Training myths
"Never teach a show dog to sit". Those who think this way have a misguided concern that a puppy that has been taught to sit will automatically sit in the show ring instead of standing. Most often, it is conformation aficionados who offer this tidbit of advice, while seasoned performance enthusiasts may snicker under their breath upon hearing it. Is one group right, and one group wrong? Perhaps they are both right but simply looking at the issue from completely different perspectives.
Havanese are clever and intelligent. They learn easily and can be taught almost anything using positive training methods. Many Havanese have a high will to please and love to make their masters happy. As many new owners can attest, it takes less than a day for a puppy to learn the word "cookie" and within a week, they also know the spelling of it. Spelling out the word C.O.O.K.I.E does not confuse many a Havanese. W.A.L.K. is not far behind. It's interesting to hear someone talk about how their Havanese can understand their every word and how intelligent they are and yet at the same time assume that they cannot possibly comprehend the difference between sit and stand.
A child knows that pulling out a ball and bat means it's time for baseball but pulling out the bathing suit means swim class. Our Havanese understand similarly. Specific equipment, as well as commands and cues, quickly let your Havanese know what's up. The Havanese is smart and can learn many things and, once he has learned, will have no trouble at switching between one and the other.
A young puppy absorbs lessons like a sponge but also has a brain like a sieve. There are so many distractions to capture the attention. You can train all sorts of things within a same extended period of time, but in any given lesson, it is best to focus only on one or two exercises. You might work on standing on the table and standing on the floor within a lesson, or in another, you might work on heeling and sitting when you stop, but you likely would not work on heeling and gaiting in the same lesson. Remember that your Havanese already naturally knows how to sit, lay down, stand and walk. Once he understands the name for a given activity or position, you can then put that specific behavior under control. That is training.
We give many more cues than we realize. Consider your grooming table. At a dog show, your puppy will be expected to stand on it, at home when you pull out the brush he will be expected to lay quietly for grooming, and when you pull out the toothpaste he will need to sit to get his teeth cleaned. Equipment does not necessarily mean a leash and collar, though it may. It also means everything else; the location, your clothing, your voice, your routine, the sounds and the order of things. In 40+ years of dog experience, I have learned that the more you teach your Havanese, the more easily the dog will learn and the more easily they learn, the more you can teach them.
Mitzi
As a puppy, Mitzi was an effervescent, bouncy, unstoppable bundle of energy. Her drive to go was as high as her will to please. Mitzi started puppy kindergarten at 3 months of age, and then went on from there. As time went by, she slowly matured from a wild hooligan into a well behaved companion, always a delight to have around.
I really enjoyed training and found Mitzi to be especially responsive, so I decided to pursue Obedience at a competitive level, but obedience was not the only thing we did. Our training led to pet therapy, agility, doggy dance, herding and rally among other pursuits. Over the years Mitzi and I tried many things and had so much fun doing it all.
Can't teach an old dog new tricks? You don't really believe that, do you? Mitzi started herding at 10 years of age and was trialling a year later. We started Rally when she was 11&1/2, earning Novice, Advanced and Excellent titles within a year. Can't teach an old dog new tricks? ..... You'd be surprised at how keen they are to learn.
Can they really?
Before you scoff that Mitzi is one-of-a-kind and the exception to the rule, let me tell you about Cricket. Cricket is another of my Havanese that grew up with multi-discipline training. By the time she was 6 years of age, she was titled in 5 different Canadian Kennel Club events, holding titles in Conformation, Obedience, Agility, Rally and Herding. No, she does not get confused and yes, she can switch back and forth with no trouble at all.
So, back to the original question. Can your Havanese tell the difference between Sit and Stand? You bet they can; and they can also learn Down and Stay, Come, Let's Go, Wait, Heel, Cookie, Dinner, Water, Bedtime, Walk, Car, Ride, Belly rub, Kiss, On, Off, In, Out, Roll Over, Wave, Hi 5, Up, Dance, Twirl, Spin, Jump, Over, Under, Speak, Quiet, Potty, Hurry Up, Where's daddy?, Ball, Chewie, Frisbee, School, Take, Give, Hold, Drop, Fetch, Carry, Get It, Gentle, Settle, Find it, Kitty etc. You get the picture. Have fun!