# WOW! what a month for Ricky!



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Yesterday and today Ricky and I competed in Beginner Novice Obedience at the Orange Empire Dog Show. This show is much smaller than the Palm Springs dog show. Palm Springs had 3400 dogs in competition where Orange Empire had only 1340. 24 Havanese competed in Conformation at Palm Springs and only 11 at Orange Empire. Ricky was the only Havanese competing in Obedience at either show.

The Orange Empire show was held at an equestrian center with a solid roof that covered about 3 acres or more. However the roof was not enclosed with walls and open to the outside. The good news was that there was plenty of shade. The weather was in the 70's but the bad news was the wind was blowing very hard both days. The floor was decomposed granite gravel with sprinklings of saw dust throughout. It was a challenging venue. Ricky has highly developed olfactory nerves and the horsie smell in the dirt was driving him nuts! There was grit blowing everywhere with debris in eyes, mouth, and Ricky was looking like a Chia dog all akimbo! I felt sorry for the conformation people who had dogs with long hair. It was impossible to keep their coats looking nice because the wind ruining the most fastidious groomer. But everyone was working under the same conditions and that's the way it was. I had a bad head cold and the wind was not helping my allergies. 

Okay, that's all the bad news. Here's where it gets good! Ricky finished first in Beginner Novice A division with 192 points out of 200 on Saturday. :surprise: We got a round of applause from the gallery when we finished our exercises. :rockon: All the other dogs were at least three times bigger than Ricky. Many people think that a small, hairy dog might lack discipline and be yappy like other small breeds. Ricky proved them wrong and made believers out of them. In fact, had we competed in Beginner Novice B which includes much more experienced handlers than I, he would have finished second in that group! :surprise: We returned again today, Sunday and tried again. Ricky finished first again with a score of 191 which is consistent with his previous days score. He would have tied for second had he been in the B division. That means that Ricky won a title in Beginner Novice qualifying three times, once in Palm Springs and twice at Orange Empire, all of them Blue ribbons. :first:

The person we purchased Ricky from showed him in Conformation in the puppy class. She showed him at several shows and said that he placed first in every one. I don't know if that is true, but she gave us a bunch of his ribbons to prove it. If it is true, Ricky is undefeated in Conformation and Obedience in every competition he has entered (well except the NQ a year ago). :boxing:

A side note, the dog that finished first in Division B on Saturday, non-qualified on Sunday and was excused from the ring. I talked to the handler and he was laughing and said today was just not their day and then he gave his Keeshound a big hug! Good karma! Another side note, today on Ricky's recall from a sit, he made a lazy arc to return to me. The wind was blowing so hard that at 15 pounds he could not battle the wind to make a straight return to me and was blown off course! ound: The 50 pound dogs in competition had no problem. That cost us a couple of points but it did not matter in the final outcome. Unfortunately, we do not have pictures of either day.

Ricky scored 186 points for first place in Palm Springs three weeks ago. So an improvement of 186 to 191/192 in three weeks means that we made solid improvements and adjustments in training that paid off handsomely. Ricky is a quick study and makes adjustments quickly as I direct him. After the show today, we had other competitors come up to say, "who are you guys?" and "what breed is this?" Havanese are still fairly rare on the West Coast. Ricky is making his presence known.

And we think that Ricky could still be very competitive in Conformation if he still had his cajones. The 11 Havanese in Conformation competition were gorgeous but Ricky has that self confident Cuban strut and swagger that is a killer. Oh heck, I admit, we are biased.

Interesting tip: I talked to one contestant in Conformation that was "painting" his Havanese dog's face with something and a makeup brush. The dog was a black parti like Ricky and also had stains on his beard. He said he uses "clown makeup" to cover the stains. It does not cure eye stains, it is merely a temporary cover up for stains. He said to use the white powder, he said, "do not use the paste, you will be sorry!" Here is a link on Ebay: professional clown makeup | eBay He said you can use cornstarch in a pinch but it is not as good as clown makeup. I'm going to try it.

Now that we have a title in Beginner Novice A, we are required to move to the more competitive Division B and to Novice Obedience which includes off leash work. Tomorrow morning all our training sessions will be off leash. We have a challenge ahead of us! We will take a few months off from competition while all three of us go on vacation, somewhere that's warmer.......but we will have training sessions everyday, even on vacation! It's fun!

So here are Ricky's accomplishments for January: a three year old birthday, three blue ribbons, and two titles - CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and BN (Beginner Novice Obedience). What a month! Now I have to add these to our signature line! Ricky is a good boy. 0 He was exhausted after this weekend and I put him to bed in his crate very early. He welcomed the opportunity to check out. zzzzzzzz

Ricky's Popi


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Congratulations to both of you for a job well done!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I am SO happy for both of you!!! What an achievment! Ricky is an AWESOME boy to stay focused under such challenging circumstances, and, of course, the handler/trainer gets some credit too!!! 

Just a note on chalking, clown paint or other whitening products. While lots of conformation people use them anyway, they are NOT legal for showing our breed.


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

Wow what a fantastic accomplishment. Good boy for sticking it out under difficult circumstances. Congrats to you both on a job well done. Yeah yeah yeah.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Wow Ricky and Popi, I'm impressed!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

We are so proud of Ricky Boy! And, you, too, Popi. 

:rockon:


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## Milo's Mom (Aug 31, 2008)

Congrats to both of you. All that training paid off! Great job, Ricky! Hope all of you have a fantastic time in Cabo! We are heading to Florida (two-day drive as well)!


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

So wonderful! Good for both of you!


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Congrats to you both! I had to laugh at the gusty wind affecting Rick's ability to make a straight line return. It's very windy where we live by the water and especially so between tall condo buildings. Tux's hair is so long and he only weighs 7.5 lbs. When the wind blows it separates his fur in a horizontal plane across the length of this body. It's like someone unfolded a dog and turned him into a canine sail. It's hysterical but kind of sad to see the wind get the best of him as he trots sideways down the walk looking like a hairy square. Got to get a photo of that some day!

Would love to see pics of Ricky performing.


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Congratulations to you and Ricky! Great job!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm sooo happy for you and Ricky! Congratulations!!! :clap2:


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

Way to go Popi and Ricky! That is an awesome accomplishment and you should be proud. Layla and I are entered in our first Obedience class (BN) next weekend. We will also be doing our first Rally Advanced run, which is off leash and I'm a nervous wreck! We've been working on heeling all winter, so I think we are prepared, but the offleash thing is so hard :frusty:


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Way to go Popi and Ricky! What a month!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Layla's Mom said:


> Layla and I are entered in our first Obedience class (BN) next weekend. We will also be doing our first Rally Advanced run, which is off leash and I'm a nervous wreck!


BN is a piece of cake, have fun with it. If Layla can do Rally, she will find BN to be puppies play. I am confident you will do well and Q. Remember, there is a "mind meld" between handler and dog, especially during competition. Whatever the handler is feeling, the dog will feel. It is no big deal if you both screw up. Give each other a big hug and laugh about it. You will then know what you need to work on in training.

Now, be sure and give us a full write up after next weekend with the highs and the lows. We can all learn together. Bragging is not only permitted, but encouraged. :laugh: After all, Havanese are the best breed in the world! BUENA SUERTE!

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Layla's Mom said:


> Way to go Popi and Ricky! That is an awesome accomplishment and you should be proud. Layla and I are entered in our first Obedience class (BN) next weekend. We will also be doing our first Rally Advanced run, which is off leash and I'm a nervous wreck! We've been working on heeling all winter, so I think we are prepared, but the offleash thing is so hard :frusty:


I bet you'll do great!!!


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

Ricky Ricardo said:


> BN is a piece of cake, have fun with it. If Layla can do Rally, she will find BN to be puppies play. I am confident you will do well and Q. Remember, there is a "mind meld" between handler and dog, especially during competition. Whatever the handler is feeling, the dog will feel. It is no big deal if you both screw up. Give each other a big hug and laugh about it. You will then know what you need to work on in training.
> 
> Now, be sure and give us a full write up after next weekend with the highs and the lows. We can all learn together. Bragging is not only permitted, but encouraged. :laugh: After all, Havanese are the best breed in the world! BUENA SUERTE!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


Very nice feed back, Ricky's Popi! The "mind meld" is sooo true! I've already experienced that with her at the shows this last fall. She is very tuned in to me. When I was riding and competing in Hunter/Jumper events with my horse (a lifetime ago:wink2, I had a thoroughbred mare that was always a nervous wreck and very hard to manage when I got nervous. I learned how to settle down eventually, but that was a long time ago and I'm finding I'm doing the same in these dog shows. She will do fine if I can do my part >

I will post our happy results and I can brag always about Layla!

Thanks for the encouragement, Karen!


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## jingerb (Aug 9, 2015)

Congratulations!!!

May I ask a quick obedience question, since Ricky and Stanley Frederick are "brothers" and perhaps similar. As I'm training to "sit" and "down" (his first skills other than "Watch me" and "Wait") he gets so excited he jumps up and lunges at the treat. I pull it away (as instructed by trainer) and wait til he sits again...the cycle merely continues. I've never had a dog do this before. Any hints, as you seem to have mastered this?  Thank you ahead of time!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

jingerb said:


> Congratulations!!!
> 
> May I ask a quick obedience question, since Ricky and Stanley Frederick are "brothers" and perhaps similar. As I'm training to "sit" and "down" (his first skills other than "Watch me" and "Wait") he gets so excited he jumps up and lunges at the treat. I pull it away (as instructed by trainer) and wait til he sits again...the cycle merely continues. I've never had a dog do this before. Any hints, as you seem to have mastered this?  Thank you ahead of time!


Sorry for the late response, we have been on the road but now at home in Mexico!

There are many different ways to teach "sit and stay." Rather than try to explain verbally in a post, here is a video by Kikopup that shows an easy way to teach this: https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...204931bdb9f019be235f254781e9d80f&action=click

Kikopup has many good videos on how to teach almost anything. It would be good for you to purchase a "clicker" to teach your dog. They are available at Petco, Petsmart, etc. for about $2.

Give it a try and let us all know how it goes. Never practice for more than 5 minutes at a time with a puppy, they have a short attention span. BUT, practice several times a day. Remember that treats are calories, so be careful not to give too many calories in treats each day. I frequently use "Train Me" treats that have about one calorie per treat: Amazon.com : Crazy Dog Train-Me! Training Treats, Bacon : Pet Snack Treats : Pet Supplies They are made just down the road from me in California.

Since Stanley is Ricky's brother, I know he will pick up the sit command quickly! :grin2:

Ricky's Popi


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## jingerb (Aug 9, 2015)

Thank you! I didn't mean to detract from your awesome news, so forgive me for doing so! Just excited! Congratulations again!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Popi - are the Crazy Dog Train Me Treats crunchy or soft?


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Popi - are the Crazy Dog Train Me Treats crunchy or soft?


Soft, about the size of a pea. They come in Chicken and Bacon flavors. Ricky likes, no LOVES, both flavors

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Another tip is rater than pulling your hand away with the cookie if he moves, just close your hand around the cookie, leave it RIGHT where it was, and wait. As long as it takes for him to figure out that he CAN'T get the cookie that way, even by "mugging" your hand. It's amazing how fast they learn to back off and wait for the treat. When they back off, give them the treat. We call this "Doggy Zen" at our training school, and it's super useful for all kids of situations where you want the dog to learn to hold his position.

For more advanced dogs, we put a cookie on the floor in front of them on a long stay. They KNOW they aren't allowed to touch it, but their concentration stays on that, so they stay put.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Just catching up on missed posts. CONGRATULATIONS! Such a pleasure to read. Can't imagine living with Ricky!


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