How to Train Havanese Dogs

Crate Training Your Havanese

Purchase a crate for your Havanese. Crate training your Havanese, whether he’s a puppy or an adult, will give him his own place of safety and comfort. It will also keep him safe from household hazards and make it easy to transport him when it’s time to go to the vet. For crate training to be effective, your Havanese will need a crate with enough space for him to move around comfortably, but not so much that he can create a bathroom area. Ideal crate sizes for your Havanese are 24 inches by 18 inches (61 cm x 46 cm) and 24 inches by 24 inches (61 cm x 61 cm).

Create a comfortable environment in the crate. Your Havanese will enjoy his time in the crate when you make it comfortable and cozy for him. Place a soft blanket in the crate. You can also drape a blanket or towel on top of the crate to make it feel like a cozy den. Place some of his favorite toys in the crate, along with a spill-proof water bowl. To prevent your Havanese from feeling isolated, put the crate in an area with a lot of human activity, such as the kitchen or family room. Make sure the crate is away from drafts and direct sunlight.

Encourage your Havanese to enter his crate. Your Havanese may hesitate to enter the crate the first time you show it to him. Entice him to enter the crate by placing bits of tasty treats near the crate, just inside the crate, and far back in the crate. Whether it takes him a few minutes or a few days to enter the crate, be patient with him. Do not force him into the crate. Give him lots of verbal praise when he enters the crate. You want him to make a positive association with being in the crate. At this stage of crate training, leave the crate door open so he can enter and exit the crate freely. Once he can enter the crate with treats, begin feeding him his meals in the crate.

Close the crate door at mealtime. The first time you close the door, open it before he finishes eating. With each meal, leave the door closed for a few minutes longer until you can keep the door closed for 10 to 15 minutes after the meal. Open the door only if he is not whining. Whining may indicate that you were too quick with increasing the amount of time of having the door closed. Even still, if you open the door when he whines, he will learn that whining will get him out of the crate. If he whines, shorten the 'door close' time after the next meal and increase the time more slowly.

Leave the room after closing the crate door. When your Havanese can handle the door being closed after mealtime, practice closing the crate door and leaving the room. Outside of mealtime, give him a verbal command (‘crate time’) to enter the crate. Leave the room for 5 minutes, then come back. If he is comfortable with you being gone for 5 minutes, increase the time you leave the room by 5-minute intervals until you reach 30 minutes. You can also try returning to the crate at random time intervals. Your Havanese may need a few repetitions to learn the verbal command. When you say it, point your finger toward the crate and immediately give him a treat when he enters the crate. If your Havanese whines when you leave the room, do not open his crate door until he quiets down.

Close the crate door for several hours at a time. When your Havanese can remain calm when you leave the room for 30 minutes, he will likely be ready to handle longer periods of time in his crate. Practice crating your Havanese when you leave home for a few hours, and overnight. Havanese dogs can develop separation anxiety. When you crate him for extended periods of time, make sure he has plenty of toys (including food puzzle toys) to keep him busy. If you have a Havanese puppy, he won’t be able to hold his bladder for long stretches. To determine how many hours your puppy can hold his bladder, take his age in months and add 1. For example, a 3-month old puppy can hold his bladder for 4 hours. When you let your Havanese out of the crate after a few hours, immediately take him outside to eliminate. For overnight crating, you may need to take your Havanese out to eliminate during the night. If he needs to eliminate, you may hear him whining or pawing at the crate door.

Manage your Havanese’s whining. If your Havanese whines when he’s in his crate, it can be hard to ignore, especially if you’re not sure if he’s whining for attention or to eliminate. For young puppies, the whining is likely for eliminating; when you take him out, let him eliminate and bring him immediately back in without interacting with him. If he’s whining for attention, he’ll eventually quiet down after he realizes it won’t get your attention. EXPERT TIP Sheri Williams Sheri Williams Certified Dog Trainer Sheri Williams is a Certified Dog Trainer and Behaviorist and the Owner of sheriwilliams.com, a business that specializes in teaching veterans how to turn their dogs into service dogs or emotional support animals to assist with PTSD. Based in the Los Angeles, California metro area, Sheri has over 20 years of dog training experience and also runs a general dog training practice specializing in rehabilitating dogs through positive reinforcement training techniques. She is certified by The Animal Behavior and Training Association. Sheri Williams Sheri Williams Certified Dog Trainer Become an expert through in-person training. To become skilled at dog training, it's helpful to do an in-person training program rather than learning online. Real-life experience working directly with the dogs and trainers is invaluable for picking up the nuances of dog behavior and training techniques.

Training Your Havanese to Use a Litter Box

Select a doggie litter box. Havanese dogs can be very difficult to house train. Litter box training is a good alternative to house training for little dogs. Doggie litter boxes are available at your local pet store. They have a flat square surface or pan with an artificial grass covering. When your Havanese urinates in the litter box, the urine would go through the artificial grass to the underlying surface or pan. You could also make your own litter box with a plastic dog pan. Line the dog pan with layers of pee pads. Place the litter box where your Havanese can easily access it and will have some privacy when using it. Place it away from his food and water bowls.

Establish a bathroom schedule. Although you are training your Havanese to eliminate inside, he should still be on a schedule. Puppies need to eliminate frequently, so a bathroom schedule will be very important if you have a Havanese puppy. Your puppy should eliminate after eating, drinking, waking up from a nap, first thing in the morning, and before bedtime. If you have an adult Havanese, he should eliminate a few times day, preferably after meals and before bedtime.

Take your Havanese to the litter box. When it’s time for your Havanese to eliminate, walk him over to the litter box. When he eliminates, praise him and give him a treat. Over time, your Havanese will learn that the litter box is the correct place for him to eliminate.

Consider house training your Havanese. Litter box training your Havanese is certainly convenient if you live in an apartment or have a busy work schedule that keeps you away from home for long hours. Fortunately, your Havanese can still learn to potty outside. Proper crate training will help with house training, since your Havanese will have already learned where he should (and shouldn’t) eliminate. If he has an accident in the house, clean up the mess with an enzymatic cleaner, which you can purchase at your local pet store. Do not punish him for the accident.

Learning General Havanese Training Tips

Keep training sessions short. Puppies and adults have different attention spans. If you have a Havanese puppy, his attention will last for only a few minutes; train him for 1 or 2 minutes, several times a day. If you have an adult Havanese, training sessions can last up to 20 minutes.

Use positive reinforcement. Training your Havanese should be a positive experience for him. Positive reinforcement includes cheerful verbal praise (‘Good job!’ or ‘Good dog!’), tasty treats, and extra petting. Use positive reinforcement when he follows a command correctly or behaves properly (e.g., eliminating in the right place). The more positive the training experience, the more your Havanese will want to behave well. Cut the treats into small bits that are about the size of your fingernail.

Be firm and consistent. Consistency is key when training a Havanese. For example, when giving a command, use the same wording in the same tone of voice, and the same hand signal (if necessary), each time. If you have other household members, make sure they follow the same training regimen as you. If you or other household members are not consistent with training, your Havanese will become confused about how to behave.

Say a command only once. Once your Havanese has mastered a command (sit, stay, heel), he should follow it the first time you say it from that point forward. If you say a command more than once, your Havanese will learn that he can ignore the command and do as he pleases.

Discourage bad behavior as a puppy. A Havanese puppy is irresistibly cute. This cuteness may tempt you to think your puppy’s bad behavior is cute, too. However, if you don’t want your puppy growing into an adult that jumps onto furniture (or people), chews on your shoes, or nips at you during playtime, discourage this behavior at the puppy stage. Allowing this behavior will teach your Havanese that he is in control. A firm ‘No!’ can be effective at stopping the bad behavior. You can also ignore your Havanese while he is misbehaving. Once he realizes that the behavior gets no attention from you (positive or negative), he may stop.