Havanese Complete Breed Guide

The Havanese is very intelligent, happy-go-lucky, lively, and playful. They are quite affectionate and will become extremely attached to their human families. The Havanese are not known to be excessive barkers when taught at a young age not to bark unnecessarily, but they will alert you to strangers and make an excellent watch dog.

Originally bred and born in Cuba, short-haired Havanese are very intelligent, happy-go-lucky, lively, and playful. They are quite affectionate and will become extremely attached to their human families. The Havanese are not known to be excessive barkers, but they will alert you to strangers and make excellent watch dogs. In addition to the short-haired Havanese, there is also the possibility for wavy, curly or even corded hair. The coat of the Havanese can appear in virtually any color, including parti, tricolors, silver, blue, black, cream, gold, and white.

Lifestyle & Living Conditions

As long as your Havanese pup is properly socialized, they should be very friendly with other humans you welcome into the house, as well as other animals. The Havanese are also revered for their good nature with children and elderly folks, making a great match for young families and mature owners alike.

Exercise & Activity

The easy-to-train Havanese is a good fit for apartment life. They are content to be playful and active indoors, and while they do not require a yard to play, they do need to be taken on daily walks. These pups are have an average demand for exercise and are well-suited to less active lifestyles.

Havanese dogs are an intelligent breed and are quite easy to train. It is necessary to maintain a pack leader relationship with your Havanese to prevent a case of Small Dog Syndrome. While being firm is recommended, keep in mind they will not respond well to unnecessary harshness. They respond well to positive reinforcement and pleasant tones of voice.

Havanese have several coat varieties for choose from. In addition to the short-haired Havanese, there is also the possibility for wavy, curly, or even corded hair. The Havanese exhibits a soft double coat on both the outer and undercoat. The coat can grow to lengths of 6-8 inches and will feature a pearl hue. The short-haired or smooth coat Havanese occurs when two adults who carry the recessive gene are bred together.