If you have a Havanese puppy you should spend the first few months focusing on the basic things that every puppy should know. Make sure that your Havanese thoroughly understands his housetraining. Time devoted to training your Havanese puppy completely understand the housetraining process when he’s first learning it will prevent problems later.

Spend a great deal of time on socialization. Socialization is the key to building confidence in a dog. The time you spend letting your Havanese dog meet other puppies and people will help him become a happy, well-adjusted adult dog. Many later behavior problems, especially separation anxiety, can be traced back to a lack of proper socialization. Take your puppy to puppy obedience training classes and puppy preschool. Take him to pet supply stores which welcome puppies and dogs so he can meet other puppies and friendly people. Encourage people to pet your puppy and give him treats. Take your puppy for leashed walks in the park where he can see things and meet other people who may want to pet him. In short, the first months of a puppy’s life are a time when he is forming his impressions about the world. It’s important that he sees many things and meets many people to become a confident adult dog. Praise him and encourage him to be happy and friendly. Put him in situations that will be fun for him.

Be careful about taking your Havanese puppy to places like dog parks, especially when he’s young. Dog parks are fun for some dogs but a Havanese puppy is small and can be bowled over by larger dogs. Always make sure that your puppy plays with dogs close to his own size. When he’s older and more able to take care of himself he can have some bigger playmates.

Formal dog training for your Havanese puppy can begin with puppy kindergarten classes or puppy preschool. These classes are primarily for socialization but puppies are often taught basic things such as walking on a leash and coming when called. Beginning obedience classes will cover teaching your Havanese to sit, lie down, heel and stay. Your Havanese dog will most likely be in a class with dogs of many breeds and mixes. He may be a bit of a clown in these situations. Remember that his traditional job has been to be a companion and lapdog. He plays to people and loves attention. This means that he is likely to do what will gain him the most attention and that’s not always following the rules. Give him lots of praise and attention for learning and he is more likely to enjoy learning.

Havanese dogs are very intelligent dogs and can learn anything you are able to teach them. There is no reason that you can’t teach your puppy or dog at home. Havanese respond best to positive reinforcement — use positive training methods that focus on praising and rewarding your puppy or dog for doing what you want instead of corrections or punishments.

When training a havanese puppy at home there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Keep training sessions short. Dogs learn best in a couple of short sessions per day.
• Make training fun for your Havanese.
• Your attitude determines your dog’s attitude.
• Don’t train when you’re angry or frustrated.
• Be consistent in your training.

Consistency is very important in any kind of dog training. It doesn’t just mean training frequently, although that is important. Consistency means giving your dog the same message each time you ask him to do something. For instance, if you ask your dog to Sit and he does sit after a few seconds, you reward him. The next day you ask your dog to Sit and he lies down. To be consistent, you do not reward your dog. You only reward your dog for sitting when you ask for Sit. Some people would give their dog a reward because he has done something, even though it wasn’t what they asked him to do. You need to make sure you are asking for and rewarding the proper behavior. Otherwise your dog will be confused and he won’t really be learning what you are trying to teach him.

Focus on housetraining and socialization when your havanese puppy is very young. You can gradually progress to more formal obedience lessons. If you make training a havanese puppy can be a lot of fun and stay positive he should have no problem learning anything you want to teach him.

Just as we teach our children, the values of life so also, we must teach our Havanese. Learning starts from the very day they are born.

At 8 weeks of age: The Havanese puppy must be taught simple everyday things:

• Where his water dish is?
• Which is his private nook in the house?
• His daily schedule – eating, playing, bedtime, quite time, and bathrooming schedules. A routine has positive effects.
• The meaning of “no.”
• Who is boss?

You can teach the infant simple things like house rules, housebreaking norms, crate training, being handled by you as well as others, as well as bite inhibition.

When your Havanese puppy is 3-4 months old: He can be taught simple commands: sit, stay, down, to come when called, to never run away, to walk politely on leash, to “give”—handover when asked, anything he has in his mouth, stop barking when you say “No Bark,” as well as people skills (socialization).

When your Havanese puppy is 4-6 months—the training becomes more intense and goes to a higher level. You can teach the pet eye contact, to listen attentively when you speak, hand gestures, to play fetch, to do tricks, to greet guests politely, to have a “Lie down” and rest, to recognize family members by name, play hide and seek, and more.

Havanese Puppy Training Tips
Havanese puppies are like human kids—you will find that the puppy is excitable, easily distracted, forgets what he has been taught, and is sometimes reluctant to learn. It is with long interaction with your dog that you learn what is feasible and what is not.

Treat your Havanese puppy with lots of love and respect—just as you like respect so does your Havanese dog. If you give him plenty of love, attention, nurturing, as well as hugs and kisses from day one – the dog will learn to love you, allow you to take the place of its mother, respect you and look up to you for guidance.
Always use a soft and calm tone with your Havanese dog. Shrill or loud tones only serve to excite the dog. To establish control over the dog, you need to speak to him in soft and firm tones. When training a havanese puppy, teach it that you are in control of the situation and will handle all matters calmly.

Always select a place for puppy obedience training that is a distraction free zone. This will help both you and the dog focus on the lesson and not the surroundings. Once learning becomes an established routine and your puppy learns to concentrate, focus, and respond well to your commands you should gradually introduce distractions /disturbances in the form of people, noises, other dogs and so on. And soon you will find, that your puppy responds to your commands even in public places.

Keep a watch for the body language of the dog—you will be able to tell when he is distracted, when he is not in a mood to learn, when he is not focusing. Adjust to his needs – he too has good days and bad. Never force a dog or nag him. Go slow in the lessons — if necessary, go back 2-3 steps before you go forward.

Use only positive training methods—they work better and are enjoyable.

Love, patience, and persistence are the three keys to efficient havanese training. Havanese dogs are very easily trained and lovable. Follow the tips here and you will find it easy to care for your new pet.