HIGHMOON HAVANESE

Here's some information about HighMoon Havanese and also a few things that are very important to me:  Showing my dogs, Breeding healthy dogs to the AKC Standards,  Making sure all puppies are placed in a quality safe home, All pet or companion puppies  are sold on a spay/neuter contract,  All of our puppies come with a 5 year health guarantee, Any of our puppies can be returned at anytime...NO Questions asked, Health Testing the sires and dam, Potty Training your puppy, Vaccinations and Nutrition.  We also help rescue the less fortunate Havanese.  All breeders should reach out and be prepared to help with rescue in any way they can. 

I saw my first Havanese at a dog show several years ago and decided that I would love to add one to our family.  At that time my family consisted of myself Linda, my husband Dennis, a Yorkie named Ruby and a large mixed breed dog Lucy.  Soon I found a darling little black Havanese puppy and we were off to dog shows every weekend. Whether you are good at showing your own dogs or you hire handlers, you sort of get hooked on dog shows.  The competition is great fun.  I finished my first Havanese to his Championship by hiring some great handlers and then I searched for my next Havanese.  It went on like this for a couple of years and then I decided to take my Champion dogs, health test them and start a breeding program.  Luckily I had some great mentors who gave me a lot of support or I wouldn't have known what to do. Reading books, attending seminars and also sharing information and networking is very important to be a good breeder.  After moving to the Grass Valley area, I helped to establish a new Local Havanese club called the Gold Country Havanese Club for havanese owners in the rural areas of Northern California.  The Gold Country Havanese Club is an Independent AKC approved Havanese Club.  There's a lot to learn about training, breeding, showing and health issues in our breed.  Sharing information with other Havanese owners is very important.  I take breeding healthy puppies very seriously.   Everything we do at our house seems to revolve around our little Havanese.  I recently retired so I could be with my dogs and devote more time to showing, grooming and becoming a serious hobby breeder.  I have only one breed at my home, the Havanese, and we have no kennels.  Our puppies are raised in my home where they are socialized by our family and sometimes even our extended family which includes our three adult sons and grandkids. 



POTTY TRAINING

It is important that all of our puppies are happy and well adjusted and will never be left at an animal shelter.  That's in our contract and we carefully screen all interested puppy buyers so hopefully this never happens.  It is a well known fact that the biggest reason dogs are left at shelters is because they are not potty trained.  Their owners just give up.  Havanese puppies are smart and very clever but they do have small bladders and eliminate several times a day.  The best time to take your puppy outside to go potty is right after they wake up, after eating, after playing, as soon as they are let out of their crate, before bed time and a few times in between.  Watch for their signs that they have to go.  They are trying to tell you.  Use the same command consistently like "Go Potty" or "Go Pee" and give lots of praise when they do a good job.  House training a Toy breed puppy takes time, patience and love.  Many puppy owners become frustrated.  We hope to eliminate your frustrations by telling you about Potty Park.  We have just started to use Potty Park here.  It is amazing.  Our puppies have trained themselves in just a couple of weeks.  It is a permanent solution to house training your older dog or puppy.  Each HighMoon Havanese puppy will go home house trained to the Potty Park.  All you have to do is purchase a Potty Park when you purchase your other puppy items for your home.  Potty Park works for people living in houses, apartments and condos.  It is especially good for RV's, bad weather and for dogs left home alone for longer periods of time and have no where to go when they gotta go!  No more smelly pee pads to throw away or washing cloth pads or accidents on the carpet.  When puppies are trained to the natural feel of the artificial grass on the Potty Park, they easily adjust to eliminating on real grass too.  Pretty clever!  We used to use the cloth or paper type potty pads.  They are soft and cushy but guess what?  To a puppy, they feel just like carpet and area rugs too.  We were actually sending mixed messages to the pups and setting them up to fail.  The Potty Park is easy to clean with water only.  There is no need to purchase any type of cleaning chemicals.  It has a 5 year warranty.  Every puppy owner should purchase a Potty Park.   I just wish I would have heard about  Potty Park sooner.  Our puppies will be started on the Potty Park at the age of 3-4 weeks old.  For you that means no more worries that your puppy will be eliminating on your carpet or rugs at home.  

WHAT ABOUT THE CHEAPER COPY CATS SUCH AS  POTTY PATCH AND OTHERS?  The copy cats are made in China, have no guarantee, no customer service, are not made of medical/hospital grade anti-microbial  plastic.  They will build up with germs and bacteria and begin to smell.  This environment can be very dangerous to your puppy's health as their immune system isn't like an adult dog.  If your puppy becomes ill, your vet bill will be more expensive than the cost of one Potty Park.  The cheap copy cats will probably last 2-3 months and then will be thrown away.  The Potty Park will most likely last your dog forever.  The Copy Cat's design has a tray that is awkward to carry and often the urine will spill on your hands, clothes and floor.  They are not easy to clean.  Puppy buyers that have purchased the copy cats usually throw them away in just a few weeks.  I selected the best Potty system for your puppy because I want the best for you and your puppy.  I am sure you feel the same way and will  want the Potty Park too. For a discount, just click on the banner below to purchase your Potty Park.   


 

HOUSE VISIT AND PICKING OUT A PUPPY

I love to have prospective puppy buyers visit our home.  When puppies are 4- 6 weeks old is a perfect time to visit!  I welcome all pre-approved puppy buyers (see my questionnaire to be pre-approved).  You can pick a puppy in person or by photos if that is more convenient.  I prefer to not ship a puppy, but if it is necessary, I will ship my puppies from the Sacramento Airport to your nearest major airport via Northwest 'Very Important Pet' (VIP) where they are kept in the main compartment of the plane. Shipping is paid for by the puppy buyer.  My puppies come with their first vaccinations, wormed, AKC registration 'Limited,' a spay/neuter contract with a 5 year health guarantee and a well-puppy check from my Vet.  Show puppies are sold with full AKC Registration and a Show contract.  I will not sell to Commercial Breeders or Puppy Mills.  I will not sell puppies to back yard breeders who want to keep an intact male or female with full registration to breed someday.  I feel that breeding should be left to the people that are dedicated and committed to improving the breed by showing their dogs to AKC judges, health testing their adults for inherited problems and breeding to the AKC standards.  Good breeders are devoted to their dogs and they are willing to educate themselves to become a better breeder and protect the health and the lives of their sires, dams and puppies.  Good breeders also keep their environment clean, provide proper nutrition by feeding a good high quality diet to their dogs, obtain a Vet's services when needed and of course give lots of love, training and socialization to their dogs.  Every Havanese deserves this. Every dog and puppy deserves this.  Please don't support Puppy Mills and Commercial Breeders that sell their puppies to Pet Stores.  The unfortunate puppies that live in pet stores have not had the right kind of human contact.  Also, their sires and dams received very little human contact and live their lives as breeding machines.  That is so sad.  Is that something you really want to encourage and support? Support breeders that are trying to improve the health of the breed with generations of health testing.
  

                                     

WHAT IS A DOG SHOW?

The first Conformation dog show was held in Newcastle-upon-tyne, England in 1859.  This competition, also referred to as 'breed shows' is for exhibitors to show their breeding stock to a judge that is familiar with a specific dog breed.  The judge evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well they conform to the established breed standard for their breed.  Championships are awarded to dogs who have passed through a process of selection at dog shows.  A dog earns a championship with wins at a number of shows where a judge evaluates a dog and how closely the dog approaches the ideal represented in it's breed's standard.  In AKC a dog receives it's championship from AKC after earning fifteen points.  Included in the fifteen points must be two majors.  When you see a CH in front of a dog's name that refers to the dog being a "Champion."  HighMoon Havanese dogs are bred as close to the AKC Standards as possible and we shy away from changing the look of our original Havanese or breeding to what is viewed as currently fashionable.  We breed for sound healthy dogs with good structure, a beautiful coat and happy wonderful temperaments. 
AKC Standards for Havanese

                                    

HEALTH TESTING

It is not that uncommon for Havanese and other Breeds to have some health issues.  Purebred dogs and mixed breeds all have health issues.  One is not healthier over the other.  The only difference is that health statistics for purebreds are collected and documented in data bases like the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) and the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC).  As far as I know, there are no centers/organizations collecting health information on the mixed breed dogs.  Some breeders breeding the mix breeds and designer dogs state their dogs are healthier than the purebred dogs.  That is simply untrue.  Where is the proof?  Unfortunatley most mix breeds have never been health tested and Veterinarians see plenty of mix breed dogs with inherited health problems.  Good breeders use health testing as a tool to make wise breeding decisions when pairing a sire and dam for breeding and would never knowlingly breed two affected dogs together.  The Havanese breed's most common health issues are Juvenile Cataracts and Luxating Patellas (knee cap slippage).  Good breeders are trying to eliminate as many health problems as possible so everyone's puppy will have a long and healthy life.  There are four main health tests the Havanese Club of America (HCA) recommends all breeders do before breeding their sires and dams:  BAER for hearing, Eye Cerf (annual exam), Hips x-rayed and graded by OFA and Patellas manually manipulated for knee cap slippage.  When all 4 tests are completed, at the age of 2 years old or older, a dog can be awarded an OFA CHIC # from the Canine Health Information Center.  At HighMoon Havanese we are starting to add some additional health tests for our own personal use such as Thyroid, Cardio, Elbows and Bile Acid.  Many Havanese breeders have voluntarily health tested their dogs to help eliminate health problems and are participating in group studies.         
                                         
                                                         Dog grass potty

VACCINATION PROTOCOL

Havanese can be sensitive to vaccinations, especially Lyme, Corona and Lepto.  Please tell your Vet that you would prefer to not over vaccinate and ask if there is a need for Lyme, Corona and Lepto vaccinations in your area.  Seek out a good Vet for your puppy and it doesn't hurt to ask questions before you make your first appointment.  Some Vet clinics will vaccinate for everything available and they make a lot of money doing this.  A Havanese puppy only weighs about 3-5 pounds.  There can be everlasting adverse events from vaccinations.  It's always a good idea to only do one vaccination per visit.  Below is the protocol recommended by Jean Dodds, DVM.  Dr. Dodds is an expert in inherited and acquired blood diseases, immunology, endocrinology, nutrition and holistic medicine.  She established Hemopet, in Southern California, the first nonprofit national blood bank program for animals.       

AGE OF PUPPIES                                                               VACCINE TYPE

9-10 weeks                                                                                        Distemper virus + Parvovirus, MLV 
14 weeks                                                                                            Same as above
20 weeks or older, if allowable by law in your area                   Rabies
1 year                                                                                                  Distemper virus + Parvovirus, MLV
1 year                                                                                                  Rabies, killed 3-year product

Rabies should be given 3-4 weeks apart from any other vaccine.  Perform vaccine antibody titers for distemper and parvovirus every 3 years or more often, if desired.  A written waiver of rabies boster, with justification by client veterinarian, and rabies antibody titer may be granted.  See www.rabieschallengefund.org


                           
                           Cordelia at Westminster, she adored Carlos Puig

DIET AND NUTRITION 

Wholesome nutrition is the key to maintaining a healthy immune system and resistance to disease.  Some commercial foods fed on a regular basis may not be balanced in terms of nutrients and vitamins, and some continue to add chemicals to enhance it's shelf life.  Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances and exposure to chemical, drugs and toxins are known to challenge and suppress the immune function (immune deficiency and allergies).  Do feed your Havanese a healthy diet.  You can try a Commercial diet, Homemade or Raw diet but make sure it includes all of the nutrition your dog needs to sustain a healthy, active life.  Dogs susceptible to thyroid and autoimmune diseases seem to do well on a diet containing premium cereals, fresh vegetables, yogurt or low fat cottage cheese, a variety of meats and whitefish and natural vitamins E and C rather than chemicals to preserve the food.  It has been proven that dogs on a healthy diet have less health problems and live longer.             


THE PRAYER OF A STRAY

Dear God,

Please send me somebody who will care!
I am tired of running, I am sick with despair.
My body is aching; it is so racked with pain
and, Dear God, I pray as I run in the rain
that someone will love me and give me a home,
a warm cozy bed and a big juicy bone.
My last owner tied me all day in the yard,
sometimes with no water and boy that was hard!
So I chewed my leash and I ran away
to rummage in garbage and live as a stray.
But now I am tired and hungry and cold
and I am so afraid that I will never grow old.
They have chased me with sticks and hit me with stones
while I run the streets just looking for bones.
I'm not really bad God, please help if you can,
for I have become a "victim of man."
I am wormy and ridden with fleas
and all that I want is an owner to please.
If you find one for me,I'll try to be good
and I won't chew their shoes but I'll do as I should.
I'll love them, protect them and try to obey
when they tell me to sit, lie down or to stay.
I don't think I'll make it too long on my own,
because I am getting so week and I am so alone.
Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry
cuz I am so afraid that I am going to die!
I've got so much love and devotion to give
that I should be given a new chance to live.
So please Dear God, please answer my prayer
and send me someone who WILL really care

Written by B. Davanport