Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Havanese Puppies - What Pet Owners Should Know

By Maria Perrini


The fluffy and cute face of Havanese puppies - and this is not a joke - can really make your day. If you live in an apartment and have been thinking what type of dog could adapt to a life there, then a Havanese is the breed you want. This breed originated from Cuba, only requires twice a week brushing (unlike other breeds), but needs routinely scheduled bats, and some clipping. This breed has a small body that only need now and again exercise, which shouldn't be too hard to squeeze into one's schedule. If you've heard that many small dog breeds are bad with children, the Havanese is an exception - it's great with kids. Properly raised, Havanese puppies make for great family pets.

Some tips on identifying a Havanese

The Havanese is classified as belong to a toy group, by the Kennel Association and the American Kennel Association. This breed weighs, or at least it should, between seven to thirteen pounds upon adulthood. The Havanese puppy has a shorter coat compared to an adult's. Adult Havanese have coats reaching from six to eight inches long. The silk coat of the puppy is curly or wave, and comes in many colors - chocolate, black, gold, cream, silver, white, blue, tricolor, parti. Havanese tend to give off the impression that its coat is warm, but that coat is really its protection from both the sun and overheating.

Training your Havanese

The personality of this breed is generally affectionate, friendly, smart, and playful. So this means, compared to other toy dog breeds, that training it will not be difficult. Start training the Havanese at an early age, keeping in mind that it needs socialization and to learn recognizing boundaries.

Feeding tips for your Havanese pups

You should get your liter of Havanese pups from a reputable breeder, as it's very hard to find healthy pups with documented breeding info at dog shelters. You need to know and continue the food the breeder had been giving the pups until the moment you bought them. These pups, as is characteristic of their breed, have very sensitive stomachs. You want to keep their stomachs digesting the same type of food they are already accustomed to. Look for soft stool from your pups in case you have to feed them unfamiliar food; the soft stools indicate their stomachs are having a hard time adapting to the new food. One other occasion when the soft stool may be exhibited is when the pups are given too many treats. You want to feed your Havanese puppies three controlled meals per day, until they are six months of age; then you only need to feed them twice a day.

Health worries you need to know about

The Havanese is a comparatively healthy breed, but there are some genetic and hereditary conditions you should know about. Among them are deafness, cataracts, cherry eye, hip dysplasia, slipped kneecaps, liver shunts, and chondrodysplasia. That's partly why you should keep to your pup's scheduled visits or vaccination sessions, as your vet can check for these problems during such visits.




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