your pups throw their toys up in the air and try to bat them, Whisky also plays ball with herself by throwing her ball and chasing it.


----------



## Lsprick (Jul 8, 2010)

I started laughing when I saw all the panty fetishes! I have the same problem with Gracie. She tip-toes by me while I'm finishing up for bed, heads straight for the closet, drags the unmentionable out of the laundry basket and gets in a good whiff. One time my SIL came over and there were my panties lying in the middle of the living room floor, unbeknownst to me! LOL, talk about embarrassed!


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

krandall said:


> As long as you don't find ROSIE on the skylight!ound:


Gee, Karen, I was thinking the same thing!! :biggrin1:



Susan0406 said:


> Whisky is a licker, just about anything, but her favourite thing to lick is my BF's stinky feet - gross.
> 
> She also likes to steal socks clean or dirty - again gross.
> 
> ...


Augie is a 'licker' - feet, fingers, ears. Finn loves to shake things to 'death' and then let them fly and then he will go retrieve and do it over and over. He has gotten quite good at sailing them a pretty fair distance. He usually uses socks for this, but any limp toy will do.

These guys have such cute traits and mannerisms. But even when they do the same thing though, I have noticed there is a difference in the way they do it - with my two. Example - the spread out on the floor like a frog or rug - Augie goes down gracefully and pushes his feet out behind while Finn just drops down and thrusts his hind feet out quick-like. But, yes, I have noticed most of these traits. Have to keep the laundry room and bathroom doors closed. We have had to install childproof locks on the kitchen cabinets where the garbage is kept - and man, how I hate those things - GRrrrrr. But I was afraid that Finn might get hold of something harmful. Augie has NEVER even tried to get in there. And twice now I have found Finn outside of the gated kitchen when I return inside from taking Augie out to potty. What a stinker!  Earlier this week, I saw him almost jump out over the top of the baby gate to greet the coffee group ladies when they came over. He has springs in his hind legs.


----------



## tcollins (May 1, 2011)

Oh Leslie, that is hilarious! So embarassing! I guess I was the one that started the whole panty thing, but I just couldn't resist! 

We do cover the garbages, but Oliver will find a way! He is the strongest and most determined 8.5 lb creature I have had since my babies were born!

I just love when they spread out like a frog, it is SO CUTE! 

When I went to that playdate, I thought the funniest thing was how much ALIKE they all are in their own UNIQUE ways!


----------



## mrootes (Oct 17, 2011)

Our guys will shake their chey toy viciously, left to right then let it fly and go chase it again.

They go ABSOLUTELY BALLISTIC however, when I discovered the following:

I removed the "squeaker" from a fabric toy they gutted. I put it in the palm of my hand and then slid on and old LEATHER glove. I get on the floor with them and flop my hand around like a fish out of water, allowing the squeaker to sound.

They pounce on that thing like a cat on a mouse! And I found they enjoy the chase perhaps more than the chewing! I will then play dead with my hand as they stop chewing, I then have my hand take off, flopping and squeaking, and it starts all over again. I will try to get it on video.

They also do the same thing when I put my hand under a blanket and move it around.

They have learned that the only time they can chase or chew on my hand is when it's under a blanket or with that glove as we don;t allow them to chew on hands.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

motherslittlehelper said:


> But even when they do the same thing though, I have noticed there is a difference in the way they do it - with my two. Example - the spread out on the floor like a frog or rug - Augie goes down gracefully and pushes his feet out behind while Finn just drops down and thrusts his hind feet out quick-like.


And Kodi does it yet a different way. He lays down normally, then slowly crawls his front legs and chest forward, while leaving his back legs behind. It starts out looking like stretch, but then he just puts his head down and falls asleep!:biggrin1:

And I agree completely about the springs! In fact, when I brought him for his first vet check as a puppy, the vet said he had never felt such solid musculature in the hind legs of a young puppy. We all know why!ound:


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Karen and Linda, I never thought about her getting on the roof. It is a good thing that I always go out with her.


----------



## Lsprick (Jul 8, 2010)

6. They sleep on their backs. You mean like this?!?!


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

YES! It is so you can kiss their belly every time you walk by.


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Lsprick said:


> 6. They sleep on their backs. You mean like this?!?!


Ha - we call it 'airing the business'. 

mrootes, that sounds cute - the leather glove/squeaker game! I hold a squeaker toy where they can't see it and will give it a squeak and the two of them go bonkers, trying to figure out where it is coming from, because then I will wait until they have backed off a bit and then give it another squeak.

Another thing - Finn has chewed the ears off every stuffed animal toy in the house. Augie would suck on them, but never destroyed them. And we found some of those Pet Stages monkey toys that Whimsy's mom mentioned in another thread. They LOVE them - the only toy they have fought over 'spiritedly'  (with snarls and growls). And I bought several, but that is not good enough. They have to fight over the same one. Finn is working on removing the little flappy tails on those too.


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Besides all the above, Rosie chewed all the eyes off of her stuffed animals. She was real gentle and didn't tear any of them. Now they are all blind. she also worried a screw out of the floorboard. Don't ask me how.


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Luciledodd said:


> Besides all the above, Rosie chewed all the eyes off of her stuffed animals. She was real gentle and didn't tear any of them. Now they are all blind. she also worried a screw out of the floorboard. Don't ask me how.


Yikes, I would think the screw would be hard on the teeth!  There is nothing 'gentle' about the way Finn removes ears! They are all ragged, ripped and torn.


----------



## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

Luciledodd said:


> Besides all the above, Rosie chewed all the eyes off of her stuffed animals. She was real gentle and didn't tear any of them. Now they are all blind. she also worried a screw out of the floorboard. Don't ask me how.


Lizzie does that, too. She rips out eyes, ears, tails, and in the case of her sherpa gingerbread man his buttons. I bought a (I thought) indestructible toy with 7 squeakers and they are all out.

Wow, a screw. She must have been busy.


----------

