# Sit pretty and lay down, Mayzie



## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Mayzie is 16 weeks old now, and she hasn't had any more health issues. She continues to learn really well, and I am having so much fun with her. I got a video of her training today just for myself and thought I'd share. She was tired of training at this point, and I'd had to up the value of the treats to those baby puffs to get her to comply, but she did pretty well. If you see her coat is parted in the middle, it was because I am constantly wanting to see how her adult coat is going to look, ha!






Her hair is still curly on top her head and because she'd had a bath about an hour before, and I still haven't bought a buttercomb for her face. Soon enough I will!


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## Layla's Mom (Feb 1, 2016)

She is soooo stinking cute! And what a little smarty! Thanks for sharing :smile2:


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

Mayzie is just adorable,love the video!


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

What an adorable little girl!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What a cute, good girlie!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Thank you all...we are constantly amused by her, and I'm always grateful for the tips I learn on this forum!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Mayzie is such a cutie and doing well on her training. One tip I have is to not repeat the commands so much; instead, say once and give her time to figure it out. You're a great Hav mama!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Mayzie is precious and smart too!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

MarinaGirl said:


> Mayzie is such a cutie and doing well on her training. One tip I have is to not repeat the commands so much; instead, say once and give her time to figure it out. You're a great Hav mama!


Thank you for that tip! I will implement it. I am a talker, so I tend to fill up all that empty silence with words no matter who I am talking to, ha!

Should I say "down", and if she doesn't comply just wait? Or should I say "no" and then repeat the command? I don't want her to learn to comply on the 4th time I say "down", but I don't really know what to do when she doesn't comply the first time.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> Thank you for that tip! I will implement it. I am a talker, so I tend to fill up all that empty silence with words no matter who I am talking to, ha!
> 
> Should I say "down", and if she doesn't comply just wait? Or should I say "no" and then repeat the command? I don't want her to learn to comply on the 4th time I say "down", but I don't really know what to do when she doesn't comply the first time.


If you are sure she understands the cue, you should just wait. If she doesn't do it, she doesn't get the cookie. Simple as that. Using a clicker is the best way to increase speed of response to cues.

You definitely SHOULDN'T say "no". First, "no" is so over-used that it becomes pretty meaningless to a dog... background noise more than anything else. Second, she's a puppy. (a very YOUNG puppy!) She is just learning. She is throwing a lot of behaviors at you, which is good. You definitely DON'T want her to give up and stop trying.

One more little tip... if you use very small, soft treats that don't take her so long to chew, she will be ready to follow the next cue faster, so you will be able to get more repetitions in a much shorter period... which gets it into her head much better!

If you are really interested in training her well, I strongly suggest that you enroll her in a good positive training class. Whether you do that or not, it is vitally important that you enroll her in a good puppy kindergarten class. Puppies, even sweet gentle Havanese puppies, who are not properly socialized at a young age can be very difficult to socialize later. And a well socialized dog will be a joy for the next 15 or more years!


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

Mayzie is so darn cute. What a smartie pants! Love hearing her crunch her treats. Lol.


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Well, I am very glad to know not to say "no". And denying her the treat would matter to her a lot more if I would keep the training sessions shorter...that particular session had gone on too long, and she was tired. I had even replaced her treats with those Gerber baby puffs because she wasn't interested in her regular treat anymore (which is just dog food...she's very food driven usually). 

I have always had on my bucket list to (1) get a dog titled in obedience, and (2) deliver a litter of puppies myself. I have given up on (2), but not (1). I have checked the kindergarten classes at Petsmart, and they have classes for puppies less than 5 months or more than 5 months. I guess I have a month left to get into the young one!


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

A few additional tips.
1) With a puppy that young, training sessions should really be 5 minutes maximum. Even Mario, at 9 years old, goes just 15-20 min before we are done. Multiple 5 minute training sessions are ok, but if she starts to be so over it that she is rejecting rewards, you should have ended that session awhile ago. You don't want a dog that resents training.
2) While bits of kibble can be good for initial training, you want to add in other rewards of higher value. She will catch on very quickly that the "rewards" she is getting are just her regular food. Getting a variety of rewards will keep training interesting for her and make it easier to use a "high value, low value" dynamic.
3) Avoid Pet Smart/Petco training classes like the plague. Any joe schmoe can apply for those jobs. The environments are chaotic and out of control. Very scary for little ones. Find an obedience school near you for puppy k. The trainers will be qualified instructors whose own dogs have titles, and it will make getting your foot in the door for obedience much easier.


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## Ollie"s Mom (May 23, 2014)

She is so cute in the video, what a good girl.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What Sophie said.


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

KarMar said:


> A few additional tips.
> 1) With a puppy that young, training sessions should really be 5 minutes maximum. Even Mario, at 9 years old, goes just 15-20 min before we are done. Multiple 5 minute training sessions are ok, but if she starts to be so over it that she is rejecting rewards, you should have ended that session awhile ago. You don't want a dog that resents training.
> 2) While bits of kibble can be good for initial training, you want to add in other rewards of higher value. She will catch on very quickly that the "rewards" she is getting are just her regular food. Getting a variety of rewards will keep training interesting for her and make it easier to use a "high value, low value" dynamic.
> 3) Avoid Pet Smart/Petco training classes like the plague. Any joe schmoe can apply for those jobs. The environments are chaotic and out of control. Very scary for little ones. Find an obedience school near you for puppy k. The trainers will be qualified instructors whose own dogs have titles, and it will make getting your foot in the door for obedience much easier.


Thank you for pieces of advice! I have used Carnivore Kisses in the past as training treats, but those things are like styrofoam, and they are big too. I have ordered some Wellness Petite Treats which are supposed to be soft, so hopefully those will work better. I can definitely tell a difference in Mayzie's attitude when I go too long, so I definitely hear you when you say to keep the sessions short.

I am glad to know that about PetSmart's puppy classes. I did a quick Google and found a "Kinder Pup" class from a group nearby that will train all the way up through CGC and Therapy Dog classes, and it is about half the price. The school was founded by someone who had "won numerous titles on a variety of breeds of dogs", which is kind of what you mentioned.

Again, thank you for all the advice. This is a great learning board, and I'm happy I found it.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

That sounds like it might be a good place to start. Just make sure they use positive training methods, not correction-based training.

CGC is a great starter goal... I did it with Panda. But if you are truly interested in competitive obedience, you will need a training center (or club) that will go well beyond CGC. "Pet obedience" classes are great for most people (that's what CGC is all about) but if you aren't careful about the WAY you train various behaviors, you may find that you need to re-train or at least clean up a lot of your work to reach competitive obedience standards. That's a problem I had in the beginning with Kodi. I was seriou about competitive dog sports from the beginning, but didn't know the right questions to ask, or the right classes to take. It took me a long time to "clean up" some of the sloppy behavior that I let creep in in the beginning.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh, and as far as training treats are concerned, I mostly use real, roast meats, cut into tiny cubes for training. If I don't have time to cook, my go-to training food is Happy Howie's dog food roll cubed small, or the pelleted form of Fresh Pet. Both are high quality food, soft, and great training treats. 

I cut the Fresh Pet pellets in half, because they are a little large for dogs our size. Another option is to buy the cat version of Fresh Pet. These are much smaller pellets, so don't require any cutting. Unfortunately for me, they contain fish oil, and Kodi is allergic to fish. (It's fine for most dogs!)


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Another good one I haven't mentioned anywhere else is Wellness Core Air Dried. It's been awhile since I purchased it because it's around $30, but you get 2 pounds of it. As food, the price is astronomical, but as a training treat, you get quite a bit of bang for your buck. Ounce for ounce, it's about the same as the Cloud Star training treats I use.

There is a little bit of a training treat discussion happening here, if you want some other options. While Wellness Petite Treats work well for some, they are a bit brittle as far as soft treats go, and I use *tiny* little pieces (two Cloud Star treats is all I need for 10 minutes of training), so I've never used them for training.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

She's a doll! What a sweetie!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

I will check out the treats thread. I am actually just switching to Wellness food (not the Core, but the Baked Blends puppy).

I am taking one step at a time when it comes to obedience plans for Mayzie, and I think I'd consider my bucket list satisfied if she got the CGC. This is the place I am looking at, and the first class would be Oct. 15, so just around the corner. https://www.facebook.com/FullCircleObedience/

Thanks!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> I will check out the treats thread. I am actually just switching to Wellness food (not the Core, but the Baked Blends puppy).
> 
> I am taking one step at a time when it comes to obedience plans for Mayzie, and I think I'd consider my bucket list satisfied if she got the CGC. This is the place I am looking at, and the first class would be Oct. 15, so just around the corner. https://www.facebook.com/FullCircleObedience/
> 
> Thanks!


Their web site says the right things!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

After being reminded how short a puppy's attention span can be, I decided to shorten our brushing sessions as well as our training sessions. Can anyone tell where I stopped brushing her?! :laugh2:


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> After being reminded how short a puppy's attention span can be, I decided to shorten our brushing sessions as well as our training sessions. Can anyone tell where I stopped brushing her?! :laugh2:


LOL


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## Hava Novice (Aug 30, 2016)

Wow! She is so smart! I was just pleased when Oreo figured out what "Go Potty", meant. I'd better get cracking!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Hava Novice said:


> Wow! She is so smart! I was just pleased when Oreo figured out what "Go Potty", meant. I'd better get cracking!


I don't think Mayzie knows what "go potty" means, and I don't think she even cares when I tell her "good girl to go potty". I think learning to potty on command is a great one to learn - it will be handy especially if you ever want to show her or take her to PetSmart or Lowe's or someplace and want her to empty her bladder sooner rather than later!

I am the housebroken one around here because I take her out every single time she exits a crate or her ex-pen or if she starts sniffing around. I watch her like a hawk, and I'm in this for the long haul. I have seen people comment that their havanese was hard to housebreak and that it took nearly 6 to 8 months before they were reliably housebroken, and all I think is heck, I can continue this habit making for another 2 to 4 months. Six to 8 months is nothing compared to the 15 years of payoff for that work.


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## Hava Novice (Aug 30, 2016)

Oh, I am definitely the housebroken one here too! It is just that now when we do go outside, instead of a 10 minute sniff fest, he complies with my command and gets right down to business (most of the time). Sometimes I think he fake pees just to get a treat though! I have learned to walk him across the back yard after his first squat, and if he really needs to go, he will pee a 2nd time on our way back. I thought we were doing great, with no accidents for over a week, but last night he wet the kitchen floor, right at my feet. He did make me proud last week when I took him on a 5 hour drive for a 4 day trip to the Outer Banks with some college friends. He did not have one accident the whole trip, even being in a strange house! The other girls were amazed.
Hopefully our vigilance will pay off with totally housebroken dogs in a few months!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Hava Novice said:


> /...Sometimes I think he fake pees just to get a treat though! .../QUOTE]
> 
> Hahaha, that is hilarious! Our pug Porky will lift his leg and look at us for a treat even if he doesn't actually pee, but it took him a while to learn that! Oreo is one smart cookie (no pun intended!)!


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> Hava Novice said:
> 
> 
> > /...Sometimes I think he fake pees just to get a treat though! .../QUOTE]
> ...


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

I've taught Mayzie a few new tricks, namely "roll over" and "give me 5". I didn't get a "gimme 5" on the video, but here's roll over. If you hear a gnashing sound, it's me trying not to repeat the command over and over. That doesn't come naturally to me! 

I did try to not give her the treat until she was actually in the "sitting pretty" position, back on her haunches.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Adorable!!! You know, when I see all of her in the video, she almost looks like a merle (color... you often see it in Aussies, and a few other breeds) That isn't an accepted color in HAvanese, but new mutations DO show up, and in a pet puppy would be no cause for concern. It WILL be interesting to see how her coat matures!!!


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

What a good girl! She's a quick learner  Has she been through her puppy k class yet? She might show the others up 



krandall said:


> Adorable!!! You know, when I see all of her in the video, she almost looks like a merle (color... you often see it in Aussies, and a few other breeds) That isn't an accepted color in HAvanese, but new mutations DO show up, and in a pet puppy would be no cause for concern. It WILL be interesting to see how her coat matures!!!


Good eye Karen! Didn't notice at first, but watching the video again, I definitely see what you're talking about. That WOULD explain the coat lightening in patches rather than as the hair grows.


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

I have been trying not to consider the possibility that she is not 100% Havanese. I've explained the unreliability of the breeder before, and I still haven't gotten her AKC papers, something to do with the date being wrong on the date she got them back from the stud owner or something ("but they're coming, and (of course) she is from champion lines"...). And no, sorry, no pictures of the parents because "I don't have any good ones" (so go take one?)? I don't think she is big enough to be part Aussie, but then again, who knows.

I am so curious, but in the end, if she is a bit mixed, I won't care terribly. I mean, I won't be happy to have rewarded that behavior, but I am not a breeder and can show in obedience if I chose too with other options. 

Either way, thank you for the info and the sweet thoughts! I am very fond of her!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Mayzie is just precious! She definitely looks Havanese to me.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

I don't think Karen was trying to imply she might be a mix at all, let alone an Aussie mix. She was just pointing out that her coat almost appeared to be merle. That's something that can show up as a mutation in many different breeds, but is only allowed in a few, including Aussies, Shelties, and Danes. Otherwise, it's a disqualifying fault.

There's nothing wrong with a pet puppy that has a color DQ (though if parents are consistently producing it, they probably shouldn't be bred). We had a little blue piebald dachshund in our agility class, and our breeder said "That is one CUTE mutation" :laugh:


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> I don't think Mayzie knows what "go potty" means, and I don't think she even cares when I tell her "good girl to go potty". I think learning to potty on command is a great one to learn - it will be handy especially if you ever want to show her or take her to PetSmart or Lowe's or someplace and want her to empty her bladder sooner rather than later!


Tip: Instead of a potty or praise command being a sentence (e.g. good girl to go potty), I would use only 1 or 2 words.

You're doing wonderful as a new puppy mama!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KarMar said:


> I don't think Karen was trying to imply she might be a mix at all, let alone an Aussie mix. She was just pointing out that her coat almost appeared to be merle. That's something that can show up as a mutation in many different breeds, but is only allowed in a few, including Aussies, Shelties, and Danes. Otherwise, it's a disqualifying fault.
> 
> There's nothing wrong with a pet puppy that has a color DQ (though if parents are consistently producing it, they probably shouldn't be bred). We had a little blue piebald dachshund in our agility class, and our breeder said "That is one CUTE mutation" :laugh:


Yes, that's exactly what I was saying. She MIGHT be a merle (though I'm not sure of that either...) but that DOESN'T necessarily mean that she is not a purebred. Even with "papers", without DNA testing to match her to her parents, there is no way of verifying that, either.  So just enjoy her for the ADORABLE, sweet thing she is. If you get her papers, great. Even if you don't, you can STILL register her with AKC though the PAL program, (Purebred Alternative Listing) that allows you to register purebred dogs without papers. The dog must be spayed or neutered, but you planned to do that anyway. With that registration, she can compete in any AKC companion event, (like obedience, rally or agility) just not in conformation.

Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) - American Kennel Club


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

KarMar said:


> I don't think Karen was trying to imply she might be a mix at all, let alone an Aussie mix. She was just pointing out that her coat almost appeared to be merle. That's something that can show up as a mutation in many different breeds, but is only allowed in a few, including Aussies, Shelties, and Danes. Otherwise, it's a disqualifying fault.
> 
> There's nothing wrong with a pet puppy that has a color DQ (though if parents are consistently producing it, they probably shouldn't be bred). We had a little blue piebald dachshund in our agility class, and our breeder said "That is one CUTE mutation" :laugh:


Oh, I didn't take what Karen said as a suggestion of mixed breed, I guess I was just wondering out loud myself. Thank you for all the warm thoughts and for being such a kind and good audience! My kids are patient enough to return my texts when I ask them questions about their life, but if I start sending them videos of my puppy, they might rebel!

ETA: "Good girl to go potty" definitely does not trip off my tongue lightly! I will try shortening the word to just potty! Thanks for all the good advice! You guys get credit for any tricks she learns!


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

I say "go potty" in a bit of a clipped, no nonsense way. When she goes potty I say "Goood potty", kind of drawn out and as high praise. It's all short and sweet.


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## Ella's new mom (Sep 11, 2016)

Chasing Maisie, I send videos of Ella to my kids haha! I have also told them she is much more obedient than they are! This thread has been very good for me too! I also tend to say too much when training! Ella can lay down and sit pretty like Maisie but we are having a tough time with roll over.... she always runs around behind me and comes back expecting a treat..... we will have to work on it! Maisie is soon cute!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

haha, your kids are more patient than mine! Mayzie was a roller from the moment I got her. She rolled over all the time, so it wasn't very hard to teach her to do it on command. I laugh my head off at her when she's outside because we have a big hill, and she lays down on the grass, then rolls down the hill to the bottom of it! It is a riot! I will try to catch it on video soon!

She has learned to give 5, wave bye-bye, and bunny hop now too. They are just natural actions she does anyway...we just reinforce them and shape them up.

I bought her a Gooby X harness yesterday because she will NOT come when I ask her to, and she HAS to learn leash manners. I am going into that area carefully...I don't want to ruin her happy spirit by being heavy handed or something.


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## Ella's new mom (Sep 11, 2016)

I love hearing about how much you love Maysie! I'm sure Ella would be jealous of all her cute tricks ha ha!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Ella's new mom said:


> I love hearing about how much you love Maysie! I'm sure Ella would be jealous of all her cute tricks ha ha!


Thanks, you're very nice to say that. I remember your posting that you were about to become empty nesters and that you "needed Ella". I totally related to that. Mayzie takes my mind off the son living on campus and the son living in Chicago that I miss so much!


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Mayzie has learned to give 5, give high 5, lay down, sit pretty, go under (through) a box, go in a box and stay there, roll over, hop clear across a room, is starting to learn who is who ("go see Papa!") and I have a hula hoop en route from eBay to teach her to jump through a hoop....BUT she does not know "come", and she really ISN'T going to come if I call. I wish you could see my face right now...it is swollen and red with poison ivy because she took off into the area by a creek behind our house. It is quite thick with trees and brush and shrubs back there and awful to try to get through, and I have never been so mad at a dog as I was when I couldn't catch her! I faked it out though and just got her following me for a treat and was able to treat her and get her back in the house. So in addition to having passing rashes from the mange mites that managed to get on me and get me scratching before they die, I have poison ivy all over my face. 

She was supposed to start puppy kindergarten Oct. 15 but the mange set those plans back. I will just have to get them set up again because "come" is as much of a non-negotiable as housebreaking is. And they are both completely unlearned in her so far! No, she is not housebroken still, and if I tune out even briefly, I pay the piper for it! I have started letting her roam for 90-minute intervals with my watching her constantly and taking her out if she starts sniffing around, then giving her an hour in the ex-pen, then taking her out again. I don't know if she is getting it or not.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> Mayzie has learned to give 5, give high 5, lay down, sit pretty, go under (through) a box, go in a box and stay there, roll over, hop clear across a room, is starting to learn who is who ("go see Papa!") and I have a hula hoop en route from eBay to teach her to jump through a hoop....BUT she does not know "come", and she really ISN'T going to come if I call. I wish you could see my face right now...it is swollen and red with poison ivy because she took off into the area by a creek behind our house. It is quite thick with trees and brush and shrubs back there and awful to try to get through, and I have never been so mad at a dog as I was when I couldn't catch her! I faked it out though and just got her following me for a treat and was able to treat her and get her back in the house. So in addition to having passing rashes from the mange mites that managed to get on me and get me scratching before they die, I have poison ivy all over my face.
> 
> She was supposed to start puppy kindergarten Oct. 15 but the mange set those plans back. I will just have to get them set up again because "come" is as much of a non-negotiable as housebreaking is. And they are both completely unlearned in her so far! No, she is not housebroken still, and if I tune out even briefly, I pay the piper for it! I have started letting her roam for 90-minute intervals with my watching her constantly and taking her out if she starts sniffing around, then giving her an hour in the ex-pen, then taking her out again. I don't know if she is getting it or not.


*"I have a hula hoop en route from eBay to teach her to jump through a hoop"* - This is something that should not be taught until she is at least a year old. Before a year, puppies should really only be doing jump bumps, nothing higher than their wrist. Anything else could cause joint damage and injury.
*"I have never been so mad at a dog as I was when I couldn't catch her!" * - If her recall isn't around 90% accurate, she should, under no circumstances, be allowed off leash, especially when there's a creek by your house. Very dangerous. Take her out on a leash, or at the very least, put her on a 20 ft long line with you holding the other end inside (it's getting cold, I get it) and eyes directly on her at all times. You don't really have the right to be mad at her...after all, you were the one who trusted her without a recall 
*"No she is not housebroken...I have started letting her roam for 90-minute intervals"*- Even with direct supervision, this is too long and too much space. If puppy goes, you let them out of their pen, keeping the access to the pad easy, and only allow them to "roam" in a gated off area. Access is a privilege that isn't to be earned until housebreaking is reliable.

Now for what you CAN do 

I take quite a bit of pride in Nino's recall. This past weekend at the Halloween party, all I had to do was say "Nino, come" once or twice, and he would be coming my way in just a matter of seconds, even with the distraction of a littermate, two sisters, an uncle, and a bitch in heat. It took just 40 minutes total to get it this way. Invest in a longline. Ours is 30 feet. We had a few sessions at the park, him on the longline and me at the other end with high value treats. I would allow him to get distracted with smells and sights, have some fun and enjoy himself, then say "Nino, come!", waving a treat once he looked to me. For chicken, he came bounding over immediately. If he didn't look, all it took was a wiggle of the line just strong enough for him to feel it on the other end. I used the same line and same location to teach him his stay and his drop on recall, and both of those are totally solid.

For potty training, there are plenty of good posts on this site, but for the most part you just need to restrict restrict restrict! Go back to square 1. Fold her pen down so that it's her sleeping area on one end, her pad on the other, and just a small walkway (I'm talking 2 feet absolute max) between the two. When she is going consistently on the pad with that setup (you rewarding a good amount when you catch her going), you can make it a bit bigger. Continue like that until it is at full size, then keep it like that for a week or two. When she does go on a pad, give her a little out of pen time, either outside (on a leash) or in a gated off area (kitchens tend to work well). Play with her or allow her to explore the small area for 30 minutes before putting her back in the pen. Chances are, at this age, she can hold her potty longer than that, but activity typically causes them to have to go, and you want to set her up for success, no matter how cautious you feel you are being.

Nino came pee pad and litter trained, but we made it so he was 50/50 on his pad and taking him outside. We made a big show about going outside, always letting him walk out on lead and never carrying him (unless he was mid-potty...all bets are off then). I don't know if allowing him to walk out made a difference, but he certainly had a preference to go outside and has been signaling 100% of the time since 4.5 months old. Eventually, once she has walked out that door enough and been treated and praised for going potty outside, she will connect that place to pottying and begin going to the door. It can take years for dogs to develop a signal, and until they do, you really just have to be vigilant. She shouldn't have full free reign, even for short periods of time, until she is completely accident free for 3 weeks to a month. I don't know if you plan on keeping pee pads around, but I would definitely recommend it. We still keep one in our mudroom, and though he far prefers going outside, if we miss Nino's signal, he will just mosey over to the pad. He's been about 95% accident free for 4 months, and that 5% is when we forget to replace the pads.

Hope some of this info helps. Feel free to PM me with any corrections (and others, feel free to correct me, especially on the potty training stuff...like I said, Nino came pad trained and has had well under 30 accidents the entire time we've had him, including the first days we had him, so I'm not a potty training authority by any means).


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

Wow, thank you KarMar for taking the time to write me such a helpful response! I will go over it in detail for sure! 

I looked up "jump bump", and understand what that is now...kind of a little speed bump. I was always planning on just teaching her to jump through it like a couple inches off the ground, but I will just teach her to jump over something like a bump instead. I think that hoop I ordered was from China, so it probably won't arrive for a while anyway, ha! 

I know it's stupid to take her out in the back yard without a leash. It's just pure laziness and feeling I can get away with it that stops me from grabbing that leash. I live in a housing addition with only 20 houses, and, in typical Midwestern form, they are all on 1 to 2 acre lots. There is an empty lot on either side of me. We had a temporary fence up sectioning off an area for the dogs, so my other 2 dogs don't run off even though we have taken it down to make mowing easier. This poison ivy has taught me that lesson...I don't want to go in those woods any more! 

I would welcome your advice on housebreaking without pads. I have never used potty pads (I have a mental block about them for my own peculiarities). I absolutely preach the "restrict restrict restrict" mantra, and she's either in an ex-pen beside me (no pads in it, just a soft bed and some toys) about 4 feet from me (whether I'm in the den or the kitchen...I move it) or under my direct supervision (as in I am in the floor with her). She will absolutely whine a certain whine at me or bark if she wants to go out...unless she's not in the ex-pen, and then she just wants to sniff around. My family gets on me because "why'd you get a puppy just to put her in a pen..." etc., so I started the 90-minute rule. I will welcome your advice and also your validation that the ex-pen was the right idea. 

I am scared she will never learn a signal if I don't start leaving her out for extended times, too. I am going to read your post again tomorrow, and I thank you for taking the time to write it!

<3, Angela and Mayzie


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> Wow, thank you KarMar for taking the time to write me such a helpful response! I will go over it in detail for sure!
> 
> I looked up "jump bump", and understand what that is now...kind of a little speed bump. I was always planning on just teaching her to jump through it like a couple inches off the ground, but I will just teach her to jump over something like a bump instead. I think that hoop I ordered was from China, so it probably won't arrive for a while anyway, ha!
> 
> ...


While Sophie is absolutely right that Mayzie is much to young for "real" jumping, you can certainly teach her to go through the hoop with the edge sitting on the ground, which is where you would start anyway. Then lift it up just an inch or two off the ground, and don't go any higher than that until she is mature. It will be a piece of cake to get her jumping higher (full height for a Havanese is generally 8-12") when she is an adult.

Yeah, on the letting her loose and recall stuff. Even though Sophie has done an AWESOME job so far with Nino's recall, my guess is that she would not yet trust him off leash in an uncontrolled environment. I only have one (Kodi) who I can trust in a setting like that. Kodi is reliable off leash, even in the woods. He has a "that's far enough" cue, which means "stop where you are and let us catch up", and "Kodi here!", which is different from a formal obedience recall (with a straight front and finish), but just means come back to my side. He will also sit at my side beside the trail on cue, to let horses, bikes, skiers, whatever, pass. I ALWAYS leash up if there is another dog (of any size!) coming, because I just don't trust other people to have good control of their dogs, and I want to be able to quickly pick Kodi up and get him out of harm's way in an emergency.

Part of the reason that Kodi HAS such a solid recall is that we live on a farm, and didn't have dog-safe fencing for the first 5 years of his life. So it was absolutely CRITICAL to me that he have a recall I could trust so that he could enjoy the outdoors without always being attached to me. I have to say, I have not been as good about teaching my girls this, for two reasons. First, because the back yard is now fenced, it's not so critical. They all come in when I call them, so their recalls are "good enough" in this setting. But I haven't practiced it enough in terms of "just" coming back to me, that I would trust them off leash in the open. Also, Pixel is fear-reactive toward big dogs that move toward her, and I worry that she might bolt in fear if she were off leash in an uncontrolled area.

So only Kodi has "off leash rights" in the woods. Pixel has "off leash rights" on our property, where we don't have to worry about other dogs, and she will promptly recall to us in that setting. Panda is just plain too young. The only place they ALL have "Off leash rights", because they have proven trust-worthy, is running from the car to the house when we get back from somewhere. Our house is a LONG way from the road (it is actually out of sight) and they all just trot across the driveway with me, either to the back yard fence, or to get in the house. With the girls, they started doing this with Kodi as a model, and then I made sure that the first few times we did it WITHOUT Kodi, it was right at meal time, so I knew they WANTED to get in the house for supper. (always set your dogs up for success!  )

Don't worry that Mayzie isn't signaling you yet. This is something that comes when it comes. Kodi was almost two when he FINALLY barked to go out to potty. Until then, _I_ was just trained to know when he was likely to need to go out.  Pixel was a quicker study. She potty trained so easily that I can't really take any credit... she kind of did it herself. She scratches on the glass of the French doors to the back yard when she wants to go out. She's done that since about 6 or 7 months. Panda has been slower all around. She had two UTI's, which set back potty training, but now, at just a year, she has been accident free for a LONG time. Unfortunately, she ALSO has no audible signal to go out. She will run back and forth by the door, but I can't see the back door from my office. The good thing is that she goes out when the others do, so the only "out time" I have to enforce and supervise (to make sure she pees) is just before we go upstairs for the evening. BUT... I have no doubt that, when the time comes, she'll figure out a signal that works for her too. Some of this is JUST "baby stuff". And from what I have read and been told, little dogs DO just train more slowly than larger breeds. There are exceptions, like Pixel, but they ARE exceptions.


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

I had purchased a Gooby harness for Mayzie because someone on this board suggested it was easy to get off and on. YES, it is a lot easier than some of the harnesses we have for Porky and Coco. DH cut a long distance of poly rope and put a carabiner on both ends. So now Mayzie goes outside on a very long lead. It is an enormous relief not to worry that she is going to run off, but she doesn't like to go while she is on it. Fortunately, I know she will give that up...the body can only resist that so long! 

I am still researching the best ways to teach recall and I am not working with heel, etc. for awhile. We are still continuing to play otherwise, and she learns so quickly! I'll try to get some on video and put them on youtube so you can see how cute she is (and maybe give me a few more helpful hints!).

Thanks again for all your support and advice!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

The best way I know of to start a solid recall is to have two people call the puppy up and down a hallway. (doors closed, if there are any) JUST use her name... do NOT put a "recall cue" on it yet. You really shouldn't put cue words on behaviors until the dog knows them to at least 80-85% fluency. The puppy starts out held loosely on the ground by one person, and the other person calls the puppy waggling a piece of something REALLY yummy, like chicken. When the puppy arrives, tell them how WONDERFUL they are, and give them the treat. WHEN THEY ARE DONE CHEWING, the other person calls them the other way, repeat. When they are totally reliable with this over a period of a week or more, do the same thing in a more open area, like the living room or dining room. Keep rewarding HEAVILY for getting to you, even if there is a side excursion. There should never be ANY "wrong" response in the beginning stages of teaching a recall. (IMO, there should never be a "wrong" ANY time my dogs come to me... I WANT to be their "safe zone". 

When you can do this exercise fluently in a bunch of different rooms, start calling her back and forth from one room to another. By now, she should LOVE the game, and it should be SO high value to her that her immediate response to the game is to come. THIS is when you introduce your cu word. For most pet people, they have already "poisoned" the word come, by saying it many times and not getting a proper response. So pick a new word, if you've used "come" in the past. I use "Front!" as my cue for a formal, obedience recall, and "Here!" for my casual, "come back to me" or "Time to come in" recall. My "rescue" recall word (which is REALLY good to have, in the case of chipmunks in the wall or turkeys in the yard!  ) is "Want chicken?" I don't over-use that, but when I say it, they dash to me like their lives depended on it. And they get paid HEAVILY, with HIGH value rewards when they do!

When she is absolutely fluent at back-and-forth recalls inside the house, THAT is when it's time to start trying it outdoors. At first it should be over very short distances, and on a long line. Then it can be longer distances, dragging the long line. If you do this in small enough steps, and take your time, you WILL build a solid recall. But it will take AT LEAST a year... And with some dogs, especially though adolescence, it can take much longer. 

The only time bets are pretty much off is if you have a high prey drive dog, and they get on an animal. That's not a HUGE problem with our breed, but it CAN be a problem with individuals of any breed. With a dog with a really strong prey drive, some of them can never be completely trusted off leash. I also NEVER trust ANY dog ANYWHERE near cars. Even if they are 99.9% reliable (and few ARE that reliable, I just won't bet my dog's life on that .1%.


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## Chasing Mayzie (Aug 16, 2016)

I am incredibly grateful for those step=by=step instructions! I am excited to give this a try. Mayzie runs from me if I reach for her because to Mayzie, life is a game, and if she can get me to chase her, then life is a an even better game! Plus, she knows I might pick her up and brush her teeth or take her outside or otherwise annoy her, lol. 

Krandall, thank you so much for that! I will let you know how it goes!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Chasing Mayzie said:


> I am incredibly grateful for those step=by=step instructions! I am excited to give this a try. Mayzie runs from me if I reach for her because to Mayzie, life is a game, and if she can get me to chase her, then life is a an even better game! Plus, she knows I might pick her up and brush her teeth or take her outside or otherwise annoy her, lol.
> 
> Krandall, thank you so much for that! I will let you know how it goes!


Then another important step, after she is running happily from person to person for treats, is to grab her collar (or the hair at the scruff of her neck and hold her gently while you feed her her yummy treats... then immediately release her to be called to the other person and repeat. You have to make it more fun to get caught, AND let her know that MODT of the time, when she allows herself to get caught, she will be released right away.


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## megansievert (Oct 26, 2016)

Reading through this and wanted to suggest the Blue training bites as a treat! Syrus will do just about anything for them and they're small and moist! I actually break one up into about 4 pieces so he's not getting too many treats in one training session! 


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