The Havanese ("Habaneros" in Spanish) is also known as the Havana Silk Dog. These little "charmers" are a part of the Bichon Family and are descended from the same bloodlines that produced the Water Spaniel, Poodle, and Portugues Water dog. It is believed that during the days of the Spanish Empire they were brought to Cuba by sea captains to be sold to wealthy Cuban families as well as given as gifts to win the favour of wealthy senoras. The breed is thought to have developed without outside influence and evolved unique adaptations for the hot cuban climate. It is a remarkably heat-tolerant dog, due to its unique coat. The coat is like raw silk floss, profuse,but extremely light and soft, and insulating against the tropical sun. In its native country, the coat was never clipped for this reason, and the hair never tied into a topknot, as the Cubans believe the hair protects the eyes from the harsh sun. It loves the water and is an accomplished swimmer. By the mid-eighteenth century, they became very popular in Europe. Queen Victoria owned two and Charles Dickens had one called Tim, which was much beloved by his seven children. They were exhibited in the early European dog shows and type was well-established. In Cuba meanwhile, the times were changing. The aristocracy of the sugar barons was dying out and a new class was emerging, the bourgeoisie, and the little dog of Havana, adaptable as always, became an exceptional family dog, playmate of children, watchdog, and herder of the family poultry flock. It is a position he has held there for the past hundred and fifty years. During the Cuban revolution, the Havanese began to die out except for a handful of them who found their way to the United States where they have slowly but steadily been rebuilt. All the Havanese in the world today, except for those from the "iron curtain" countries and those remaining in Cuba, stem from those 11 immigrants. Through out of their travels Havanese type has remained virtually unchanged from that of the dogs in the eighteenth century
ORIGIN
The breed comes from the Western Mediterranean region and has developed along the Spanish and Italian costal region. It would seem that these dogs were imported early to Cuba by Sea Captains. Erroneously, the most frequent brown colour of these dogs ( tobacco) gave birth to the legend which would mean it to be a breed originating from Havana, capital of Cuba. Political events led to the total disappearance of the old bloodlines of the Havanese in Cuba; apparently a few dogs were successfully smuggled out of Cuba whose descendants have survived in the USA
GENERAL APPEARANCE- The Havanese is a sturdy little dog, low on his legs, with long abundant hair, soft and preferably wavy. His movement is lively and elastic. TEMPERAMENT - Exceptionally bright, he is easy to train as a watchdog dog. Affectionate, of a happy nature, he is amiable, a charmer, playful and even a bit of a clown. He loves children and plays endlessly with them. SIZE-Height at the withers from 23-27cm. Tolerance from 21-29cm.
COAT & COLOUR- Hair : undercoat wooly and not very developed, it is often totally absent. The topcoat is very long(12-18cm in adult dog), soft, flat or wavy and may form curly strands. The usage of scissors to cut the length of the coat and all trimming is forbidden. Exception: tidying up the hair on the feet is permitted, the hair on the forehead may be slightly shortened so that it does not cover the eyes and the hair on the muzzle may be slightly tidied up, but it is preferable to leave it in natural length. Colour: there are two varieties of colour. Rarely completely pure white, fawn in different shades of light fawn to Havana brown ( tobacco colour, reddish brown); patches of those colours in the coat; slight blackened overlay admitted. Permissible colours and patches ( white, light fawn to Havana brown) with black markings. Black coat.
HEAD - Of medium length, the relation between the length of the head and that of the trunk ( measured from the withers to the base of the tail) is 3/7. Skull: flat to very slightly rounded, broad, forehead rising; seen from above it is rounded at the back and almost straight and square on the other three sides. Stop: moderately marked. Nose: black Muzzle: narrowing progressively and slightly towards the nose but neither snipey nor truncated. Lips : fine, lean, tight Jaws/Teeth: scissors bite. A complete dentition is desirable. The absence of premolars (PM1) and molars (M3) is tolerated. Cheeks: very flat, not prominent. Eyes: quite big, almond shape, of brown colour as dark as possible. Kind expression. The eye rims must be dark brown to black. Ears: set relatively high; they fall along the cheeks forming a discreet fold which raises them slightly. Their extremity is in a lightly rounded point. They are covered in hair in long fringes. Neither propeller ears ( sticking sideways) nor stuck to the cheeks.
NECK - Of medium length FOREQUARTERS - Forelegs straight and parallel, lean, good bone structure. The distance from the ground to the elbow must not be greater than that between the elbow and the withers. BODY - the length of the body is slightly superior to that of the height at the withers. Topline is straight, slightly arched over the loin. Croup noticeably inclined. Ribs well sprung. Belly well tucked up. HINDQUARTERS - Good bone structure, moderate angulation. Feet of slightly elongated shape; small tight toes. TAIL- Carried high, either in the shape of a crozier or preferably rolled over the back; it is furnished with feathering of long silky hair. GAIT - According to his happy nature, the Havanese has a strikingly light-footed and elastic gait; forelegs with free stride and pointing straight forward, the hindlegs giving them the impulsion and moving in a straight line.
FAULTS - Any departure from the forgoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Faults * Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. Note* Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum .
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Havanezer / Havanese
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