Havanese

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 the pad on the move. Havanese come in just about every colour and mixture of colours.

The Breed comes from the Western Mediterranean region and has developed along the Spanish and Italian coastal regions. 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 events however have led to the total disappearance of the old bloodlines of the Havanese in Cuba; apparently, a few dogs could be smuggled out of Cuba; their descendants have survived in the U.S.A.

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.

You may have heard that the Havanese is nonshedding. Basically, people classify dogs in one of two ways "shedding" dogs and "nonshedding" dogs. While he is not a "shedding" dog in the common sense of the word, he most certainly is not as nonshedding as many sources indicate. The reality is that all dogs shed to some degree. Low or minimal shedding does NOT mean no maintenance. Your Havanese will benefit from frequent brushing/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.