TL;DR; We got a dog.  It’s a Havanese.  He’s the greatest dog in the world. You want a Havanese because they’re fun, small, loving, and don’t shed much.  This article is about why we decided on a Havanese and a little about them.

The Beginning

In early 2018 we made the decision – we were going to get a puppy.  Our 3 kids are of an age where we think they are responsible enough to care for a bigger, smarter pet (read: not a fish or a guinea pig), and that they would give it the love and care required.  The lady of the house always had dogs growing up and had always thought that they were a fantastic family companion.

After looking into it for a while, we decided on a Havanese puppy, and here’s why.  We’ll cover the following here:

1. A (very) short history of the Havanese
2. Three reasons why you might not want a Havanese
3. Three reasons why you do want a Havanese
4. Why we decided on the Havanese, and our results so far.

 

A (very) short history of the Havanese:

Originally from (drumroll…) Cuba, the Havana Silk Dog was a descendant of the Bichon family of dog brought across the ocean by the Spanish after the discovery of the new world.  These small dogs were a preferred pet of the Cuban aristocrat and are thought to possibly have a touch of poodle in their lineage.  Their current descendants, the Havanese, made it to the mainland when the rise of communism in Cuba forced out many of the old aristocratic families.  It is believed that a very small number of Havanese actually made it from Cuba to the mainland, but they have been making an amazing comeback in numbers.

Havanese have a silky coat that can grow long and do not shed much, and have winning personalities – very friendly with humans and animals alike.  Havanese can come in a number of colors, and their coat can have a couple of different pigments in it.  This pigmentation can also change as they grow older – our puppy went from being almost completely white to a beautiful white and champagne mix.

Havanese have a very distinctive look to their faces, recognizable to any other Havanese owner, and typically have shorter front legs than hind legs which gives them a happy, skipping gait.

Even though Havanese are ridiculously cute dogs…

Three reasons why you might not want a Havanese

Grooming, Grooming, Grooming

Havanese have a wonderful silky fur coat that will just keep growing.  In order to make sure that it doesn’t get matted and tangled, the dog must be regularly brushed. Their fur will also continue to grow on their faces, which may require frequent handling (think barrettes or elastics) or regular trimming will be required to keep their eyes from being irritated.  Many Havanese families choose to keep their doggo cut shorter to minimize grooming, but that may also require frequent visits for professional services.  More visits means increased costs that you don’t see in some other breeds.

If your Havanese is lightly colored, you’ll also see tear staining around their eyes – they need to be kept clean both for appearance and to make sure they stay healthy.

Separation Anxiety

Havanese really are family dogs – and they can show it.  If they are left alone frequently or for too long, they can begin to get separation anxiety.  This could manifest itself in overall nervousness or even destructive behavior.  There are several strategies to reduce separation anxiety, including crate training, special toys, or ambient noise.

Havanese work best in families where someone is frequently home, and they don’t have long, consistent periods of alone time.  They will like to be around their person at all times, and they will like to get under foot.  Fortunately, our puppy is very forgiving when we accidentally step on him.

Housebreaking

While it didn’t happen to us (Sully was remarkably easy to housebreak) – there are some reports that Havanese can be a bit tricky to get to do their business outside.  When he was young, our puppy slept in a crate and we only had one instance of our puppy soiling his bed during the night – and that was probably our fault.  There were 3 or 4 times that he’s pooped inside, but that ended after the first few months and it’s nothing that you wouldn’t expect from any puppy.

Let’s just say that for us, housebreaking the dog was a lot simpler than potty training the kids.

Now that we’ve gotten through that…

Three reasons why you do want a Havanese:

All You Need is Love

The Havanese dog is extremely affectionate and typically have very friendly personalities.  They love spending time with their families (especially their families) but will happily play with other people and animals that cross their paths (including other dogs).  In general getting along (and even excited to see) other people and animals makes it easy to take them through your neighborhood or to the local park.

Our puppy is ridiculously friendly.  He wants every one and every thing to be his friend.  There is nothing he loves more than when someone comes home, or comes over to visit.  He is never aggressive with other dogs (not to say they can’t be, but he’s not).  At the time of writing our puppy is still an intact male, although that will change shortly.  We’ll see if his behavior with other dogs changes then.

Play Hard

Havanese love to play, and play hard.  They love to take part in active games and get themselves (and their families) moving.  Our Havanese loves to chase and be chased between bedrooms upstairs, to barrel after his latest squeaky toy, and especially an easy game of tug of war (note, there are right ways and wrong ways to tug of war – check it out here.)  Because they are compact dogs, they can get a lot of exercise in a small yard, up and down a hallway, or between bedrooms, they are ideal for a city environment with smaller spaces.  They also love going for walks (long and short) – and a good walk to school and back can give them all the exercise they need for the day.

Small but not Yappy

Havanese will bark – they love to get up high and bark a little at passers by.  This is not, however, a breed of dog that just loves to hear itself – it’s more of an excited hello to those passing by, whether they be other dogs, strollers, or the random child.  Havanese do not make an excessive amount of noise and can easily be distracted.  Because they are small (maxing out about 15 lbs) they are also easy to scoop up and carry with you.

To Sum it Up:

In April 2018 we found a reputable breeder, visited her to make sure we weren’t buying from a puppy mill, and added a puppy we named Sully (for short, we’ll get into Havanese naming conventions later).  We love our little Havanese, and he was absolutely the right choice for us.  A toy breed who seem to be made perfectly for families, Havanese are a fantastic dog choice for families in the city (like us), and are affectionate and easy to exercise.  They play hard, love hard, and aren’t overly noisy dogs.

If you are interested in adding a Havanese to your family, make sure you do your research.  Find a reputable breeder and understand what questions to ask before purchasing a new puppy.

Need more info on Havanese?  Check out the American Kennel Club or Havanese Fanciers of Canada