# Not what I expected..



## Ange (Feb 2, 2017)

Yoshi has been home for two weeks and it's been a rollercoaster ride. There's so much going on. I'll apologize now for the long post. But, here's what's been going on.

1- She pounced on my daughter's ponytail last week and swallowed a bunch of hair. She had some slight rectal bleeding and hair in her poop, so I took her to the vet. They couldn't do a rectal exam because her anatomy is too small. She said I could watch and wait, or I could choose an x-ray. I knew that I'd be worried about internal damages so I chose the x-ray. After further discussion we decided an ultrasound was a better choice. The ultrasound showed some irritation and inflammation, so they put her on an antibiotic with anti inflammatory properties. The issue after was where they shaved her for the ultra sound, she was scratching and bleeding so we had to cone her 😕. This seems to have all resolved.

2- Friday she started having a few more accidents than usual (even for a 10 week old). She was wimpering a bit when we came inside and I dried her off (it has been raining here for days). She was extra vocal yesterday morning. So, I managed to catch a urine sample and called the vet to say I was dropping it off. They had a cancellation and were actually able to examine her. The urinalysis showed crystals in her urine. So, change of antibiotic and some canned food for urinary health to try and clear them up. I've been adding water to her kibble as well as mixing in the canned food. She devours it all. 

Through all of this she's been generally happy and had a good appetite.

3- The second night she was home my husband woke me up to say she was making strange noises (she sleeps in a crate on my side). By the time I looked at her she was fine, had stopped and layed back down. She woke us up last night and my husband said it was the same noise. She had vomited. I don't think there was food in the vomit, just liquid, but hard to say with certainty. There was a bit if delay between me checking her and getting the light on. 

4- She eats EVERYTHING. I can't give her anything other than Nylabone or Kong, and nothing fabric at all without really close supervision (even Kong toys meant for puppy chewing). She goes into psycho attack modes and we can't have her out of the ex pen at those times. We let her out when she's calmer. Going outside is a bit of a nightmare. She wants to eat everything and after the ponytail experience I'm extra paranoid of her swallowing anything. She wants to eat wood chips, rocks, worms, bunny poop, bird poop (the geese are out in full force- so gross). She needs to burn off energy and outside jaunts are good for that, but super stressful for me. We are working on the leave it command and she's making progress. But, I've still had to pull rocks, wood chips and bunny poop from her mouth. She isn't happy about it and is getting a bit defensive if she is in full beast mode. I'm afraid she may feel like she needs to guard her treasures. I do give treats if she drops things on command, so I'm hoping that she'll see that giving things up will be worth her while. I need some safe toy suggestions. She gets bored with what we have and the Kong fabric toys are her absolute favourite. I can't give her stuffed Kong toys all day.

5- As a continuation of her eating everything.. I woke up this morning and she was chewing the blanket in her crate. I can't leave her with any form of bed, she attacks and wrestles with it. Until now she's not chewed this blanket (as far as I can tell) but I can't have her swallowing the fibers and upsetting her GI tract. Any suggestions? In her ex pen she never slept on anything soft I left for her, she always chose the hard floor, so that's all she sleeps on in there. If the blanket chewing continues do you think I should just leave the crate bare? It feels kind of mean. 

Despite all of this she is sweet and loving when she's not in beast mode. Sorry again for the long post. I'm hoping some of you experienced puppy parents might have some suggestions.


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## Layla's Mom (Feb 1, 2016)

Yoshi sounds like a little firecracker! As for the crate pad I love the Primo Pads! I have an ACD aka heeler that eats everything and he hasn't destroyed his. You can special order your size, they're super easy to clean (just wipe off) and almost indestructible. I put a blanket in with Layla's so it's more snuggly, but thinks she prefers it alone in summer as it's cooler. Good luck!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Sorry to hear about all your troubles. Hopefully some experienced members will have some suggestions for you. Thinking of you!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Have you talked with her breeder? That is the first (or second,) place I'd go for advice...


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## Ange (Feb 2, 2017)

Sheri said:


> Have you talked with her breeder? That is the first (or second,) place I'd go for advice...


Great idea, thanks! I just sent off an email.


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## Ange (Feb 2, 2017)

ShamaMama said:


> Sorry to hear about all your troubles. Hopefully some experienced members will have some suggestions for you. Thinking of you!


Thanks! I am hoping the same thing.


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## Ange (Feb 2, 2017)

Layla's Mom said:


> Yoshi sounds like a little firecracker! As for the crate pad I love the Primo Pads! I have an ACD aka heeler that eats everything and he hasn't destroyed his. You can special order your size, they're super easy to clean (just wipe off) and almost indestructible. I put a blanket in with Layla's so it's more snuggly, but thinks she prefers it alone in summer as it's cooler. Good luck!


Thanks, I will look at those.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Yep, it sounds like you have yourself ONE LIVELY LITTLE PUPPY! And if you think about it, that may be better than one that is sickly, won't eat, is lethargic,and sleeps all the time. Here are my random thoughts:

Havanese are known "shredders!" As puppies that will eat and shred anything and everything! This usually dissipates after a couple of years but may last even longer. You cannot prevent them from doing this, but when you see them do it, distract them with a pull toy to get them involved with more positive play.

Let Yoshi sleep the way she prefers, if that is the bare floor for the time being, then fine.

Many Havanese love to eat poop of all kinds, slugs, worms, leaves, grass, you name it - Ricky's favorites are bunny poop and grass. The consensus is that this is natural and does no harm in limited amounts. Again, positive distraction is the best remedy.

Havanese puppies are notorious for being hyperactive a few times a day for a few minutes. We call this RLH (run like h3ll). Ricky used to do it a dozen or more times a day as a puppy but today at three years old he only does it 2 or 3 times a day. In Ricky's case he starts suddenly, running at full speed around the coffee table ten times, then a giant leap to bounce sideways off the back cushion of the sofa back to the floor, then just a blur into the bedroom for a 6 foot leap onto the bed to a screeching halt, then he will manically dig at the bedspread for a few seconds and then a 6 foot leap back onto the floor, now to the kitchen and dining table and more round and round............then he will stop as quickly as he started! He will trot over and get a long drink of water, then over to his day bed and fall fast asleep. Just another day in our life with a Havanese.

I fed Ricky kibble in the beginning but quickly became dissatisfied. Kibble can lead to crystals in the urine and in some cases pancreatitis. Today we only feed him a nutritious freeze dried diet.....and his appetite is bigger than ever! If you feed kibble, I recommend you always mix it with water as much as 50% (but realize your puppy will need to potty more). I suggest you search this forum for ideas concerning the most nutritious kibble (if you decide t stay with kibble) or the best alternative diets.

If your puppy is always hungry, are you feeding a sufficient amount? Weigh your puppy once a week to check for regular weight gain. Talk to you Vet about what to expect for a weight gain at each month. The amount of weight gain will depend on the expected adult size which depends on genetics. You can have a dainty 8 pound adult like many on this forum to big 15 pound adult bruisers like my Ricky or Karen's Kodi!

Don't expect potty training to occur overnight. It took us almost four months to house break Ricky because we were inexperienced and made a lot of mistakes.

Puppies should be confined to an ex-pen unless you have "eyes on" and actively engaged with the puppy. Never let a puppy outside, even in a confined yard, unless they are on a leash! Anything else is just inviting trouble. You will see your puppy grow and mature and you will know when to give them gradually more freedom.

Yoshi is a puppy doing what comes naturally to a Havanese puppy. She will grow out of it for the most part and you will look back fondly to the days when Yoshi was just a puppy.

Enjoy Yoshi and we are always here to help you with questions, problems, and frustrations. (more photos!)

Ricky's Popi


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## Ange (Feb 2, 2017)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Yep, it sounds like you have yourself ONE LIVELY LITTLE PUPPY! And if you think about it, that may be better than one that is sickly, won't eat, is lethargic,and sleeps all the time. Here are my random thoughts:
> 
> Havanese are known "shredders!" As puppies that will eat and shred anything and everything! This usually dissipates after a couple of years but may last even longer. You cannot prevent them from doing this, but when you see them do it, distract them with a pull toy to get them involved with more positive play.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your very thoughtful response, it is truly appreciated!

Just to clarify, do you it's ok to just let her munch on wood chips and the like? She is never loose and off leash, inside or out, except in very controlled situations indoors. But, outside I can't even look away for a second without her chomping on something. I'd like to be able to relax a bit.

I totally expect and am ok with the zoomies, I guess I am looking for clarification that the ex pen is the appropriate place for her to be when she's lost control. I wondered if I'm missing an important opportunity to teach, or if she's incapable of learning when she can't control herself (aside from the lesson that beast mode and inappropriate nipping=ex pen).

Yoshi always seems to be hungry. I feed her the upper end of the guideline on the bag, plus some treats when training. She's gaining weight, we've been to the vet three times in the last two weeks and she's gained about 300g (0.6 lb) since bringing her home. I'm thinking about moving away from kibble but need to do a lot of reading to figure out what the best alternative is for us.

Again, thank you for your thorough and thoughtful response!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Ange said:


> Just to clarify, do you it's ok to just let her munch on wood chips and the like?


No it is not okay to eat woodchips. But if she does eat just one (depending on the size) I wouldn't feel compelled to take her to the Vet. In the beginnng, we would keep a baggy of fresh treats (cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, tomato, pear, apple, hard boiled egg, etc.) cut into small pieces in the frig. When Ricky went outside, on his leash, we would keep him away from areas that could cause him harm (wood chips, noxious plants, etc.) and would redirect him to a safe area with treats from the bag. Worked every time! You are lucky that you have a dog that is food motivated because it makes training easier.



> I'd like to be able to relax a bit.


In the beginning, with a puppy, it will require more attention but it will get better. When outside try to redirect to a paved surface or lawn where you can see any temptations for Yoshi before she starts grazing.



> I totally expect and am ok with the zoomies, I guess I am looking for clarification that the ex pen is the appropriate place for her to be when she's lost control. I wondered if I'm missing an important opportunity to teach, or if she's incapable of learning when she can't control herself (aside from the lesson that beast mode and inappropriate nipping=ex pen).


There has to be a balance between letting her blow off some energy and times when you need a break. Put her favorite toys in the ex-pen so she thinks of as a reward rather than a penalty. So yes, you can use the ex-pen for "time out" but there are appropriate times when she needs to let loose in the house.



> Yoshi always seems to be hungry. I feed her the upper end of the guideline on the bag, plus some treats when training. She's gaining weight, we've been to the vet three times in the last two weeks and she's gained about 300g (0.6 lb) since bringing her home. I'm thinking about moving away from kibble but need to do a lot of reading to figure out what the best alternative is for us.


Sounds like you are doing everything right. But I know what it's like to have a dog that is *always* hungry........which means lots of healthy treats like fresh fruits and veggies.

I like spunky little girls like Yoshi!

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ange said:


> Thank you for your very thoughtful response, it is truly appreciated!
> 
> Just to clarify, do you it's ok to just let her munch on wood chips and the like? She is never loose and off leash, inside or out, except in very controlled situations indoors. But, outside I can't even look away for a second without her chomping on something. I'd like to be able to relax a bit.
> 
> ...


Ricki's Popi's post was great! And it's *absolutely* appropriate to put an over-wound nippy puppy back in her ex-pen. That's the fastest way for her to learn that CALM puppies are the ones who get to come out and play! 

Your description of Yoshi really makes me chuckle. I specifically CHOSE high-spirited Havanese puppies because I wanted them for dog sport.. I got lucky that none of mine were particularly nippy,but I truly believe that was luck, not any particular "training" on my part. But boy! ALL of mine could be a handle at times as puppies. In fact, the youngest, Panda, who is 18 month old, still can be. I was away for a week, coming back last Wed. My husband was home morning and night, and my son came over twice a day to let them out to play and potty. The rest of the time they were gated in my office. (which is where they normally are when I'm out of the house) A cyclone struck my office!!! And I and POSITIVE it was Panda. She pulled boxes of magazines that I use for promotional purposes out from under my desk and chewed the boxes to bits. (fortunately, damaging only a few of the magazines) The pillows and cushions were off my couch, and WORST, she pulled out my camera bag, managed to UNZIP it, and chewed the leather strap completely off the camera.

I am sure that for our "normal" daily amount of confinement, she would never have gotten into this much trouble, but she's used to a lot of daily exercise, daily training, almost daily outings either on errands or for training/lessons. She was bored and she kept herself busy... if not in a terrible constructive way.  We did agility class on Thurs., Obedience lesson on Fri., and a LONG walk in the woods today. I think we may FINALLY be getting back to normal energy levels!!! :laugh:

Some people may want cuddly couch-potato type Havanese... I LOVE my little energizer bunnies!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> A cyclone struck my office!!! And I and POSITIVE it was Panda.


ound: A lot of help that "dog hater" in your family is!

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> ound: A lot of help that "dog hater" in your family is!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


Yup.


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