# Introducing Tux!



## DapperTuxedo (Apr 15, 2013)

Hello all! :wave:

This is my first post, and it seems fitting that it's an introduction for our first Hav puppy, Tux. :clap2: We'll be picking him up from the breeder on Saturday, and we're all very excited. I grew up with a Maltese as a childhood friend, and I've wanted a Hav since I was in college ten years ago. I can't believe the time is finally here!

I'm sure I'll have endless questions over the next few months, and I look forward to getting to know you all. 
~Lindsay


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## RitaandRiley (Feb 27, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, he's a very handsome guy!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Welcome! He's adorable!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Ah he is a cutie pie! I'm excited for you!


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## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

Welcome, Lindsay and Tux!! He's a stunner!! :welcome:


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

He's adorable!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Awe so cute. Enjoy him!


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

Welcome to both you and Tux, Lindsay. He is adorable. Bet you can't wait for Saturday to come, but what's a few more days after waiting ten years. Best of luck with him.


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

Welcome! Tux is adorable


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

awwwwwww, Welcome and CONGRATULATIONS!! He is ADORABLE!!!


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## Eddie (Feb 11, 2012)

*:welcome:Tux you are so cute. *


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Welcome! What a little doll you have there! Looking forward to watching him grow through lots of pictures!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Handsome little guy with a great name! Hope this week goes by quickly for you.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Welcome,good name for the little fellow!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Welcome, cute as a button.


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

Welcome..love the black & white! 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## DapperTuxedo (Apr 15, 2013)

*Thank you, everyone!*

You all are right! I *can't* wait for Saturday!! However, I'm using my final few puppy-free days to do as much research as I can. I'm a little nervous about housetraining and basic behavior training since most of the books say that Havanese are rarely motivated by external factors and almost never by food. Yikes! I've got a solid, secure plan in place. I'm just expecting the worst. Which is probably good, because then I won't be disappointed if it is, in fact, the Battle Royale! 

Edited to add: And *THANK YOU* for all the sweet compliments on my baby boy. I sure think he's cute, but I'm pretty biased!


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## NvonS (Jul 8, 2010)

Welcome! Tux is VERY handsome.


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## Atticus (May 17, 2011)

OHHHHH he is sooooo cute, looks a lot like Atticus as a pup! Don't worry they are smart as the dickens! Atticus was not motivated by food but with time that has improved, he was very easy to house train. You just never know. Bet you can't wait to have him in your arms! I'm excited for you!


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## Sparkle (May 17, 2012)

Tux is adorable & love his name! We've all been right there with you at the waiting til Saturday stage. It's so exciting, and I can't wait to hear of all of the adventures & stages of your beautiful little boy. Welcome!


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

DapperTuxedo said:


> You all are right! I *can't* wait for Saturday!! However, I'm using my final few puppy-free days to do as much research as I can. I'm a little nervous about housetraining and basic behavior training since most of the books say that Havanese are rarely motivated by external factors and almost never by food. Yikes! I've got a solid, secure plan in place. I'm just expecting the worst. Which is probably good, because then I won't be disappointed if it is, in fact, the Battle Royale!


I have two that are VERY motivated by food so don't write that off quite yet!


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## Olive'smom (Nov 21, 2012)

Love the name! What a cutie! The first nights are the toughest, good luck - hope it goes well!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

My Emmie is very food motivated too. - Jeanne


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## DapperTuxedo (Apr 15, 2013)

I'm glad to hear that some Havanese are food-motivated!  That would make training quite a bit easier. For those of you who have dogs who weren't motivated by food, what did you use for motivation?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

DapperTuxedo said:


> You all are right! I *can't* wait for Saturday!! However, I'm using my final few puppy-free days to do as much research as I can. I'm a little nervous about housetraining and basic behavior training since most of the books say that Havanese are rarely motivated by external factors and almost never by food. Yikes! I've got a solid, secure plan in place. I'm just expecting the worst. Which is probably good, because then I won't be disappointed if it is, in fact, the Battle Royale!
> 
> Edited to add: And *THANK YOU* for all the sweet compliments on my baby boy. I sure think he's cute, but I'm pretty biased!


Oh, that's a bunch of baloney. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who would say that doesn't know much about positive training methods. (maybe they don't know much about training at all)

Kodi has been a joy to train, and I am not the only one to feel this way. Remember, this is a breed that was CHOSEN for circus work in Europe. They are smart, and very willing to please. (an attitude that is known in the training circles as "biddable")

As far as I'm concerned, unless you plan to use old-school compulsion training (which I CERTAINLY wouldn't suggest ) food motivation and toy motivation are things that you DEVELOP as part of your training. I think we've talked about clicker training, and charging the clicker... this is the beginning of teaching a dog to value food rewards. Most dogs are easier to motivate by one thing than they are by another. (for instance, many Golden Retrievers will do ANYTHING for a tennis ball! ) If your dog is more motivated by play, you need to develop his interest in food rewards. If, like Kodi, they are more motivated by food, it's REALLY important to encourage them to value play as well. Over time, of course, you need to fade rewards for confirmed behaviors, but rewards are absolutely essential in training new behaviors or maintaining difficult ones. (or ones where dogs are likely to self-reinforce for off-task behaviors)

I know Ian Dunbar suggests that at first ALL a puppy's food should come either from training or in kongs that are used to help a puppy learn to enjoy "down time" in their crate or ex-pen. If food is used this way from the very beginning, and the puppy learns that short training periods are not only fun, but that they also receive lots of praise and yummy things to eat, they quickly associate food rewards with doing things well.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

BTW, I should also mention that while I think clicker training is a great tool, and I definitely use it at times, it's just ONE tool in my "training toolbox". There are lots of other good, positive training tools as well!


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Mine are totally food motivated!What dog can resist a juicy sausage!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

clare said:


> Mine are totally food motivated!What dog can resist a juicy sausage!!


That's another thing, Clare. Many people try kibble or a single kind of treat, the dog turns up his nose, and they say the dog "isn't food motivated". You need to find a hierarchy of treats that your dog DOES like that you can use for maintaining routine behaviors, teaching new behaviors and working on hard behaviors in novel or distracting circumstances. Also, the types of treats the dog finds highly motivating will change over time... especially if you use one thing for too long.

An example of a simple hierarchy would be:

Low value - kibble or Cheerios
Medium value - commercially made training treats
High value - real, roast, meat (chicken, beef, pork... what ever you've cooked recently for your family)

These are not by any means the only option, and you'll find one dog who will turn their nose up at pieces of fruit, while another might turn himself inside out for it. Likewise, cheese is a high-value treat for many dogs, and sort of "meh" for others.

If you end up with a puppy who is not (initially) highly motivated by food, it's your job to figure out what treats he likes best. try two things at a time, one piece a little away from the other, and let him choose. do this a number of times with different choices, and you will soon see patterns emerge. The best training treats are small (very small for our little dogs... you'll do a lot of cutting things up!), soft, so they don't require much chewing, but not crumbly (to avoid dropping bits that will distract him) and dry enough that they are easily handled in a pocket or bait pouch.

Another trick for making training treats more "valuable" is to do your training right before (or in place of) a meal. Many dogs are more eager to please when they are hungry!


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## Atticus (May 17, 2011)

I agree with what Karen said AND if food doesn't work well, a squeaky ball can be another option. I have used a ball for agility training with my border collie and use it with Atticus also. He likes food more now at age 2 then he did his first year and a half. He still doesn't care that much about his dinner,never asks for it, never comes in to eat it until 10 mins later. I think people over use the clicker. Once the dog knows what you want you don't need it, many basic behaviors are easily taught without it. AND it is a wonderful tool for advanced work.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Atticus said:


> I agree with what Karen said AND if food doesn't work well, a squeaky ball can be another option. I have used a ball for agility training with my border collie and use it with Atticus also. He likes food more now at age 2 then he did his first year and a half. He still doesn't care that much about his dinner,never asks for it, never comes in to eat it until 10 mins later. I think people over use the clicker. Once the dog knows what you want you don't need it, many basic behaviors are easily taught without it. AND it is a wonderful tool for advanced work.


Yes, I agree. Another thing about balls and Havanese (or at least Kodi). Kodi likes the smaller "tennis balls", especially the ones with squeakers in them, much better than full-sized tennis balls. I think the regular ones are just too big to be a comfortable fit in his mouth. When I switched to the smaller ones, (available at Petco and Petsmart) his interest in balls went WAY up!

Tug toys are another great option. We have a long "squeaky snake" and a rabbit fur tug on a long strap that I picked up at a Denise Fenzi seminar. He ONLY gets to use these as a reward during training.

Also, part of what Denise worked on with us in the seminar (we had a working spot) was "personal play". This was about developing things that your dog just LOVES to do with YOU... without any toy as an intermediary that you can actually use IN the obedience ring.


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## DapperTuxedo (Apr 15, 2013)

Karen,

I wish I could pay you and Kodi to come spend a week with Tux and me and teach us your magic!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Emmie's favorite balls are the Chuckit! Small Ultra Ball 2-Inch.

Amazon.com: Chuckit! Small Ultra Ball 2-Inch, 2-Pack: Pet Supplies

She LOVES fetching and chewing on them, there's no fuzz or risk of damage to her teeth, and they're easy to find because of their color. This is her favorite toy.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

DapperTuxedo said:


> Karen,
> 
> I wish I could pay you and Kodi to come spend a week with Tux and me and teach us your magic!


Ha! It's not magic! It's just that I LOVE working with my dog. (and I'm fortunate to have one who enjoys it as much as I do) There are lots and LOTS of trainers out there who can help you get Tux off on the right foot!


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

He's beautiful!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MarinaGirl said:


> Emmie's favorite balls are the Chuckit! Small Ultra Ball 2-Inch.
> 
> Amazon.com: Chuckit! Small Ultra Ball 2-Inch, 2-Pack: Pet Supplies
> 
> She LOVES fetching and chewing on them, there's no fuzz or risk of damage to her teeth, and they're easy to find because of their color. This is her favorite toy.


Yeah, you have to play around until you find what your dog likes best... they really do have preferences. Kodi has no interest in those balls. When he was little, he liked the tiny very soft rubber balls with a face on them and a squeaker inside. But when he got to the chewing phase, I had to get rid of those, as they were too easy to tear up. As an adult, he doesn't ever chew on his balls, so I don't worry about tennis-type balls. I believe the ones we get are made by Kong.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Has Tux arrived yet?!


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

I use treats when training, I have their undying attention when training. All eyes are on me, sometimes they do tricks I have not even asked for while training.


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