Havanese Dog Facts

The Havanese breed is truly the embodiment of the toy dog. Even the American Kennel Club recognizes its character as being rather playful than decorative so no grooming is to be allowed when entering a show except some trimming of the fur around the paws to give them a round aspect. As much as it is desired a Havanese should look as natural as possible and looking as much as a toy in size only. Therefore no bows or knots in its hair or grooming of its fur is accepted either.

While a toy dog breed and a companion, its character is that of a hearty dog and sturdy as well when compared to the size it presents, never giving out the appearance of being delicate. The accepted size is around 8 to 11 inches and what is interesting is that all coat colors are accepted at a contest bearing in mind every dog should have a patch of black in the fur.

With such a friendly temperament the Havanese should be the number one choice as a pet in families with well behaved children and also other pets. You will never or almost never see it shy away from new things or new people and more than once it will be able to catch the attention of somebody by performing quick tricks of cleverness. While acting very lovingly towards certain types of people even following them to the bathroom or anywhere else they aren’t as possessive of that person, not usually showing acts of aggression or jealousy towards a different pet if it enters its own space.
It is also well known that some Havanese dogs don’t like eating alone. I mean who actually enjoys it anyway, right? Once they receive their food and that person leaves the room and no one else stays with it, they grab a mouthful of food and follow the person and eat it bit by bit in the room where it can find company. Also the breed is known for its keen sense of smell, playing the game “find it”, going around from room to room sniffing everything until it can find the bit of food the owner hid.

If you’re interested in the Havanese history the name should be more than enough to catch a small glimpse of it. Developed uniquely in Cuba, either from Spanish trading or gifts to other countries, they found their way to European aristocrat families where it was known to be the companion of the little children on a certain estate. After the Cuban revolution and loss of interest the Havanese was close to disappearing when Americans became interested in them.