T-Wags.com -- The Ideal Havanese Puppy

IDEAL PUPPY – Selecting a Breeder- Price – Delivery- Guarantee
(including a discussion of the new puppy bait & switch schemes)


Everyone looking for a Havanese puppy should read this!

Look beyond the puppy, and do your homework as this puppy will become a member of your family for many years, day in and day out. Since I raise puppies, I know all too well how cute, wonderful and delightful puppies are. But please don’t lose sight of the fact that very soon the pup will become an adult. His puppy personality will transform into his adult personality after the first year. This is where lineage becomes so critical. In addition when dogs are not bred well it is in the adult years the money machine of veterinarian expense can drain your wallet.

Havanese dogs continue to become very popular pets and as such it is becoming more and more “let the buyer beware”. Puppy mills are now producing Havanese. Some existing dog breeders have grabbed any Havanese they can find to try and breed Havanese, regardless of lineage, or health issues within some lines. Havanese have been imported from Europe, in spite of the fact there are real questions about these dogs and their temperament. Deception and misrepresentation is becoming more prevalent. Some breeders have used some Bolognese lines in breeding and some have just not taken care to breed carefully. You need to look beyond the Havanese puppy. No Havanese owner wants a Havanese who turns into something other than the playful and delightful highly touted Havanese when they mature. Even more important is what such dogs may cost you in veterinarian bills down the road.

THE SEVEN RULES FOR BREEDER SELECTION:

Selecting a breeder is important, but it is also becoming more difficult. If you start looking at Havanese web sites, you are going to notice the similar pitches. Let me give you a few: “home/family raised”; “AKC registered”; ‘Loving environment”; “Breeder of dogs for X number of years”; “Well Socialized”; “Our Angels”; “Champion lines”; “Healthy”; “Happy”; “Implications that a university is directly involved in the breeder’s breeding program” etc. The fine print is missing and much some of the information is distorted. Of course there will be lots of cute puppy pictures. Much of this is aimed at the emotional pitch. Now let me provide you some tools to sort out the facts from the marketing hype.

First, quality responsible breeders do extensive health testing most of it on an annual basis. Are there health issues in the Havanese breed? The answer is a resounding yes! Responsible breeders continually test their breeding stock to ensure that their lines are sound and do not breed any dog that does not pass the acceptable standards for these tests. You want complete and thorough and up to date health testing of both parents, not just CERF. All health testing must be all documented and provided with your puppy and don’t fall for mumble-jumbo. And if you fall for the line “none of our dogs has had any health issues”, let me sell you some oceanfront property in Arizona. (FYI, this is not inexpensive for a breeder to do as it is all done by veterinarians and most tests are annual). Look for breeders that do all the required and recommended testing of the Havanese Club of America. I can assure you, such breeders are few and far between. Most states require a puppy health certification by a veterinarian, but that does not cover important heath screening of the parents. It only is a “spot check of the puppy’s health at the time of the examination”.
Second, check their breeder references, quality breeders have associations with other breeding professionals, they should list them and you should check them. If they don’t list any, ask for them.
Third, request puppy owner references. Talk or email owners of dogs from that breeder. They will not only provide information on the quality of their pet, but provide insights on their experience with the breeder.
Fourth, check and verify professional affiliations. Dog breeder clubs have standards and will expel members for not adhering to club standards. Some web sites are listing club affiliations where breeders are not active or have been expelled from clubs. A simple e-mail to a club will verify membership.
Fifth, be aware of the new hybrid form of “bait and switch” and “pyramid type deals”. These include rather clever schemes where a breeder will try to hook puppy buyers into showing the puppy they buy. This will be for a discounted price or telling a buyer that the puppy they select is a show quality dog and will sell it only as a show dog, and they must show and finish the dog. (Finish the dog means one must get the dog’s championship and if you want to know the costs involved talk to several breeders and add up the hundreds and thousands of dollars). The hype includes “this will be fun”. If you want to show and breed dogs, most people do this after some careful thought, as breeding, and showing dogs is both expensive and time consuming. But these “deals” are often done in the frenzy of the buying decision, and not thought through by the buyer. There are iron clad contracts associated with this bait and switch and pyramid schemes and once contracts are signed there is no way out, except with your money, time and headaches. The bottom line of this bait and switch is that the innocent puppy buyer has been bamboozled into finishing dogs that bear the name of the breeder who sold the dog and thus marketing the kennel name with more champions. Some of these “deals” include requirements of raising litters of puppies, which then turns the innocent buyer into a breeder as well, with all those chores, challenges, headaches and expenses. In these “pyramid” deals the selling breeder requires one or multiple litters and then gets pick, or multiple picks, of the litters back, and of course they then sell the pick puppies for their profit. Since the picks of the litter are gone, and if the litter size is small, these schemes can become additional nightmares and money pits for the people who have become ensnared in these schemes. Not to forget that it is possible that one can lose a female in the whelping process and hence these deals can turn into sad tragedies. Perhaps clever and innovative schemes by unscrupulous breeders, but certainly questionable ethical practices in the opinion of most reputable breeders. If you want to breed and show dogs decide this in advance of your Havanese puppy shopping.
Sixth, look at the genetic lines of the dogs and understand what AKC registration means. AKC is simply a registry. All this means is that the dog comes from purebred lines. “Purebred lines” do not speak to the critical health issues within many dog breeds (including the Havanese). Many people make the wrong assumption that AKC registry assures a healthy pet, and nothing could be farther from the truth.
Seventh, beware of “Backyard Breeders and Puppy Mills” and gossip. With backyard breeders and puppy mills you are asking for trouble down the road. If a breeder starts badmouthing another breeder check any negative allegations and determine if they are facts or merely statements intended to get you to buy a puppy from them. If another breeder collaborates the negative information you have reason for concern.

To summarize, it is important to keep in mind that carefully bred dogs from excellent lines with through health testing will help ensure you will get a healthy dog with the classic Havanese temperament Be aware of the recent seller schemes. Be an informed Havanese buyer.

PUPPY CHECK-LIST

Here is a checklist you may want to review before you buy your Havanese:

Talk to the breederand ask important questions related to the breed. Try and determine their philosophy on breeding. You are looking for facts and information not hype about “the cute puppy”. Of course you want to know about the puppy and its disposition, but you need to know much more about lots of things. You are in reality making an important addition to your family environment.
Remember Havanese are “people-pets”, they like to be around people and don't like to be left alone for extended periods. Be sure your home environment is one that provides time to “socialize” your pet.
Havanese is a long haired breed. That ideally means regular grooming. However, you can clip the Havanese into a “puppy-cut”, or short-hair cut. Some Havanese owners prefer the “puppy-cut”.
Havanese dogs are great with children. However if you have young children under the age of five or six, you need to supervise play. Havanese is a toy breed. Remember, small dogs can be accidentally injured by children if left unaccompanied.
When you find the “puppy of your dreams” don't expect the breeder to hold the puppy for you without a commitment. The reality is that the top breeders often have a waiting list for puppies of certain colors and markings. . Many will wait several months for a certain color from specific lineage. Once you have made a decision on a puppy (and made a commitment), a good breeder will establish a rapport with you. Quality breeders will keep you up-dated on your puppy until the puppy is old enough to travel to their new home.
Don’t fall into the price trap. You get what you pay for in a Havanese puppy. A quality breeder must charge more for their puppies to cover their expenses. In all reality you are literally talking a penny or two a day when you pay a fair price for a Havanese puppy as opposed to the “bargain” puppy.
Don’t fall into the “cute puppy trap”. Most all puppies are cute, fun and cuddly. The puppy life-stage is short. You want a puppy that will be as delightful and fun and healthy 10 years beyond the 10 week stage of life. One of the biggest regrets of many pet owners is not doing their homework beyond the “falling in love” with the puppy syndrome.
Owning a Havanese is a responsibility. They need love and care and time to play. A well bred Havanese should give you the years of joy and companionship that you are seeking. Understand also, that dedicated Havanese breeders want good homes for their dogs.

PRICE:

The Havanese Club of America web site states the current price range of $1800.00 to $2500.00. (Dogs placed in show homes are in most cases more expensive and that is the result of the contract and the agreement to place the dogs in show and competition). This price range normally reflects puppies raised by breeders who have made the investment in a quality breeding program. We live in a country where “getting a bargain” seems to override common sense all too often. If you find breeders who are selling dogs for bargain prices let me warn you something is not right. Annual health testing, quality food, quality veterinarian care for puppies and adults, is expensive. Corners are being cut, and the hype and talk are what is really cheap. I will end this discussion with some other facts. Cataract surgery for an adult dog is now averaging over $2000.00. Adult dogs requiring medication for genetic health issues can run as high as $200.00 per month. Hip surgery tops cataract surgery in some cities. Bottom line, select a quality breeder and pay a fair price for all the hard work and dedication they have done. In reality for the time and care and expense they have incurred in raising quality puppies, you are getting a bargain at today’s market price among quality breeders.

DELIVERY:
T-Wags can personally deliver your puppy to your home and/or ships puppies by airlines that provide special services and quarters for pets. Certain airlines are equipped to handle puppies and thus the puppies are not shipped as “cargo”.
GUARANTEE:
All puppies come with a lifetime guarantee. T-Wags is proud to say that approaching 10 years of dedication to the Havanese breed not one of my puppies has been returned nor have any developed genetic health issues and I am very proud of that fact. T-Wags, The Most Trusted Name in Havanese- Tim Meyer

BREEDER REFERENCES:

Lynn Nieto – Los Perritos Havanese losperritos@scia.net
Sandy Barnes – Mischief’s Havanese mischeifs@bellsouth.net
Kathy King- President Tropical Havanese Club flking@comcast.net

PET REFERENCES:

I will provide names of pet owners of T-Wags for you to contact. Out of courtesy to the owners I do not list these on my web site. Such references are by their permission.

FINDING A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER –MYTHS & FACTS

This is a great independence non-biased source of information on what to look for in a breeder to make sure you get a healthy pet. It also speaks to the cost of breeding, but most of these costs have doubled since the article was written.
http://members.tripod.com/antique_fcr/goodbreeder.html