Today, we had finally some good weather. We went to the Belgian coast with the 4 sisters. It was the first contact with the beach for them. They enjoyed it! We made a walk. The pups just followed us. They behaved very well. We had a lot of fun. 

More pictures : click here                                                                                                                  Video : click here

We've received very nice pictures of Bo! It's so nice to see him evolving this way.  

On the profile of Bo pictures of him can be found that we've received from his new owners. 

We got this nice video of Bo :).

The adventures of Liana, Lupine, Laguna and Lucia can be followed via the (meanwhile) 3rd part of the diary. 

A dream has come true. Sunday March 24, 2013 the first canine freestyle competition of the year took place in Theux (Belgium) organized by dog school EEC Jean Cokaiko. It had been snowing, so the roads were slippery. I’ve participated with two dogs : Havanese Dalia and Havanese Emilia in the Musical Freestyle competition (not in the Heelwork to Music competition).

Advanced
Dalia : 2nd place (on 7) with 9,32 !!!
Music : Globus - Europa (Heaven help in all our battles : Intrumental version)
With Dalia I’ve shown the routine on the music “Europa” (Heaven help in all our battles) by Globus. We had so much fun. In the beginning of the routine, she was a little bit distracted, but soon I had all her attention and we just enjoyed the performance. Dalia is such a wonderful dog. It was her second performance in the Advanced class and she got the 2^nd place !!! She got 9.32 points. The first place went to the recent International Freestyle winner at Crufts J. I never believed this would be possible with a Havanese. I’m sooooo proud of Dalia! She is really an amazing Havanese.

VIDEO Dalia

Fun & Feed
Emilia
Music : Nneka - Heartbeat
With Emilia I’ve participated in the Fun & Feed class at the end of the competition day. It’s like a demonstration class. We danced on “Heartbeat” by Nneka. I was surprised to see that Emilia had still so much energy and was not distracted by the crowd. She did so well! I’m also very proud of my little girl.

VIDEO Emilia

It’s very nice to be rewarded with these wonderful results. I really want to thank our dogs for all the joy and fun they bring in our life!

A week ago we had (finally) a very sunny day, now we have snow again. But especially the puppies of Dalia loved it!

Finally some sunshine in Belgium. The pups enjoyed and played a lot in the garden. 

Despite the snow, the agility test took place at dog school Hoba. I've participated with Havanese Emilia and English Cocker Spaniel Nikita. Both passed the test ! I'm proud of them! More pictures click here.

We had a great afternoon with Anja. Dalia's puppies could play with Anja's young Havanese and even Chinese Cresteds. More pictures click here.

This weekend Tiziano, the son of Havana and Valter, stayed with us. He has been playing well with the other Havanese.

We get regularly an update about little Bo who lives in Wuustwezel. We think it's wonderful to be able this way to follow him up while he is growing. 

We've made a profile page for every puppy of Dalia (Liana, Lupine, Bo, Laguna and Lucia) which can be found via the page "Our dogs" (more info and pictures will be added later).

On the profile of Bo pictures of him can be found that we've received from his new owners. 

The adventures of Liana, Lupine, Laguna and Lucia can be followed via the second part of the diary. 

This afternoon we've visited Nadine in Vinkt where Billy, the father of the puppies of Dalia, lives. It was the first time the puppies met their daddy. 
The puppies (Liana, Lupine, Laguna and Lucia) have played a lot with 6 months old Havanese Louisa-Luna.

 
 
           More pictures of Billy           More pictures of the visit

This evening, I've attended the first aid course about dogs and cats organised by the animal hospital VvD in Berchem where I also do my internship. After 30 minutes of theory, we had three parts of practice. It was a very interesting evening.

Yesterday, Dalia's puppies became 8 weeks old. They are all beautiful, playfull and curious puppies. Today, Bo went to his new home. We miss him, but we know that his new owners will take very well care of him. 

               Liana                               Lupine                          Lupo Dal Bo                          Laguna                         Lucia

The last pictures of this litter can be seen via journal. These are the pictures from birth till 8 weeks. On the following page more pictures can be found, and also on the profiles of the puppies (under construction).

Here soms pictures of our dogs having fun in the snow. It was the first time the puppies of Dalia could play in the snow. They love it!

Today, I've participated to an agility training in the Netherlands with our Havanese Gioia and Havana. It was very interesting. 

By the end of August 2012, a television production from the Netherlands contacted us to ask if they could film our hobby with our dogs. They interviewed us about canine freestyle. It was a show about animals and the passion of people for animals of André van Duin as "Jan Wijdbeens".

Reportage can be seen via the next link from  2.30 minutes : http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1317463 

More information (in Dutch).

REVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES WITH OUR HAVANESE in 2012

Activities: Dog Dance Competitions - Dog Dance Demonstrations - Obedience - Agility - Show

It was not an easy decision to make because we don't like the idea of operating a healthy dog, but we've decided to neuter Vita. She is a Havanese female of 7 years old. The problem of Vita is that she had period of being in heat that succeeded very quickly (sometimes only 5 months in between) and that she often had false pregnancies. The risk of tumors was very high so the vet advised us to operate her. Now she is still very young and fit, so we wanted to avoid an urgent operation in future.

This morning Vita is neutered. Uterus and ovaries were removed. The operation took an hour and was very successful. Back home, the other dogs were very curious, but they understood that Vita needed to be left alone. We hope that she quickly recovers from the surgery.

This weekend the Belgium Open or Belgian championship of canine freestyle (dog dance) took place in Balen. There were many national and international participants. The competition took place on Saturday and Sunday, each time the HTM and MF in the classes beginners, novice, intermediate, innovation and advanced. 

We only participated on Saturday because of the puppies at home (Laura stayed at home puppysitting) and because of work for school (exams next week). We participated with the group The Havanese Freestylers with the routine on The Bongo Song of Safri Duo. Normally this routine is done with Havanese Dolce, Vita, Dalia and Mistica, but Dalia (who has puppies at the moment) was replaced by Gioia. It was a challenge to teach another dog the exercises and working together with another dog is only a few weeks. But we are very proud of our dogs!!

With this routine we've also participated on the show La France a un incroyable talent (France got talent). Click on the link to see more pictures/text (in Dutch).

We obtained a 4th place international and a 3rd place national in Innovation and a 3rd place with the club (G.H.V.). We had a nice and relaxing day. We got soms nice compliments from French competitors. That means a lot to us. 

Dolce & Vita	Gioia & Mistica	Gioia & Mistica

More pictures : click here (coming soon).

Today the club held a agility test to which we participated with our Havanese Emilia and English Cocker Nikita. They had to do a full trail with all obstacles on time. They both passed! We're very proud!!

It's been very good news that Dalia and the puppies are doing so well. It was less good news about Gioia. Sinds Monday evening she's been staying in the animal hospital because she had stomach ache since a few days. Monday she also started vomiting. In the hospital she got fluids and medication. Several tests were done (blood, ultrasound, ...). She probably has enteritis, but it's not sure what caused this. Yesterday in the afternoon, we'd visited her in the hospital. It was heartbreaking to see her there. This afternoon, she could come home again. She's still a bit weak, but she's recovering. Luckily she's eating again.

This evening I (Kristine) have attended the puppy evening at animal hospital VvD. Three presentations were given : one about food, one about fleas, ticks and worms and one about behavior and education. It was an interesting evening. 

Dalia gave birth to 5 gorgeous puppies! The first two puppies were born in the animal hospital. Dalia didn't have enough contractions (primary uterine inertia). In the hospital they gave her fluids and oxytocin. They also did a blood test.

 These are the puppies :  

The first puppy was born on 19.05h. It's a red parti female. 

The second puppy, a female, was born on  19.26h. She is also red parti coloured.

The other three pups were born at home.

The third puppy was born on 20.25h. We had to help a bit during the delivery. It's a cream coloured male. The fourth puppy was born on 20.36h. It's a red irish pied girl. The fifth and last puppy was born on 20.57h. It's a cream coloured female with some darker spots on the back.

Dalia showed immediately what a great mom she is. We're proud of her! But she's still very tired. We are happy that it all ended well. We've had some unforgettable moments. And now we enjoy every moment! 

: Geboorte en dag 1

We've shown the routine on the Bongo Song of Safri Duo with The Havanese Freestylers. This time, Dalia couldn't participate. She's pregnant and of course stayed at home resting. Gioia 'replaced' her. She's not used to work with other dogs and she didn't know all exercises until a few weeks ago. We are very happy with the result. 

Nikita showed the routine on Rolling in the deep of Adele twice (full version). She was very enthusiastic and did very well. We got some nice reactions from the public. 

More pictures : click here.

Today we've participated to the canine freestyle (dog dance) competition of dog school LIHOS in Genk. We've performed with Mistica and the three sisters Lucca, Jolie and Dafne. It was a very cold, rainy day. The dogs were soon very wet. Luckily the competition took place indoors. We are very proud of our little dogs. 

Initiation
Dafne : PASSED !!!
Music : Flo Rida - Good Feeling
Havanese Dafne was born with us 23 months ago. Today we've participated to the Initiation class and she passed! Now she can compete for points. She did very well. She was not too distracted, had a lot of attention and was very relaxed, vivid and active in the ring.  

Beginners
Jolie : 6th place (on 9) with 7,98
Music : Don Diablo - Animale
Jolie behaved like a wild animal in the ring which suited well with the music :p. She was jumping and running around. She showed her lovely playful cheerful temperament. We had a lot of fun. Unfortunately not all judges appreciated her enthousiastic way of 'dancing' which resulted in not even an 8. We are disappointed because she deserved to get an 8. She did all the exercises on her own funny playful way. We've had a lot of fun, that's all that matters! 

Novice
Mistica : 6th place (on 8) with 8,16
Music : Lykke Li - I follow rivers
Right before the start, Mistica had to say hi, but as soon as the routine started she had again a lot of attention for the handler. She was active and enthousiastic. Her tail was wagging during the whole routine. 

Fun & Feed
Lucca
Music : Emeli Sandé - Heaven
Lucca surprised us today. She had never competed before and only participated to one demonstration. Today she showed her dancing skills. She did so well! Lucca is rather timid, but she didn't show this in the ring. She worked enthousiastic and with precision. She had a lot of attention. The judges were positive about her. She is ready for competitions. In the routine we show a lot of exercises, but we need to introduce more pauses in it, according to the judges. 

More PHOTOS of Dafne, Jolie, Mistica and Lucca : click here 

Today I've participated at the Agility competition of HS 't Kruierke with Havanese Gioia and Havana. The weather was not so good. 

Gioia and Havana run in the 1st grade small. It's the first and only competition of Agility we've done this year.

Agility trail : 
Gioia : 4th place on 20 !!! And she got an U (excellent) !! No faults. Havana : DQ (she was frightened by the loudly barking dogs right next to the tunnel, I can't blame her).

Jumping :
Gioia : 13th place : 12 time faults and 5 penalty points. 
Havana : 12th place : 17 time faults

We've had a pleasant day. I'm proud of these two girls. They don't have much competition experience, but they love doing Agility. I'm very proud to get an U (excellent) with a Havanese. That's more than I could wish for.

For the course Physiotherapy for animals at KATHO of dr. Muylaert I've brought my dogs Havanese Emilia and English Cocker Nikita with me. They behaved very well. After the dog, we examined the horse.

The next week (19th of October) Nikita has accompanied me again to Roeselare for the oral part of the examination of Animal Physiotherapy. 

Today we participated with our Havanese Dolce, Vita, Hippy and Itala to the socialization test at dog school Holvensche in Geel. All dogs PASSED !! They did all the tests without any problems. We are very happy!!

From left to right : Linda with Dolce, Kristine with Vita, Linda with Itala and Kristine with Hippy. All passed :)

The dogs who have passed receive an official certificate as proof of their social behavior towards people and other dogs. This test is also obliged to get the certificate of obedience and agility.

The test is examined by 2 judges. The main goal of the test is to verify if the dog behaves socially towards people and dogs and in traffic.

Today we've participated to the attestation day of Saint Hubert in Temse with Havanese Jolie and Dafne. Both girls obtained the certificate/attestation (permission to the LOSH breeding). 

Today we've participated with The Wet Nose Dancers to a dog dance (canine freestyle) demonstration near Brussels. 

The first demo took place on the grass. We were surrounded by a large public. Kristine danced with Havanese Dalia on the music "Good Feeling" of Flo Rida (full version). Dalia was super enthusiastic and was running around with a lot of joy. She had so much attention and clearly enjoyed performing. We are so proud of her!

Mistica danced with Linda on the song "I follow rivers" of Lykke Li. Her tail didn't stop wagging. She is such a funny dog!

The public was very enthusiastic and several people came to us to congratulate us for the nice performance. That's very nice to hear. 

After a break, a second demo took place on a stage in the middle of the street. Unfortunately, a Brazilian dance crew passed the street at the moment that we were about to start with Havana. They made a lot of noise! Havana danced with Kristine on "The riverside" of Agnes Obel, but we decided not to finish the routine since Havana was impressed by the very loud drum rolls of the Braziliano dance group. Performing must be a positive experience, never a negative one.

After the group stopped making loud drum rolls, the demo continued. Linda worked with Mistica. She did again fantastic! After the demo, all dancers came back on the stage doing some tricks. This time Havana was very relaxed and everything went perfectly. It's important for us that this demo ended in a positive way and it did. 

It was a very pleasant day. Very unique to perform in the streets in Brussels in front of such a large crowd! 

More PHOTOS of Dalia, Mistica and Havana : click here

Today we've participated to the Dog Dance (Canine Freestyle) competition of  dog school the Belgian Border Collie Club in Vlimmeren. We've particpated with our Havanese Quenna and Gioia and English Cocker Nikita
The competition took place in a tent on grass. We had a lot of fun and we are very happy with the beautiful results!

Beginners
Quenna : 8th place (on 12) with 8,57 !!!
Music : Gotye - Somebody that I used to know
Quenna was a little bit distracted in the beginning of the routine, but soon Linda could capture her attention. The rest of the routine was very good. It's always fun to work with Quenna who has a lot of attention and a will to please.             

Beginners
Nikita : 3rd place (on 12) with 9,11 !!!
Music : Adele - Rolling in the deep
It was Nikita's first competition this year and she really enjoyed it. She was enthusiastic. Despite the problems with the stereo which made it very difficult to hear the music in the ring, we were able to show the routine the way it had to be. Nikita was hardly distracted by the grass. We got a very good 3rd place! Super! 

We were also rewarded with a special price for the "most promising routine"! Thanks!!

Novice
Gioia : 2nd place (on 7) with 8,72 !!!
Music : Jovanotti - L'ombelico del mondo
Gioia surprises us every time. She has her own style. She made us very proud by obtaining a wonderful 2nd place in the Novice class! 

More PHOTOS of Quenna, Nikita and Gioia : click here 

Today we've given a canine freestyle (dog dance) demonstration with The Wet Nose Dancers in Bornem. We've participated with the four sisters Lucca, Emilia, Jolie and Dafne. Our "puppies" are 21 months old now. It was so nice to be able to work with four siblings on the same occasion. We are very proud of them! 

For Lucca it was the very first performance outdoors. She danced with Kristine on a brand new routine on the song 'Heaven' of Emeli Sandé. Lucca who is rather timid by nature did her very best. We had so much fun! 

Linda showed with Dafne the routine on the song "Somebody that I used to know" of Gotye. She did her best!

Kristine also worked with Emilia on the song "Heartbeat" of Nneka. Emilia is like her mother Havana : a lot calmer outdoors than at home. But still, she enjoyed it. 

Our crazy Jolie could also show her skills with Kristine. She is a Havanese with a huge will to please. She is so enthusiastic. They danced on "Good Feeling" of Flo Rida. You always have a big smile on your face when you work with Jolie.

More photos of our dogs : click here.

Today we've participated with The Wet Nose Dancers to a dog dance (canine freestyle) demonstration in Duisburg. It was a hot day! We often made our dogs wet so they would cope better with the heat. 

We've shown twice the quattro act (The Bongo Song van Safri Duo), this is the routine of the Havanese Freestylers (Dolce, Vita, Dalia,  Mistica). We've also participated with Gioia. All dogs did very well despite the heat. They make us so proud. 

More photos of our dogs : click here

This afternoon, the club championship of dog school Hoba took place. I've participated with my English Cocker Nikita and Havanese Emilia. The sun was shining very hard. It was a bit too hot. Emilia made a few mistakes which she normally doesn't (maybe she felt the nerves of the handler, shame on me). Nikita was a bit distracted in the beginning because she saw one of the helpers sitting next to the trail. She wanted to say hi, but soon I got her attention back and she did well during the rest of the parcours. We're proud of them!

After the competition they made a fun parcours. Two handers and their dog had to run. The fasterst runners had to compete again until one was left. Emilia did sooooo well. She became 2nd! The winner was a competition dog, so I can be very proud of my beginner dog!

 

Thank you Linda for the pictures.

At 6 PM, the resultes were given. Nikita won the first price of the agility beginners!!  

I still had to hand over my paper about the canine athlete to my coach Ellen Martens of Het Waterhof where I've done my internship the past academic year. It was a good occasion to let some dogs our ours check by this canine physiotherapist. 

 
 

Thank you Nathalie for the pictures.

   Emilia : " I want to run too !! "                                                             " Yes ... my turn !! "
 
    " I'm coming ... "                                         Weaving                                                Nikita 

Today our youngest dogs are 20 months old. Time for a photoshoot :). 

TIZIANO   Je Tiziano del Paradiso di Cani
 
LUCCA   Jolie Lucca del Paradiso di Cani
 
EMILIA   J'Emilia del Paradiso di Cani
 
JOLIE   Jolie Siena del Paradiso di Cani

DAFNE   Jolie Dafne del Paradiso di Cani 
 

4 sisters Lucca Emilia Jolie Dafne

Today we've done the obedience test from class C to B1 with English Cocker Nikita and Havanese Emilia and they both passed! Well done girls!

Today we've given a dog dance demonstration with The Wet Nose Dancers on the Natte poten, dolle neuzen day in Beervelde. The weather was good. 

It was a nice day. We've performed with the Havanese Freestylers (Dolce, Vita, Dalia, Mistica) on the music The Bongo Song of Safri Duo. We've also danced with Emilia. We had a lot of fun all together. We are proud of them! 

More photos of our dogs : click here

Today we've visited the Havanese of Nadine in Vinkt. It was a sunny summersday. The dogs enjoyed the sunshine and played a lot.

Our Lucca, Emilia, Jolie, Dafne, Itala and Dalia :

Red Havanese in different shades (Kubana, Kalima, Kesara, Bibi, Rose) + Four sisters of Princess and Red (Kuenna, Kuerida, Kubana, Kalima) :

Sister and brother (Romina and Billy-Boy) :                                                                         Princess :

Valter, daddy of our Havana's quintuplet and crazy of our Dafne :

Four daughters of Havana and Valter (Lucca, Emilia, Jolie, Dafne) + Pepita's daughters Kokonut and Kissy-Mocca + Billy-Boy :

Jolie, Dafne, Dalia :                                       Dalia :                                                       Kalima, Kubana, Itala :

Pups of Pepita and Julio :                    Kittens of Marie :

Today we've participated to the dog dance (canine freestyle) competition of dog school Te Lande in Reningelst. We've performed with our Havanese Jolie, Mistica and Dalia. 

Beginners
Jolie (Jolie Siena del Paradiso di Cani) : 1e place (on 5) with 8,76 points !!!
Music : Don Diablo feat. Dragonette - Animale
Jolie is the first Havanese born with us with whom we participate to a canine freestyle competition for points and she got a 1st place !!! We are sooooo proud of our little girl !!  

In the routine, Jolie opens a cage to free herself. She meets wild animals like a snake, a monkey, a tigre, a cheetah and a wolf. In the end she jumps in the arms of the handler. 

     VIDEO Jolie

Novice
Mistica : DQ
Music : Lykke Li - I follow rivers
Mistica was very enthusiastic and so happy that she could perform. In the beginning of the routine she wanted to greet the judges, but unfortunately she left the ring. She came back and the rest of the routine was perfect. So, no points for Mistica, but we are still very proud because she did so well. She is a wonderful Havanese to work with.

Advanced
Dalia : DQ
Music : Globus - Europa (Heaven help in all our battles) instumental version
Dalia danced for the first time in the advanced class! The fact that we got to this class with a Havanese is a big achievement. Dalia has done her very best every single time on each competition. But today, she was in the same happy mood as Mistica and she wanted to greet the judges as well and therefore she stepped out of the ring. No points for Dalia either, but again a very good performance. She is a fantastic Havanese!  

More PHOTOS of Jolie, Mistica and Dalia : click here 

Today we've participated with the other members of THE WET NOSE DANCERS to a canine freestyle (dog dance) demonstration in Alden Biesen (Bilzen). It was a rainy day with a lot of wind. Not so easy to perform. But we are very proud of our dogs who did so well :).

Emilia danced for the second time on the music Heartbeat of Nneka. In the beginning she was a little bit distracted, but soon she had all her attention on me and did very well.

Mistica showed for the first time the new routine on the music I follow rivers of Lykke Li. She was so enthusiastic and very fast, as usual. 

Nikita danced on the full version of the song Rolling in the deep of Adele. She did very well too. 

Also Havana could show her dance moves on the music The Riverside of Agnes Obel. Havana did very well. She is calmer than at home, but we're still proud of her! 

Dafne danced for the first time with Linda. She showed the routine of Quenna :  Somebody that I used to know van Gotye. She made such a huge jumps. She got a bit distracted by something she found in the grass, but she did so well just like the others.

We are very proud of our dogs who did so well in this crowd. They had a lot of fun. It was a nice day.

More photos of our dogs : click here

This evening we've participated to the obedience test from class D to C with Lucca and Dafne and they passed!!  

Nikita, Quenna and the four sisters Lucca, Emilia, Jolie and Dafne have now done this test. We're proud of our girls! 

Today we've participated to the  Dog Dance (Canine Freestyle) competition of RCCDISH in Waver. We've performed with Jolie, Quenna and Gioia. Our doggies were a bit distracted by the large hall and huge ring.

Initiation
Jolie (Jolie Siena del Paradiso di Cani)
Music : Flo Rida - Good Feeling
Jolie is the first Havanese born with us with whom we participated in the Initiation class. She passed so now she may enter the competition for points. We are sooo proud! 

Beginners
Quenna : 6th place (on 6) with 7.95
Music : Gotye (feat. Kimbra) - Somebody that I used to know
Quenna was also impressed by the large hall/huge ring and was a bit more distracted than she normally is. But she still worked very well with a lot of enthusiasm. We don't understand why the judges didn't give her more points. Maybe the routine was missing some bling bling. It's a subjective sport ...  But we had a lot of fun! That's the main thing! 

More PHOTOS of Jolie and Quenna : click here  

Novice
Gioia : DQ
Music : Jovanotti - L'ombelico del mondo
Gioia is a dog full with surprises. Last time she rocked, now she was really stubborn. She didn't know where my mother was (next to the ring), but she really felt the need to find her and say goodbye. So, she did. Toward the end of the routine, she left the ring, said "hi", and came back. Of course this means a DQ. It's a pity because we know how smart and intelligent she is and what she can. But they are no robots. It wasn't her day.

This academic year I've done my internship with  Ellen Martens of Het Waterhof. This is an animal rehabilitation center in Velm. Ellen is physio- en hydrotherapist and sport coach. My paper of 170 pages is about the sportdog. The title is : "Training and coaching the canine athlete with specific attention for the disciplines canine freestyle, agility en canicross".

Some pictures of Nikita and Emilia during the Agility training in the rain. More pictures.

Today we've participated to the  Dog Dance (Canine Freestyle) competition of HS Cynopolis in Kapellen. We've participated with The Havanese Freestylers (Dolce, Vita, Dalia, Mistica) and with Dafne. It was her first performance. They worked very well and with a lot of enthousiasm. 

Demo class
The Havanese Freestylers
Music : Safri Duo - The Bongo Song
It's always been very nice to work with our four Havanese Dolce, Vita, Dalia en Mistica together. They motive each other a lot. That's why we've participated again with The Bongo Song to this competition. But we changed the content of the routine. It was the first time that we've shown the new version of this routine. We had so much fun! The public and judges give us very nice reactions.  commentaar.

Demo class
Dafne (Jolie Dafne del Paradiso di Cani)
Music : Flo Rida - Good Feeling
For our puppy Dafne, meanwhile 18 months old (time goes fast!), it was the first performance outdoors. She did great! The judges were also very positive about her performance. 

More PHOTOS of Dafne : click here  

On Tuesday May 8, 2012, Havanese Emilia and English Cocker Nikita got their first Agility class. They loved it!
After 7 courses, we could join the beginners group. 

Meanwhile Quenna was doing obedience. She had a lot of attention. 

A little month ago, we started doing obedience classes with Lucca and Jolie at canine club Hoba. This evening I (Linda) have done the test to go from the D to C class with Jolie and she passed! We are very proud! 

Today we've participated to the Dog Dance (Canine Freestyle) competition of Dogs@Work in Bornem. We participated with our Havanese Gioia, Quenna & Jolie. We brought also Lucca with us. It was a very relaxing and nice day. The dogs behaved very well. Because of the good weather, we've made a long walk during the break. They enjoyed it as much as we did.

Beginners (Musical Freestyle)
Gioia : 2nd place (on 13) with 8,7
Music : Jovanotti - L'ombelico del mondo
Since September 2009, we hadn't participated to a canine freestyle competition with Gioia. She was mainly doing Agility, but at home we kept practising with her, just as with all our other dogs. Gioia is a very smart Havanese. She knows many exercises and tricks. So, we wanted to try to show them again in public. Gioia has also a difficult character. If she's not in the mood, she won't do it. She can be stubborn. It's a challenge to work with her outdoors. But she did very very well on the competition. She had a lot of attention and was willing to do all the exercises. We had so much fun in the ring!! We're proud of her. 

     VIDEO Gioia

Beginners (Musical Freestyle)
Quenna : 6th place (on 13) with 8,2
Music : Gotye (feat. Kimbra) - Somebody that I used to know
A week ago, Quenna obtained her permission to enter the canine freestyle competition (Initiation) and today was her first performance for points. She had a lot of attention. We had a lot of fun. 

     VIDEO Quenna

Demo class
Jolie (Joliesiena del Paradiso di Cani)
Music : Flo Rida - Good Feeling
At the end of the competition, the demonstration class or Fun & Feed class takes place. No points are given in this class. We participated with Jolie. She did her very best! We are very proud of her.

     VIDEO Jolie

More PHOTOS of Gioia, Quenna & Jolie : click here  

Today we've participated to the Dog Dance (Canine Freestyle) competition of De Brave Bakelanders in Langemark. We've shown our routines with Quenna, Havana & Jolie. Emilia & Dafne have accompanied us today. We are again very proud of our Havanese. It was a long, but nice day. 

Initiation (Musical Freestyle)
Quenna
Music : Gotye (feat. Kimbra) - Somebody that I used to know
Quenna obtained her attestation, so she can enter the competition for points now. Next time, she can participate in the beginners class. She did very well :). 

Beginners (Musical Freestyle)
Havana : 4e place with 8
Music : Anges Obel - The Riverside
Havana worked well, but with some hesitation. Towards the end of the competition, we did some exercises next to the ring and she had a lot of energy. She was not timid anymore. 

Demo klas
Jolie (Joliesiena del Paradiso di Cani)
Music : Nneka - Heartbeat
At the end of the competition, the new class called fun & feed takes place. We've participated with Jolie, daughter of Havana, for the first time. She did very well. We are proud of her! 

More PHOTOS of Quenna, Havana & Jolie : click here  

Since April 8 we follow obedience courses with our youngest dogs at dog school Hoba. This evening, we've participated to the obedience test to go to the next class (D to C) with Quenna and Emilia. They both passed the test! We would like to start with Agility with Emilia. In order to enter the starters class, you need to pass this obedience test. So, now Emilia, and Nikita who passed two weeks ago for the same test, may start with Agility on May 8. We're looking forward to that.

This afternoon, we've visited Anja and her dogs, puppies and guest dogs. Quenna could see her sisters Fleurie and Kisha again. In the late afternoon, the weather was better. The sun began to shine. This way we could take pictures. The puppies were enjoying the sunshine. 

Puppies Kammie Su & Pillowtalk's Si Si El Corazon :
 

Thre sisters Quenna, Fleurie, Kisha (Tella & Dude) :

Our Hippy, Lucca & Quenna :

Kammie Su & son Red, Bino & sister & mother Pipotje, Doodle & mother Duja (halfsister of our Mistica) :

 
 

Today we participated with our Havanese Jolie & Dafne to the socialization test at dog school Holvensche in Geel. Both sisters PASSED !! They did all the tests without any problems. We are very happy!!

The dogs who have passed receive an official certificate as proof of their social behavior towards people and other dogs. This test is also obliged to get the certificate of obedience and agility.

The test is examined by 2 judges. The main goal of the test is to verify if the dog behaves socially towards people and dogs and in traffic.

This morning I (Kristine) have participated to a workshop in the Netherlands (Dogcenter Kerkwijk) about Canine Fitness given by animal physiotherapist Elma Bakker and dog instructor/trainer Brigitte van Gestel. The subject of this workshop is closely related to the subject of my thesis : the canine athlete and my internship with animal physiotherapist Ellen Martens of Het Waterhof. It was an interesting morning. Nikita thought it was all very exciting. 

In the workshop they spoke about body-awareness, coordination and balance of the dog. We had theory and practice. The workshop focussed on prevention of injuries, rehabilitation and improving sports performances. 

At home we continue practising. Our Havanese love doing these exercises. It's something different from the usual obedience and freestyle exercises.

Today we've participated to the Canine Freestyle competition of 't Kruierke in Balen. We've participated with Dalia, Quenna & Emilia. We are very proud of them! It was a nice day. 

The rules of Canine Freestyle have changed in Belgium since this year. We have now two distinct disciplines at competitions : Heelwork To Music and Musical Freestyle. We participate in Musical Freestyle. The length of the songs for each class is now determined. You can no longer use food in the Initiation and Beginners class. They’ve created a demonstration class (Fun & Feed) at the end of the competition in which dogs from 6 months of age may enter and you may use food and toys to reward the dog during the routine if you want.

Intermediate (Musical Freestyle)
Dalia : 1e place with 8.78 
Music : Globus - Europa (instrumental version) "Heaven help in all our battles"
We’ve shown a new routine on the music “Europa” (Heaven help in all our battles) by Globus. It’s a song about wars and battles over the past centuries ending with the words “Never again!” Dressed as a female warrior I ‘travelled’ with Dalia through different eras : Classical Antiquity, Middle Ages, Early Modern Europe, Modern Times & Recent History. Each era was represented by a ‘milestone’ with names of battles mentioned in the song. At the end of the routine I’ve shown the text : “To battle … Never again!” to the judges.
I’m very proud of Dalia!! She had a lot of attention. We’ve shown some new tricks. We had a lot of fun in the ring. We were rewarded with the highest points in the Intermediate class. She did so well!
The next competition Dalia must enter in the Advanced class, the highest level in Canine Freestyle. She will be the first Havanese in that class.
Dalia is such a wonderful dog! She has the best temperament. I’m so happy that I can ‘work’ with her!

Demo class
Quenna
Muziek : Gotye (feat. Kimbra) - Somebody that I used to know
Quenna's first dog dance experience went very well. She's never performed outdoors, so this was very very good for her. She did all the exercises as asked. The judges thought she was a happy funny dog. 

Demo class
Emilia
Music : Nneka - Heartbeat
Emilia, who is very attached to me at home, was a bit overwhelmed at the competition. The ring, all the people standing around her, the sounds and music in this large hall, ... she was distracted. She did some exercises very well. It's not easy to 'work' outdoors in new places. It's not easy with these real lap dogs. It was a good exercise for her. 

More PHOTOS of Dalia, Quenna & Emilia : click here  

Today, I had an exam to do at KATHO in Roeselare where I study Agro- and Biotechnology (Animal Care). In the afternoon, we had a practical course of Anatomy about dogs and horses. Havanese Emilia and English Cocker Nikita accompanied me during class. 

More snow to play. Lucca, Emilia, Jolie and Dafne just love the snow. They have a lot of fun. English Bulldog Cookie prefered to stay indoors. Click here to open the album Snowfun 2012.



 
 

Today our "puppies" become 14 months. Although they were born when there was a lot of snow in the garden, they've never been in the snow before. When there was snow in the end of 2010, they were close to their mom Havana growing well. Now the winter has really begun, they could also enjoy the white carpet. Lucca immediately started running around in the garden, her sisters Emilia, Jolie and Dafne followed her very soon. Their brother Tiziano (of whom we don't have any snow pictures yet) likes the snow a lot too. They all amuse themselves a lot! 
Click here to open the album Snowfun 2012.




 

 

Oud en jong hadden veel plezier in de sneeuw : 
 
 
 

Today we participated with our Havanese Lucca & Emilia to the socialization test at dog school Pattieter. Both sisters PASSED !! They did all the tests without any problems. We are very happy!!  

The dogs who have passed receive an official certificate as proof of their social behavior towards people and other dogs. This test is also obliged to get the certificate of obedience and agility.  

The test is examined by 2 judges. The main goal of the test is to verify if the dog behaves socially towards people and dogs and in traffic.