Havanese Puppy Training

The Havanese is a small, long-haired dog bred for companionship. Havanese puppies̵7; hair is shorter than the adults, but grows up to 8 inches long as the puppy ages. Havanese puppies come in many colors, including cream, white, silver, gold, black and blue. The Havanese puppy is a friendly, affectionate and playful creature that enjoys learning and is easy to train.

  1. Time Frame

    • Owners can begin training their Havanese puppies as soon as they get them home. Potty training may take a few months, according to the Havanese Club of America, but a Havanese puppy is relatively easy to potty train, and housebreaking usually happens by 4 months of age.

    Benefits

    • Training a Havanese as a puppy is beneficial because it can stop certain behaviors, such as barking, from becoming a habit. While excessive barking is not natural to Havanese, training the young puppy not to bark prevents potential headaches when the puppy reaches adulthood, according to the Dog Breed Info Center.

    Considerations

    • The Havanese is a sensitive breed, according to the Dog Breed Info Center. Havanese puppies, especially those still settling into their new homes, may not do well with more traditional, punishment-based training. Positive reinforcement training rewards the puppy for responding to commands and redirects bad behavior rather than punishing it.

    Warning

    • Small dog syndrome is a man-made problem common with small- and toy-breed dogs. Owners often allow small dogs to get away with bad behaviors that a larger dog would be trained out of, according to the Havanese Club of America. Teaching the Havanese puppy rules, boundaries and routines helps prevent it growing into a yappy, aggressive, overprotective and unfriendly dog.

    Potential

    • A well-trained Havanese puppy can grow up to compete in dog sports such as agility, according to the Windy City Havanese Club. Young Havanese are playful creatures who enjoy running for no reason, and redirecting this energy into agility, obedience, flyball or rally obedience is a good bonding experience for the dog and its owner.