What is a Havanese?

Havanese are a small but sturdy, fun-loving toy breed. They are in the “Bichon” group of dogs that started in Europe and were spread by sailors throughout the world. Havanese ended up in the island nation of Cuba, where they became the national dog, and beloved ladies’ pets. They are also said to have herded family poultry flocks and many still show signs of these herding instincts. In Europe they were favorites as circus dogs because of their friendly, out-going nature, their intelligence and desire to learn. They are happy, loving house pets but equally happy partners in performance sports!

Their soft, luxuriant coat does not shed, but grows throughout their life, much like human hair. While there really is no such thing as a totally “hypoallergenic” dog, Havanese come close. Many people who are allergic to other breeds, including myself, find that Havanese do not bother their allergies. (as long as they aren’t washed in shampoos that are too perfumy!) The down-side of this beautiful, luxuriant coat is that it does require manitenance. Keeping a Havanese in full show coat will require regular grooming, at least several times a week for an adult coat. During the dreaded adolescent “coat blowing”, when they change from puppy coat to adult coat they will mat much more and need much more grooming attention. But, if you do not intend to show your Havanese in conformation it is fine to keep your dog in a puppy cut, either through coat blowing or permanently, if you want to totally avoid the whole daily grooming hassle! If you choose to keep your Havanese in a puppy cut you will STILL need to bring them to a groomer every 6 weeks or so, but he or she will be relatively low-maintenance in between.

Here was my beloved boy, Kodi in full show coat and in a puppy cut. I think he looked adorable both ways!

Havanese from a proper breeder in the USA should be registered with the AKC (American Kennel Club). This link is to our breed standard page. Please be careful using the AKC website. While there is a lot of good information, it can also be confusing. For one thing, please remember that the AKC Marketplace is NOT an endorsement of breeders. It is simply a classified ad section for paid advertisement. You still have to do your homework, checking out any breeder from there just as carefully as you would any other!

The AKC is one of two main kennel clubs in the USA. UKC (United Kennel Club) is also an old, respected club, but it is used more by gun sport breeds. While Havanese, including mine can be and are registered and shown in UKC, this is usually secondary to their AKC registration. Beware of any breeder that offers you registration for a Havanese from ANY registry other than AKC. ALL the others are simply commercial registration services where anyone can pay for a set of papers for any dog. They have no value beyond the paper they are printed on.