# Ernesto Update



## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

It’s hard to believe Ernie is already 16 weeks! But at the same time it’s hard to remember life without him 😃. He had a checkup yesterday and his vet was very happy with his development and also totally smitten 💜. He weighs 9.5 pounds! I’m surprised by his size because his mom was 15# and his dad 11#. Isn’t their 16 week weight supposed to be roughly half of their adult weight?? Our vet predicted he’d be in the upper teens and kept commenting on his “sturdiness” haha. 

In other news he has 1 week of puppy kindergarten left and has been doing really well with all his training. I’ve never had a relationship with a small dog so I didn’t really know what to expect but we fall harder for him every day - his antics are beyond adorable. It’s funny also bc for some reason I was thinking he might be less “dog” like than larger working breeds but oh my he is ALL dog just in mini form which is great. I feel so lucky to have him!


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

Great to hear that you are loving this beautiful little man! 
Shadow was barely 6lbs. @ 10 months(when I got him) and needed to gain weight. He is now 10 lbs. @ almost 4 years where he has been for the last 3 years. He has a great appetite but is fed only dog food with no treats. To me, he seems very scrawny, the vet says he is perfect though. 
My guess would be that Ernesto is going to be a larger Hav. What does the vet think?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

He is absolutely adorable! I have not found the "double their weight at 16 weeks" thing to be very accurate. ALL of mine were MUCH smaller than would be expected based on their 16 week weight.

I don't have Kodi's weight at 16 weeks, and he's my big one. Panda was 8 lbs at 16 weeks, and when she hasn't been fed up to porcine size by her father, she is about 12 1/2 lbs as an adult. Pixel was just under 6 lbs at 16 weeks and she is just under 10 lbs as an adult. Also remember that puppies are like kids... They get chubby, then put on a growth spurt and thin out, then get chubby again. He might be getting ready to grow again.

If I had to guess, I'd guess that Ernie is likely to be like Kodi... Towards the top of the breed standard in size, and growing early. Probably closer to 16-17 lbs if you keep him in good weight, and 11 - 11 1/2" rather than out of standard.


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## Vartina Ancrum (Oct 10, 2019)

Ernesto is a cutie pie no matter how much he weighs.:smile2:


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I feel like mine grew pretty fast early on and then continued growing longer than most but it was much slower. I bought a new harness in the next size up sometime after 1 year, but it might have been those annoying size charts. 

I think there is some variation within the normal range on the rate of growth. It seems like breeders are often pretty close when guessing how big their own puppies with be. But there are surprises, too. Sort of like DD, who was in the 98% for height, and since her dad is super tall, we thought she’d be 5’10” at least. She ended up being early to grow and slowed down after puberty. Now she’s 14, 5’4”, and probably at or very near her adult height. But when you average my height with DH, it’s not really that surprising  On the other hand, DS is a year older than DD and she’s taller, but he’s not nearly done growing.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Ricky and I have been wondering about our amigo Ernie. I love his little white goatee! Very debonair!

I wouldn't worry about Ernie's weight, que sera, sera. If your Vet is happy with his weight then you should be too. They see hundreds of dogs and know when they "feel" right with a hands on examination. Ricky's Vet doesn't even look at his weight number. He gives Ricky a hand exam and says "perfect" at 15 pounds. I know how he should feel like now after all these years.

Havanese are more than just dogs. They become family members whether you like it or not. You think you might get bored with them after a while, but the opposite is true. Years from now you will be laughing harder than ever at his antics. It never ends. You are just starting on your journey with him.

Ricky's Popi


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Ernesto is a beautiful boy! Such a sweet face. 😍


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## BoosDad (Mar 8, 2020)

Ernie is a good looking boy.


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

Ernie is a handsome fella!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Thanks for the update. Love your description! (And the photos! And the goatee!)


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

Ernie is adorable and looks like such a happy chappy:laugh2:

Flo was 20 weeks old when we got her and weighed 8lbs. She is now 3 and I _thought_ she was about 12 and a half pounds...just got on the scales to weigh her and let's just say it was an unpleasant surprise for us both:Cry: Think we will both be upping the exercise a little as she is now closer to 14lbs which I think is probably about half to a pound over her ideal weight. I can still feel her ribs, but they are taking a little bit longer to search out than before! And it's probably gonna be a few months before we can find mine:bolt:


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

GoWithTheFlo said:


> just got on the scales to weigh her


Serious question - do the scales in England read in pounds or "stones"? Ricky would be a little over one stone.

Ricky's Popi


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Serious question - do the scales in England read in pounds or "stones"? Ricky would be a little over one stone.
> 
> Ricky's Popi


The scales I have now are digital and can read in pounds or kilograms depending on how you set them.

You are quite right though Ricky's Popi, it is more usual for us to weigh bodyweight in stone, where 14lbs is equal to 1 stone.


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## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

He's so handsome and getting so big!!! Goobs was 4.8 at 3 months, vet said he needed to gain some weight. His third round of vaccines are due in a week so I hope he's at a healthy weight. His breeder said he should be about 11 lbs. How many lbs did your breeder expect Ernie to be as an adult?


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## Vartina Ancrum (Oct 10, 2019)

Izzie is 8.4 pounds at 7 months.


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

itsgooby said:


> He's so handsome and getting so big!!! Goobs was 4.8 at 3 months, vet said he needed to gain some weight. His third round of vaccines are due in a week so I hope he's at a healthy weight. His breeder said he should be about 11 lbs. How many lbs did your breeder expect Ernie to be as an adult?


Oh it sounds like Goobs will be a little love bug. Our breeder didn't give an estimate she just mentioned his mom being 15lbs and his dad being 11. He has grown so quickly I sort of can't believe he's the same dog we brought home 2 short months ago! It'll be fun to see where they both end up!


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## MMoore (Aug 20, 2020)

He just keeps getting cuter!


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

He sure is a cutie. Love and enjoy your precious boy.


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

I can’t believe how cute Ernesto is!!! I’m actually a little jealous of his size. Jojo can still easily slip through our iron fence so she can’t be let off leash even our yard.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KristaS said:


> I can't believe how cute Ernesto is!!! I'm actually a little jealous of his size. Jojo can still easily slip through our iron fence so she can't be let off leash even our yard.


Boy, I know THAT feeling!!! Shortly before we got Pixel, we spent $7,000 putting in a vinyl picket fence around our backyard for the dogs. Obviously we knew that when tiny Pixel was a PUPPY we were not going to be able to trust the fence to keep her in the back yard. But by the NEXT season, when SHE was an adult, and PANDA was the puppy we would be in the back yard with the three of them and then... No Pixel! That little monkey would be sitting on the front steps (not accessible from the fenced yard) with a HUGE smile on her face!!! Over and over we blocked places we thought she was escaping. In the end, we spent many MORE $$$ putting railroad ties against the ENTIRE perimeter of the bottom of the fence to keep our teeny girl in!!!

But, we NOW have a backyard that is even Havanese PUPPY-proof! (AND "Pixel proof"  ) LOL!


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

Cute, Karen! Iron fencing is required by our HOA and we can’t put anything around it. We could build an area with another type of fencing where it is not visible to the street or our neighbors but that means by our pool so... even though Jojo has a yard that is 1.5 acres, she lives life like an apartment dog ha ha!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KristaS said:


> Cute, Karen! Iron fencing is required by our HOA and we can't put anything around it. We could build an area with another type of fencing where it is not visible to the street or our neighbors but that means by our pool so... even though Jojo has a yard that is 1.5 acres, she lives life like an apartment dog ha ha!


Well, we live on a farm, not an HOA  but our fence couldn't be seen from "the street" even if our house was ON the street. It's in our back yard. And the railroad ties are not really visible either, unless you go into the garden beds that line the fences... they are just on the ground from post to post so there is no room for tiny dogs to squeeze underneath the fence.  In the photo below, you can see them just after we put them in, before the garden plants had really grown up. It's hard to imagine that an HOA would even know they were there. Just make the mulch a little deeper.


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

How cute Karen! I’ve seen pics of your farm; it’s lovely and am sure your doggies think it’s wonderful!!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

KristaS said:


> I can't believe how cute Ernesto is!!! I'm actually a little jealous of his size. Jojo can still easily slip through our iron fence so she can't be let off leash even our yard.


Sundance could get through our picket fence as a puppy, too. But we did set up a longer line to use in our yard so he wasn't stuck at 6 feet when we were with him. After he sniffs around for a while, he goes as far out as the line allows and lays there, waiting for action.

I thought I had pictures but maybe not. I don't know if these will work


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

Eva, Sundance is beautiful! We do the same with Jojo when she goes out in the yard we use a retractable and extend it fully!


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

KristaS said:


> I can't believe how cute Ernesto is!!! I'm actually a little jealous of his size. Jojo can still easily slip through our iron fence so she can't be let off leash even our yard.


Jojo is so precious and dainty!! How big do you expect her to get? Were her parents smaller?

I appreciate Ernie's size for a number of reasons but I hope he remains a lap dog as he gets bigger. Right now he fits perfectly and enjoys lounging on me which I love.


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## KristaS (Sep 26, 2020)

I don’t think Ernie will ever outgrow being a lapdog! My niece’s Havanese is big by Havanese standards and still a small dog!! Jojo’s mom was 7 lbs and dad was 13. So both ends of the spectrum! One would expect she would be in the middle! But Jojo has just been petite the whole time we’ve had her. If we did the double at 16 weeks thing she will be 8 lbs. At 7 months it is clear her growth rate is slowing down considerably! I expect that 8 lb mark maybe pretty accurate for her I certainly don’t expect anything over 10.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mama Mills said:


> Jojo is so precious and dainty!! How big do you expect her to get? Were her parents smaller?
> 
> I appreciate Ernie's size for a number of reasons but I hope he remains a lap dog as he gets bigger. Right now he fits perfectly and enjoys lounging on me which I love.


At 17 lb, and 11 1/2 inches, so at the top of the standard, we call Kodi our "lap-and-a-half dog"  ...and belive me, it doesn't make him ANY less cuddly! <3


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

KristaS said:


> I don't think Ernie will ever outgrow being a lapdog! My niece's Havanese is big by Havanese standards and still a small dog!! Jojo's mom was 7 lbs and dad was 13. So both ends of the spectrum! One would expect she would be in the middle! But Jojo has just been petite the whole time we've had her. If we did the double at 16 weeks thing she will be 8 lbs. At 7 months it is clear her growth rate is slowing down considerably! I expect that 8 lb mark maybe pretty accurate for her I certainly don't expect anything over 10.


Wow her mama sure is tiny and it sounds like she will be petite too! They all grow at different rates so it'll be interesting to see where they end up but if her growth is already slowing you can probably make a good guess. I'd love to meet Jojo she is too cute and it's hard for me to imagine her being so little!


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

krandall said:


> Mama Mills said:
> 
> 
> > Jojo is so precious and dainty!! How big do you expect her to get? Were her parents smaller?
> ...


Lap and a half!! LOL that's great haha. Ernie is always managing to find his way on to my lap so fingers crossed it continues. He's starting to mellow out a little at night and he gets to cuddle and snooze on the couch now before we go to bed which we've all been thoroughly enjoying!


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## Mama Mills (Jul 5, 2020)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> KristaS said:
> 
> 
> > I can't believe how cute Ernesto is!!! I'm actually a little jealous of his size. Jojo can still easily slip through our iron fence so she can't be let off leash even our yard.
> ...


Sundance is gorgeous and looks so majestic with his fur blowing in the wind. I love his color and his little pony tails!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Ernie is so cute! He already weighs more than Willow! Willow is a petit lady weighing in at only 8 lbs. on a fat day and 7.5 lbs. on a thin day.


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