The Havanese

Appearance

The Havanese is a sturdy little dog, low on his legs, slightly longer than he is tall, with long abundant hair, silky soft and with a slight wave. They have a straight top line but not level, slightly rising towards the rear. His movement is lively, elastic and is quite unique in that they should show a flash of pad on the move. Havanese come in just about every colour and mixture of colours.

History

The Breed comes from the Western Mediterranean region and has developed along the Spanish and Italian coastal region. It would seem that these dogs were imported in Cuba by ocean navigating Italian captains. Erroneously, the most frequent brown colour of these dogs ( Tobacco ) gave birth to the legend which would mean it to be a breed originating from Havana, capital of Cuba. The political event’s however have led to the total disappearance of the old blood lines of the Havanese in Cuba; apparently a few dogs could be smuggled out of Cuba; their descendants have survived in the U.S.A.

Temperament

Exceptionally bright he is easy to train as an alert dog. Affectionate, of a happy nature, he is amiable, a charmer, playful and even a bit of a clown. He adores children and plays endlessly with them. He should NEVER show signs of aggression.

Care / Grooming

You may have heard that the Havanese is Non- shedding. Basically people classify dogs in one of two ways "shedding" dogs and "non-shedding" dogs. While the Havanese is not a "shedding" dog in the common sense of the word, he most certainly is not as non-shedding as many sources indicate. Reality is that all dogs shed to some degree. Some more, some less. While the Havanese does not traditionally shed as some breeds do, he certainly will lose some coat in the hair brush, and where he rubs against furniture or rolls on carpets etc. The Havanese looses coat similarly to how you lose your hair. The Havanese would perhaps more accurately be described as low shedding. Low or minimal shedding does NOT mean no-maintenance. Your Havanese will benefit from frequent grooming sessions several times a week. Routine grooming helps to keep your dog's skin, coat, teeth, gums and nails in peak condition. A show Havanese should never be trimmed anywhere except on the feet.

Health

The Havanese is generally a healthy long lived little dog. This does not mean he is perfect. Just like every other dog breed, the Havanese is prone to some genetic hereditary disorders. Like other breeds with a small gene pool, some of these issues may be compounded and widespread. As the breed is still quite young in its rebuilding, some disorders are just now coming to light. If you take into account the other breeds that played a factor in the development of the Havanese, like the Maltese, Bichon Frise and Toy Poodle, it stands to reason that the Havanese will have many similar hereditary problems that are encountered in these other breeds.

Find Havanese Breeders
or
View Havanese Puppies for Sale | View Havanese Older Dogs for Sale