Dog
Group:
Toy 
Havanese Champions
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Pronunciation:
Havanese
Breed Description:
If never primped, clipped or altered in any way, the Havanese gives the impression of being a rugged little dog. The legs are strong and allow for free and easy movement. The dark eyes and long tail are covered with long silky hair. The profuse coat varies from wavy to curly. The Havanese is a double-coated breed with soft hair, both on outer and undercoat. Adult coat reaches 6 to 8 inches, and has a pearly sheen. Some Havanese carry a short haired recessive gene. If two adults with this recessive gene have a litter of puppies, it is possible that some of the puppies will be born with smooth coats. A Havanese with a short coat cannot be shown and is a serious fault in the show arena. Some have nicknamed the Havanese born with short coats Shavanese. Eye rims, the nose and lips are solid black on all colors except the true chocolate dog. The Havanese comes in any color, including cream, gold, white, silver, blue, and black. Also parti and tricolors. In North America all colors are recognized; no preference is given to one color over another. Black and chocolate are preferred colors with many North American breeders. A chocolate Havanese must retain at least a 1 inch (2.6 cm.) patch of chocolate hair. Chocolates also have green or amber eyes. In some European countries, the black and chocolate dogs were not previously recognized. But the black dogs have been recognized for several years, and the chocolate dogs were recently recognized as well. The gait of the Havanese breed of dog is unique: lively and "springy," accentuating the happy character of the Havanese. Tail is carried up over the back when gaiting. The breed is of solid physical type and sound constitution.
Temperament:
The Havanese breed of dog is a natural companion dog, gentle and responsive. He becomes very attached to his human families and is excellent with children. Very affectionate and playful with a high degree of intelligence. These cheerful dogs are very sociable and will get along with everyone including people, dogs, cats and other pets. They are easy to obedience train. Exceptionally curious, they love to observe what is going on around them. They can be quite sensitive to tone of voice, and harsh words upset them. Instead, they need a firm, confident, kind and consistent owner. Their reputation as circus dogs is probably based in their ability to learn quickly and enjoyment in people-pleasing. It is best to teach them not to bark unnecessarily while they are still young to prevent it from becoming a habit.
The Havanese breed of dog makes a good watch dog, alerting you when a visitor arrives, but welcoming them quickly once he sees that you do. Some dogs, who have not been properly socialized, may exhibit a degree of shyness around strangers, but this is not characteristic of the breed. Havanese live for your every word and gesture. They should be neither timid nor aggressive. Dogs that do are the result of a human who is not providing proper pack leadership, and / or who are not treating the dog like a canine, but rather a human. It shows no cowardice, in spite of its size. Do not allow the Havanese to develop Small Dog Syndrome.
Height:
8.5 to 11.5 inches
Weight:
7 to 14 pounds
Health Problems:
This is a very healthy long-lived breed. However, the Havanese breed of dog is susceptible to progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, luxating patellas, poodle eye and dry skin.
Living Conditions:
The Havanese breed of dog is well-suited to apartment life. He is very active indoors and will do okay without a yard. Havanese are born to live in your home, and not in a patio or a kennel. but at the same time, they require plenty of exercise.
Exercise:
The Havanese breed of dog is playful, with an average demand for exercise. This breed needs to be taken on a daily walk.
Life Expectancy:
13 to 15 years
Grooming:
If kept strictly as a pet, the Havanese breed of dog's coat can be clipped short for easier care. If the coat is to be kept long, it must be thoroughly brushed and combed at least twice a week. There is a lotion available to prevent the hair from splitting. Clip excess hair from between the pads of the feet. The feet themselves may be clipped to look round. Show dogs need a great deal more grooming. There is little to no shedding, so dead hair must be removed by brushing. Check the eyes and ears regularly. If the ears are not kept clean, the Havanese breed of dog is prone to ear infection. The beauty of a well groomed Havanese is that he still looks tousled and carefree. Teeth should be brushed weekly, and is also best started as a puppy. This breed may be good for allergy sufferers, given their non-shedding nature. However, the Shavanese (Havanese with a short coat) have coats more like the average dog, and comparable in looks to a Papillon. They do shed.
Origin:
Following the French, Cuban and Russian revolutions, the Havanese breed of dog was almost extinct. Now rare in Cuba, the breed is on the rise in popularity outside of its native country. This dog belongs to the family of dogs called Bichons. The French word Bichon Frise means "fleecy dog" or "curly lap dog". "Bichon"; refers to the bearded appearance of the breed, as the word "barbichon"; means little beard, the word "Frise" means curly. The Bichon Havanese originated in Cuba from an earlier breed known as Blanquito de la Habana (also called Havanese Silk Dog - a now extinct breed) The Bichon Havanese adorned and enlivened the homes of aristocratic Cubans during the the 18th & 19th centuries. Bichon Lapdogs were being brought to Cuba in 17th century from Europe, they adapted to climate and customs of Cuba. Eventually, these conditions gave birth to a different dog, smaller than its predecessors, with a completely white coat of a silkier texture. This dog was the Blanquito de la Habana. In the 19th century, the Cubans took to liking the French and German Poodles, which were crossed with the existing Blanquito to create today's Bichon Havanese. In the development of the Havanese, the Blanquito was much more dominant than the poodle. The Bichon Havanese originated in the 19th century (1800-1900). It was continually bred in Cuba all through the 20th century (1900-2000) and was the preferred pet/dog of the Cuban families.
Breeding the Havanese breed of dog in the US only started in the 1970s. In the 1960s, many Cubans migrated to the US. Most Cuban refugees settled in Florida, and some brought their Havanese. A US breeder, Mrs. Goodale, saved the breed from extinction. From Cuban immigrant families, she procured six Bichon Havanese with pedigrees; a bitch with four female pups, and a young unrelated male. Later she was able to get five more males from Costa Rica. As an experienced breeder, Mrs. Goodale began working with the 11 dogs. Her first lines appeared in 1974. The UKC recognized the Havanese breed of dog in 1991, and the AKC followed suit in 1996. The CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) recognized them in 2001. Around 1980, several German breeders started finding odd-coated puppies in litters with regular Havanese. As these pups matured they did not grow full coats like their other littermates. They had feathering on the skirts, tail, legs, chest, and ears - the rest of the body hair was close lying. They oddly enough grew up to have smooth coats. Breeders got together and found that this was happening in other litters of Havanese and was not a chance genetic mutation in one single litter, but something carried in a lot of Havanese as a recessive gene. These dogs were called Smooth-Coated Havanese, but picked up the name Shavanese somewhere along the line. The short coated Havanese are not showable or breedable; however, they are perfectly healthy. Comments
The standards for all the breeds accepted to the AKC are used here for breed information, and those not part of the AKC are resourced from FCI standard information, where it is written and coded into the club rules for those breeds.
