Havanese Information
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::  Havanese AKC Breed Standard  :: 

::  History  ::

Havanese Breed Standard

General Appearance The Havenese is sturdy, short-legged small dog with a soft profuse, untrimmed coat. Their plumed tail is carried curled over their back. He is an affectionate, happy dog with a lively, springy gait.

Size, Proportion: The height ranges from 8-1/2 to 11-1/2 inches, the ideal being 9 to 10-1/2 inches.

Substance The weight ranges from 7 to 13 pounds, the ideal being 8 to 11 pounds.

Major Fault: Any dog whose weight deviates greatly from the stated range.

Disqualification: Any dog measuring under 8-1/2 or over 11-1/2 inches.

Proportion: The body from the chest to the buttocks is longer than the height at the shoulders and should not appear to be square. Forelegs and hind legs are relatively short but with sufficient length to set the dog up so as not to be too close to the ground.

Substance: The Havanese is a sturdy dog, and while a small breed, is neither fragile nor overdone.

Head: Medium length proportionate to the size of the body.

Eyes: Large, almond shaped and very dark with a gentle expression.

In the blue and silver coat shades, eyes may be a slightly lighter color, in chocolate coat shades, the eyes are a lighter color. However, the darker eye is preferred.

Eye rims are black; for all colors except chocolate shaded coats, whose eye rims are self-colored.

Faults: Small or round eyes; broken or insufficient pigment on the eye rim(s).

Major Faults: Wild, bulging or protruding eyes.

Disqualification: Total absence of pigment on one or both eye rim(s).

Ears: Set neither too high nor too low and are dropped; forming a gentle fold and covered with long feathering. They are slightly raised, moderately pointed, neither fly-away nor framing the cheeks.

Skull: Broad and somewhat rounded with a moderate stop. The cheeks are flat and the lips clean.

Muzzle: The length is equal to the distance of the stop to the back of the occiput. The muzzle is neither snipy nor blunt.

Nose and Lips: Solid black on all colors except the true chocolate dog, whose nose and lips are solid, self-colored brown.

Disqualification: Dudley nose. Nose and lips other than black, except the solid, self-colored brown on the true chocolate dog.

Bite: Scissors bite preferred; a level bite is permissible. Full dentition of incisors preferred for both upper and lower jaws.

Faults: Crooked or missing teeth.

Major Faults: Overshot or undershot bite, wry mouth.

Neck, Topline & Neck: Of moderate length, neither too long nor too short. Body Topline: Straight with a very slight rise over the croup.

Flanks: Well raised.

Ribs: Well rounded.

Tail: Set high, carried curled over the back and plumed with long silky hair.While standing, a dropped tail is permissible.

Forequarters Forelegs: Well boned and straight, the length from the elbow to the withers equal to the distance from the foot to the elbow. Dewclaws may be removed.

Coat Texture: The Havanese is a double-coated breed with soft hair, both in outer and undercoat. The hair is very long and profuse shown completely natural. The coat type ranges from straight to curly, the wavy coat being preferred. The curly coat is allowed to cord.

Length: The adult coat reaches a length of 6 to 8 inches. No preference shall be given to a dog with an excessively profuse or long coat.

Faults: Short hair on all but puppies. Styling: It is permissible to braid the hair on each side of the head above the eyes, but the coat may not be parted down the middle of the back.

Trimming: No scissoring of the hair on the top of the head is allowed, nor trimming or neatening of the coat of any kind permitted except for the feet which may be neatened to avoid the appearance of "boat" or "slipper" feet.

Disqualification: Coat appearing to be trimmed in any way except for neatening at the feet.

Color: All colors, ranging from pure white to shades or cream, champagne, gold, black, blue, silver, chocolate or any combination of these colors including parti and tri. No preference is given to one color over another.

Gait Unique and "springy" which accentuates the happy character of the Havanese. The forelegs reach straight and forward freely from the shoulder with the hind legs converging toward a straight line. The tail is carried up over the back when gaiting.

Faults: Hackney gait; paddling; moving too close in the rear. Tail not carried over the back when gaiting.

Temperament Affectionate, happy.

Disqualifications Height: Any dog under 8-1/2 or over 11-1/2 inches.Pigment: Total absence of pigment on one or both eye rims. Dudley nose; nose and lips other than black, except for the solid self-colored brown on a true chocolate dog.

Coat: Coat trimmed in any way except for neatening at the feet.

History

Cubans hold that their little dogs were first brought to shore by sea captains who raised them aboard ship and used them as presents to the women of the household, gaining entry to wealthy Hispanic homes otherwise closed to outsiders. Eventually the captain would be able to arrange lucrative trading with the men of that port. the captains of different vessels traded dogs with each other so that they could return to each port with a variety of coat colors to delight the families. They must have done this extensively, because modern Havanese carry every color and nearly every variant of markings seen in dogs! There are many creamy whites, often with pale champagne markings on the ears and back, many solid blacks or blacks trimmed with white on face, chest, or toes, some silvers, sables, fauns, apricots, golds, champagne, and blues, tangerine, or pure white. All of these coats are accompanied by a black nose; but there are also chocolate coats on Havanese with brown noses. That just covered the basically solid, one-color coats, but there are also particolor combinations of color-in-patches on purest white coats (like a long-haired pinto horse would look), particolor coats with the tricolor pattern overlay of silver or faun (similar to some Border Collies), and regular tan-pointed patterns on a solid coat (as seen in the short-fur version on a black Doberman). If all this wasn’t enough, many of the deeper colors fade with age to lovely silvers or creams, sometimes leaving black tipping on ears or elsewhere.

In old Cuba these delightful dogs, Bichon Habaneros, lived exclusively in the mansions of the highest social class. This breed was never raised commercially or sold, but dogs were given occasionally as precious gifts to a friend or someone who had performed a valuable service. Like the Victorian-age wealthy Hispanic women who owned them, these dogs were not seen in the streets or public places; they lived in the rooms or interior courtyards of their tropical homes and occasionally rode in carriage. These dogs were also called the "Havana Silk Dog" because of their profuse soft coats. Only 3 families were know to leave Cuba with their dogs during the turmoil around 1960. These few exiles worked alone in Costa Rica and the USA for over a decade to preserve this breed.

After raising Irish Wolfhounds and Soft-Coated Irish Wheaten Terriers for many years, Dorothy and Bert Goodale of Colorado began looking in the early 1970’s for a small breed to raise which would have the calm temperament and intelligence they cherished in the larger breeds. After a few years of investigation, elusive references to the "Havanese" had their attention, but no one knew how they might obtain some. They chanced across an advertisement which resulted in the purchase of 6 pedigreed Havanese. With this start, the Goodales advertised in Miami’s Spanish-language papers. After months without any response, an elderly Cuban man who needed to move from Costa Rica to Texas arranged, through an intermediary, to entrust his youngest five Havanese to the Goodales. This second group had the same look and gentle temperament as the first! All these dogs, as adults, averaged around 10 pounds and stood about 9-10 inches tall at the front shoulder. Using the 1963 F.C.I. Breed standard (the only Standard available) and her years of breeding knowledge, Dorothy carefully began a breeding program to prevent the possible extinction of this breed.

Since many fleeing people expected to return in a few months, much-loved dogs may have been left in the care of a friend, a trusted maid or gardener; but not until 1991 were we sure these dogs still existed in Cuba! Then the new Havanese Bichon Club of Cuba contacted us in 1992; these people are working to determine the "purebred" status of indigenous dogs as a start to preserving this breed and its unique contribution to the Cuban cultural heritage.