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HCGB Additional Code of Ethics Approved at AGM 2014 All breeding should primarily be for the purpose of improving the standard of the breed. As a Club we recommend all stock be tested for eye problems annually. 1. Ensure that at all times my dogs are properly housed, watered, exercised and receive Veterinary attention if and when required and are kept fully leashed or under effective control at all times. 2. Litters should be carefully planned, using healthy bitches and stud dogs of sound temperament and conformation. No bitch shall be mated intentionally under 18 months of age. It is recommend that Bitches should be 2 years of age. Bitches should not be mated on consecutive seasons. It is recommended that bitches have no more than three litters extending to 4 if a singleton is born. No bitch to be mated over 7 years of age (Veteran). I shall not knowingly breed from any dog or bitch that I know to have any hereditary disease or defect. 3. All breeding stock should have current clear eye certificates. That is both the bitch and dog. Eye testing to be carried out within 12 months prior to breeding, under the appropriate KC/BVA scheme, with the results declared to the Havanese Health Officer/Archivist. Only breeders complying to this rule to be recommended to prospective puppy purchases. 4. Ascertain that all persons acquiring dogs from me clearly understand their responsibility for the care and welfare of the animal and that they have the time and facilities. 5. That no puppy should be sold unless it has been fully weaned and away from its mother for 3 weeks, or sold under the age of 8 weeks. The breeder shall furnish the buyer with a pedigree and/or registration, worming certificates, diet sheet and useful paperwork where applicable. 6. To help where possible to re-home dogs sold by me that become homeless due to their owner's death or personal problems. 7. No breeder should knowingly sell to a retail outlet. 8. Stud dog owners to satisfy themselves of the condition in which ensuing litters would be raised. 9. All members will familiarise themselves with the facility offered by the Kennel Club’s endorsement ‘R’ (PROGENY NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION) when registering puppies. Ideally this exclusion should be placed on the registration of all puppies; breeding puppies sold should be subject to an unaffected KC/BVA eye results. All owners should be made aware of this exclusion and an agreement should be signed by all parties. 10. Members will, when breeding dogs, adopt as a minimum standard the principles, requirements and recommendations as embodied in the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme. It is strongly recommended that members who breed should apply to join the Scheme.

Th ere is no evidence that Hip Dysplasia is more common in Havanese than other small breeds. The British Veterinary Association does not yet have enough hip X-ray results in their database to make a judgement of the prevalence of Hip Dysplasia in Havanese. However, the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals in the US has data on 7,129 tested Havanese and their results show Havanese are comparable to many other small breeds. Below is a list of OFA hip statistics as published to date (accessed in January 2025), in breeds from toy and other groups. You may have seen posts on social media stating that the -highly respected- Finnish canine health database shows that more than 50% of Havanese screened in Finland had Hip Dysplasia on Xray. This is based on only 332 tested Havanese over a nine year period. As with hip testing results in the UK, in terms of statistical validity this is a small number of dogs, and it is therefore not yet possible to draw conclusions about the breed as a whole. In contrast, the OFA data, based on 7,129 tested Havanese, demonstrates that at least 90% of tested dogs had a normal hip conformation, an additional 1% were indeterminate, and the vast majority of the remaining 9% fell into the 'mild' category. Any health data analyst would therefore ask questions as to why the results in the Finnish database are skewed towards hip dysplasia, before making any generalisations about the breed. There may be many different reasons, which theoretically may include the issue of small numbers, differences the methodology used to obtain and/or score Xrays, or factors specific to the local population. There may be any number of other factors we don’t know about. Until more dogs are added to their database, it will remain difficult to interpret the results. Nevertheless, we must not disregard this statistic but keep an open mind, closely monitor the data going forward, and review conclusions on an ongoing basis.

Havanese dogs- history Breed History Origins of the Breed in Cuba The Havanese is a member of the Bichon Breeds family, which includes Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Coton de Tulear, Lowchen and Maltese. Some of these breeds originated in the Mediterranean. The Havanese breed was established in Cuba, probably from two populations of ancestral breeds. The first was a small, white Bichon type breed which was imported into Cuba in the 16th and 17th centuries, and possibly similar to the now extinct Bichon Teneriffe. The second group of dogs was a colourful group of poodle type breeds, which was brought into Cuba in the early 19th century by European immigrants. The Havanese was created as a companion dog, and was, even then, an expensive lapdog, owned predominantly by the wealthy. Cuban Revolution The Cuban revolution, in 1959, had a major impact on the breed. Many wealthy Cuban families left the country, with some taking their dogs with them. However, many Havanese were left behind, with servants or friendly families. It is not clear what exactly happened to Havanese asa breed in Cuba following the revolution; their numbers were probably severely diminished, but it is unlikely that they came close to extinction, given that some of the old breeding families remained. There are no writings, however, that document their history in Cuba during the following three decades. Havanese Founders The breed as we know it today has developed from two groups of founders: 1. The USA Founders: In the 1970ies, Bert and Dorothy Goodale purchased Havanese from exiled Cuban families. These Havanese formed the basis for the breed and its recognition by the AKC. 2. In 1991, the Cuban Havanese Club was founded, and the formal breeding program was re-established. A number of Cuban Havanese were imported into Europe, and together with imports from the USA gave rise to some of the old European lines. Havanese in the UK In 1993, Barbara Benersen imported the first four Havanese from continental Europe. into the UK. More Havanese followed over the course of a few years, and the breed was established in the UK.

Health Testing Recommendations for Havanese Breeders Eye Testing All breeding dogs, starting after the age of 12 months and before first breeding, should have an annual eye test performed and certified by an official BVA Eye Panelist . Where possible, a copy of the report should be submitted to the HCGB Health Officer. Patella Testing A one off examination of the knee cap should be performed after the age of 12 months and before first breeding, by an experienced vet. The test should certified as per Putnam Scoring system (a form can be found here ). Essential Tests optional Tests The following tests are not considered essential, but it may benefit the breed to gather further information on these conditions. Heart testing not before the age of two years Tests that are not essential but may help collect health information on the breed: Hip & Elbow screening not before the age of one year DNA tests which may include Hereditary Calcium Oxalate UrolithiasisType 1, Von Willebrand's, Haemophilia A, Methaemoglobinaemia, Macrothrombocytosis, CDDY Chondrodystrophy, and traits such as furnishings and colour dilution

Available puppies- breeder members' advertising Puppy List The Puppy Listings on this page are by breeders who are members of the Havanese Club of GB. In order to advertise their Kennel Club registered litters on the HCGB Puppy List, breeders must have agreed to abide by our Code of Ethics, and provided evidence of health testing (British Veterinary Association Eye Test Certificate, not older than 12 months at the time of mating), for both Dam and Sire of the litter. The accuracy of the Listing is the sole responsibility of the breeder. Puppy Buyers are advised to visit the breeder's home and follow our general puppy buying advice, regardless of where the litter was advertised.

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Aftercare & Support A reputable Breeder will provide long-term support and advice Reputable Breeders will want to be kept informed of the puppy's progress You should feel able to contact them as frequently as you need to during the puppy's settling in period You should always inform the Breeder should any health issues arise Should your circumstance change and you can no longer keep your dog, please contact the Breeder first. You can also contact our Rescue and Rehoming service.