# Puppy problems



## Dfwoman (Feb 6, 2020)

We’ve only had our puppy for about a week. Some things are going fine- she mostly goes potty outside. She’s playful and seems to be bonding with me and my husband. We are empty nesters and I am home during the day. My main concern is that she is extremely fearful. She howls if anyone other than the two of us tries to touch her or pick her up or will stand behind me and cower and shake. She is from a reputable breeder who is responsible. We visited multiple times, met the mother but not the sire. Never saw anything like this. Never had issues with us picking her up, playing with her, etc. Seemed to have normal interactions with her litter mates. The breeder is in our metro area, so no plane ride or hours long drive home. Our vet wanted us to wait until next week to start puppy kindergarten until she’s had Bordetella vaccine take effect so no idea how she will react in that situation. I spoke to a trainer by phone and she said it could be a “fear period” but she is willing to come by and evaluate. Breeder is baffled and says give her time to settle in. Anyone ever had a similar situation? I’m really nervous about it but don’t know if I need to be.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Dfwoman said:


> We've only had our puppy for about a week. Some things are going fine- she mostly goes potty outside. She's playful and seems to be bonding with me and my husband. We are empty nesters and I am home during the day. My main concern is that she is extremely fearful. She howls if anyone other than the two of us tries to touch her or pick her up or will stand behind me and cower and shake. She is from a reputable breeder who is responsible. We visited multiple times, met the mother but not the sire. Never saw anything like this. Never had issues with us picking her up, playing with her, etc. Seemed to have normal interactions with her litter mates. The breeder is in our metro area, so no plane ride or hours long drive home. Our vet wanted us to wait until next week to start puppy kindergarten until she's had Bordetella vaccine take effect so no idea how she will react in that situation. I spoke to a trainer by phone and she said it could be a "fear period" but she is willing to come by and evaluate. Breeder is baffled and says give her time to settle in. Anyone ever had a similar situation? I'm really nervous about it but don't know if I need to be.


I do not have experience with this situation. But one thing I do know...dogs pick up on our anxiety. I have been guilty of this on a few occasions. Hopefully others weigh in on the training aspects but my advice is for you to remain calm and have confidence your pup will get over this. I can tell from you email you are nervous about this and I bet your pup is picking this up. You have only had the dog one week and it may simply need time to adjust.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I think all of the action you’ve taken is exactly right. My puppy took a couple of weeks to really settle in, so I think giving it a little more time is a good idea. In the meantime I think avoid reacting to fearful behavior. I don’t agree with the idea that giving any kind of attention to a fearful puppy will reinforce fearful behavior, though. If he hides behind you because there are big, scary, new people in the room, let him, just don’t pick him up and coddle him. Sometimes the fear is legitimate, and my experience with my own puppy is that he just wanted to know there was a place he COULD hide, and then he warmed up. 

If I was in your situation, I would focus on helping him become comfortable in an ex pen (or whatever area you’re using to contain him). I’d arrange to have lots of friends and family stop by, even just for 10 or 15 minutes, for the next couple of weeks. Knowing he has a place he feels comfortable and safe, I’d start opening the expen door when people are around and letting him come out and explore on his own. By “on his own” I don’t mean unsupervised, since you don’t want to create a new potty training problem, I just mean that he is able to make the choice about whether or not he approaches people. I really don’t think it will take long before he wants to see what’s going on. If he isn’t approaching people or getting more comfortable by next week, then you’ll at least have some good information about his interactions to share with puppy kindergarten or a trainer. Again, that’s just what I would do knowing what I know now about my own Former-scaredy-cat puppy. 

My puppy was on the shy side, and by 1 year old you would never know it in a million years. Even if she is on the fearful side after she settles in, you’re being proactive early in the game, and puppy behavior is quickly and easily shaped at this age.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Welcome to the Havanese Forum which has helped lots of Exhausted and Worried Puppy Moms get through those difficult puppy stages.

I'm guessing your darling puppy is probably 8-9 weeks old and is transitioning to a new environment and parents. My little girl is 2-years-old and still acts fearful or shy with people she's not familiar with. She always interested but wants to sniff and get to know strangers before she allows them to touch and pick her up. Later they may not be able to keep her out of their lap.

Ditto ... on setting up an ex-pen to create a safe place where your puppy has toys, food, a bed/blanket, and a potty tray. It'll be a while before the puppy will be housebroken. Gate off and keep your little one confined to one room containing the ex-pen and a potty tray because puppies pee and poop ALL THE TIME. Most dogs will automatically use the potty tray when confined to an ex-pen.

I gave up taking mine outside every 45 mins, 30 mins or 15 mins, because as soon as you come back into the house they'll squat and pee until they're older and Toy dogs typically take a little longer to housebreak. Havanese are very smart and can be easily housebroken. Check out links on this website for Potty Training and Indoor Housebreaking.

Welcome ... :tea:


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Welcome! How are things going?


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## Dfwoman (Feb 6, 2020)

Things seem to be improving. She’s not a “run up and greet strangers “ puppy, but she seems to be tolerating strangers petting her especially when we’re holding her. I’m trying to do as much positive socializing as possible. She’s done one puppy class which I didn’t think she would tolerate, but she participated and seemed unphased by the two bigger puppies. There were a few times when she tried to hide behind us, but I am OK with that. Hopefully I have a shy dog and not a fearful one.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Are you giving her treats as people are petting her? You could work your way from stranger near to stranger touching lightly to stranger resting hand on back to stranger moving hand on back to stranger touching with two hands to stranger holding to stranger picking up to stranger picking up and holding ... She'll tolerate anything better if she associates it with yummy, perhaps special (i.e., not used in other situations) treats.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

There is another point of view here too... Personally, I really don't CARE whether my dogs love being handled by strangers. Yes, they must, eventually, tolerate being handled by "professional" strangers, as in vets and groomers, but THOSE are PROFESSIONALS, who know how to interact with dogs, not "man on the street" strangers who don't know how to read dogs, and don't know how to interact appropriately with a shy or fearful pup most of the time.

I honestly don't push my puppies to be handled by strangers if they are not ready. Period. I bring them places so they are around people and let them observe from a distance where they show NO SIGNS of fear. If they show interest in approaching, and I trust the person to do things the way I ask them to, I take thing further. (this is especially true with children who can easily and quickly do "scary things" without meaning to)

There is plenty of time to teach the dog to tolerate handling. That is why it is part of the GCG test, and later a more formal part of the Novice "Stand for exam" and, finally, the still more difficult Utility level "Moving Stand for Exam" in formal Obedience. Incidentally, even if you have no interest in showing your puppy in conformation, the process of attending lessons for showing in conformation, (WHEN THEY ARE READY (don't force this either, but most conformation classes are drop-ins, so you can just take your puppy and watch from the side-lines and see if they are ready to participate!) and learning to stand and tolerate handling for the examination in conformation makes for a dog that is very blase about vet exams also!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> There is another point of view here too... Personally, I really don't CARE whether my dogs love being handled by strangers. Yes, they must, eventually, tolerate being handled by "professional" strangers, as in vets and groomers, but THOSE are PROFESSIONALS, who know how to interact with dogs, not "man on the street" strangers who don't know how to read dogs, and don't know how to interact appropriately with a shy or fearful pup most of the time.
> 
> I honestly don't push my puppies to be handled by strangers if they are not ready. Period. I bring them places so they are around people and let them observe from a distance where they show NO SIGNS of fear. If they show interest in approaching, and I trust the person to do things the way I ask them to, I take thing further. (this is especially true with children who can easily and quickly do "scary things" without meaning to)
> 
> There is plenty of time to teach the dog to tolerate handling. That is why it is part of the GCG test, and later a more formal part of the Novice "Stand for exam" and, finally, the still more difficult Utility level "Moving Stand for Exam" in formal Obedience. Incidentally, even if you have no interest in showing your puppy in conformation, the process of attending lessons for showing in conformation, (WHEN THEY ARE READY (don't force this either, but most conformation classes are drop-ins, so you can just take your puppy and watch from the side-lines and see if they are ready to participate!) and learning to stand and tolerate handling for the examination in conformation makes for a dog that is very blase about vet exams also!


I am glad I am not alone...I could care less if my dogs want to be handled by strangers. In fact, I prefer not to let strangers near them. They are great at the vet and put up with all sorts of stuff from them and tolerate it well (like my yorkie having several ticks extracted from his ear canals). They are also great with family and friends. That is all I care about.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am glad I am not alone...I could care less if my dogs want to be handled by strangers. In fact, I prefer not to let strangers near them. They are great at the vet and put up with all sorts of stuff from them and tolerate it well (like my yorkie having several ticks extracted from his ear canals). They are also great with family and friends. That is all I care about.


I have three that are very different. Kodi THROWS himself into ANYONE's arms. (he would happily leave with the UPS guy  ) Panda is ALMOST as out-going. She is immediately friendly with 9 out of 10 people. With the other 10% I expect she has a good reason and I respect it. (I DO think females are a bit more "discerning" that way in general) Pixel takes longer to warm up. Once you are on the "friends list", you are on it for life. But she needs a few minutes to decide. Again, I never push her.

I've never seen her reject anyone that WE consider a friend, and "strangers"? I don't really care! She has surprised us now and then while we have been camping. Every once in a while she QUICKLY makes friends with a "stranger", and they immediately take a shine to each other. (it is ALWAYS a mutual thing) When it happens, it is really cute! But it is ALWAYS her decision. We never push for it, and we never allow someone else to push for it. Because she is so little and cute, some people want to try really hard with her. We always tell them that the fastest way to get her to like them is to TOTALLY ignore her. If she is going to take to them, before long, she's coming to THEM to check them out.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

I have a dream that Shama will one day be a therapy dog, so it is important to me that she be able to tolerate being touched by strangers. I'd like for us to learn an arsenal of tricks so that we can provide entertainment in therapy dog situation. I don't really imagine her ever just sitting in people's laps or being held for hours on end, but I like for her to be blasé about people petting her.

Last Saturday, our local kennel club was at the public library from 10 AM until noon for a "meet the breeds" event. I sat on a chair next to Shama on her pillow on her elevated bed (link below) with our backs to the concrete wall of the big fountain (we like having a wall behind us so that the directions from which people can approach are limited). When people (mostly children) asked if they could pet Shama, I said they could pet her on her side to feel how soft her fur is. I pointed out that not many dogs like strangers' hands coming at their faces or heads. Later, we went into the auditorium and gave obedience and agility demonstrations. Although Shama has taken intermediate obedience about six times, it had been a while since she'd been to class or practiced. I was pleased that she held her down stay among six or seven dogs and with 70 or so people in the audience while the handlers milled about the space. She also did a good recall and agility jumps, tunnels, and weave poles.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a pet owner deciding that they don't want strangers to be able to approach their dog. Everyone has to decide what their objectives are.

I agree that standing for exam is a great skill for any dog to have, but I don't think Shama and I will ever take the advanced obedience class since the class here is really for people who intend to show their dogs in obedience.

Standing for exam is taught in the Comfortable and Cooperative Care class we're currently taking. (We're very fortunate to have a new facility that just opened in the area which focuses on raising good pets - their main classes are Family Manners I and II - in addition to our kennel club which offers obedience classes.)

My biggest piece of advice for anyone joining this forum would be to take classes with your dog if possible, and to watch kikopup or the like videos if attending classes is not possible. (Online classes are also available.)

Link to the website for Shama's elevated beds:

https://bostonistabyzoey.com/bostonista-beds/


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mine do not have issues with strangers, however since I titer for rabies...no chances taken here, especially if children are involved. My dogs have never shown any tendency to bite but I cannot take any risks. It just is not worth it.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> I have a dream that Shama will one day be a therapy dog, so it is important to me that she be able to tolerate being touched by strangers. I'd like for us to learn an arsenal of tricks so that we can provide entertainment in therapy dog situation. I don't really imagine her ever just sitting in people's laps or being held for hours on end, but I like for her to be blasé about people petting her.


Of course it's up to you, but I wouldn't want to do therapy work with a dog that didn't actually enjoy that type of work. Kodi LOVES it! Even if We taught Pixel to tolerate the handling, she would never enjoy it, so I wouldn't ask it of her. I'm not sure about Panda. Sh'e probably like it.



ShamaMama said:


> I agree that standing for exam is a great skill for any dog to have, but I don't think Shama and I will ever take the advanced obedience class since the class here is really for people who intend to show their dogs in obedience.
> 
> Standing for exam is taught in the Comfortable and Cooperative Care class we're currently taking. (We're very fortunate to have a new facility that just opened in the area which focuses on raising good pets - their main classes are Family Manners I and II - in addition to our kennel club which offers obedience classes.)
> 
> My biggest piece of advice for anyone joining this forum would be to take classes with your dog if possible, and to watch kikopup or the like videos if attending classes is not possible. (Online classes are also available.)


The "exam" for CGC is right beside the owner, not at any distance, and the dog is not expected to stay in any specific position. So it is MUCH less formal, and it takes MUCh less training. I think that one is within the grasp of most pet dogs.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Shama likes people, and she likes the treats she gets when she's well mannered with people. I'm not going to pursue therapy dog certification until I actually have time to go on regular therapy dog visits. For now, we occasionally visit people at a nearby nursing home that doesn't seem to have a relationship with the local therapy dog organization. One woman has an array of photos of her dogs displayed on her wall. I know she loves it when Shama visits! 

How can you tell that Kodi LOVES therapy dog work? The reason I think Shama likes people is that she gets excited, jumping up and down, wagging her tail, and trying to get to them. When she's in her ex pen, she has to calm down and have all four paws on the floor before we let anyone pet her. Same thing if she's on a leash.

I agree that CGC certification is within the grasp of most pet dogs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> Shama likes people, and she likes the treats she gets when she's well mannered with people. I'm not going to pursue therapy dog certification until I actually have time to go on regular therapy dog visits. For now, we occasionally visit people at a nearby nursing home that doesn't seem to have a relationship with the local therapy dog organization. One woman has an array of photos of her dogs displayed on her wall. I know she loves it when Shama visits!
> 
> How can you tell that Kodi LOVES therapy dog work? The reason I think Shama likes people is that she gets excited, jumping up and down, wagging her tail, and trying to get to them. When she's in her ex pen, she has to calm down and have all four paws on the floor before we let anyone pet her. Same thing if she's on a leash.
> 
> I agree that CGC certification is within the grasp of most pet dogs.


Well, I should qualify that to say with elderly and sick people. I think it takes a different type of dog to do reading with kids and other kinds of work with kids.

But Kodi is so INCREDIBLY gentle and insightful with the elderly and ill and upset people. He will be just "be there". We will be talking, not really "about" him at all. He just lies down next to them. He seems to know whether it is better to lie by the person's feet or beside them on a couch. Then he doesn't move. Without them even realizing it, they start stroking him. That is his cue to move his head onto their foot (or lap) and then he just stays there. Gazing up into their eyes. They keep stroking, again, often without realizing that they are doing it. At some point, they seem to realize and acknowledge him, and he starts wagging his tail. They have made his day!  I don't ask him to do this... he is not a "trained" therapy dog, nor do we make "official" therapy visits. It is just that he ends up being put in that position quite frequently because of our extended collection of geriatric friends and relatives!

Sometimes, we've had people who have started out saying they didn't really care for dogs become total converts to "KODI is an exception". 

And he is so totally reliable. There was one incident, when my dad was in a rehab. he needed to use the toilet, and a nurse had not come to help him. He was not supposed to get up by himself, but he REALLY needed to go. It was getting to be an emergency. So I threw Kodi into a corner beside a chair and told him to stay, and took my Dad into the bathroom with his walker. While I was in there, my Dad's roommate, a very loud, smelly, and not very nice man in a wheelchair came back into the room, smacking into the chair Kodi was sitting beside, yelling for a nurse to come help him and generally making a ruckus. I got done with my Dad, got him back into bed, and Kodi had not moved a muscle the entire time. I REALLY wouldn't have expected that of him... I just didn't know what else to do!

The interesting thing is, when he was younger, I actually thought he WOULDN'T be a good therapy dog. He really didn't enjoy being handled by people he didn't know, and I didn't push it. I was a little disappointed because I thought it MIGHT be something I'd like to do with him as he got older. OTOH, we were so busy with so many sports-related things, we didn't have time for it anyway! Then he grew into it, all by himself, with no help from me!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Great stories, Karen! Love to hear about your dogs!

More resources for you, OP ...

https://www.havaneseforum.com/8-puppy-area/123097-excellent-puppy-resources.html


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Pixel takes longer to warm up. Once you are on the "friends list", you are on it for life. But she needs a few minutes to decide. Again, I never push her.
> 
> I've never seen her reject anyone that WE consider a friend, and "strangers"? I don't really care! She has surprised us now and then while we have been camping. Every once in a while she QUICKLY makes friends with a "stranger", and they immediately take a shine to each other. (it is ALWAYS a mutual thing) When it happens, it is really cute! But it is ALWAYS her decision. We never push for it, and we never allow someone else to push for it. Because she is so little and cute, some people want to try really hard with her. We always tell them that the fastest way to get her to like them is to TOTALLY ignore her. If she is going to take to them, before long, she's coming to THEM to check them out.


Momi and Popi fondly remember our meeting with Kodi, Panda, Pixel, and the Randalls. Although our meeting was only for a couple of hours, the memories last forever. Karen describes the personalities of her dogs accurately. Kodi is a gregarious 'Mr. Personality' (reminds me of another Havanese I am fond of :wink2 Panda is a beauty that takes her relationships seriously (Momi was smitten with her). But I want to describe my interaction with Pixel.

When we walked through the door, Kodi and Panda gave us a friendly welcome. But Pixel held back, shy and reserved. She is just a little cutie pie and we wanted to interact with her. But I have had some experience with this personality type in our neighborhood dogs and resisted approaching her. ( I am currently working on Henry an abused rescue neighborhood dog who now lives in a loving home. I can tell Henry really wants to be my friend but he is working on human male trust issues and the more I ignore him, the more comfortable he feels around me. It will happen eventually) This strategy to ignore Pixel was reinforced by Karen. Pixel is very attached to her Popi (Dave) so as a male, I thought I might be able to eventually be friends with her. Our visit with the Randalls and dogs passed too quickly. We played with Kodi and Panda while Pixel hung at the edge of activities. A couple of times she would cautiously approach me but as soon as I looked her way she would back off. Okay, too much too soon.

After a couple of hours, it was time for us to leave. We said our goodbyes. Dave was standing next to me, holding Pixel in his arms. To my surprise, Pixel leaned over and started licking my hand! :surprise: YES! Oh My Dog, what a sweet goodbye! I will remember this forever. I think I have made a forever friend.

So the point is, dogs like people, have individual unique personalities. Because a dog is reserved does not mean they will never have close relationships with particular humans. Give your dog time, patience, and space to grow into their personality. I appreciate that all dog personalities are not the same. This difference is one of the things that make dogs so fun for me.

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> After a couple of hours, it was time for us to leave. We said our goodbyes. Dave was standing next to me, holding Pixel in his arms. To my surprise, Pixel leaned over and started licking my hand! :surprise: YES! Oh My Dog, what a sweet goodbye! I will remember this forever. I think I have made a forever friend.
> 
> So the point is, dogs like people, have individual unique personalities. Because a dog is reserved does not mean they will never have close relationships with particular humans. Give your dog time, patience, and space to grow into their personality. I appreciate that all dog personalities are not the same. This difference is one of the things that make dogs so fun for me.
> 
> Ricky's Popi


I bet the NEXT time you "Cruise through", Pixel will warm up MUCH more quickly!


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