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Havanese
What is a Havanese?
Our goal is to produce a Havanese that meets the CKC breed standard for the Havanese.
The Havanese is the National dog of Cuba. They have also been called the Bichon Havanais, Toy Havanese, and Havana Silk Dog. The Havanese is a delightful little dog from Cuba that has long, silky hair and comes in a large variety of colors. The Havanese is of Bichon heritage. If you have met a Bichon type dog, you will know that they are all small lap dogs that have delightful personalities and making wonderful companions. Similar breeds to the Havanese include the Bichon Frise, Maltese, Bolognese, Lowchen, Coton de Tulear, and Bolonka.
The Havanese should be a sturdy, small dog with floppy ears. Their body should have a rectangular body, where they should be slightly longer than they are tall. They should have and abundance of long, soft, wavy hair that can be a variety of colours. Their hair should be natural and flowing and it should mimic the Havanese's carefree and casual nature. They should have an upraised tail that is plumed and carried over their back.
The Havanese is a smart and attentive breed that is easily trained. They are affectionate, happy go lucky, charming, playful and known to be a bit of a clown. They are an eager, lively, devoted family member and are a good dog with children.
The Havanese should be between 21-29 cm (8.3-11.4 inches) at the withers. They are a small dog with a sense of refinement, yet they are a sturdy and balanced breed with a moderate build that is not fragile. They should have and abundance of silken hair that is fine, soft and lightweight with a subtle airiness. Their undercoat should be light and may not be very developed. The topcoat if allowed to grow should be very long but should not touch the ground. They are considered a none shedding dog and most people trim their hair to make them more manageable as a pet. The Havanese comes in a multitude of colours and patterns.
Their head should be in proportion to their body, not being to large or to small. The nose should be slightly pointed and proportionate to their head with ears being floppy and flowing when they move. The Havanese should have Straight front and back legs. They should not have bowed legs. They are also not a short legged breed. Their legs should be in proportion to their body and should allow the Havanese to be agile when they move. They should have a prominent chest, a slim stomach and they should be slightly longer than they are tall with a straight top line that has a slight rise from the wither to the rear. The Havanese has a tail that is plumed and lightly curled over the back and they should carry it high and when they walk or run they should be proud in appearance.
Health Testing
Why do we need to health test our dogs?
Our goal is to breed happy, healthy, Havanese that comply to the CKC Havanese Breed Standard. We love every puppy we help bring into this world and as such we are committed to each puppy for their lifetime. To ensure that we are doing as much as we can to further improve the Havanese as a breed, we feel health testing is essential and above all other considerations is of the utmost importance.
If we do everything we can to start with healthy parents we can help insure that we will have healthy puppies.
What health tests should a Havanese dog have completed before breeding?
CAER exam - A test for sight. Blindness can be in one or both eyes. All breeding Havanese should have a regular CAER exam to verify that there are no ocular disorders present. The Cerf exam should be performed by a licensed Veterinary Ophthalmologist on all breeding dogs. A Havanese that has an ocular disorder in one or both eyes should never be used for breeding
Patellar Luxation - Is a slipping of the knee cap that occurs where the knee cap moves out of its normal position. This can be caused by injury or rapid growth rate and can be more prevalent in some genetic lines. A Havanese that has Patellar Luxation should not be used for breeding.
Cardiac Function - Normal heart function is of paramount importance in a Havanese. All breeding Havanese should be tested for normal cardiac function. All our puppies are also screened for normal cardiac function.
DNA Screening - Disease and trait tests are done on our parent dogs to ensure there are no genetic variants related to a specific disease or trait that could be passed to their offspring. At a minimum we test the following with our Havanese parent dogs
- Chondrodystrophy (CDDY and IVDD) and Chondrodysplasia (CDPA) Chondrodysplasia is a short-legged phenotype characteristic of many dog breeds. Chondrodystrophy, a separate mutation, also includes a short-legged phenotype as well as premature disc degeneration and increased susceptibility to disc herniation.
- Canine Multifocal Retinopathy 1 (CMR1) Canine multifocal retinopathy 1 is an inherited eye disease characterized by areas of retinal detachment. The disease does not typically lead to blindness or vision deficits.
- Von Willebrand Disease I (vWD Type 1) Von Willebrand disease I (vWD Type 1), an inherited bleeding disorder, results from a lack or reduced level of a normal blood clotting protein and is characterized by spontaneous hemorrhaging and prolonged bleeding after physical trauma.
Hip Dysplasia - Hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip socket that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause lameness and arthritis of the joints. All our parents are screened for normal hip function.