# SEEKING ADVICE FOR HAVANESE PUPPIES



## KatieBell (Sep 3, 2014)

:biggrin1: Hello all!! I need some advice/help.

I am new to the forum and looking for a *reputable breeder near me*. I currently live in Imperial, PA and have heard through a friend of a breeder near the *Weirton area*. If this is true, this would be great for me because it is very close to where I live. If anyone has any information, please reply or PM me. :ear:

I cannot wait to have and hold my own little Havanese. I've already started purchasing supplies. I've been reading up on NuVet vitamins for my hopefully soon to be puppy too. Anyone have any ideas if these are in fact good for the Havanese?

eace:


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I recommend you read the post, Things to Look for in a Reputable Breeder. Many of us traveled to breeders far from home; I flew across the country to meet Emmie's breeder and then a 2nd time to pick her up. Selecting the right breeder is the most important thing you do as poorly bred/raised Havanese often have more health and social issues, and are harder to house train.

Good luck! 

-Jeanne-


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## KatieBell (Sep 3, 2014)

*thank you*

:whoo: Thanks so much! That was defintely helpful to read, my problem is I am not too sure where to start looking for a breeder. Like I stated in my introduction, I just bought a house, and am not looking to travel far. I have heard of this breeder in the Weirton, WV area, but cannot seem to find anymore information about him or her! ANYONE.. PLEASE HELP!:ear::biggrin1:


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## Nicm (Feb 28, 2014)

Hey Katiebell! Welcome and I was like you searching to seemed like forever lol! But I actually drove 4 hours for my lil one! No advice but I will tell you one piece of advice is if you can go to a dog show there's a lot of info and breeders who will share the knowledge etc..Good Luck and hope you find that special little friend soon, my puppy is 4 months old and she is definitely keeping me busy busy, lord hope it pays off soon like really soon LOL!!

Take care

Nic & Darla


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

If you can tell us the name of the breeder, it is possible that someone here has experience with them, or we can at least check out the web site for you. 

Please remember that a Havanese puppy is an expensive, LONG TERM (15 years plus in many cases) investment. It is short sighted to confine your search to a small geographic area. Even if you find a great breeder close by, many breeders only have a litter or two per year, and most good breeders have waiting lists. So if you insist on a puppy from a good breeder who is also in a specific geographical area, you can end up waiting a LONG time. (some times over a year) 

We have a number of good breeders in New England, but when I was looking, no one I wanted to work with had puppies or was planning a litter in the near future. I ended up flying to North Carolina for my puppy, and couldn't be happier with my choice. When I get another puppy, it will be from the same breeder, regardless of the distance!


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## KatieBell (Sep 3, 2014)

*to Karen*

Karen,

Thanks so much for your advice!! Here are three of the breeders I am looking into. I understand the leaps and bounds and time it may take for me to own my puppy, but with my work schedule, taking a trip across the U.S. will not work out. :sorry:

These are a few of the local breeders I have been looking into:

Juergen Havanese in Jeannette, PA
Destiny Havanese in Weirton, WV (preferred) :biggrin1:
Woodland Havanese in Drexel Hill, PA

Please HELP!!!:help:


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

KatieBell I just sent you a pm.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

The website for Destiny havanese seems to highlight available puppies but doesn't seem to give any information about the parents. You would have to visit the breeder, meet their dogs and be given proof of the necessary health testing that has been done. Talking to the breeder and seeing how she lives with her dogs and raises her puppies will tell you a lot more than her website does.


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## Stark1026 (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm going to PM you too!


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I would find the best breeder and travel to get the pup. You want to make sure both parents are completely OFFA health tested. Don't be afraid to ask if patellas, hips, eyes, elbows, heart, hearing etc where tested. You want to verify the test results. Ideally you want a breeder who shows. This means they are trying to better the breed. You want a small breeder who only has a few liters a year. Someone who has time to socialize and start housebreaking the pups. I can't stress enough how important the puppies be socialized. Be careful. Pennsylvania is a puppymill state. You want to visit the breeder. See where the pups are raised and meet the parents. Good luck!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KatieBell said:


> Karen,
> 
> Thanks so much for your advice!! Here are three of the breeders I am looking into. I understand the leaps and bounds and time it may take for me to own my puppy, but with my work schedule, taking a trip across the U.S. will not work out. :sorry:
> 
> ...


It sounds like you will be getting some info on these breeders, which is good.

It worries me, however, when you say your schedule is so busy that you can't take a day (or at most two) to go pick your puppy up in another area of the country. Puppies are EXTREMELY time-consuming. If you don't have the time to pick your puppy up, how will you have the time to raise, train and socialize it properly?


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

That's a good point. These guys require a lot of attention. It can be done but you need to dedicate your free time to the dog. It's not impossible to have dogs with a busy schedule. You just have to plan ahead. I keep my dog walker very busy. I don't even take jobs out of town, until I first check with her


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

It's important when you first get your Havanese puppy to take time off work to help settle the puppy into its new home, start potty training, and slowly getting it used to being by itself. I don't recommend picking up your new puppy and then right away leaving it home alone for hours while you're at work. Instead, you need to slowly increase the time your puppy is left alone; otherwise, you might end up with a dog with separation distress or separation anxiety. 

I was fortunate in how I was able to handle this with Emmie: I got her at 11 weeks, took 2 weeks vacation, brought her into the office for 2 weeks, then had her stay with a trainer friend for 3 weeks before sending her to a wonderful doggie daycare, which she still goes to 3-4 days a week. It's worked great for us and Emmie is well socialized and doesn't have separation issues.

As soon as I brought her home, I also started taking Emmie to puppy kindergarten class once a week and puppy playtime at the training studio 3-4 times a week. It was a lot of work but worth it as she's now a well adjusted/well mannered adult Havanese with an active social life and lots of family and friends that adore her. 

Best of luck!

-Jeanne-

P.S. Emmie and I still continue to take classes (e.g. competition obedience, agility, rally) and my sister says she has a PhD - LOL. We also go on lots of walks, to many parks, playdates with her doggie friends, and she travels with me or stays with family and friends when I can't take her with me; she has a very busy life - lucky furgirl!!!!


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

MarinaGirl said:


> It's important when you first get your Havanese puppy to take time off work to help settle the puppy into its new home, start potty training, and slowly getting it used to being by itself. I don't recommend picking up your new puppy and then right away leaving it home alone for hours while you're at work. Instead, you need to slowly increase the time your puppy is left alone; otherwise, you might end up with a dog with separation distress or separation anxiety.
> 
> I was fortunate in how I was able to handle this with Emmie: I got her at 11 weeks, took 2 weeks vacation, brought her into the office for 2 weeks, then had her stay with a trainer friend for 3 weeks before sending her to a wonderful doggie daycare, which she still goes to 3-4 days a week. It's worked great for us and Emmie is well socialized and doesn't have separation issues.
> 
> ...


I love when people take such wonderful care of their dogs


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Thanks Linda! Emmie is my heart dog. I love her so much and she's the perfect one for me - independent, energetic, playful, sweet, sassy, smart, adaptable, attentive, friendly, cute, and soft & cuddly.


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## azcolaw (Jul 19, 2013)

MarinaGirl said:


> Thanks Linda! Emmie is my heart dog. I love her so much and she's the perfect one for me - independent, energetic, playful, sweet, sassy, smart, adaptable, attentive, friendly, cute, and soft & cuddly.


And Emmie is such a pretty girl. I think she is one of the prettiest on the forum.


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## azcolaw (Jul 19, 2013)

KatieBell said:


> :biggrin1: Hello all!! I need some advice/help.
> 
> I am new to the forum and looking for a *reputable breeder near me*. I currently live in Imperial, PA and have heard through a friend of a breeder near the *Weirton area*. If this is true, this would be great for me because it is very close to where I live. If anyone has any information, please reply or PM me. :ear:
> 
> ...


I don't have any information on those breeders, but wanted to add my two cents.  What every one is saying is so accurate. To find the right breeder is critical. Although I DID travel quite a distance to pick up Ginny, I wish I had done more research (this was my pre-forum days!). I did not know anything about the breed and basically picked a really cute puppy off of a website. When I flew to pick her up, the breeder did not let me meet the parents or see any other dogs (which she said was because of Parvo exposure) which I found odd. Ginny is a total sweetheart, luckily, but she was exceptionally hard to housebreak and is way bigger than breed "standard" (though I know there is not really a weight limit). She is also a sable and the breeder never mentioned that she would become a completely white dog. That is okay by me - she has the sweetest face ever - but still seems like she'd have mentioned it...? Griffin I got locally from a highly recommended breeder. I met her and all her dogs before the pups were born, visited several times, and she helped pick the puppy that would be the best fit for us. He is a great dog! Super smart and interactive, easy to train, a real little love with plenty of spunk, too. (He's had some fear issues we've had to work through, but I blame myself for accidentally allowing a bigger puppy to scare him. He is SO much better now). And, what Karen and others have said about the time involved in socializing, housebreaking, etc. cannot be underestimated. I waited until I quit my job before I got Ginny. (Not that it can't be done with work, but where I live would have made coming home during the day, finding dog walkers, etc. very difficult) Anyway, this is not meant in any way as a discouragement - just my own experience - and I hope that you find the right puppy for you! It is an exciting time, for sure.


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## SparkysMom (Sep 25, 2014)

I too am looking at the same breeders. Who did you decide to go with?


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