# New Behaviors, Do your puppies do this???



## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Smarty at almost 5 months has started two new behaviors that I am just curious why.

#1. She has a large crate she has to use several times a day for a couple of hours. I keep plenty of chewies in there so she will have something to do. Recently she has started not coming out until she has picked just the right chewy to bring out. It does not matter if she has an emergency potty need, the right chewy has to be found. Once out with it is deposited somewhere in the house and forgotten.

#2. She now digs like crazy on the wall under my desk, on my desk sides, on her pillow or on the window glass!!!!!!!!!!!! The digging is attacked with the same energy as her RLH. I may try to put sand paper on my desk to help with the front nails.

Not sure what is going on, or if these are another of the Havanese stages that were not in the brochure (along with butt baths, etc).:evil: She is with me 20 out of 24 hours and gets plenty of time outside and playing.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Sandi my 5 month old Monte also likes to dig to china as we call it. Riley also did this and still does now but not as fears and only when he is making his bed to go to sleep and he is 1.5 yrs. I too would love to know why they do this. I love the sand paper idea Monte hates having his nails clipped.

As far as the chewie maybe Smarty is afraid you are going to lock it in the crate and he wont be able to get it. LOL Riley tries to bring his toys to bed with him is very sneaky about it also.:nono: 

Butt bath am I suppose to be doing these?? LOL :bathbaby:


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

If you do not know about butt baths be thankful. That is another thread.


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## Jan D (Mar 13, 2007)

Havee is 5 months and recently is digging like crazy on the textured fabric of our couch.

Oh well, I guess I'll need a new couch soon....:whoo:


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Sandi I know all too well about butt baths, it was not in my manual either..

New couch yes I really need a whole new living room set but knowing Monte was coming home decided to wait, lets just hope it holds out a few more month till Monte is done teething and digging. I have been trying to teach no playing together on the couch so when I do get a new set they will not play on it but it's been kind of hard, they are so dang cute together.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

OK 5 months is the start date for this behavior. 

Leeann, her crate is never locked when she is out and I keep chewies all over the house (except for bully sticks) to keep her from chewing on the furniture. She is so cute when she is choosing which chewy gets to get out of the crate.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Smarty is the first dog I have ever had on my furniture!!!!!!!! My DH thought it was cute for her to climb up his legs to his lap, like it was a new trick. The next day she took over my entire house. Not sure if I could keep her from playing with a buddy on anything now. I jusy told DH if she breaks it you get to buy a new one.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

That is so cute, it is truly amazing how these havs work their way into our hearts so fast that the can get away with murder. It took me a few years to convince DH that we needed a dog and now he is the one spoiling and letting them get away with everything. I also think he has a really bad case of MHS we have already discussed #3.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

As Smarty is my traveling buddy, I do not plan on adding another although I would love it when I am at home. I know she would love to have a real playmate, our old Jack Russell can only take small portions of Smarty and goes in her doggie room to get away from her. The barn cats do a Halloween act when she is around, so they are no fun.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Brady does the digging thing too. He will find the "perfect" bully stick and must then find the "perfect" hiding place for it. He not only digs, but he then places it and uses his nose to cover it. He doesn't quite get it that there is no dirt to burry it with on the couch, under the desk, or wherever the perfect spot is. I always wondered if others did this. My husband likes to move it from wherever he hides it. He will throw it back on the floor after Brady hides it on the couch. Brady gets so upset and then takes it and rehides it in another spot.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Neither one of my boys hide anything, that is so funny that Brady thinks he is covering it.. LOL Kara does Gucci do the same thing or does she actually cover her bones.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

My boys don't hide things either- they do do the scratching but only before lying down. Cash will steal both chew sticks (the one I gave him and the one I gave Jasper) and struts around the house with both in his mouth trying to figure out how to chew one and not loose the other- while grinnning the whole time. He does this with anything coveted- treats, toys- he has never growled or been aggressive when either I or Jasper try to get it from him-- he is just fast. Eventually he settles down to chew and Jasper gently goes over and takes the other one.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

kodi has to pick just the right thing to bring out back with him. Sometimes it's a ball, or the empty water bottle, so I know we'll be playing for a while. Sometimes it's a bone or something else he can bury. They are so funny!!


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Sandi,
Do you think Smarty is overwhelmed with treats/chewies and that could be the reason why she has such a tough time deciding which to take with her?Quincy only gets 1 bully stick at a time,or something similiar.He always has plenty of toys though.....but he doesn't do this.He will scratch a little before laying down,or occasionally hide his greenie from Vinnie-but nothing else.I think I would scold the scratching of your wood etc. before it gets out of hand.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Julie, she gets scolded, especially when she does this on the window. I am afraid she is going to break the glass she goes so fast. When she does the digging she is not trying to bury anything that I know of.

She may have too many chewies lying around, BUT I did not want her chewing on the furniture. I work a great deal from home and unless I am gone she has free roam of the house.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Well darn it......
I wish I knew of something to suggest or had better knowledge of why etc.:sorry: 
Hopefully it will just be a stage...


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Oh Yeah! She uses her nose to throw DIRT over the bone! LOL Of course, there is NO DIRT, only IMAGINARY dirt! ound: and it is funny and cute.

I suppose that's how she got that matt next to her nose the other day that was so hard to get out. 

She is so ritualistic with the bones hiding them and eating them, same places, same time of day, etc.

She gets a bone (chicken jerky) when she poops outside in the morning and it has really proven to be a great incentive! She hasn't had any accident poops inside for a LONG time now. woo hoo......she loves those bones.

Kara


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## Jan D (Mar 13, 2007)

Havee has a new game--

He carries his toy to the top of the couch, plays with it there until he pushes it off the top and then stares at it on the floor.

I don't get it--then he walks across the top of the couch like a cat would. I'm afraid he's going to fall and hurt himself!


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Jan, wait to Havee drops to the floor like a cat. Smarty looks at the toy on the floor, jumps in the air, twist her body and lands on all 4's like a cat. She now jumps from sofa to sofa just like a cat.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Kara,
I am so glad Brady isn't the only one. I laugh every time I see him using his nose to throw dirt over his bone. He is so focused when he is doing it. He really thinks he is using dirt. The funny thing is he has never actually burried anything for real with dirt. Silly boy.ound:


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## Jan D (Mar 13, 2007)

These dogs are so agile!


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## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Valentino does the digging & scratching too....and he LOVES to bury his bully stick with that invisible dirt you've been talking about! :biggrin1:


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Rufus is only 12 weeks now and he also does the dig to China! He will do it on the plastic chair mat and also in his doggie bed and even flip himself under the pillow so I can't see him and hide! He does the RLH too and growls alot when he's doing it! Does anyone else's Hav's growl when they RLH? He doesn't try to hide toys, but he is very busy about hiding his bully stick. The funny part is he likes it so much he can't leave it hidden for more than a minute or two before he needs it back!


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Smarty always makes the growley noises when she is doing her RLH. I'm just glad to know the digging is a Hav thing and not the brain damage my DH keeps saying she has. He is kidding, she is just so different from all of our other dogs.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Riley also growls when he RLH, sometimes he goes at it for so long he has to stop and caugh like wow that hurt my throat LOL Monte does not growl when RLH but is very vocal when playing.

That is so funny how some of these guys actually think they are covering things with dirt.. it must be a hoot to watch.

It never seems to amaze me how smart these guys are.


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## ls-indy (Apr 10, 2008)

This forum is so very cool! Everytime I wonder about something Daisy is doing - I can do a "search" and find other havs doing the SAME THINGS! 

Like many dogs, Daisy will scratch around before settling down for a nap. However, in the evenings she'll be on the couch between Mike and me, chewing on a bully stick or a flossie, and all of a sudden she starts sniffing between the sofa cushions or along the back of the couch and start DIGGING like she smells a T-BONE under the cushion. (I've lifted all the cushions off - and there's no "goodies" hiding down there ) It's like she's "possessed"! We pull her out of the cushions and put her back between us with a chew toy - and she goes right back to the "couch diving and digging thing". This goes on for quite some time before she finally gives up - or WE give up and go the bed! 

Are your havs STILL doing this digging - or is it a puppy thing?


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Oh yes - digging. Shelby is a great digger. She loves digging in bed, the carpet, sofa, chairs. Kodi sometimes digs, but he likes to dig in the dirt.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Kubrick LOVES to dig. However, I don't love digging in the bed or on the couch, so I always tell him no. Now whenever the digging bug gets him, he will go to his dog bed or his toy box and dig like there's no tomorrow.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Yup still digging away, we just got new furniture and it is covered with a blanket because of the digging habits, wet paws, chew toys.. dogs LOL


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

Oh, the digging on the couch is driving me CrAZy!!! I tell Roxie "no" very firmly, shake the peanut can at her (she hates this) and cover the space between the cushions with pillows or blankets... and she stops... only to do it again later. It is almost always in the evenings too. I hope she will eventually learn that this is unacceptable... I can't imagaine she'll ever be allowed any freedom without us (of course if I was smart maybe I could get some new furniture out of it... but dh would throw us both out I'm afraid.)


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## ls-indy (Apr 10, 2008)

isshinryu_mom said:


> Oh, the digging on the couch is driving me CrAZy!!! I tell Roxie "no" very firmly, shake the peanut can at her (she hates this) and cover the space between the cushions with pillows or blankets... and she stops... only to do it again later. It is almost always in the evenings too. I hope she will eventually learn that this is unacceptable... I can't imagaine she'll ever be allowed any freedom without us (of course if I was smart maybe I could get some new furniture out of it... but dh would throw us both out I'm afraid.)


Wow - sounds like a lot of us have the "furniture digging" havs. Tell us about the peanut can... This could be helpful if they don't like the sound of it. Is it something you made? What did you fill it with?

Lynda


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

ls-indy said:


> Wow - sounds like a lot of us have the "furniture digging" havs. Tell us about the peanut can... This could be helpful if they don't like the sound of it. Is it something you made? What did you fill it with?
> 
> Lynda


The puppy classes we went to said to make a shaker can and use it to distract your dog by startling her. (They also suggested squirting puppy in the face with water, but I just couldn't do that... it seemed so mean.  Why, I don't know. Probably no meaner than the can. Plus, Roxie loves water... I think she kind of liked being squirted... LOL!) Anyway, I took a very small empty peanut can (Pecan Lover's Mix:biggrin1 and put some coins in it. I shake it when she is doing something wrong and say "no digging" (for example). She hates it! You can now say "no" and set the can on the edge of the couch and she won't even come near it. The only thing is I need a bunch of cans.... it never seems to be where she is doing her bad things.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

I have heard of people having great success with the penny can. If you decide to try it Lyda just really pay attention to her reaction the first few times you do it, if she just stops and looks at you that is great but if her tail goes down and cowers away I would not use this method. Some dogs are startled by loud noises so you do not want to use a loud noise as a form of correction it may only escalate their fear and you will have more issues going forward. This is very important for anyone thinking of doing therapy or any other training with their dogs, they need to learn to ignore loud noises and pay attention to you. I have had great success with the "leave it" command, a lot of people think it is used just to stop dogs from picking things up they shouldn't but it can be used for so many other things, I even use it in agility to stop Ry from going to a piece of equipment I do not want him to during a run.


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## earfax (Mar 24, 2008)

Mollie will be 3 years old next month and she loves to dig to china anywhere she can: our bed, her bed, couch,rugs, hard wood floors but when she is outdoors she does not dig a hole until last month when we took her to the beach it was so funny she kept digging until she collapsed of exhauster in her very large hole lol. Similar to all of you we try to limit the dig to china from the couch and the bed. I noticed that she does it when she is playing with her ball and it goes under the couch and she cant reach it she will start digging until we get it for her. Other times when she does it I think it is a form or entertainment for her.She puts all her energy into it and it is the funniest thing to watch. She started doing this around 9 weeks old. If it is done for the sheer pleasure of doing it and we scold her she will stop but if it is because she wants her ball SHE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU RETRIEVE THE BALL. 

here is a picture of Mollie in her big hole at the beach


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

earfax said:


> Mollie will be 3 years old next month and she loves to dig to china anywhere she can: our bed, her bed, couch,rugs, hard wood floors but when she is outdoors she does not dig a hole until last month when we took her to the beach it was so funny she kept digging until she collapsed of exhauster in her very large hole lol. Similar to all of you we try to limit the dig to china from the couch and the bed. I noticed that she does it when she is playing with her ball and it goes under the couch and she cant reach it she will start digging until we get it for her. Other times when she does it I think it is a form or entertainment for her.She puts all her energy into it and it is the funniest thing to watch. She started doing this around 9 weeks old. If it is done for the sheer pleasure of doing it and we scold her she will stop but if it is because she wants her ball SHE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU RETRIEVE THE BALL.
> 
> here is a picture of Mollie in her big hole at the beach


Awww... Molly looks so cute in her big hole! Roxie dug a hole about 6 inches deep and wide under our trampoline. I figured, since she was sooo proud of herself, I'd just leave it and let that be her digging spot. So far that is the only place she's tried to dig up outside.


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## ls-indy (Apr 10, 2008)

*Shaker Can*



Leeann said:


> I have heard of people having great success with the penny can. If you decide to try it Lyda just really pay attention to her reaction the first few times you do it, if she just stops and looks at you that is great but if her tail goes down and cowers away I would not use this method. Some dogs are startled by loud noises so you do not want to use a loud noise as a form of correction it may only escalate their fear and you will have more issues going forward. This is very important for anyone thinking of doing therapy or any other training with their dogs, they need to learn to ignore loud noises and pay attention to you. I have had great success with the "leave it" command, a lot of people think it is used just to stop dogs from picking things up they shouldn't but it can be used for so many other things, I even use it in agility to stop Ry from going to a piece of equipment I do not want him to during a run.


Thanks for the advice on this. I haven't tried it yet. I don't think it will terrorize Daisy as she wasn't upset by the fireworks or by a firetruck. She's not been that timid about anything - but I'll be careful to watch her reaction.

We also say "leave it" - but it hasn't had great effectiveness yet! Probably age since she's just 15 weeks old.


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