Havanese
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47 free Havanese trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
The Havanese is the national dog of Cuba, a small silky-coated companion descended from the extinct Blanquito de la Habana and, before that, the little dogs of Tenerife that sailed west with Spanish colonists. Admired by Cuban nobility, nearly wiped out after the revolution, and rebuilt in America from a gene pool of just eleven dogs, it is now one of the fastest-rising breeds in the AKC. These 47 questions cover the breed's history, from ship manifests and Havana drawing rooms to the 1970s rescue and AKC recognition in 1996, and its distinctive standard: the topline that rises toward the croup, the springy gait, the almond-shaped eyes, the ears that reach halfway to the nose, the tail that arches over the back without touching it, and the soft double coat that can be corded or brushed out but never trimmed. Health questions ask about life expectancy, luxating patellas and the liver shunt study. The rest of the set explores the bichon family the Havanese belongs to: the Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Maltese, Coton de Tulear and Lowchen, plus what toy and lap dogs were actually for. Easy questions ask which country the breed comes from; the expert tier wants the percentage of Havanese with portosystemic shunt. Every answer is cited to a page we checked and comes with a short explanation. Play it solo or print it for a dog-club night.
30 of 47 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01The Havanese is Cuba's national dog and holds which other distinction there?
Its only home-grown breed
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.
Q 02Small as it is, the Havanese is valued at home in which working role?
Watchdog
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.
Q 03The Havanese's Cuban forerunners are thought to have been crossed with which breed?
Poodle
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.
Q 04In one tall tale, clever Cotons de Tulear barked as decoys to outwit which predators?
Crocodiles
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.
Q 05The Havanese's progenitors are believed to have sailed to Cuba from which island?
Tenerife
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.
Q 06Which ancient writer is cited by those who trace the bichon family to Malta?
Aristotle
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.
Q 07Which event nearly wiped out the Havanese in its homeland?
The Cuban Revolution
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.
Q 08In colonial Cuba, how did a prized Havanese usually pass to a new owner?
As a gift
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.
Q 09What do Havanese, bred purely as companions, famously cope with badly?
Being left alone
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.
Q 10Which word do the American, British and international standards all use for the little Havanese's build?
Sturdy
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.
Q 11Seen from the side, what outline should a well-built Havanese show?
Longer than tall
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.
Q 12Which word do both the AKC and the international standard reach for to describe the playful Havanese?
Clown
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'.
Q 13How is the Havanese gait described?
Springy rather than far-reaching
Q 21Why are Havanese often suggested to people with dog allergies?
They shed very little
They shed very little, so less hair is left around the house, though vets caution that no breed is truly non-allergenic.
Q 22Which knee problem is among the Havanese's primary health concerns?
Luxating patella
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.
Q 23Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, a risk for young Havanese, breaks down the ball of which ball-and-socket joint?
Hip
The hip: the ball at the head of the femur crumbles while the dog is still young, bringing pain and a limp.
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.
Q 14Which Havanese coat colour is excused the AKC's black nose, lips and eye rims?
Chocolate
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.
Q 15How does a Havanese carry its ears?
Dropped, with a fold
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.
Q 16How is the Havanese tail carried?
Arched forward over the back
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.
Q 17What kind of coat does the Havanese have?
Long, soft and double
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.
Q 18Breed standards compare the feel of a Havanese's long coat to which fabric?
Silk
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'.
Q 19Which coat treatment, best known from the mop-like Komondor, may a show Havanese also wear?
Cording
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.
Q 20Which coat colours does the AKC's Havanese standard accept in the show ring?
All colours and patterns
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.
Q 24What trimming does the AKC allow on a show Havanese?
Slight tidying around the feet only
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.
Q 25How may hair over a show Havanese's eyes be managed under AKC rules?
Two small braids with plain elastic
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.
Q 26Small but athletic, the Havanese is a keen competitor in which dog sport?
Agility
Agility suits a breed the AKC credits with 'a surprising capacity to jump and spin'; Havanese also compete in obedience and rally.
Q 27The bichon type is believed to descend from which French water dog?
Barbet
The Barbet fetched ducks and geese from French marshes, a job so dirty that 'muddy as a barbet' became a French saying.
Q 28Which Spanish master painted a duchess with a little white bichon-type dog beside her?
Goya
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.
Q 29Besides aggression, which trait do show standards fault in a Havanese?
Shyness
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.
Q 30In one much-repeated tale, sea captains from which country brought the first bichons to Cuba?
Italy
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.