# Maltese question



## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

I think I recall someone in the group having a maltese along with their Hav.
I am thinking of getting another dog now and I am considering a maltese. If anyone has one could you PM or email me and give me your opinion on the breed? Thanks,
Roe

[email protected]


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

My biggest advice is just pick one that is calm! As I picked the hyper monster! <BG> My Isabelle can be a little monster but I do love her dearly. She is also a little small (4.5lbs)- I think 6-7lbs is better. I have a friend who has a calm loving maltese. I have a very loving yet very hyper one! She does like to bark, be a dog, chase birds. She is extremely intelligent but also in a bad way. Leave something down and she will find a way to get to it. Isabelle either scores close to perfect every time she competes or totally fails and figures out a new and more exciting way to do it -rolling over and barking during the down stay!

I also was told to pick a dog more calm than the one you have and you will less issues.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need help shopping!

Amanda

P.S. I am in the works of adding number 3 and it will be a havanese!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

*No More Curly Butt*

My Buddy is medium "hyper" and a rescue from a woman who bought from a Brazilian breeder. Luckily he's very healthy, has a good bite and on the larger size - 8 pounds and solid as a rock. He doesn't play as rough as the Havanese but does love to tussle with MeMe. She loves to stand on his back and/or bite his legs and it drives him nuts. Overall, I think the Havanese are a healthier breed - smarter breeders. The Maltese people are just beginning to do as much health testing unless you get yours from one of the top kennels - Chrisman (sp?), Richeleau, or a few others.

I do have a tiny 'brag'. I've been growing out my guy's coat for quite a while now and finally got brave and scissored off his frizzy ends. So he's beginning to look quite a bit like a Maltese. When he's wet, he's as curly as a poodle and I got almost a straight coat on him yesterday. I'm going to post some photos just cause I think he looks so good compared to what we started with.





































And here's the curly butt that I started with.









Lisa McLean
SF Bay Area


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Lisa,
He is looking really nice! Does his hair just hold back on his head like that?


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Oh Lisa! He is gorgeous!!!!! I had to ' oooohhhh' and 'aahhhhh' over your pictures. Stunning dog!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Amanda - sure it stays exactly like that when I brush it and then shoot a photo. Three seconds later it flops in his face. I just wasn't having much luck with his top knot yesterday and felt sorry for him since I'd also tried to flat iron him. Now that was a joke! Although it did help give it a silkier feel. I love running my hands through his hair now. Like silky soft cotton, very different than the Havanese. Although he's got a quadruple coat (a double double) and they should be single coated. LOL


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Lisa, Buddy is so handsome. Great pictures.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Belle is single coat but it is just like a cotton ball and over the place. It is naturally really straight but it doesn't stay in place at all. I mean maybe the correct coat doesn't do that either.. who knows. This is a normal shaggy look for Belle. I leave her top knot and only cut her paws but her hair breaks and doesnt get as long as Dora's.






So Lisa, question is, will you have another maltese?


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

Buddy is drop dead model gorgeous. I wish I could just once get a photo like the spectacular ones on this forum. Maybe someday.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Amanda - Belle has a lovely flowing coat, it looks so pretty. I don't know if I'd get another Maltese before another Havanese. But someday in the future I might have two of each - if I can get a show quality one. But at $4,500 for breeding rights, I might end up staying purely in the Havanese. The males are just as sweet as can be and I can get one of those much cheaper! My girlfriend just started breeding and she already ran into bile acid problems with her first litter and she's got top notch dogs.

Geri - thanks but it's really an illusion. He's got a stained face and his ears are uneven. I was just able to put that neat frame around him in photobucket's new editing options. You should try it - you'll be surprised at how nice you can make them look.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Buddy is very handsome! I love his face. 

Amanda, once again, Belle and Dora antics crack me up! I love how Dora comes in at the end to steal the hippo, LOL.


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## havanesebyha (Apr 25, 2007)

Lisa, Buddy is so darling! Can I borrow him? Your home must be so much fun with your three cuties!!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Sure Libby you can borrow Buddy any time for a play date. Actually I have noticed that the Havanese play and play and play together whereas the Maltese seem to go for much shorter bursts. We have a friend's girl staying here and she and MeMe play all day and all night. Whereas Buddy got some fun in this morning and is now curled up in his dog bed under my desk.

I've really come to love this little guy - he was being mistreated by a young boy and was being surrendered because this family preferred a GOAT that they'd found. He did have issues with nipping my youngest, but it's gotten much better.

I have to admit - my third dog Baron, the Pomeranian, is 15-years old and playing isn't in his vocabulary anymore. He's big on sleeping and eating but still can walk around the block every day. I have seen Buddy engage him in some play, so it's really gratifying. I think being a male makes a difference in the cuddle factor too. Although he goes ballistic excited when he sees men on a walk. I've had to teach him "no visit".


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Lisa,
It is really funny what 3 you have because I have a good friend at Pom Nationals right now and she keeps sending me pics of puppies and dogs that are there- trying to convince me I need a pom in my mix!

Amanda


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

Belle and Buddy are beautiful. I was cracking up watching the video of Belle. She is so darn smart. That is amazing. So with the response I received so far it seems that the havanese is the better of the two breeds. I don't mind a little barking but my fear is the non stop barking it would drive me crazy. Pebbles hardly ever barks but she loves playing with other dogs.
The maltese I have in mind is a male already six months old. He is bred from a woman who breeds her own dogs in her home with her family.I haven't seen him yet. 
I appreciate any advice. Thanks to those who have responded.

Roe


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Roe,
I will tell you Belle is a total barker. She barks when she is happy, when she is mad, when she is chasing animals, when she is bored. She has different barks depending on what she wants. Sometimes I like it, but sometimes I really hate it. Belle's cousin (the dog that made me want Belle) doesn't bark at all! She is totally submissive and lays around. I got the hyper mini white border collie, of course! I say these things just to tell you be careful what you get! Ofcourse after I got Belle, I found a lot more things saying maltese are pretty high energy!

I do think Belle has Dora beat on the smart scale though. Dora is a good dog, so she always wants to please. Isabelle never forgets what she wants and comes up with very clever ways of doing things- fake sleeping, making things up- running out and barking where the rabbits are and then running into the house to get Dora's bone, etc.

If you do get a maltese, just make sure lots of socialization. I don't know where I messed this part up with Isabelle cause we took a puppy class, we had play dates but she doesn't think she is a dog!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

I would agree that the Maltese bark more than the Havanese. Amanda - take it from me, the older the Poms get the nastier they get. And then they quit tolerating children - and I've got a big one. He grew to 15 lbs - about half their original size. I'd take a Havanese over a Pomeranian any day. That's how we got into the breed - I wanted a sturdy smaller dog for my kids. So I ended up with a little Havanese and a BIG Maltese. ound: Funny how these things work out.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Speaking of barking, I saw a Havachon the other day at the dog park (half Hav half Bichon) and I was impressed with how much he was barking at everything! It was really quite annoying. Turns out that Bichons are supposed to be barkers. I didn't even know that! I guess you learn something new every day.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Unfortunately, mine are barkers. The problem is when I'm not home, but my Mom is, she doesn't stop them from barking. If she doesn't have her hearing aid in, it doesn't bother her. When I am home, they stop barking when I tell them no more.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Lisa- that is pretty funny. My friend went and bought a pom after being involved with sheltie rescue for years. It was her first purchased and non rescue dog. He was voted pom of the month from the pom club and he grew so out of standard, he looks just like her shelties. Everyone teases her that he thinks he is one of them and grew accordingly. Lucky for her, he does agiltiy like he is a sheltie too though!


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I think I am at my barky limit with Belle! She really is a sassy girl and I love her but I have to use all my energy to control one of her, no way could I handle two!

Sometimes Dora just stares at her like she has no idea what is wrong with her and what her issues are!


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Amanda, that Pom as a Sheltie picture is hilarious! He really does look like one of the Shelties! LOL.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Amanda - that is just too funny - I love his picture - he really does look like he wants to be a Sheltie. I always say that Baron wanted to grow up like his big brother Jake (a 55 lb Bassett/Keeshond mix - looked like a fat, sawed off German Shepard) LOL


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Lina,
Every competition she goes to they come up and ask how old her sheltie puppy is. I swear he looked like a cute tiny pom when he was a baby then he lost his hair and grew tall!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Wow, Amanda, I had to look twice to be sure that was a Pom! lol Very, very cute.  Loved the videos too!


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

I love the sheltie picture! That one to the far left----gorgeous sheltie!He/she is the biggest. That is so funny that her pom fits right in.

The first video of Belle doesn't work for some reason.It says it's unavailable!
Lisa---Buddy is a cute guy.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

My best friend has a 2yr old male Maltese by the name of Kiwi. He's about 7lbs. He is at my place 5 days a week with Bogart and Brando. My friend leaves Kiw at my place so he's not alone all day while she's at work. They all get along really well. Kiwi is very playful and super affectionate. A very sweet personality. I'm sure if you get a maltese, you will be very happy.


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

I went and looked at a litter of cavalier king charles puppies today but I don't think I am that interested. I am going to be patient and go see the maltese next week and hopefully the breeder I Bought Pebbles from will have a couple havanese I can look at. I get a good feeling on the male maltese waiting for me though. I guess if he doesn't bark a lot when I am there looking maybe he won't be a barker lol 
When I see the videos of Belle though it really really makes me want that maltese. Bang and he falls down how cute is that??? Wow..And Buddy that beauty my goodness... Are they easy to house train or hard?
Roe


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

From what I've seen the Maltese males are horrible to house train - Buddy came to me at 18 months with no housebreaking. While things are better, he'll mark if he finds any type of stool or urine anywhere. So I may have to resort to belly bands unfortunately.


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## PMcCoy (Feb 25, 2008)

Lisa, 

Buddy is a handsome fellow. I love the way his coat looks. 

Toby's Mom


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

What are belly bands? I hate hearing all these negative things about the maltese because I am getting so feaful now. Pebbles is so good so I am very spoiled. I don't know if this six month old maltese is housebroken or not.


My son has two pomeranians. He has the brother and sister from the same litter.Neither are very small. His male is already 17 lbs and also looks like a sheltie. The female is smaller but she doesn't look at all like a small pom either. Both his dogs are barkers. The one on this forum who has the shelties and the pom , my son's male has the same coloring and he looks a lot like that.

Roe


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Julie- she was a puppy mill escape dog. She is gorgeous in person as well. She was at a puppy mill, escaped and it took 6 months to catch her in a state park!

I do have to say Belle is the most reliable potty trained dog (unless you have a bath mat or door mat!) I am lucky about that as I hear the smaller, the more difficult!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

I think if you are diligent about your training - using a crate and keeping them confined to small areas and take them out every hour - you'll have a lot more success. My guy was never trained and that's what his problem stems from.

Any time you've got a lot of males and marking issues, sometimes you put a wrap on them (with a pad) - that's a belly band. I lived with three male dogs for 13 years and wish I'd known about them. Not the best solution, but until you can get the smell out it can be the only way to get some control of the situation.


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## windfallhavs (Oct 19, 2006)

My first dog is a maltese...he is a little over three years old now...and he was reliably potty trained by the the time he was 4 months old. I find that he is much more of a lap dog than my havanese...he pretty much wants to nap on someone most of the day. He does not like the puppies all that much but out of all my dogs, he is the one that I can leave out with Katie and not worry that I am going to come home to 2 matted messes. John would kill me if something happened to her coat! LOL

The only comment I can make about the breed is to please be careful and only buy from a reputable breeder. The breed is notorious for patella problems and most recently serious liver shunt issues. Most maltese breeders do little to no health testing and when you ask about testing, all they will tell you is that there are no problems in their line. My maltese mentor thinks I'm nuts with all the money I spend on health testing my dogs. Other than that, I think they are wonderful....not as wonderful as my havanese, but definitely near the top of my list.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

I was hoping you'd see this thread, Diane.


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

Thanks everyone as usual for your great advice. I was very good at house breaking pebbles and it took time and patience but she is great. 
I hope that at six months he isn't too old now to stop from lifting his leg and neutering him so he doesn't mark.
This breeder raises the dogs in her livingroom . It is a family thing so to speak.I am very excited to go meet him.

Roe


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Roe, good luck on your dog search, looks like you got plenty of good advice here.

Amanda, I love both of your dogs. Belle is such a little stinker and has 'ants in the butt' (sorry, I translated a German saying, means something like energetic, can't sit still, looking for trouble). How in the world do you keep Dora's hair so gorgeous? Can't wait to see you guys one day.

Lisa, you did a great job with Buddy. His hair is growing out nicely.


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

Amanda,
My husband saw the video of Belle and now he is determined that he is going to teach Pebbles to do some of those tricks lol 

Roe


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

maryam187 said:


> Belle is such a little stinker and has 'ants in the butt' (sorry, I translated a German saying, means something like energetic, can't sit still, looking for trouble).


OH, that is so funny, Maryam!! ound: We have a similar saying, "ants in your pants."


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

LOL, I just remembered that we also say 'bumble bees in the a$$'


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Belle has a lot of it. My husband is on the verge of strangling her. My gf is here and Belle must be center of attention. She sneaks into the bedroom to wake her up, or if we shut her in she goes to the door and cries like she has to go outside. She is restless right now. Tomorrow I am taking her to the mall and then to agility and out with friends afterwards so she is exhausted and DH doesn't change his mind about another puppy! 

Ants/bees/pretty soon DH's foot in her ass!

Amanda


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Roe- awwww, tricks keep them busy and give them something to concentrate on!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Amanda - what's the trick to stopping the "I'm a guard dog barking"? I swear I almost video taped Buddy's obnoxious behavior today. I'm thinking of keeping count of how many times a day he decides he's a whole lot bigger than he is. The spray bottle is now a permanent fixture near the front door and window seat. He's an :evil: Maltese and thinks everyone should :hail: to him.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Lisa,
If I knew I would have more than one <BG> Well I did use lemon juice when Belle was at her worst. It took 3 times but she quickly shut up when you grabbed the plastic lemon. She knows now if she goes into barking fits we put her in the plastic crate and shut the door so now as soon as she barks and you yell crate, she quiets down! However-she isn't crate trained! She has gotten good about guard dog, her biggest issue is when she wants us to play, love her, etc.

Amanda


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Lemon...hmmm must search the fridge! Will report back with either a dog that's wet or one that smells delicious but hopefully a bit better behaved.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I used one of those lil lemons with the juice. I bet lime or anything would do. Just something negative but not harmful. It helped Belle during the terrible two's. It is more of management than training but I can't get her bark out of her. The more exhausted the better as well! Now if you find something to train it out, I would be forever thankful.

You know something though-sometimes she can be the most chill dog- put her in her bag and I can walk around with her for hours and she never barks in it! Go figure!!!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Sounds to me like Belle has you well trained Amanda. She's just so adorable, you give her a hug for me. Buddy thinks she's pretty cute too.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Lisa- yeah, we have undone some of it but others I just let happen. She is starting to calm down, my friend had a cake that she left on the end table and walked away. I heard growling and saw Dora's tail wagging. Guess who ate about 1/2 of a pound cake.... 

Amanda


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Quick weigh her - she might be a bit bigger now. LOL Actually, I feed in crates so everyone gets the amount they should. You should see Buddy hightail it to my old fat Pom's bowl to check out if he left anything. He's a major chow hound. How do you think he got to weigh 8 lbs and I've cut his food back by half for the last six months? I took him to the vet after I got him and he said the previous owner was feeding him enough for a 30lb dog. OMG a blimp in the making.


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

*It's A GIRL*

Well after all the talk of the maltese I went and got an almost five month old Parti Cavalier King Charles. She is adorable. She is so sweet like the havs only a true blue lap dog. She is always on a lap if anyone is sitting down. she gets along real well with Pebbles. 
Only problem is that Pebbles will not sleep in the cage with her. I was hoping they would so I wouldn't have to buy another cage . She growled at Kayla and did not want to be in there with her. I had Pebbles sleep in bed with me. I am going to give it till saturday and if she doesn't let her sleep with her, I will just get another cage. My poor bedroom is getting very crowded. But we are happy with our choice.

Roe


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## classeylassie (Jan 11, 2008)

Amanda I really enjoyed your video's so cute. Me&2Girls,Those pictures of buddy are just beautiful. How do you keep his hair so lovely out of his eyes? If I didn't put Molly's in a bow she would have hers hanging in her eyes and face.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Roe- Congrats! Cavaliers are very sweet. I have thought of one but I know the breed has a lot of health problems. Keep us posted and be sure to share a picture!

Dora hates having her hair up. Sometimes I like to see her eyes. Isabelle on the other hand will sit and rub her face if her hair is down and she honestly can't see. Dora prefers it... strange!


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## classeylassie (Jan 11, 2008)

I don't think Molly is crazy about hers up either as she will take her paws and try to push the bow out or until she is successful at messing it all up then she looks happy. lol.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Roe, congrats on the the new puppy! I love Cavaliers but, like Amanda said, they have so many health problems I stayed away.

As far as the crate thing goes, most dogs don't like to share a crate unless it's a dog they know VERY well, and even then their crate should be their own personal space where they can get away from everyone, including other dogs. I would suggest you get her a crate of her own.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Me&2Girls said:


> Sure it stays exactly like that when I brush it and then shoot a photo. Three seconds later it flops in his face.


Gwendolyn - I call that look the "lucky photo moment".


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## classeylassie (Jan 11, 2008)

Well you really lucked out then because the photo's were just beautiful. I wasn't sure if you use a gel or what. lol. You should frame those.


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

Congratulations on the Cavalier, they are sweet dogs and it was honestly a toss up for us between them and the Havanese. I guess with the health problems, all pure breeds ( I digress, all dogs) can potentially have them, but its great breeders dedicated to the breed always try to improve and also minimize the potential for health problems. Enjoy your new puppy, how wonderful


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

Thank you everyone. I almost got a cavalier last year but was scared off because of their health issues. Well we took her to the vet today because she was behind in all her vaccinations. We noticed yesterday that her eyes twitch and move sideways all the time. The vet does not know what that is. He talked with the others and one suggested it could be a genetic brain disorder. So here I go already. He is going to research it and call us. 
I don't know what to do. My husband is already so attached to her and she is adorable and always on my lap. Hopefully it won't be anything serious. Any of you ever heard of such a thing?

Roe
Roe


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## Jalexs (Dec 2, 2007)

congrats. my grandmother has a cavalier. but hese pretty wacko so I cant tell a whole lot about them from him though.


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Roe, sounds like a nystagmus. You can google it and read more about it, it can have several reasons from benign to malignant. Have you contacted the breeder and why was she late on her vaccinations? Hope you didn't (unknowingly) get her from a BYB and end up with an unhealthy puppy and enormous vet bills.


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## anneks (Mar 13, 2007)

As my son said, my mother has a cavalier and we love him to death. He is even more of a velcro dog than any havanese. He's a bit wacked out and has OCD. I talked to the breeder giving the breeding seminar at nationals (she bred cavaliers) and she said that the OCD thing wasn't uncommon in cavaliers. But it is something we find funny and endearing. He is a total sweetheart, but the sound he makes when my mom leaves makes one think his heart is breaking. I should get that on video sometime. I'm not sure anyone would believe what it is like without proof.

Congratulations on the puppy and I hope that there are no real issues with her. I love the tri colors.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Roe - I'm so sorry that your pup is having problems already. I know this isn't the most popular opinion, but if it's got serious health problems, I'd think long and hard about returning it to the breeder. You want a dog that can grow old with you - not one that's going to bring you heartbreak. Sorry, flame suit is now on.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

I also would not hesitate to return the dog to the breeder. You might as well get the healthiest pup you can for the money.

I hope it turns out to be nothing serious,but if it is,I'd encourage you to return the pup and leave your husband home next time!(since he fell fast and hard)


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

I hate to say it, but I agree with the latest sugg'ns about contacting the breeder of your new pup. It's too bad, but it also isn't fair to you and your family to have the financial burden of caring for health problems that you really don't have to deal with. I know our hearts make our minds seem so bitter and unkind, but sometimes you have to make some tough decisions. 

I'm sure she's an absolute sweetie though!


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

I know the best thing probably is to return Kayla to the breeder who said she had all the genetic testing done on the parents. I think she thought she would sell the litter quickly and that is why she didn't have anymore vaccinations done. She should have. HEr ears were filthy and here I am three days later still cleaing them out. 
We look at this way though, if she has a serious problem someone has to take this puppy and care for it. IF I give her back and she sells it to someone else they might go and bring the dog to the spca or something when they find out what is wrong with her. I have had so much loss in my life starting with putting down my yellow lab I had for 13 years and getting a rescue hav that didn't work out because she kept biting my husband and sons and grandson. I lost my mom, dad, mother in law and father in law all in the last five years. Sorrow I don't need after nursing two parents with alzheimers but someone has to care for this puppy. I am going to call the breeder and maybe the very least she can do is give me my money back to use on the expenses.
Roe


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Roe, what ever you decide, it's YOUR decision and I'm sure no one here expects you to explain yourself. I hope that your Breeder does step up and helps you with the expenses. To me, it doesn't sound like a great breeder if the puppies are far behind with vaccinations and have filthy ears as you describe it. Have you read more about the 'nystagmus'?


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## Roe (Jan 5, 2008)

Maryann,

I am researching it now . So far the symptom nystagmus I have found is for humans. I am going to google it in animals too now and see what I find. I wondered from the start if maybe the eye movements were from her inner ear especially that they were so dirty. I do not have much confidence in my vet anymore either and I am going to switch now to a much better vet clinic.
Other then the inner ear it could be a tumor in the brain or something on that line. I wonder if it is syringomyelia (sm) that runs in cavaliers. I pray not because that is painful to them.

My husband didn't want another dog in the first place. I pushed it. He said we should get another havanese and I guess I should have listened to him in the first place. But then we went to see this litter Kayla was one of the last two left. 
Thanks for your concern and help.
Roe


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