Celebrating FaustHouse Families’ Achievements
Over the years, our adoptive puppy families have sought out numerous activities to engage in with their dogs. A handful of families adopt dogs for conformation competition, but most pursue performance activities. AKC has many different sports, achievements, and titles for families to bond, train, and compete in with their FaustHouse dogs. Children (juniors) can also participate in events with their FaustHouse family member and earn pins, bars, and scholarships. On this page, we briefly describe activities, talk about the degree of difficulty and provide AKC links for further information. As our families achieve titles and accomplishments, we want to celebrate their successes. Please let us know ANY achievements your FaustHouse dog attains so we can congratulate the hard “work” of your family and feature photos of the handler/dog teams. Let’s briefly talk about conformation and then review some certificates that your dog can earn at local kennel clubs, pet stores, or training facilities.
Conformation Dog Shows
This competition is where a dog is assessed for how closely it typifies the ideal standard of the breed. The Havanese Club of America stipulates what traits are important for the breed standard, which the AKC judge then uses for evaluating entries. Conformation is more like a beauty pageant; a judge assesses all the havanese entries for gait, bone structure, coat, temperament, pigmentation, teeth and soulful eyes. The Havanese that the judge thinks is closest to the HCA breed standard is selected for the breed title. This type of AKC event is not as easy to be successful at competing. That is one reason why some breeders hire professional handlers to show their dogs. To compete in an AKC Conformation show, your dog must be:
- Six months or older on the day of the show
- Registered with the AKC
- NOT spayed or neutered
- No disqualifying faults, as stated by their breed’s parent organization
- In sound health with current vaccinations
AKC Family Dog Program
For puppy safety and to ensure that your dog’s behavior is appropriate for community settings, we strongly recommend that all FaustHouse puppies attend training classes. These classes, for dogs and their owners, truly strengthen family bonds. Local kennel club classes, places like PetsMart, and professional training facilities are readily available in most communities. Your puppy will learn to interact with other dog breeds, how to greet strangers, and practice crucial recall commands.
Classes are generally available beginning at 10 weeks of age and offered in succession throughout the year. Most advanced classes require successful completion of a prerequisite beginner course. When you advance through a series of courses (Beginner 1, Beginner 2, etc.) your puppy will gain life long skills and confidence. Classes generally run for 6-weeks with a small break before new sessions. The AKC Family Dog Program provides opportunities for dog owners to earn certificates, titles and medals for accomplishments.
Many Puppy 1 (or Beginner Puppy) classes include a STAR Puppy skills test at the end. When your puppy demonstrates the STAR skills to a certified evaluator, your family will receive a frameable certificate with and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Medal. This first course will help prepare your puppy for advanced training in Canine Good Citizen skills.
AKC offers numerous types of Canine Good Citizen (CGC) achievements, All advanced titles require successful completion of the basic 10-skills CGC test. Once your dog has passed the CGC test requirements, it will earn a certificate and suffix title (FaustHouse, Leader of the Pack, CGC) permanently affixed to its AKC records. Once your dog has earned its basic CGC title it is ready to move on to more advanced training opportunities.
The AKC Family Dog Program has 4 core requirements: AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, and AKC Urban CGC. The advanced Community Canine and Urban CGC classes teach your dog how to successfully maneuver in high stimulation environments (parks, crowded sidewalks, etc.) as well as to walk past tempting discarded food and potentially dangerous items. The Urban CGC training is designed for busy environments with lots of noise (cars, street lights, service vehicles, etc.). Completion of the 4 core Family Dog test provides your dog with the tools for safe, happy interactions.
Beyond CGC: Trick, Therapy & Fit Dog
After completing or in tandem with the Family Dog Program achievements, many owners look towards AKC Trick titles. The Trick accomplishments can be completed virtually, by younger family members, and five levels of competition. Teaching your dog tricks will make it the center of attention at family gatherings. If your dog has earned a CGC title, it only has to perform 5 additional tricks for an AKC Novice Trick Dog (TKN). Dog without a CGC title, must demonstrate 10 tricks to earn a TKN. Many of the acceptable title tricks (fetch, tunnel, jump, touch, etc.) are skills required for other AKC performance titles.
The Havanese personality is naturally empathic and comforting. This disposition provides natural proclivities to train for AKC Therapy Dog titles. Havanese love to connect with the elderly, sick, and people in distress. AKC does not have a program for training therapy dogs. Instead dog owners must seek out organizations that AKC has recognized for the initial training. Once a dog is certified it can then earn 6 levels of titles based on the number of hours the dog/handler team volunteer in a therapeutic setting. Not all Havanese are suited for the same kind of work. Even though they might be certified CGC, even though they might be certified TDI….. your dog will tell you by their behavior whether they like to work one-on-one, in quiet environments, with children, with adults, with elderly folks, in crowds or in private sessions. Several FaustHouse adopted dogs are therapy certified. If you are interested in the canine behavioral characteristics that best translate for therapy dogs, read this article.
The AKC Fit Dog launched in 2023 and offers noncompetitive activities where dog owners may choose different activities to earn titles. Fit Dog has three levels of titled achievements: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Dogs may also participate in the fall Turkey Trot and the Spring Scurry to earn medals. Many areas have created a Fit Dog Walking Club that selects different venues for weekly activities. If no club is available in your area, you can still earn titles by recording your weekly activities and submitting the form to AKC. Full participant information is provided here. The AKC Fetch Program is also part of the Fit Dog activities and a playtime that all Havanese enjoy.
The activities on this page are meant to encourage FaustHouse dog owners to get up, get out, and participate in a bonding activities with your pet. Again, please let us know ANY achievements that your FaustHouse dog earns so that we can display photos on our website and celebrate your successes. Your accomplishments encourage others! Additional performance activities and featured FaustHouse accomplishments are found on pages nested below this one.