Havs are unique because...

More quirks..

Lola & Charlie running as fast as you can imagine!

 

RUN-LIKE-HELL

There had to be a name for this Havanese game, and the Havanese community came up with the perfect “Run-like-hell”! They are not hyper dogs at all, that’s what makes it even more fun, when suddenly, according to some mysterious cue, the games begin. You’ve never seen faster dogs in your life! If they are inside the house, they might run –one after the other- from one room to the other, flying from one sofa to the next, stopping just millimeters close to a wall, or a door, changing directions in a bliss. They make this funny sound when they’re darting around, like the sound-effects of a Formula #1 movie. And then, in a few minutes, just as mysteriously as they started, the game is over. Time for a break, or a nap, or all the fresh water available. One Havanese may perfectly well do it on his own, yet this game is practiced to perfection when there are more than one... just another good reason to have more than one!

Note: English-Cocker-Spaniels do not understand this behavior. They try to imitate it, with poor results.

Note 2: Cats in a Havanese household train to be the fastest cats on the planet, with amazing results.

 

LIMITED SPACE RUN-LIKE-HELL

This is Charlie’s specialty. The bed is OK, a small love seat will do. He will just start to run 100 mph / hour in the tiniest available space!  It’s way too funny, to watch him run in small circles, then stop, invite you to join in, and then start to run again, with the sound effects of a Spielberg production.

 

 

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CHEW-FACE, OR CHEW-ANY BODY PART

This might start with a RLH, then again, it might not. It’s the Havanese favorite body-contact sport. It might be played between two Havs, three is yet better, specially if the tiny one –Candela- is the one being chewed by Lola & Charlie at the same time, while she’s having the time of her life. They will jump on one another, run, stand up in front of the other, like a dance, but not a romantic interlude, mind you, the fun of it is to chew the other until there is no trace of the wonderful grooming you just worked on that morning. Boy do they look like Chewbacca afterwards!

Note: Again, this type of behavior is lost to Cockers. Most of the time, they will begin to bark hysterically, calling our attention to the fact that the Havanese seem to be killing each other, while we –humans- just sit there and watch. 90% of the times, English-Cocker-Spaniel will be yelled at to stop barking like a maniac, and let the Havs have fun.

“IT'S ALIVE”

Havs make up their own games. And though you may not understand their “rules”, they do have a pattern. One of the most characteristic ones is “It’s alive”, appropriately named so by Suzanne McKay. They will pick, let’s say, a toy, a bone, a piece of paper, and they will throw it in the air, go pick it up, and throw it again. I truly believe Charlie was a pitcher in a previous life, because, when he plays “It’s alive” you better duck fast, because you never know where the flying object will land.

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RECYCLERS

Yes, the Havanese is an environmentally-aware breed. They know how many trees are being destroyed to produce paper, so they’ve perfected the art of recycling it. Any paper will do, but toilet paper and tissue are the best. They will volunteer for the job, anytime someone sneezes, a tissue is on any available surface, you leave the bathroom door ajar –with a new roll of paper- or you just decide to give them a piece of good-old bond paper. They will shred it to pieces in no time, with a style that looks like it has been perfected in years of practice. There has to be a gene for this or it might be a kind of learned behavior passed from one generation to the next, because they all do it using the same techniques.

Note: Havs also regard tissue and toilet paper as a delicatessen; not to be eaten on a regular basis, just enjoyed on the perfect occasion. As we do have previous positive experience with this behavior, we let them just go ahead and enjoy it. Alfie discovered the magical powers of tissue at the ripe age of 11. Once he started, he looker healthier and younger than when he was 5. I suggested to Mario taking a “tissue supplement” to study its effects on humans, but he just gave me an awful look. It was never tested.

HAVS TALK

OK, so by now you may begin to think I lost it. Not so. Unlike some Toy breeds, Havanese are not yappy dogs, at least mine are not. They do use their bark to communicate: That somebody has arrived (specially our daughter after going out with her friends late at night), that the person at the door is a stranger, that some other dog has dared to go to Lola’s park –she refuses to accept that it is public. But I’m not referring to that bark. It’s the one I get when I’ve been out for too long –according to Candela- and she lets me know, in no uncertain terms, that it is a totally unacceptable behavior, or Charlie telling Mario that it’s time for their evening walk to go potty, or Lola showing me that their water dish is empty. It’s kind of a murmur or a grumble modulated according to the message they are getting across. Pretty effective, I might add.

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Life is tough...	Candela

 

SLEEPING OR JUST STAYING ON TOP OF FURNITURE

If allowed –and by now I bet you know we do- they love to sleep on the highest part of sofas, chairs, etc. Also, as they are so tiny but like to be on “top of everything”, high furniture allows them to look out and be aware of what’s going on.

CURIOUS

As the integral part of the family they are, there is nothing that escapes them. A sound, a bag, a present or- better yet- a new package from UPS, they have to know what’s going on… and what’s inside. The same with visitors. First of all, who could be coming to the house but someone looking to meet them? So, the visitor must acknowledge them, and then of course, they have to fall in love with them. Now Havs can relax and enjoy the visitor's company.

Lola dancing

 

Candela & Charlie

 

PERFORMERS & CLOWNS

As I said before, they would do anything to be the center of attention or to make you smile!

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