# Willow got a sister!



## klomanchiodo (Jul 5, 2010)

You will never believe this....my husband decided we needed to get a second havanese! We brought home a sister for Willow to grow up with. Our vet told us this was the perfect time to add another dog when the age difference wouldn't be an issue for the two.

Sam named our new baby Bella Donna (he loves the name Bella and actually campaigned for this name when Willow came home). We call the little girl Bella. 

She is 20 weeks old and we bought her from a breeder that had an unfortunate bought with cancer right after the pups were born. The breeder was unable to put in the tiem she ordinarily does due to her surgery and treatment, so the pups grew older before she was able to find home for them. Sam, being the rational guy that he is, decided that Bella needed to come home with us - even though it will take a bit more to socialize her. The lack of attention led to the pups becoming matted so the breeder gave them a really short cut. They also had a lot of flees from running in the yard. 


Hair grows, flees have already been taken care of, and we can work on training and socialization. She is a sweet little lap dog and loves to snuggle. But we need to teach her that it is not necessary to bark at everything. 

Bella is getting along great with her sister, Willow, and her brother General (a yorkie).


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## Cheryls (Aug 9, 2007)

Congratulations on adding a new puppy to your household. -Cheryl-


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

She's very cute. You'll have such fun with two and you have a great attitude about a needy puppy already. Sounds like she'll get great socialization with you and lots of patience with her training. She's a lucky little girl! She has beautiful, soulful eyes. 
Have fun with your two babies!!


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Congratulations! It sounds like Bella found herself a great home! Cute puppies and love their names.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

Have fun with the two girls. I'm sure they'll make you laugh a lot.


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## klomanchiodo (Jul 5, 2010)

I can hardley believe that we added another puppy so soon...but I love it! I kinda makes 3, since General (the yorkie) is shared between my folks and us. He is here for most of the day and goes back to their house late in the evening and to spend the night.

Bella is going to agility class with General in the morning for some socialization. Today she got to go next door and interact individually with the three dogs that are going to be a part of her pack (Another General, Sophie, and Tipper - two English Springers and a Black lab). We took General and Willow with us to help her realize that these dogs are all okay.

This evening we make a lap around the neighborhood to practice waling on a leash. She was "running drag" with Sam and pulled the entire time because she wanted to be up with her brother and sister. General used to pull something terrible until he learned to heel so we will work on this.

We are suprised by how much and how ofen Bella barks - since Willow has only barked about 7 times since she came home a month ago. Do people notice differences in the amount of barking? Any recommendations for how to get this under control? We were thinking of teacher her to ", speak", then "enough". We notice that she barks when we put food down and there are three of them. We have to show her where the unoccupied bowl is. We also notice she barks when one of the other dogs has a bone or toy, even when we offer her a different toy.

We absolutely love the little girls!


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

The pups are so cute. My Yogi use to bark a bit much. He has grown out of it. He still barks but not like he use to.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

Two is a ton of fun. Congrats!


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Congrats on the new puppy! Marley used to bark a lot and STILL DOES! :laugh: I haven't found a way to get it under control and he is 2 1/2 year old now.


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## michi715 (Apr 8, 2008)

Congrats! We used the "bark" (teaching them to bark on command) to reduce barking and "enough". Both seem to work somewhat :frusty:


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## jacqui (Aug 7, 2007)

Is this what we call 'MHS'? We have two now as well as we're keeping one of the girls from Phoebe's litter. All the rest have found wonderful forever homes...some close enough for visits.

Enjoy your puppy as I am enjoying mine!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Congratulations! I heard this story before, about the breeder not being able to care for pups due to illness and that they were older and not as well socialized... in another thread? Was it you who posted that or someone else on here who also got a puppy there??  

Too bad about having to have her shaved down, but she looks adorable. Best of times with the 3 pooches!


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## klomanchiodo (Jul 5, 2010)

michi715 said:


> Congrats! We used the "bark" (teaching them to bark on command) to reduce barking and "enough". Both seem to work somewhat :frusty:


We are trying the same plan. However, neither of them are learning the "speak" command. They just look at us and lunge for the treat. General, the Yorkie, does the speak part of this routine very well. He learned from our previous dog. We are still working on "Enough" with him. I hope Willow and Bella learn at least the first part from General or us.


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## klomanchiodo (Jul 5, 2010)

Bella went to agility class with General (the Yorkie) yesterday for some socialization. Sam handled Bella, while I worked with General. It is funny to see how protective Sam is of Bella! When an Aussie came running up to Bella to greet her and Bella backed away, Sam was quick to pick her up and take her outside the fence. He then held her outside the fence, worried she was a distraction for General. I'll have to work on Sam!

They went up to the vet's front door and hung out there for some meet and greets with other dogs. Bella is doing great with people, but is a bit anxious with other dogs - especially big dogs. Little bits at a time.

Once class was over, Bella came back into the agility yard. She took to the obstacles like she had been doing this forever. She followed General through the tunnel, over the A-frame, over the dog walk and a couple of jumps. I'm thrilled!


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Congrats on the new baby! I know they'll have fun together. Sorry I can't help with the barking problem - Abby barely barks at all - her best trait.....lol

Where is Riverview? We are in SE GA.


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## klomanchiodo (Jul 5, 2010)

marjrc said:


> Congratulations! I heard this story before, about the breeder not being able to care for pups due to illness and that they were older and not as well socialized... in another thread? Was it you who posted that or someone else on here who also got a puppy there??
> 
> Too bad about having to have her shaved down, but she looks adorable. Best of times with the 3 pooches!


It turns out that the shaved hair is a bit of blessing right now. It is allowing us to get her used to grooming without any stress. Her ears and tail are the only spots where the hair is long enough to sport any tangles. She has taken to the comb and brush far easier than Willow, who is a mess of tangles and snarls everytime she goes outside (which is often).


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## LilyMyLove (Jul 11, 2009)

Oh im so jealous! Lily would love a little sister/brother! Whats the age difference?


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## klomanchiodo (Jul 5, 2010)

LilyMyLove said:


> Oh im so jealous! Lily would love a little sister/brother! Whats the age difference?


Bella was born on 3/1/2010 and Willow was born on 4/22/2010 so they have a seven week difference. The biggest difference is in their socialization and training. I can now see why the first weeks are so very important. I'm sure Bella will come along with our help.


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## Beanie (Aug 30, 2009)

Kristy: Those two little girls are so cute! It's great they are in such good hands...
Beanie barks when people come to the door or when she hears an unfamiliar noise; we just consistently say, "no barking, Beanie". It is working as she gets older and realizes she doesn't have to bark at every single thing. Of course, she is a very good alarm system and we appreciate that...


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