So, you want to take a puppy Hovawart. You should know that the impressive appearance of Hovawart is not its main advantage, and that the destination of the breed carrying the duty. Are you ready to live next to a dog that does not agree to be just another cute, fluffy friend, but will periodically show you its character and dictate the terms of cohabitation? Are you ready at least 3 hours a day to devote to outdoors activities, doing the walking for your dog? Would you like to spend a lot of time training your friend? If the answer to these and many other questions is positive, then you are ready to take responsibility for growing and training of Hovawart.
The main problem of Hovawart is its beautiful appearance. It is not probably a coincidence that many “uneducated” dog dog-fanciers often confuse our beautiful pale-yellow Hoviks with Golden Retriever. And any owner of Hovawart tell you that between Hovawart and Golden Retriever is one big difference – it is not golden. Hovawart character does not meet his charming appearance, but who said that the owners of Hovawarts love them just for appearence? I myself pfirst of all love in Hovawart his independence and self-sustaining. This is a winner and leader, this is your friend, but not a servant.
Those dog lovers who want an obedient, sweet, reliable companion must look toward other species. Hovawart will be courteous, kind, and obedient, but only in case if his muster would make quite a lot of effort, will be consistent and be able to devote to his education a lot of time in the beginning. This dog is not for the ever-busy people. But the result will justify your efforts, the more time you can devote Hovik, the faster and closer your relationship will become, the better you will understand each other, so attached to you will become your friend.
Thus, doubts and disputes in the family are already behind, you have decided on a puppy Hovawart. Congratulations! Terms of our associates has become even greater. Whom to take: a girl or a boy? The issue requires further discussion. As a happy owner of a boy and a girl, I want to share my thoughts on the matter.
Hovic girls and boys, differ not only in appearance, but also in character and behavior. Of course girls are smaller than boys, their weight will not exceed 35 kg (my bitch is quite large, but at the same time weighs about 33 kg.) Boys are higher and weigh to 40-45 kg. To keep in place such a joy, if it rushed somewhere to save all humanity at once, is rather difficult. Boys are straightforward and immediately make it clear what they want and where “pricked” his skis. Girls are good policies like real women, are ready to ” to throw dust in your eyes ” and with completely innocent look mess things up. Females are more demanding and capricious, confident, and at the same time sensitive. Slyness of Hovik girls knows no boundaries, and as a rule, it refer to the admissible limits of their actions and behavior that are defined by muster. Even the most docile Hovik periodically can pretend that somehow it not hear the commands of the owner. Her whole appearance said: ” Somewhat I can hear you bad, probably a master has voice problems.” The girls interact well with other dogs, they are not so dominant, they respect the authority of senior dogs and did not always aspire to be leaders in the company, though willing to be them. Their desire to be the first is more a whim rather than a serious bid for supremacy. As a rule, girls are easier to train, they are more flexible. The things that the boys understand at the fifth attempt, the girls are ready to execute at the first. But in the same time boys work better and are more temperamental, they often have abetter developed game and hunting instinct. The boy will work in any case: whether you like it or not. Our task is to give him the opportunity to realize their instincts to maximize benefits to you and minimalize “victims” quantety from the rest of society. And do not try to make a teddy bear of him, we must learn to manage this beautiful and strong dog. At the same time boys are always spectacular: they are powerful, strong, proud, they have beautiful heads. I would compare them with a medieval lord, who are satisfied with himself and his destiny. If the girl Hovawart is a little princess, the boy Hovawart is a king who persistently tries to explain to all members of the household that he is in charge. He does this with German thoroughness, persistently, with the charming rolling up his brown eyes. Such a king is hard to refuse, and you have to show guts and character as its owner, to resist his charms. More than one year will be spent in order to explain this to the king that the main house is the owner, and then only he. Comparing my Hoviks I can say that the boy is not ashamed to show his affection to the owner and sometimes it happens all too persistent and energetic, he always wants to be close, while still running all the time. Moreover, the speed of commands execution is much higher among boys than among girls who waits each time for the owner to confirm his command. Girls shows periodically their autonomy.
Where do we get Hovawart puppy? Question for the dog of such a rare breed is very relevant. In Ukraine, on October 1, 2009 (according to my data) are no more than 10 Hovawarts. In October, puppies were born in Zaporozhye and, hopefully, most of them will stay with us in Ukraine. Thus, the collective of Hovawarts in Ukraine will grow by another 6 Hoviks. In Ukraine, there are still no monobreed clubs because of the small size of our favorites, but I and my fellow owners of Hovawarts are always happy to give the necessary information, which we have ourselves about new litters of Hovawarts in Ukraine, Russia, or near abroad.
In many countries Hovawart is a very rare breed, and the search for a breeder and litter may require much more effort than the intention to get a dog of more popular and accessible breed.
If a breeder currently have a litter from which he can offer you a puppy, you should find out as much as possible about the parents of the puppy (appearance, behavior, character, etc.). Ask to see photos of puppies ancestors and learn about hereditary diseases. You must also be prepared to answer questions of the breeder about your experiences with Hovawart or any other breed, your social status and the potential possibility to give your puppy a decent accommodation and care, about the purpose of taking a puppy: if you want a puppy “for the family or are planning to put him at the exhibitions, engage in training; etc. At one time, getting our beautiful Olivia and glorious knight Cherokee, we certainly passed such tests with their breeders. And believe me there were many questions. Once you have inquired about the past of the puppy and the breeder has decided that you deserve, to become the owner of one of them, you can proceed directly to choosing a puppy. Sex, color, behavior, ability of a puppy are key factors in choosing a puppy and the breeder will be your aide in the selection.
You should make a decision to take a puppy with all responsibility, with the understanding of what is more suitable to your family and your lifestyle. Attachment of the dogs to the children can not be developed without special training. If the animal will be in an environment that will irritate him, the dog will obey the master out of fear that can lead to aggression. For example, a puppy should never be presented to the child as a gift. In many cases this is a spontaneous decision, and the bustle and noise of the holiday is not a suitable atmosphere for meeting a puppy with its new owners.
Rational and balanced environment, a place specially prepared be the owner for his puppy, will help the puppy to develop a balanced character, of which he is expected. After a short time a puppy can be an ideal family friend, if you gently teach him to obey.
For families who have previously had no experience of living with dogs, it is better to choose a girl, they are easily to manage, they develop maternal instinct, which will bring up an excellent guardian, without any desire for domination inherited by males. Of course, this is a generalization and in each individual case you should also take into account the particular nature of each puppy. It is important clearly understand what you expect from such addition to your family. You want, that your Hovawart would be just a companion and bodyguard for the family, or you want to develop its working qualities. Do you want your pat to take part in the exhibitions? What suits you the best starting from your free time that you can devote to a dog What does more fit to your character?
Once you have answered these questions, the breeder will select a suitable puppy or a few, than you will be able to choose yourself. If you choose from several puppies, very often the decisive factor is the color that best catch the fancy. Now you only have to find a suitable name for your new friend.
You have chosen a Hovawart, it means that you have decided on the characteristics that your dog should have, to be the best to your family and your lifestyle. If you chose a breeder, then you have taken another step forward, you have found a responsible, conscientious person who breeds dogs, and will your assistant, who you can rely on, if you and your puppy will need help.
The funniest days you will begin when the puppy will come at home.
Puppy is practically a small child. A child who is completely helpless in the world of people, and who trusts his master, with a hope that he will help him survive in a world incomprehensible to him. In addition to food, water and shelter, the puppy needs care, protection and love. If you are not ready to give it all, you are not ready to get a dog.
You might think its all is too difficult. You might feel that all your friends who are dog owners do not have so many worries. As soon as your puppy feels better in your house, it quickly becomes part of your lifestyle. In any case, neither to you nor to the puppy will not hurt such thorough preparation for taking a dog. With some patience and perseverance, it is not too difficult to grow from a curious and somewhat disorderly puppy, balanced dog with good manners – a dog that will become your most loyal friend.
TRAINING IN YOUR HOME FOR THE PUPPY PLACE
You should prepare a place for the puppy as carefully as you chose a pat. Preparation of the house depends on how much freedom you are going to give your dog. Whatever you decide, you should make sure that the puppy will have a place that he can have only for himself.
Remember that when you bring a puppy into your house, this becomes his house too. He should feel welcome in a new and strange place for him. The adjustment usually does not take much time, but the stress caused by unexpected removing to a new location, can injure the puppy.
Imagine what would feel in such situation a little kid, a puppy feels just the same. And it will depend on you how the puppy will get used to the new place.
If you have an unpredictable life, with frequent changes of regime, it can be a problem for the puppy. A puppy requires regular feeding at the same time, constant communication, familiarity with other people, education, and most important regular exercise, at a certain time. When the puppy grows, he can better bear the changes in meal times and walks.
WHAT SHOULD ACQUIRE.
Place to sleep.
A soft place to sleep in the form of bedding or mini sofa will help the dog to feel himself at home. Earlier Hovawart primitive ancestors used the leaves and sticks to arrange a place, your puppy will want to create their own cave in his place. Although your puppy is far away from his primitive ancestors, the instinct to create a “cave” had stayed.
TOYS.
Toys are needed for a dog of any age, but especially for little curious puppy. Puppies are little children, and what child does not like toys. Toys that he can chew, give pleasure, both to a puppy and to the owner – the puppy will enjoy playing with their favorite toys, and the owner – the fact that his pet is not chewing the expensive shoes or a new leather sofa. Puppies love to chew, chew is practically their physiological need, when the teeth cut and grow everything looks so appetizing. All of your assets, starting from kitchen towels and ending with oriental carpets – have no value for a puppy who is teething. When a small Hovawart is teething, everything seems equally delicious.
Puppies at this period can be given only the most solid toys. Breeders recommend abandon toys that are stuffed with something, because they are spoiled almost immediately. During a play puppy can swallow the stuffing of a toy, which is inedible.
Also very popular are squeaking toys, but they also should not be given to Hovawart. Squeaking toy can be used as an aid in training, but not as toy for the puppy that he an swallow squeaking element. Closely monitor the toys your puppy use, and immediately dispose those that look too chewed up, they can be dangerous.
Be careful with the natural bone, which can be split into small sharp pieces. Just be careful with rawhide skin, which breaks into small pieces and can easily be swallowed, as well as creating a mess on your carpet.
Leash.
Soft fabric leash is probably the best option. Soft leash is very light, it’s good for the young Hovawart, who only gets used to walk on a leash. For daily use a security fabric leash is the best option for the puppy.
When the puppy grows up, the leash should be replaced with thicker and durable. Also you should have a flexible leash. Such leash gives s possibility to regulate the length that will give the dog a fairly large area for a stroll or, conversely, will keep him close to you.
COLLAR.
Your puppy must be accustomed to wear a collar on the street constantly, as soon as you attach to it an identification card or keychain. Lightweight fabric collar is a good choice. Make sure that it leans fairly closely and the puppy will not be able to withdraw it, but at the same time, it is not strangling a puppy. You should be able to stick your finger between the collar and the neck of a pup. Puppies need time to get used to wear the collar, but with time he stop even to notice it. Tight collar can be used for dog training, but it is not recommended to use for Hovawart. This breed is better trained on the basis of rewards than restrictions.
Collar with a buckle: a standard version for everyday use. Just make sure can be regulated for the growing puppy. Check the size every day. It may be small after one night. Such a collar can be made of leather or fabric. Attach an identification card to the collar. Tight collar: set up for training. With this collar you can control the pressure on the neck of a dog, the dog immediately stops any action, as soon as he begins to feel himself uncomfortable because of the collar.
DISHES FOR FOOD.
Your puppy will need two bowls – one for food and one for water. You can purchase two sets of bowls, one for use at home and one for use outside, to feed the dog, where he spends his time. The most frequent choice – is a polished steel bowl or a strong plastic bowl. Plastic bowls dog can chew, steel is not likely to give your pet such desire.
To prevent overeating and overweighting of your puppy, you should clearly set the standards for the size of bowls for food and water selected for your pet. It is important that the bowl would be located at a comfortable height for the puppy, while taking food or water puppy can do it without bending over a bowl, but standing in a comfortable position. Then the risk that in the process of eating puppy will swallow a lot of air is lower, because it can lead to a bloating.
CLEANING.
Until the moment when the puppy is fully adapted to his new lifestyle, you have to clean very often. Unpleasant surprises can occur in the process of inurement the puppy to the toilet, because the puppy does not understand where he can do it. Anything you can do to prepare yourself to clean up immediately, as soon as it is needed. It would be nice to stock up special absorbent diapers for puppies or absorbent baby diapers, as well as safe cleaning products. The duration of inurement to the toilet is individual for each puppy. But basically, at the age of 6-7 months all the puppies are ready to do his toilet in the street only on the condition that you will be able to go outside at least 3 times a day.
Other requirements of a puppy.
All said above was a necessary foundation for a comfortable stay of a puppy in your house. Once you cope with the basic needs, you will see that besides them there are a lot of other things that are required, namely, the care for a puppy, protection against fleas and ticks, children’s caps to ensure that the puppy would not got into those places where he may get injured. A set of these items may vary depending on where you live. But you should always have all that is necessary to feed the puppy and ensure his health, both physical and spiritual in the new house.
Small can and can not in the life of a puppy.
Buying a puppy you should ask the breeder how has he fed the puppy and in the beginning follow the same feeding schedule and the same menu. You should start feeding the puppy with the food that he used to have by a breeder, the breeder should give you food for a few days, to use in the beginning. You should not be too actively involved in the process of feeding, otherwise you risk to spoil your puppy, you do not need to feed the puppy, he should be able to eat herself.
From the first day teach the puppy that some things are possible, and the others are strictly forbidden impossible. For example, the puppy will want to inspect the bathroom and other rooms where the animals should not come. When this happens you should tell strict “No” to the puppy and remove him from the room. If the puppy try it once more, he should be again removed out of the room the puppy will quickly understand the ban.
Of course, you should never leave a puppy unattended in the street, but a puppy can be released to frolic in a private yard, where you are convinced in his safety.
Carefully examine your lawn and yard, before you bring the puppy home. Many plants have leaves, stems, flowers, which are toxic and poisonous, and you can not protect a puppy from their study. Therefore you should limit access of your puppy to them.
First visit to the Veterinary.
You have chosen a puppy, your home and family ready for its reception. All that’s left to do is pick up the puppy home. But it is not so simple.
Still you need to plan your puppy’s first visit to the vet. Perhaps the breeder will be able to recommend you to someone who has experience of working with Hovawart or similar breeds, you may be familiar with other dog owners, who may recommend a good specialist. In any case, you should arrange a visit in the first days after you picked a puppy home.
The first visit will consist of a comprehensive inspection that would verify that the puppy has no ailments that may be invisible to you. Also veterinarian will develop a schedule of vaccinations for the puppy, the breeder will tell you what immunizations have already been made, and the veterinarian will do the rest.
MEETING the family.
Everybody will be delighted by the appearance of a puppy, everyone wants to play with him and to cuddle, but it’s better that the acquaintance will not happen so fast, not to overwhelm your puppy. He’s already confused. He was separated from his family and the breeder for the first time, and a trip to your house – is his first trip in the car. The last thing you want the puppy to feel depressed, and active examination may only scare him. We should not think that any contact is not desirable at this point, because at this time forms the bound of a puppy with his family. Mild treatment and gentle words will help to soothe the puppy, so you should leave him for some time alone that he could safely explore the territory (of course under your supervision).
As soon as the pup got to know his new family, he must be given time, that he could calmly consider the territory. Puppy may revolve around family members or independently explore the surroundings. Gradually, all family members should spend time with a puppy, dropping to the floor, to be on a par with a puppy, letting him sniff their hands and gently patting him. A little puppy definitely needs human attention and touch, in this way forms the attachment by the puppy to the family.
Choose a puppy from a few sweet snouts is not easy. To choose a puppy with appropriate for you temperament is important, because all the puppies have their own personality, some of them may pass you by the character more or less. Mobile, independent puppy suit people with older children, shy puppy will not produce a lot of noise and destruction. Breeder knows the puppies better than anyone and will help you to decide.
Good luck to you and your little Hovik!