Q: Are Havana Silk Dogs good with children and other pets?
A: Silk Dogs are natual little "forever kids" themselves so they usually do great with children. If a Silk Dogs does not grow up with kids or is never around them, they may feel
intimidated by children at first. So keeping them socialized to all kinds of people and things is
important throughout their early development. NEVER let a small child be alone in a room
unsupervised
with a puppy, no matter how gentle the child is with puppies. This is probably not the right breed however for toddlers, as no small breed is!
Q: Are Havana Silk Dogs yappy dogs and nusiance barkers?
A: Silk Dogs are great watch dogs and will bark at the door, or at people or other dogs passing
by on the street. But they are not generally yappy dogs.
Q: Are Havana Silk Dogs difficult to housebreak?
A: In general, I would have to say they can be, but there are some cases where some Silk Dogs have
housebroken very easily and quickly. These dogs are very smart and being sneaky is not beneath
them (grin). However, with proper positive
training and reinforcement, you can have a well trained
dog in the house very soon. If you are lousy at being persistent and getting the message across to a puppy about housetraining, the puppy will be lousy in doing what you are wanting. They must be trained and don't come housebroken! In all fairness to a
young toy dog, you can probably expect your Silk Dog to
be reliable in the house by 6 or 7
months of age, on an average. They have small bladders and must learn bladder control which comes with age. Confining your puppy to only
certain rooms versus letting them
run
the whole house, will increase your chances of earlier
successful housebreaking. Many
Silk Dogs
respond quickly to being trained to ring a bell hung
near the door, or to use a potty box which is wonderful on rainy days or for apartment dwellers.
We also litter box train all of our puppies and by the time they go home, are already fairly reliable about using their potty box. This is a great back up for rainy days or for people who live in a high rise.
Q: We are gone all day at work, how will a Havana Silk Dog respond to this?
A: Silk Dogs have been lovingly referred to many times as a "velcro dog". Whatever room you are in, that's where they'll want to be too. They do not do well being left alone for long periods of time. And housebreaking then becomes a huge issue, as no one is home to train them. A SilkDog cannot be an outside animal and must be allowed to live inside the house with it's family. If there is no one home at your house all week during the day, think how unfair this would be to a new puppy (of any breed!) but especially with a breed that doesn't like being alone in the first place. If you have another dog in the home to keep your Silk Dog company when you are away for long periods, this can help reduce their stress a great deal. But keep in mind that Silk Dogs are like little kids. They demand alot of time and attention. There may be other breeds that are not so 'needy' which may fit your lifestyle much better for all concerned.
Q: Which make better pets? Males or Females?
A: Both males and females make wonderful companions and family members but there seems to
be something extra special about the males. The best way I can describe it is: "My girls love me,
but my boys are IN love with me!" The girls will give me a kiss and lay next to me, where as the boys love to be in my face and lay partly on my lap to touch me and look lovingly into my eyes. They are so mushy! LOL
As a rule, the females are more independent and the boys are simply more lovey dovey, but that is not to say that females aren't loving and sweet too! The boys just have a little edge on feel, I feel.
Q: Why do I have to get my puppy spayed or neutered? I may want to breed him/her one day!
A: All reputable breeders will sell their pet puppies on a spay/neuter agreement or get the pups
spayed and neutered before placing them. This is to protect the puppy and the breed itself. There
is much to learn before embarking on breeding dogs. It's so much more than just putting two dogs together to make puppies. It's important to know your pedigrees and lines, to health test (which is very expensive), to understand
conformation and to show your dog in conformation events towards a Championship and what to look for in puppies and dogs when evaluating them against their breed
standard. Most importantly, there can be some serious health issues to learn and know about
which the average owner and back yard breeder may not take seriously before breeding, or even understand. Breeding
dogs is a huge responsibility and alot of work not to mention a great expense. You will not make
lots of money breeding dogs, contrary to popular belief, if you do it 'right' by showing the dogs
in conformation events,
health testing dogs and puppies and providing a good guarantee
to new owners. Once you bring a
litter of puppies into the world, you, the breeder are responsible for them for their
entire lifetime
in many ways. Most states have 'Lemon Laws' and can hold breeders responsible even without a good contract.
How many would really be prepared
for these huge responsibilities? There is alot to
consider and should not be done without much thought
and planning and financial backup.
Q: Where should I keep my young puppy when I bring him home?
A: At night, the best thing to do is keep your young puppy in his baby crate next to your bed so
he/she can see/smell you at all times during the night . If he fusses at night, you can slip your fingers into the crate to
reasure him you're still there. If he continues to fuss, he probably needs to go potty. You cannot
expect a young puppy to 'hold it' all night long, so expect to get up with him for outside potty
breaks once or twice a night for the first few weeks. Once he can hold it all night for several
weeks, he can remain in his crate for bedtime, or he can then join you in your bed at night.
During the day, when your puppy cannot be supervised, it's beneficial to invest in a puppy
x-pen. (you can buy nice ones made out of hard plastic at Toy's R Us, Wal-mart, etc. that work well). Put
his open crate in the pen along with his toys, potty pads or litter tray and his water. This gives
him enough room to move around but to also go into his crate if he wants to, for a nap.
Never
let your puppy roam the house unattended. Young puppies can and will chew phone cords, or
electrical cords not to mention the furniture! While Havanese are not destructive dogs and
generally don't chew alot of things up, they do seem to like cords! So please keep your puppy
safe at all times.
Q: Are Havana Silk Dogs hard to groom?
A: If kept in a long coat, you can expect to brush your dog's coat every 3 or 4 days to keep the
mats at bay. Brushing the dog 'line by line' all the way to the skin is
important. Bathing a dog
with a long coat should probably be done every 1 to 2 weeks. Many pet
owners chose to keep their
dog in a cute puppy clip instead of the long beautiful coats. If you
don't know how to do this,
you'll have to hire a professional groomer for the job about every
3 or 4 months. Silk Dogs are not hard to groom, but depending on what look you want, they can require quite a bit of time
for upkeep. If the idea of brushing a dog does not appeal to you, then a Havana Silk Dog is probably NOT the right breed for you.
Q: What grooming 'tools' will I need?
A: A pin brush, a greyhound comb with rotating long teeth (for mats which you can purchase at Cherrybrook.com), a flea
comb (for eye goobers) a rubber bath mat (placed on top of a table or washer or dryer for
grooming purposes) diluted shampoo and conditioner and a blow dryer. Mix your shampoo
and conditioner in spray bottles diluted about 10:1 (water/product) and spray it on the dog during it's bath.
Be careful with the hair dryer so you don't burn the coat or the dog's skin. If you're serious
about grooming, invest in a 'metra blow dryer for dogs' (purchased in any pet catalog. These
dryers blow the water off the dogs and do not get hot.. just warm!) Remember to blow the coat
dry in all one direction so you don't cause more matting during drying.
Q: What can I do to prevent eye staining on a light colored Silk Dog?
A: Not all Silk Dogs will have eye staining, but many do. It goes along with a long haired breed. You can either clip the hair short at the corners of the eyes or pull it back into a small topknot when long, which may help irritation to the eyes. Secondly, giving them bottled water instead of tap water can help reduce the eye staining
significantly. Adding some dried or fresh parsley to their food or water each days helps alot too! Just a heaping teaspoon or two should do it. There are also products on the market to clean the staining with. These are not all
that valuable but they are worth a try to see if they'll work on your dog or not.
Remember that a puppy that is teething will have eye leakage, but most of them outgrow this by the time they are an adult.
