40 replies to this topic

[Euki]

Greetings! I was very excited to stumble upon this forum as I adopted a dog from a small kill shelter in Kentucky a few days ago and as unlikely as it seems to me that this little guy could find his way to such a place, the more investigation I do, the more I think this little man might be a Havanese or Hav mix. I was hoping that I might be able to get some feedback on what you think.

- 10 lbs. (I have not taken height measurements but if this will help, I can)
- Slightly higher in croup than withers and has a bouncy stride
- Slightly longer than tall.
- Almond shaped eyes, cream double coat
- Drop ears
- Curled tail with plume (though he currently has a puppy cut and is capable of relaxing the tail so it's not sprung up and over his back)
- He is a VERY SOCIAL, HAPPY and BRAVE guy so far with humans, dogs and cats and his only desire is to be with his people/pack
- He has no training that I've been able to detect so far, but he is very intelligent and observant. He's already very easy to communicate with and I'm sure he will be easy to train.

I am on the small side - about 100lbs and 5ft tall, so in the pics I've included, he may look a bit bigger than ten pounds but he is definitely just ten pounds!

He was only at the shelter for a few weeks but was filled with tapes and not in the best of condition (though I've seen worse) so if he was ever well taken care of, it has been some time. That said, he is SUCH a joy and my curiosity of your opinions on his breeding is just that. He will have a wonderful home with us for the rest of his life.

Really looking forward to hearing your opinions on his breeding and return introductions from members! So glad to be joining!

Thanks!

PS We've named him Baron.

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[Christy]

He sure is cute! That's for sure. He could be a Havanese, I can't tell. I guess you just have to hang around and post more pictures! I like the name Baron. It's solid ya know?

[Beau's mom]

Euki - Baron certainly looks Hav-y to me. I find that the "bounce" is a very big giveaway, despite the many other standards. If I'm wrong, so be it -- but he is sure a cutie!! How can anyone be cruel to such a happy creature?

Welcome to HF!!

[Beau's mom]

Oops! I don't even know where I am!! Welcome to HT!!

[Amanda]

Welcome! He could very well be a Neezer but regardless it looks like he hit the jackpot on forever homes. It is really hard to tell especially with breeders and mills who don't breed for the standard. There is a "teddy bear" breeder near me and the ones with good bites look like Havanese to me!

[Barbara]

Baron looks Havanese to me and his personality traits sound Havanese too. The one thing I can be absolutely sure of is that you both got very lucky finding each other! Welcome to Havanese Talk.

[Leeann]

Welcome to HT, I think Baron is too cute and happy to not be a Havanese.

[SOX' MOM]

Welcome. Baron doesn't care what breed(s) he is, he's just happy to have found a loving home. He is darling!!!

[AmyH]

Baron is adorable!

[JoAnn]

Welcome to HT! Baron is adorable!

[Euki]

Hi! Thanks so much for the warm welcomes and insightful opinions on Baron's potential breeding! It is fun for me to guess on the mixed breeds (and pure breeds that are often mistaken for one another like the havs and bichons), but it is also useful to me as it helps during training to determine what characteristics an individual dog displays as a result of man-made conditioning and which are likely, inherent traits.

It was quite educational doing research for my little guy, and at first, I was a little daunted by the grooming regimens that I read about but every evening for the past few days I've laid Baron down for a grooming session and I've found I really quite enjoy it - as does he! Incidentally, I am getting ready to search the forums here for miracle mat detanglers, (fingers crossed that I get through most of these mats before next week and the groomer doesn't tell me he needs a full body clip!) but if any of you have a favorite product to recommend, please let me know.

Amanda, I have not heard of 'teddy bear' breeders. Are they kitchen or mill-types that are producing (regardless of the bitch/stud's breeding) with the only end-goal being a "cute" dog?

Thanks, all! Would love to hear others' thoughts if anyone else wants to weigh in!

[Amanda]

Euki- Around here backyard breeders but Bichon and Shih tzu and Pomeranian around here. They sell them for $500 every weekend at the little road side stands. I hate summer time because it is so hot and they have no shade. They are usually 6 weeks old so just tiny babies too. I always feel so bad but I don't even usually let myself look!

[Euki]

Thanks Amanda. Ugh.

[Pura Vida]

Welcome Euki and Baron! You guys obviously hit the jackpot when you found each other! Baron is a total cutie and certainly seems to have all the Havanese traits. You and Baron are welcome to be part of our group whether he is Hav or not of course and we really hope you hang out with us. You will find the people here are great and very willing to help you while you and Baron get to know each other and how to work together. Just one requirement - we need more pictures! Always! I'm so happy that Baron is one of those dogs who does well while being groomed. That will give you the opportunity to take your time dematting him, a process that is difficult at best. Good luck!

[Leigha]

Sugarbaby has the curly gene so when her hair is long it really mats. I finally gave up and had her put into a puppy cut because we were spending at least an hour a day grooming. But I found that corn starch really made it easier to pull the mats apart with my fingers then comb out. Congrats on your new baby.

[BeverlyA]

Hi!!
A huge congratulations on finding each other and welcome to HT!!!
I'm afraid I don't have the time to find it right now, but there is a website that I know is used by rescue to try and help tell the differences between all the small white dogs. I'm hoping maybe someone that is familiar with it might see this and post it? It might help a little. I think the site might be called "they're all keepers" something like that.
Another thing you might want to try is the DNA kits. Make sure if you do one, that is will test for Havanese! Not sure how much to trust them, as I have seen them be a bit less then perfectly accurate, but they can be fun to do!

I'd say if he enjoys the grooming, to keep at it as long as he is willing! Once they start to not enjoy it anymore, it becomes a real chore. If you can do a bit every day and stay on top of it, that's the secret in my opinion. You can find tons of info here on dematting. I have 4 small fluffy dogs, and I have come to the conclusion that for ME, it is generally better to just trim the darn things out once they get too bad, but if I only had one, I would work much harder at keeping it mat free.

He looks absolutely adorable and I really believe, that once you save a dog, they know it and are so very grateful!
Once again, congrats and welcome!

Edited by BeverlyA, 01 November 2011 - 01:34 PM.

[Suzi]

Euki, on 31 October 2011 - 02:11 PM, said:

Greetings! I was very excited to stumble upon this forum as I adopted a dog from a small kill shelter in Kentucky a few days ago and as unlikely as it seems to me that this little guy could find his way to such a place, the more investigation I do, the more I think this little man might be a Havanese or Hav mix. I was hoping that I might be able to get some feedback on what you think.

- 10 lbs. (I have not taken height measurements but if this will help, I can)
- Slightly higher in croup than withers and has a bouncy stride
- Slightly longer than tall.
- Almond shaped eyes, cream double coat
- Drop ears
- Curled tail with plume (though he currently has a puppy cut and is capable of relaxing the tail so it's not sprung up and over his back)
- He is a VERY SOCIAL, HAPPY and BRAVE guy so far with humans, dogs and cats and his only desire is to be with his people/pack
- He has no training that I've been able to detect so far, but he is very intelligent and observant. He's already very easy to communicate with and I'm sure he will be easy to train.

I am on the small side - about 100lbs and 5ft tall, so in the pics I've included, he may look a bit bigger than ten pounds but he is definitely just ten pounds!

He was only at the shelter for a few weeks but was filled with tapes and not in the best of condition (though I've seen worse) so if he was ever well taken care of, it has been some time. That said, he is SUCH a joy and my curiosity of your opinions on his breeding is just that. He will have a wonderful home with us for the rest of his life.

Really looking forward to hearing your opinions on his breeding and return introductions from members! So glad to be joining!

Thanks!

PS We've named him Baron.

Welcome to HT At first glance I thought he looked like a Havanese but after I looked harder his ears seem a bit shorter than a Havanese. He is very cute and has a great name. I'm excited for you and I can tell you are having a good time with your new addition.I hope you post more pictures!
I just bought some Bio Groom shampoo its tear less and smells really good. I'm still looking for a good conditioner. Everyone buys Chris Christensen butter combs. I don't have one but its on my wish list.

[Euki]

I did pick up a buttercomb but it is not a C. Christensen. Maybe one of these days...I looked at the CC line of products last night - their slicker brushes are pretty too. So far, I seem to be using that comb more than anything else. Also, I am trying the cornstarch tonight!

Also, thanks for the advice on the website with the shelter ID reference to check out - it's theyreallkeepers. Very interesting, and after reading through it, I'm seeing a lot of hav traits in Baron for sure, and less so with the others like the Bichon.

That said though, after doing some more research on the hybrids, I'm overwhelmed at what I've found about this "designer dog" fad. The wee-chons, jackapoos, bichon-poos, cavanese, cairnese, havamalts...and that is just the tip of the iceberg (AND they all look very similar)! What I'm sure is not similar is their character traits. Without a standard, an elderly couple looking for a sweet, low exercise lap dog may get duped into getting a hyperactive terrier mix best suited for a young active owner) and that is just one of so many problems that are coming to mind. Well, I have a lot of things to say about this fad but none of it is good so I will keep my trap shut.

So I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that my little dude is a: "toy type mix (don't laugh!), a portion of which MIGHT be hav." At least for now. And as I get to know him better and more of his natural personality comes out, I may be able to detect more! It remains a mystery!

Edited by Euki, 02 November 2011 - 09:43 AM.

[Euki]

Leigha, thank you so much for the corn starch tip - I tried this evening and it was a BIG help. I was able to get through a lot more mats this session than I had been prior!

[Debbie]

We talked to our vet last month about getting DNA tests done on dogs (neither one of ours), but just in general. He said he did one on one of his and the dog is small and some of the DNA said the dog had Great Dane in him. The vet just laughed and said he thought it was a waste of money. Just his opinion of course!