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Havanese

intelligent / outgoing / funny
Toy Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

8.5-11.5 inches

Weight

7-13 pounds

Life Expectancy

14-16 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    40% 40%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    19% 19%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    100% 100%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    100% 100%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    100% 100%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    80% 80%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    80% 80%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    40% 40%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    19% 19%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    100% 100%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    100% 100%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    100% 100%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    80% 80%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    80% 80%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The only breed of dog indigenous to Cuba is the Havanese, a happy little dog with a bounce in its stride and a glint in its large, brown eyes. These energetic and gregarious pets are growing in popularity, especially among urban Americans. The Havanese is known for its lovely, silky coat that comes in a range of colors and its curled-over tail. Some owners choose to knot the coat to look like a Puli, while others clip it short to speed up grooming. Happily, Havenese is adorable regardless of their hairstyle.  Havanese make the perfect city dog because of their small but sturdy physique, adaptable disposition, and social skills, but they are happy anyplace they can draw fans of all ages. Havanese are innate trick dogs because they are intelligent, trainable extroverts with the comedic instincts of a born clown. Although they take their duty seriously and make good watchdogs, Havanese often limit their barking.

What To Expect When Caring For a Havanese

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

In general, Havanese have good health and enjoy reasonably long lives. The breed is susceptible to a number of ailments, including patellar luxation, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (which affects the hip joint), deafness, eye abnormalities, chondrodysplasia, and heart irregularities. All breeding stock is given a health clearance by a responsible breeder. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) requires that all Havanese Club of America members' dogs pass and record the results of at least four particular health tests for the breed: an annual eye exam (CAER), a hearing test (BAER), a hip x-ray, and patella (knee) certification.
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Patella Evaluation
  • Hip Evaluation
  • BAER Testing
  • Ophthalmologist Evaluation
 

Grooming

The Havanese's long, smooth, and silky coat requires daily grooming to keep it clear of mats and tangles. While the dog is sitting on your lap, you can do this by gently brushing him with a comb or soft brush. In order to shorten the time needed for grooming, pet owners frequently elect to have their dog's coat cut. Additionally, the Havanese should occasionally take a bath as needed. To avoid causing the lighter-colored hair in the area to become stained by tears, the corners of the eyes should be gently wiped every day. Regularly check the ears to remove excess wax or accumulated debris, and use a paper towel or gauze that has been mildly moistened to clean the inside of the ear-flap.  

Exercise

The Havanese needs moderate amounts of exercise. Since they are happiest when there is someone around, they will benefit from a brisk daily walk or an enjoyable play session with their owner in the backyard. Even romping about the house can be enough exercise. Never overwork a Havanese, regardless of age. It's time to head home if they are straining to keep up and are panting. Although they adapt well to both homes and apartments, Havanese do not like being left alone for long periods of time.      

Training

As long as you just employ positive training techniques, Havanese are easily trained because they are highly intelligent and eager to please. Since this breed has a reputation for being sensitive, caution must be used when correcting them. Early socialization is crucial for development. Introduce them to a range of unfamiliar environments and people in a calm manner, making sure that each encounter is enjoyable and not threatening. An excellent companion dog will be produced via patient, gentle training. They enjoy human company and get along with other non-aggressive animals.      

Nutrition

The Havanese should consume premium dog food suitable for his stage of life (puppy, adult, or senior). Watch your dog's calorie intake and weight level as some Havanese can be prone to obesity. Give your dog treats sparingly if you decide to do so. Treats can be a valuable training tool, but offering them in excess might lead to obesity. Give table scraps infrequently, if at all, and steer clear of cooked bones and items with a lot of fat. Discover which foods fit the bill for canine consumption and which don't. If you have any worries about your dog's weight or diet, consult your veterinarian.

History

The Havanese (single or plural, the name is the same) is a member of the old Bichon family of small, white dogs and is thought to have shared ancestors with the Bichon Frise and Maltese. These vivacious lapdogs have been traded by merchants on the high seas since the dawn of human civilization. Small, witty, non-productive dogs were among the things that distinguished royals and aristocracy from members of lesser social strata throughout history.

The Havanese, named after the capital city of Havana, where the breed had the greatest popularity, was the native lapdog of Cuba’s nobility and affluent planters. Depending on the source, the breed’s ancestors may have been brought to the island nation in the 1600s by Spanish colonization forces or Italian sea captains.

The breed, which was formerly known as the Blanquito de la Habana (Havana Silk Dog), was perfected over the course of its roughly 300 years in the lap of Cuban luxury, possibly through Poodle crossbreeding. The Communist takeover of Cuba in 1959 was a turning point in the history of the breed. Many wealthy Cubans who emigrated to America after Fidel Castro’s revolution carried their small dogs with them. The refugees conserved and continued the Havanese with the aid of American fanciers. The breed is becoming a well-liked option for picky pet owners everywhere.

Two of the most renowned authors in the world were among the famous Havanese owners. During his 20 years in Cuba, Ernest Hemingway succumbed to the Havanese charm. Tim was a small Havanese that Charles Dickens had around a century prior.