# What did you name your Hav and why?



## Laurmann2000

I have to admit I love names. I love knowing the meaning of a name and choosing names. Whenever I get a pet, even if it's a fish, I will spend days (sometimes longer) finding the perfect name, sometimes before the pet even arrives. So I would love to know what names you all have for your adorable Havanese and why/how you chose that name. If you'd like to add a photo to go with the name, all the better. :grin2:


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## Laurmann2000

Yikes, I didn't mean to put this in the photo section. Sorry. How do I move it to discussions? Anyone know how?


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## whimsy

I have always loved the word Whimsy and the definition is perfect for her. According to the dictionary ..it is a noun capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression
I had just two names picked out and let my grandchildren pick the one they liked best. I had it all ready to go long before I picked her up.


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## krandall

I'm a photographer, and wanted names to reflect that. Both my dogs came from Starborn Havanese, so that had to be the prefix for their names. "Kodi" is Starborn Kodak Moment:


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## krandall

And "Pixel" is Starborn's Picture Perfect:


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## Laurmann2000

Thank you both for your stories behind the names. I just love hearing them. 
*Whimsy: *Whimsy is beautiful and looks like a princess sitting on her throne. All she needs is a crown. 
*Krandall: * I love your "kids" names and now that I know their full name and your meaning behind it, I love them even more. Great choices.


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## krandall

Laurmann2000 said:


> Thank you both for your stories behind the names. I just love hearing them.
> *Whimsy: *Whimsy is beautiful and looks like a princess sitting on her throne. All she needs is a crown.
> *Krandall: * I love your "kids" names and now that I know their full name and your meaning behind it, I love them even more. Great choices.


BTW, their full names (and titles) are in my sig line!


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## Heather's

Our little Truffles had to be something chocolate. If she had been a boy it would have been Snickers.


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## Keanu

My havanese called Keanu. 
Why.? I just love the name:smile2:


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## littlebuddy

Django is named after Django Reinhardt a famous Belgium-born French guitarist who was one of the greatest guitar players of all time. His style of music is known as Django style. You should take a listen, its WONDERFUL!!!


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## emichel

Great topic! When I was looking for names, before I got Benjamin, I was thinking that a little dog should have a dignified name. You know, kind of opposite to the big scary dog "Fluffy" in the Harry Potter movie. So, I was thinking along the lines of Arthur, Christopher, Benjamin, etc. Then when I got the first picture from the breeder I thought, "Oh, he's cute as a button", so I named him Benjamin Button. I only use his full name when he is in trouble, though. :laugh2:


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## boomana

Lola. It's a little sweet and a little bossy, just like my little girl. My neighbors call her Cocoa Puff. 


Here she is a couple days ago at the park with her over protective big brother, Watson, lounging behind.


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## Teddy Bear

emichel said:


> Great topic! When I was looking for names, before I got Benjamin, I was thinking that a little dog should have a dignified name. You know, kind of opposite to the big scary dog "Fluffy" in the Harry Potter movie. So, I was thinking along the lines of Arthur, Christopher, Benjamin, etc. Then when I got the first picture from the breeder I thought, "Oh, he's cute as a button", so I named him Benjamin Button. I only use his full name when he is in trouble, though. :laugh2:


Haha. Emichel, I thought I was unique!!

I saw an add for Hav puppies on sale in small town outside the city (common situation here) and asked the breeder for a video of the puppies so i can chose one for him to an agreed location (midway to both of us).

He sent me a video and I saw this cute little fluff ball running across the room to where his daughter was and trying to run off with her Elmo teddy bear (Elmo was like 3 times the size of Teddy but he was determined to take off with it!)

I was considering the name "Cuddles" (because he looked cuddly) or "Teddy Bear" (because he looked like a Teddy Bear!)

A neighbour saw him as we were walking into the building (I had just picked him up from the breeder) and said he looked like a Teddy bear and that I should name him Teddy. it was already a name I was considering so easy choice!!

He's full name is actually Teddy Bear but I also only use his full name when he is in trouble!


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## Laurmann2000

Oh lots of replies. Thanks everyone for indulging me in my curiosity. I'm loving all the stories and names you've chosen. It kind of gives me a new way of looking at your dogs. 
*Littlebuddy:* I will do a search for Django Reinhardt and listen to his music. Can you tell me how to pronounce Django? Is the D silent?


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## Heather's

Scout is from Canada so we couldn't visit until it was time for us to pick him up. My husband wanted to call him Scooter and I wanted Scout. I mentioned to his breeder we were unable decide between the two names. When we arrived for our visit she had been calling him Scout because he didn't scoot!  She said her husband had been a boy scout leader and now he is our Canadian Scout.


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## Molly120213

Since my husband named our last little girl Bichon, Magic - after Magic Johnson, I got dibs on the name this time around. I wanted a name that was totally a cute little girl name and Molly fit her perfectly!


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## Laurmann2000

Heather, I love that you have your little "Canadian Scout". It's perfect.

Molly is the ideal name for a sweet little girl and suits your adorable baby perfectly.


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## 31818

When we brought Ricky home at 9 months old he had TWO previous names. We thought both were inappropriate. We wanted a name that reflected his personality - an entertainer, a clown, energetic, friendly, good looking, a lady "friend" in every port, and a Cuban. Ricky Ricardo came to mind immediately. And the name fits him perfectly. When people see him they smile. When they ask me his name, and I tell them, they burst out laughing! And then Ricky wants them to pick him up to give them a beso (a kiss), and Ricky is living his destiny!

Ricky's Popi


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## Laurmann2000

His name just cracks me up. It's perfect. Do you call him by his full name or just Ricky? I love that his name reflects his heritage. Good choice.


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## Ramona

I named my puppy Asbjorn, because where I live that's the name of an old, sturdy reliable man. A cozy grandpa... And my puppy looks like a grandpa already :grin2::grin2:


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## Laurmann2000

Ramona said:


> I named my puppy Asbjorn, because where I live that's the name of an old, sturdy reliable man. A cozy grandpa... And my puppy looks like a grandpa already :grin2::grin2:


:laugh::laugh: That's too funny. I love when people pick names that are so unexpected. I bet your puppy is a perfect Asbjorn. Thanks for sharing.


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## Heather's

Asbjorn is awfully cute little one!


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## Fluffball

All your pups are just so adorable.
My little Ulrike was named really by fluke. I was looking for names and I was torn between a japanese one and a german one. Then I recalled an acquaintance called Ulrike who went by "Uli". Then I did some research and it means "the power of the wolf" or "the power of the home" so Voila! When I went to get her the name fit her perfectly. Besides she does have a dignified personality,... until it goes to silly lol


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## Heather's

Fluffball said:


> All your pups are just so adorable.
> My little Ulrike was named really by fluke. I was looking for names and I was torn between a japanese one and a german one. Then I recalled an acquaintance called Ulrike who went by "Uli". Then I did some research and it means "the power of the wolf" or "the power of the home" so Voila! When I went to get her the name fit her perfectly. Besides she does have a dignified personality,... until it goes to silly lol


That's a great name for your little girl.


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## ShamaMama

My husband is allergic to dogs, so we wanted a fluffly hypoallergenic dog. We originally thought we would be getting a Coton de Tulear, so we were considering French names. Then my husband reacted to a Coton we met, and we discovered the Havanese. Even though we got a Cuban dog, we gave her a French name: Chamallow Brule. (Not putting accents for fear of getting gobbledygook.) Her name means "burnt marshmallow." I'm attaching a picture of her when she was two and a half weeks old. Doesn't she look like her name? Since no one wants to say "Chamallow Brule," her nickname is Shama. I tell people it rhymes with mama so it will be easy to pronounce. We are thrilled to have discovered the Havanese breed. Shama is an absolute delight!


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## Fluffball

Heather Glen said:


> That's a great name for your little girl.


Thanks, she is indeed a lovely princess.

Shama is beautiful!


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## Laurmann2000

*Fluff ball:* Ulrike is a great name for your little princess. Love unusual names. Do you call her by her full name or do you call her Uli, like your friend? And can you explain the exact pronunciation of Ulrike please?

*Shamamama:* Yes, your little Shama, looks like her full name. It's perfect for your little toasted marshmallow. Do you ever call her by her full name? I think it's really pretty though Shama is definitely easier to say and is adorable too. BTW, that picture of her is too cute. She's so tiny. Do you have a recent picture? I'd love to see how she looks now.


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## ShamaMama

We have occasionally called her by her full name, but it's mostly just Shama. Here are three photos which were taken on September 19, when she was just shy of 15 weeks old. She just loves her new Chuckit! Kick Fetch Ball.


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## Heather's

She is just precious!!! Love the name.:biggrin1:


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## Fluffball

Laurmann2000 said:


> *Fluff ball:* Ulrike is a great name for your little princess. Love unusual names. Do you call her by her full name or do you call her Uli, like your friend? And can you explain the exact pronunciation of Ulrike please?
> 
> *Shamamama:* Yes, your little Shama, looks like her full name. It's perfect for your little toasted marshmallow. Do you ever call her by her full name? I think it's really pretty though Shama is definitely easier to say and is adorable too. BTW, that picture of her is too cute. She's so tiny. Do you have a recent picture? I'd love to see how she looks now.


Call her Uli makes it quicker especially when she is off chasing birds.0

Little cute puppies!


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## Laurmann2000

Shama is adorable! Thanks for the pictures. I love seeing all the little Havanese pups. I hope I will have one someday.


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## DebW

My little boy is Sheldon. 

He has a pink spot on his nose that never filled in - he just looks silly. He reminded me of a little boy who gets picked on in the playground, and I wanted a name that evoked that. Voila - Sheldon.

And apologies to any Sheldon's out there....


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## Heather's

Sheldon is just darling boy!


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## boomana

Sheldon is super cute and I like his name!


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## DebW

Thanks! His head looks super-sized in that photo, but it's just the perspective.


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## Askavi

When we met Raffy the first time at 6 weeks old and put down the deposit, the breeder asked if we could try to decide on a name for him over the next couple weeks before we brought him home. This way it would be easier for her to file his papers right away. In the past, we've just called our puppies 'puppy' until they earn their name. I decided to search for irish and hispanic dog names because he's a black irish pied (or was, he's turning silver now). My family has this thing that no matter what we name our dogs, their call name has to end with a EE sound. We've just found that our dogs respond to the intonations we can make when their names end in this manner. 

Anyway, my search came up with a variety of names, but when I said, "how about Rafferty", my husband and son both said it was a great name and immediately shortened it to "Raffy" to try how it sounded. My husband also thought it would be funny to say "What you raffin at?" at future barking episodes. Since we had to have an official AKC type name, and Havanese tend to have a messy look to them, kind of like "riff raff", we decided his full name would be Grandview's Riff "Raff" Rafferty. 

He's holding up to his name. He doesn't bark much, but when he does, it does sound like "raff, raff, raff!" He also has taken on a pretty messy look, and due to his color changing, his muzzle and feet always look a bit dingy, making him look dirty too. I love my Riff Raff!


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## krandall

Askavi said:


> When we met Raffy the first time at 6 weeks old and put down the deposit, the breeder asked if we could try to decide on a name for him over the next couple weeks before we brought him home. This way it would be easier for her to file his papers right away. In the past, we've just called our puppies 'puppy' until they earn their name. I decided to search for irish and hispanic dog names because he's a black irish pied (or was, he's turning silver now). My family has this thing that no matter what we name our dogs, their call name has to end with a EE sound. We've just found that our dogs respond to the intonations we can make when their names end in this manner.
> 
> Anyway, my search came up with a variety of names, but when I said, "how about Rafferty", my husband and son both said it was a great name and immediately shortened it to "Raffy" to try how it sounded. My husband also thought it would be funny to say "What you raffin at?" at future barking episodes. Since we had to have an official AKC type name, and Havanese tend to have a messy look to them, kind of like "riff raff", we decided his full name would be Gradview's Riff "Raff" Rafferty.
> 
> He's holding up to his name. He doesn't bark much, but when he does, it does sound like "raff, raff, raff!" He also has taken on a pretty messy look, and due to his color changing, his muzzle and feet always look a bit dingy, making him look dirty too. I love my Riff Raff!


What a cute name and an adorable story to go with it!


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## Laurmann2000

Sheldon is adorable as is his name. Love how you came up with it too. Hope he doesn't get picked on at the dog park. LOL

Raffy's name is great and that story is even better. I just love his official name. It's so fun.


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## jingerb

Stanley Frederick took a long time getting his name. We tried on several for a day or so...Henry, Trevor, Bernard, Ollie, Nelson, Simon...just couldn't decide. I like old man names that bring a smile to my face and to the faces of people who hear the name! :smile2: It didn't help that he looked just like a past "Franklin" puppy of mine. (I must have called the poor little guy Franklin over 100 times! :/ ) I had finally narrowed it to Stanley or Frederick and told the employee at Hollywood Feed. She instantly said, "Well THAT'S his name...just look at him...he's Stanley Frederick Attorney at Law! :laugh2: I really liked the Stanley Frederick together and he was named. When he's trying to impress, he adds "Attorney at Law," :wink2: . When he's pickin' up the chicks he goes by Stan the Man. >

Whatever the moniker, these Havanese are SO wonderful!! He's just so quickly become the little love of my life and my little buddy. Happy, smart, chill, super soft little dude he is!

Sorry for the delay Shama mama!


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## ShamaMama

Thanks for the great story, jingerb! It's so funny to hear the variations that people use even after choosing a clever name. We call Shama so many terms of endearment like Sweet Pea and Boo Boo and Love Bug and the list goes on. We almost never call her by her full name (see explanation above), and we never ever call her Marshmallow! Now that this thread has been revived, maybe we'll hear some more name stories. Laurmann2000, do you have a Havanese yet?


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## krandall

Is it wrong that Panda answers to "Trouble"! ound:


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## April R

My husband named Harley
He has a Harley motorcycle and we ride a lot. His AKC name is Ritter's Midnight Harley Rider!


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## Laurmann2000

ShamaMama said:


> Thanks for the great story, jingerb! It's so funny to hear the variations that people use even after choosing a clever name. We call Shama so many terms of endearment like Sweet Pea and Boo Boo and Love Bug and the list goes on. We almost never call her by her full name (see explanation above), and we never ever call her Marshmallow! Now that this thread has been revived, maybe we'll hear some more name stories. Laurmann2000, do you have a Havanese yet?


It's been so long since I've been on here. Unfortunately no, I STILL don't have my Havanese. I haven't given up on getting one but it just isn't time yet. That's part of the reason I haven't been on this forum in so long. I was finding it really hard to resist getting one while reading all the posts and looking at all your pictures. Thanks for thinking of me ShamaMama.


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## Askavi

There was no real reason behind naming Sassy other than I wanted to and I thought saying Raff n Sass would be fun when referring to my havs. 

We are already joking that we should have named her "RuRu" because that's how she greets us, or talks to us when she's excited. "Roo-roo-roo!" It was surprising when she first did it (the 2nd day after we brought her home) because Raffy never roo-roos! He only raffs.. and sometimes ruffs.


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## Beckie Summitt

She had a name that didn't fit her and Lillie Belle just came to me. She's small, sweet and makes me think of the Lillie of the valley bells. 

Simba was already named and my grandchildren love it so we kept it.


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## Melissa Brill

Perry was the name given to him by the rescue - and when we brought him home we couldn't agree on a different name (my husband proposed typical Cuban names like Che and names that were much too imposing for him like De Nero). Percy was getting the most votes - but I have a colleague named Percy so didn't think that was very PC. So, he stayed Perry.

However, my niece insists his name is Phil and my nephew says that it's Nathan... to the point that my niece will only refer to him as Phil and calls him Phil ('come here Phil') when she sees him. Luckily both of them are in the states and Perry is here in Kampala, so he's not getting totally confused!

I was calling him Perry the Cowardly Lion in the beginning (because he's afraid of everything), but mostly it's just Perry.


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## Lilysmom

Lily was the name we were going to name our daughter but then changed it to Lucy ( another popular dog name . My 11 yo niece suggested it and I loved it. So when it was time to name our puppy, Lily came up and had meaning. We call our daughter Lucy Belle for fun sometimes even though her name is Lucy Ann. So we sometimes call Lily Belle or Lily Boo Boo.


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## Barbara Levy

Loki is the Norse God of Mischief. I let Marc name him because he didn't like any of my name suggestions. I usually call him Loke or Little Dog.


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## Scarlett's mom

This is a fun thread. I don't have mine yet but her name is Scarlett because she is from the south. I was looking into Cuban names as well but couldn't get my husband to agree on any. He says it won't matter because I will call her some silly nickname anyway.


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## Genie1000

I'm glad this thread resurfaced. It was fun to read the stories behind your puppies' names!
Penelope is a and that pipped into my head two years ago when our youngest daughter was heading off to college. I told my husband we either needed to have a baby or get a puppy.... we opted for a puppy and the name Penelope suited her!


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## abi38

I was asking my kids for a girl's name when we got Zelda. My strict rule is a name with less than 3 syllables. I turned down a lot of their suggestions and eventually my oldest said Zelda. I liked it so it stays.
When I decided to get a second dog (boy), naturally the name will be Link.
P.S. For those who don't know Zelda and Link are Nintendo games characters. Zelda is the princess that Link saves in each game.


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## Maistjarna

Luna's breeder gave the puppies pedigree names when they were a couple days old. She gave luna the name Lucinda (she was in an L litter). Shr soon noticed she was the wildest in the litter and chenged it to Luna Park Lucy.
Lucy was short for Lucinda and Luna park is thr normal way to say amusement park here (Slovenia).
So we stuck with Luna also because I love that name.
As she got older she even silvered out to look a bit like a moon 

A puppy that I fostered for a while looked like she was going to be pretty big so we named her after Nymeria from game of thrones. We didn't call her Nymeria though, because that is too long. We ended up calling her Nymi.

And a pic of Luna and Nymi


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## Tux's Mom

Tux's full name is Tapscott's Tuxedo (Tapscott is the breeder). The "Tuxedo" name is kind of self explanatory. All he needs is a bowtie.


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## ShamaMama

Tux was on my short list for Havanese names. I still love that name! (I'm awaiting your first day of agility report!)


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## Tux's Mom

ShamaMama said:


> Tux was on my short list for Havanese names. I still love that name! (I'm awaiting your first day of agility report!)


I posted the report (no pictures yet) of Tux's first day of agility somewhere on the Forum. He shook like a leaf in the car and whined all the way over to the gym (due to his unfortunate incident where the vet clipped his penis with electric clippers). Now he associates a trip in the car with that awful accident. I began to fear that the agility day would be ruined by his emotional state. WRONG! He took to those jumps, ring and tunnel like the flying Wallendas. He jumped on the platform for the first time and immediately sat because my hand went up. It was a beauteous thing to behold. Apparently I wasn't going fast enough once he discovered he didn't have to stop after one jump. He could fly to the next one after the next one. The only person who got confused was me! LOL I'm learning about being on the correct side of the obstacle but I have to say that Tux seems to have been doing this on the sly his whole life. Must be in his circus genes. Now I feel guilty that his lessons are only once a week. We may have to change that. Life can be really fun.


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## rorythehavanese

Williams is our last name and Rory Williams is actually the name of my favorite companion from the tv series Doctor Who. The character is sweet and gentle but strong. My maiden name is King and the name Rory actually means "Red King" so I thought it was perfect!


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## Henry&Kate

I like "Rory." It was on my short list as well knowing I was getting a red/reddish pup. Or Rufus, which means red-haired one. Finn was at the top of list before I got him. 

But the breeder's grandchildren gave all the puppies their initial names and Henry just seemed to suit him so I didn't change it. Funny because out of the 6 puppies, 3 of us kept their puppy names. Of course "Henry" means Home Ruler which is worrying.


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## rorythehavanese

Henry&Kate said:


> I like "Rory." It was on my short list as well knowing I was getting a red/reddish pup. Or Rufus, which means red-haired one. Finn was at the top of list before I got him.
> 
> But the breeder's grandchildren gave all the puppies their initial names and Henry just seemed to suit him so I didn't change it. Funny because out of the 6 puppies, 3 of us kept their puppy names. Of course "Henry" means Home Ruler which is worrying.


Thank you!

Haha! "Home ruler"... I joke around with my husband that I am the alpha and Rory is the beta. But with that face he could get away with anything.


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## careng

Loved reading this thread. When we got our first dog a bichon puppy, we had trouble agreeing on a name but he was a little ball of fluff and we just finally agreed on teddy because he looked like a little white Teddy Bear. You had a lot of other names though. We called him puppy, Wuppy, fluffalump and towards the end he was lumpy so he was often called that. My second dog was a rescue a bichon mix and since I love teddy bears and I collect them we decided we needed a bear name so we named him yogi. We had to rehome yogi because he didn’t do well with my son and bit him a few times so he went to an adult only home. Then we got our first Havanese sweet little white black girl and after much discussion she was named Winnie the Pooh. We call her Winnie, or Pooh, or Pinnie (as in Pinnie the woo). My newest pup was kind of unexpected, we took him in from someone that had gotten him and realized after 4 days that they didn’t know anything about puppies and they didn’t want him anymore. My daughter wanted to name him Paddington but my son didn’t like it. He came up with Smokey the bear 🐻 and since his face is so dark it seemed to fit. Since I’m on my iPad I can’t post pictures.


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## OhHenry

It's been so much fun reading the naming stories in this thread!

We were planning on getting a rescue dog but discovered our daughter was allergic to several breeds. We then needed to look for a hypoallergenic dog and fell in love with a Havanese. Wanting a big manly dog, my husband was disappointed that we were choosing a toy breed and insisted that the name be a solid masculine name. When we met our puppy, we thought he had (still has) serious eyebrows and wise eyes. You could almost picture a human version of this little guy smoking a cigar, while reading a newspaper and tut-tutting about the state of the world today. He just looked like a Henry! He's indeed VERY serious about people and dogs walking by his house, food and treats we give him at home and anything else he can put in his mouth on walks, taking out all HIS toys that we keep organized in a bin (how dare we!), and any potential shortage in bully sticks. Of course my daughter and I love him to bits. And the hubby has long been a smitten goner.

He is my first dog and I don't know if I can ever have any other breed.


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## careng

OhHenry said:


> It's been so much fun reading the naming stories in this thread!
> 
> We were planning on getting a rescue dog but discovered our daughter was allergic to several breeds. We then needed to look for a hypoallergenic dog and fell in love with a Havanese. Wanting a big manly dog, my husband was disappointed that we were choosing a toy breed and insisted that the name be a solid masculine name. When we met our puppy, we thought he had (still has) serious eyebrows and wise eyes. You could almost picture a human version of this little guy smoking a cigar, while reading a newspaper and tut-tutting about the state of the world today. He just looked like a Henry! He's indeed VERY serious about people and dogs walking by his house, food and treats we give him at home and anything else he can put in his mouth on walks, taking out all HIS toys that we keep organized in a bin (how dare we!), and any potential shortage in bully sticks. Of course my daughter and I love him to bits. And the hubby has long been a smitten goner.
> 
> He is my first dog and I don't know if I can ever have any other breed.


Havanese are awesome. My Smokey is a Havanese Shih Tzu mix, he looks much more like a Havanese and hoping he will have that temperament too. Love th eyebrows on Henry. My Winnie has white eyebrows and I just love them.


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## OhHenry

careng, we thought he looked like a teddy bear and almost named him that too. But our neighbors and friends have a Cavapoo named Teddy, and it would've been too confusing. These little guys do look like the cuddliest teddy bears, don't they? I love the name Smokey the Bear and the eyebrows on Winnie. When they cock their heads, don't they look like they're raising a quizzical eyebrow at us? :laugh2:


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## careng

OhHenry said:


> careng, we thought he looked like a teddy bear and almost named him that too. But our neighbors and friends have a Cavapoo named Teddy, and it would've been too confusing. These little guys do look like the cuddliest teddy bears, don't they? I love the name Smokey the Bear and the eyebrows on Winnie. When they cock their heads, don't they look like they're raising a quizzical eyebrow at us? :laugh2:


Absolutely. They are so expressive. And they all look like little toys as puppies. I just love to snuggle with them.


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