47 Fun Facts About Havanese

The Havanese is Cuba's national dog and holds which other distinction there?

Its only home-grown breed, though with immigrant roots: the Havanese was developed on the island from little lapdogs that European seafarers carried across the Atlantic.

Small as it is, the Havanese is valued at home in which working role?

Watchdog duty suits an alert little dog that sounds off when strangers approach: the international standard calls the Havanese easy to train as an alarm dog.

The Havanese's Cuban forerunners are thought to have been crossed with which breed?

Poodle crosses are thought to have refined the breed in Cuba, so the newcomer who takes a Havanese for some sort of Poodle is not far wrong.

In one tall tale, clever Cotons de Tulear barked as decoys to outwit which predators?

Crocodiles, the tale goes, rushed to the barking dog while the pack dashed upstream to cross the river in peace; breed historians treat the story as folklore.

The Havanese's progenitors are believed to have sailed to Cuba from which island?

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, whose name is usually traced to the Latin for 'islands of the dogs'; canary birds were named after the islands, not the reverse.

Which ancient writer is cited by those who trace the bichon family to Malta?

Aristotle mentions a tiny 'Melitaean' lapdog, and champions of Malta read the word as Maltese, though some ancient writers placed the dog's home on an island in the Adriatic instead.

Which event nearly wiped out the Havanese in its homeland?

The Cuban Revolution scattered the breed's wealthy owners, and only three exiled families got dogs out; an American breeder rebuilt the Havanese in the 1970s from eleven such dogs.

In colonial Cuba, how did a prized Havanese usually pass to a new owner?

As a gift: the little dogs were luxuries reserved for honoured guests and close friends, and the old families are said never to have sold one.

What do Havanese, bred purely as companions, famously cope with badly?

Being left alone is the hard part for a breed that trails its people from room to room, and some Havanese develop separation anxiety when shut away all day.

Which word do the American, British and international standards all use for the little Havanese's build?

Sturdy is the word in all three, a surprise for so small a lapdog; the American standard adds that a Havanese should never look coarse or fragile.

Seen from the side, what outline should a well-built Havanese show?

Longer than tall: every standard asks for a rectangular outline, and one American standard goes further and lists a square-looking Havanese as a serious fault.

Which word do both the AKC and the international standard reach for to describe the playful Havanese?

Clown: the AKC credits the breed with 'the comic instincts of a born clown', which makes Havanese natural trick dogs, and the international standard agrees it is 'a bit of a clown'.

How is the Havanese gait described?

Springy rather than far-reaching: a short upper arm combined with strong drive from the rear gives the step its bounce, which is why Havanese are shown on a loose lead at their natural pace.

Which Havanese coat colour is excused the AKC's black nose, lips and eye rims?

Chocolate dogs are the one exception to the black-pigment rule, and any nose, lip or eye-rim colour other than black or brown disqualifies a Havanese from the AKC show ring.

How does a Havanese carry its ears?

Dropped, with a fold: the ears hang beside the cheeks under long fringes of hair and, when the dog is alert, lift at the base while staying folded.

How is the Havanese tail carried?

Arched forward over the back, plume and all, though the AKC standard lets a relaxed Havanese drop its tail while standing; docking it is forbidden.

What kind of coat does the Havanese have?

Long, soft and double, yet light: both layers are soft to the touch, and a coarse, wiry coat or a short, smooth one disqualifies a Havanese from the AKC ring.

Breed standards compare the feel of a Havanese's long coat to which fabric?

Silk gave the breed one of its old names, the Havana Silk Dog, and the AKC standard still opens its coat section with the words 'silky to the touch'.

Which coat treatment, best known from the mop-like Komondor, may a show Havanese also wear?

Cording lets the coat separate into wavy sections that mature into tassel-like cords covering the whole dog; the AKC lets a Havanese be shown either brushed or corded.

Which coat colours does the AKC's Havanese standard accept in the show ring?

All colours and patterns are welcome and 'of equal merit', so a judge may not favour one, although the breed's Cuban forerunner was mostly white or pale cream.

Why are Havanese often suggested to people with dog allergies?

They shed very little, so less hair is left around the house, though vets caution that no breed is truly non-allergenic.

Which knee problem is among the Havanese's primary health concerns?

Luxating patella means a kneecap that slips out of its groove, so an affected dog may skip or run a few steps on three legs until the knee pops back into line.

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, a risk for young Havanese, breaks down the ball of which ball-and-socket joint?

The hip: the ball at the head of the femur crumbles while the dog is still young, bringing pain and a limp.

What trimming does the AKC allow on a show Havanese?

Slight tidying around the feet only, apart from a discreet hygiene trim: any other trimming or sculpting is penalised so severely that the dog cannot be placed.

How may hair over a show Havanese's eyes be managed under AKC rules?

Two small braids with plain elastic bands, one above each eye like a pair of eyebrows, are the only styling allowed; no bows or other hair accessories may enter the ring.

Small but athletic, the Havanese is a keen competitor in which dog sport?

Agility suits a breed the AKC credits with 'a surprising capacity to jump and spin'; Havanese also compete in obedience and rally.

The bichon type is believed to descend from which French water dog?

The Barbet fetched ducks and geese from French marshes, a job so dirty that 'muddy as a barbet' became a French saying.

Which Spanish master painted a duchess with a little white bichon-type dog beside her?

Goya painted the Duchess of Alba in 1795 and gave her dog a red ribbon to match her own bows; bichon-type lapdogs turn up in a number of his paintings.

Besides aggression, which trait do show standards fault in a Havanese?

Shyness counts against a breed prized for its friendliness: the AKC marks it down as a fault, and two other standards disqualify a dog that is overly shy.

In one much-repeated tale, sea captains from which country brought the first bichons to Cuba?

Italy, in the version the international breed standard repeats, though a Cuban breed historian calls the captains a myth and has the dogs arriving from Spain and France in the mid-1700s.

Which bichon breed is traditionally clipped to look like a lion?

The Lowchen's lion clip, one story goes, let court ladies warm their feet on the dog's bare skin; a more practical theory says it simply kept the coat free of mats.

Where did the Bichon Frise find work during a dip in its popularity?

Circuses with organ grinders gave the fallen court favourite a second career: once its aristocratic owners lost interest, the Bichon toured Europe as a performing dog.

The Bichon Frise is recognised as a breed of which two nations?

France and Belgium share the credit because breeders in both countries rebuilt the dog from a handful of survivors when it almost disappeared in the twentieth century.

The Coton de Tulear takes its name from a port in which country?

Madagascar's Merina rulers so prized the little white dogs that commoners were barred from owning one, which earned the Coton the title Royal Dog of Madagascar.

Which noble house reputedly courted favour with Bolognese dogs?

The Medici are said to have made a habit of it: one Cosimo de' Medici had eight Bolognese delivered to the leading families of Brussels.

What does the French phrase bichon a poil frise mean?

Curly-haired small dog is the literal sense, and the curl is not optional: the international standard asks for loose spiral curls and disqualifies a Bichon whose coat has none.

In 2001 a Bichon Frise called JR became his breed's first Best in Show winner at which famous dog show?

Westminster's top prize went to JR within a lifetime of the breed almost disappearing: a few devoted breeders had rebuilt the Bichon Frise after the two world wars.

Under the international standard, what colour must an adult Bichon Frise's coat be?

Pure white is the rule once a Bichon is a year old; puppies may show a little champagne, and the American standard is more forgiving, allowing traces of buff, cream or apricot.

Which Renaissance master painted Federico Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, with his hand on a little white lapdog?

Titian's little dog is claimed three ways: Bolognese and Bichon Frise histories each count it as their own, while art references call it a Maltese.

The Bolonka, a small colourful cousin of the Havanese, was developed in which country?

Russia: breeders in Moscow and Leningrad set out to create the ideal lapdog for apartment living, and interest in the breed revived only after the Cold War.

Legend says the Coton de Tulear descends from dogs that survived what?

A shipwreck: in the tale every sailor drowned, but the little white dogs paddled ashore and took to the wild.

Which ancient seafarers are said to have brought the Maltese dog's ancestors to Malta?

The Phoenicians, the great sea traders of the early Mediterranean, are credited with carrying the little white lapdogs to Malta, where they are said to have been traded on as luxury goods.

Which philosopher reportedly called himself a "Maltese dog"?

Diogenes of Sinope, asked what kind of hound he was, replied: when hungry, a Maltese; when full, a Molossian. 'Cynic' itself comes from the Greek for dog-like.

Which kennel club files the Havanese in a 'Companion Dog' group?

United Kennel Club shows sort small breeds by type rather than by size, so the Havanese is judged among companion breeds on its traditional work of 'acting as a companion'.

Which ancient lapdog is said to have been carried in the sleeves of China's imperial household?

Pekingese could be owned only by the imperial court, and stealing one is said to have been punishable by death; one of the first to reach Britain, taken in 1860, was given to Queen Victoria.

In which American Kennel Club group does the Havanese compete?

Toy is its AKC group, though two of its closest cousins, the Bichon Frise and the Coton de Tulear, are shown in the Non-Sporting Group instead.

Which eyes do all the major standards ask for in a Havanese?

Large and dark eyes give the breed what the AKC calls its 'soft, intelligent and mischievous' expression, and missing pigment on the eye rims disqualifies a dog.