Havanese Info & Havanese Breeders

Sometimes called the Havanese Silk dog, the Havanese is the national dog of Cuba. They are of the same Bichon family as the Bichon Frise, the Maltese and the Lowchen. The Havanese may be small in stature, but it is a muscular dog with great stamina. They are known for their endearing head tilt which gives the impression that they are listening intently.

 

Havanese Temperament

The Havanese is a quiet, mischievous breed that can be very active both inside and outdoors. They are primarily companion dogs, although their jumping ability makes them successful at agilty and other dog sports.

 

They are happy and lively and make excellent companions for children an older people.

 

Skip to Registered Havanese Breeder list >

 

The ideal owner for a Havanese

Havanese dogs are intelligent and a?ectionate breed and love to be the centre of attention. They love human companionship, play well with children of all ages, and get along well with dogs of all sizes and cats.

 

These dogs have strong social needs and do not cope well with being left alone for long periods.

 

 

Training and socialisation 

These dogs are smart and training should be started as early as possible because they have a tendency to keep bad habits learnt in puppyhood. Like many toy breeds they can be very difficult to housebreak, although they can be trained to use an indoor litter tray like a cat. They are very smart and can be toilet trained faster than many other toy dogs.

 

 

How much space and exercise do Havanese need?

Due to their tropical origins, the Havanese is susceptible to the cold and should be kept mostly indoors during colder months.

 

 

Havanese & Grooming 

The Havanese doesn’t shed and is considered to be hypoallergenic dog. Despite this it is a double coated dog, although the outer coat is generally very light and soft.

 

As with most low shedding dogs, the Havanese requires regular grooming including brushing several times per week.

 

Havanese colour variations

It is understood that Havanese were historically white dogs, although they are now available with of coat colours of white, cream, fawn, red, chocolate brown, beige, gold, silver, blue, and black. The coat may be one solid colour or have markings in one or more other colours.

 

Potential health issues in Havanese

The Havanese in Australia remains a relatively healthy breed with a good life expectancy. Most of these dogs experience few health issues, although they can be prone to allergies.

 

Good breeders will still health test their puppies’ hips and elbows, eyes, patellar luxation and heart.

 

General facts about Havanese

Average life expectancy: 12-15 years 
Average weight: 3-7 kg
Average height (at withers): 23-29 cm

 

 

Havanese History

The Havanese was developed in Cuba from the now extinct Blanquito de la Habana. The Blanquito descended from the also now extinct Bichon Tenerife.

 

 

Havanese FAQs

 

1. Do Havanese bark?

Havanese are very friendly dogs and do not typically bark at strangers. They are not known for being yappy dogs. 

 

2. Do Havanese dogs change colour?

Probably. The coat colour of Havanese dogs is notoriously unpredictable, with the colour of a puppy often bearing little relationship to the colour of the adult dog. They will usually often become lighter as they age, sometimes significantly so.

 

 

Fun facts about Havanese

 

  1. Havanese are the only dog native to Cuba.
  2. These dogs have a particularly springy step, which is partly due to their relatively long body.
  3. Famous authors Charles Dickens and Ernest Hemingway both owned Havanese dogs.
  4. Most Havanese have freckled skin.

 

 

References:

Dogs NSW

PetMD+ 

 

If you are a small scale ANKC registered breeder and would like to be listed here, just contact us or follow a few simple steps .

 

We welcome helpful comments and contributions to information about this breed by email or below...

Registered Havanese Breeders

Beljala Kennels Havanese breeder, Belmont NSW
Dogs
We are a small kennel breeding for quality not quantity. Our mission is to breed happy, healthy Havanese from Supreme Champion / Champion and / or ... read more
Clockwork Havanese
Dogs
Clockwork Havanese is a registered breeder with Dogs NSW. We have been breeding and showing quality purebred dogs for over 35 years.

Havanese are ... read more
Ellingly Havanese - Havanese Breeder - Kingston, TAS
Dogs
Breeders, keepers & lovers of Havanese. We are passionate and adore Havanese. Our dogs bring much joy to our family. All of our dogs live ... read more
Hashki Kennels - Havanese Breeder - Sydney, NSW
Dogs
At Hashki, we have over 25 years of experience in showing and breeding dogs - Combining the very best from Local & International lines. I ... read more
Havanese Breeder & Exhibitor
Dogs
Edinglen Havanese - Breeding and exhibiting beautiful, healthy, happy Havanese. Havanese are hypo-allergenic and low shedding. They have a natural ... read more
Karyme Havanese - Australia’s Number 1 Havanese breeder
Dogs
Karyme Havanese - breeder of Havanese of distinction, bred with love from our home to yours.

We have puppies available as well as from time to time ... read more
Miaizar Havanese
Dogs
We have been breeding our Havanese since 2020 We have just two girls and so we do not have a lot of puppies as we try not to minimise the time the ... read more
THAATZ Havanese
Dogs
**HOME OF AUSTRALIA'S #1 HAVANESE (Show Dog of the Year 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and currently 2023)***

We have been involved in showing dogs for more ... read more