Raising the Most Gentle Pet
We have some suggestions to help you have the most gentle pet
1. We do not recommend petting him around the face, as he may learn to follow your hand with his mouth.
Pups naturally use their mouths, and they will readily mouth a child's hand. Allowing him to mouth your hand, and petting him on the head, will teach him to use his mouth to get your hand. Since they have razor sharp little teeth, you need to avoid touching his head. You should also avoid any activity that trains him to follow your hand.
2. Pet him on the back half of his body until he is about 8 months old, and has finished teething.
Young pups learn to protect themselves through play. Pups learn the art of adult self defense through adolescent play. Moms and older pups train little pups in the art of self defense by teaching/playing keep-away games. Tug-of-war games and rope-pull activities are very effective training for fighting and self defense. Play activities will be employed in adult aggression.
Please do not play tug-of-war type activities with your pup. Those methods of play will be employed when he gets angry later, as an adult.
With a young pup- Do not pet him on or about the face. Do not allow him to mouth hands.
Havanese are the most gentle of all breeds. The only way to change that is to mistreat him or to teach him to play the way wolves play in the wild.
3. Do not play ball or rope-pull as both of these activities will train him to use his mouth in a fast and energetic way with your hands.
If the pup follows your hand and places his mouth and teeth on your hand, do not correct him with a string of words, or a sentence of reprimand. Stand over him and say "NO" in a very harsh tone. One word cues work far better than several words. Tone is the key ingredient. Use a harsh, deep tone. When you say "NO", be sure to stand in a position with your head directly above his head. This will express your dominance over him, and make him pay attention to you as leader of the pack.
Remember, almost all animals learn defensive protection from play as adolescents. Whatever he learns as an adolescent he will display as an adult, unless it is trained out of him.
Don't train him to bite, mouth, follow your hand or otherwise use his mouth in reaction to play, and most especially in connection with fast movements.
You are not a dog, do not interact with him like another dog would interact with him. :)
Once he is about 8-9 months old he will be ready to play ball. There is no need to rush it.
When you train him to do tricks, train him to understand the following and more:
1. Sit
2. Stay
3. Come
4. Flip
5. Jump Through Hula Hoop
6. Yodel
7. Bark
8. Get Toys
9. Stand on Towel [for drying after trips out in rain]
10. Quiet
11. Get Leash
12. Go To Your Room
13. Where is ____ [fill in the blank]
14. Dance
15. Water
16. Food
17. Goodie
18. BATH TIME
19. Baby Powder
20. Bang Bang, Play Dead
21. Outside
22. Walk
23. Roll Over
24. Car
25. Stop
25. No