How to find a reputable breeder of Havanese dogs Georgia is a bold and elegant font that is highly readable, even on smaller screens. So it’s ideal for mobile. Go Go Go Go Aftercare Contact Us

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A, B and C list judges If you would like to join the HCGB Judges' List, please contact Diane Mottram on mybeards.pon@btinternet.com or tel 01246 205166. Judging Criteria Click HERE for criteria to join our Judges' List. Judges' Lists For a current list of HCGB approved Judges, click HERE

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.

How to find a responsible breeder We strongly recommend you contact the Secretary of Havanese Club of GB for recommendations of breeders, before you visit or commit to buying a puppy. Contact details can be found on this website under ‘Club’ Club’--‘officers’ in the top Visit the Kennel Club Assured Breeders list on the Kennel Club website, and contact breeders individually. Please accept that there may be a waiting list . Reputable breeders don’t have puppies ‘in stock’ waiting to be bought. They will breed purposefully and will have buyers waiting in most cases. We strongly advise against buying from popular pet sales websites or classifieds. Remember, good breeders don’t have to advertise their litters, they have waiting lists, so these ads rarely lead you to a reputable breeder. AVOID frequent advertisers on these sites, this can be associated with low welfare, high volume production outfit, such as puppy farming or ‘backyard’ breeding. A word of caution when you have found a breeder by whichever route, you will STILL need to do due diligence, visit, see where and how their dogs live, and whether you are comfortable with their practices. Why does it matter? Firstly, buying puppies from these sources, you are supporting animal cruelty and exploitation. Havanese were bred to be companions to humans, and they thrive on and need companionship. Their physical and mental health suffers, and their spirit is broken by a life in a crate, withouta bond with their human. Secondly, environmental influences such as stress, chronic pain, trauma and so on, can not only change how the parent dogs’ and puppies’ genetic material influences future health, but it can in fact impact their actual DNA, and these changes can be passed on to future generations. It makes sense to get a puppy from happy, loved and well cared for parents, and from a happy home that gave them the best possible start in life. Responsible breeding Selling puppies is a big business, and many advertisers are low welfare, large volume producers, only concerned about making money. Their dogs are often exploited, bred too young, too old or too frequently, without proper care and attention. Parent dogs are often kept in squalid conditions, and may not receive a healthy diet, species appropriate exercise, mental stimulation, or much needed veterinary care. They may live in chronic pain from severe matting, untreated conditions, rotting teeth and infections and parasites. Additionally, most low welfare breeders will not care about the breed as a whole, and would quite happily ruin it as long as they get paid. They will not care about proper structure and function, the dissemination of genetic disease, or preserving genetic diversity. Their practices will be detrimental to the future of the breed.

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What do hip and elbow screening results mean? Health screening is primarily performed to give breeders the opportunity to select healthy animals with good conformation for breeding, without unnecessarily excluding dogs from the genetic pool. In the UK, the vast majority of radiographs for Hip & Elbow screening will be submitted to the British Veterinary Association's Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Schemes for scoring. The new RKC Breed Health Standard stipulates that results of other schemes will be internally recorded, but only BVA scores will be published on the RKC website and count towards the 'Best Practice' category. BVA hip scoring system (score 0-106) The X-ray image is examined for features of 1) hip laxity and 2) degenerative changes. Based on nine radiographic features, each hip is separately assigned a numerical score from 0 to 53 , with a total score of 0 to 106. It is usually reported as a total score, as well as listing both hips separately, e.g. total score of 3 (0/3) or total score of 21 (10/11). The lower the score, the less evidence of Hip Dysplasia (and possibly arthritis) was found on the X-ray images. Read More BVA elbow scoring system (score 0-3) The X-ray image is examined for features of elbow dysplasia and degenerative changes. Each elbow is separately assigned a numerical score from 0 to 3 , and the higher of the two scores is then reported as the result. If one elbow scores 2 and the other 1, the result would be a score of 2. The lower the score, the less evidence of Elbow Dysplasia was found on the X-ray images. Read More How are Hip screening results interpreted? Before looking at the interpretation of hip and elbow screening results in Havanese, it is important to acknowledge that a test based on humans making a judgement by looking at images is inevitably an imperfect system, subject to observer variability. To manage this risk of bias, schemes in different countries have taken steps towards a degree of standardisation, and use multiple observers. The BVA for example has two scrutineers look at each radiograph, whereas the OFA uses three scrutineers selected at random from their pool of specialists. The grading or scoring methods used vary globally, meaning that results may differ depending on the scheme used, and consequently breeding recommendations may also be different in different countries. The BVA hip scoring system, as above, can result in a wide range of numerical scores. Their recommendation is that, within a breed, only dogs with scores in the more favourable half of the results (i.e.not above breed median score or BMS) are considered for breeding. This has served many breeds with a high prevalence of degenerative hip disease well, with improvement of hip scores over time, and the scheme is considered a success. However, there are currently insufficient numbers of tested Havanese in the BVA database to provide breeding recommendations. The same applies to the Australian database, which uses the same system as the BVA. The RKC primarily consulted the OFA database statistics before deciding to recommend BVA Hip and Elbow screening as an optional health test for Havanese in the Breed Health Scheme. The OFA uses a categorisation of hip results into ‘normal’, ‘borderline/indeterminate’ and ‘hip dysplasia’. Their ‘normal’ bracket is equivalent to BVA scores of 0-18, and in the interim, before we have a meaningful volume of data on Havanese in the BVA database, this may be a reasonable guide. It is fairly easy to determine, by whichever grading system is used, which hips are definitely good or definitely bad. Nobody would argue against excluding dogs with signs of arthritis on their screening radiographs from breeding. The challenge is with those where there is no evidence of arthritis, but varying degrees of hip laxity, particularly in a breed with no convincing evidence of a high prevalence of early onset degenerative hip disease. As a Breed Club, the HCGB will need to have a dialog with the RKC Health Team and their specialists on how to implement Hip & Elbow screening without a detriment to our genetic pool. For comparison of Hip grading schemes in different countries, click below. Hip Schemes

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Find out more about Havanese dogs Havanese are small sturdy dogs, slightly longer than tall. They have a double coat, i.e. an outer coat of long silky hair which is generally wavy to straight with a soft undercoat. The coat should be abundant though light in texture. The coat comes in many colours, ranging from white, all shades of cream, gold, sables, tobacco brown, silver, to black and any combination of these colours, giving parti-colours and tricolours. The coat is untrimmed for showing except for the hair on the feet which should be neatened. A completely natural look is what is required. Havanese have almond shaped eyes and a gentle and intelligent expression. Their legs are relatively short but not so short as to make the dog too close to the ground. They move in a jaunty fashion with a unique springy step, are very agile, and carry their plumed tails over their backs when on the move. CHARACTER – happy with a zest for life, they adore their family, bonding closely with them. This is the main reason why Havanese are not suitable as kennel dogs. Their greatest desire is to live at home as part of the family. They will become sad & introverted if left alone regularly or repeatedly for the greater part of the day & so are not suitable for people who work full time. Havanese need companionship to thrive. They are very good with children, especially older children who can appreciate their small size & play with them appropriately. They love their toys & can be very entertaining involving their humans in games of their own devising. Intelligent ? YES!! Havanese mix well with other breeds. They enjoy obedience training & mini agility or indeed any pastime in which they can participate & be with their owner. They want to please while still maintaining their own individual character. They are easy to house train as they are very clean by nature. They don’t mind water & indeed have been known to swim! They will give warning but are not “yappy”. RESPONSIBILITY as an HAVANESE OWNER – a little warning! The adorable nature of the HAVANESE with it’s appealing face, mannerisms & personality can within a very short time lead to it being spoiled. It is tempting to carry them about constantly, to baby them-DON’T. Allow them to run, play, have a daily walk, be a dog. Even if most of the time, they don’t think they are ! Havanese are still a relatively rare breed in the UK, so you may have to wait until a puppy is available. For further information please visit our puppy pages. Georgia is a bold and elegant font that is highly readable, even on smaller screens. So it’s ideal for mobile.

How to get in touch If you have any questions or comments, or would like further information about the Club or the Havanese Breed, please complete the contact form. Alternatively, you can contact individual HCGB Officers or Committee members using the contact details on the Club Committee page. Name Email Subject Message Success! Message received. Send

Report A Health Issue Click to Report A Health Issue Has your Havanese been diagnosed with a health problem? The Havanese Club of GB has a role in monitoring the health of the breed. This is to help us identify new, emerging health problems before they become widespread, so that we can work with the Kennel Club and affiliated veterinary health professionals to inform and advise breeders and owners. It also helps us offer more complete information to those interested in adding a Havanese to their family regarding the health status of the breed. Please support the health of the breed by informing us of any health problems diagnosed in your dog. Your entry will be confidential, and information provided will be used in anonymised form only to generate annual health reports.

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