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The Havanese
Weight: 7-15 pounds
Height: 8-11 inches
Appearance
(Bichon Havanais) (Havana Silk Dog) The Havanese is an elegant breed with distinctive fur. Round and covered in soft fur is their small happy faces. Bright almond shaped eyes appear perky and a black nose ends their square muzzle. This is very important to the breed as it reflects a lot of character and soul in their expression. Their long ears are never seen because of long flowing hair. A wide neck leads to their broad shoulders and square body. Short chubby legs lead to long round feet. Covering their body is long flowing fur which is particularly abundant on top of their head which is usually held up with a bow or ribbon. The beautiful fur comes in many colors; the most common is white.
Temperament
The Havanese has a happy and extremely friendly attitude. Getting along wonderfully with all people familiar or not, this breed loves attention and knows how to get it! This breed loves playing with other dogs no matter how big they are and does great with cats and even small animals. This breed could definitely be called a “social butterfly.” Training this breed is easy because they are eager to please and love being the center of attention so many fun tricks and games can easily be taught to any Havanese. Shy, nervous, or aggressive behavior should not appear in a Havanese.
Health
The Havanese commonly has cataracts, poodle eye (which is discharge from the eye and staining), PRA (causes blindness in both eyes), dry skin, or luxating patellas (knee problem sometimes leading to lameness) but these disorders mostly appear when this breed ages. An average life expectancy for the long living Havanese is 14-15 years. They dont commonly have poodle eye and if a dog does it's lines should be stopped. They are generally a healthy breed. please refer to the Havanese Club of America for what you should list as health concerns.
Origin
The Havenese developed in Cuba and was extremely popular with the wealthy members of the country before the Cuban Revolution. After the revolution, the breed almost became extinct. However, an American breeder intervened and began working to save the breed from that fate. Today, the breed is becoming increasingly popular in the U. S. and other countries.
Maintenance
The Havanese needs plenty of grooming which is expected because of their long flowing coat. However, to prevent immense grooming the fur can be clipped short. Left long, their fur needs to be brushed two times a week plus extra fur should be trimmed away from the pads of their feet. Of course a show dog will need more grooming but for a pet this is all that needs to be done. Exercise, such as walks or play sessions, will keep this breed happy and healthy. They are considered to be a non-shedding dog They are in the category of non-allergenic. They have hair not fur and are hypo-allergenic adn non shedding.
Article Source: Great Dogs
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