Renaissance Havanese

 History of the Havanese dog

The Bichon Havanais and other Bichon breeds were brought into Cuba during colonization perhaps by the Spanish.  They were said to have been given as gifts to wealthy Cuban ladies as a way of establishing trading relationships.

The Havanese was a companion pet and lived exclusively in the aristocratic homes of Cuba.

Over time, Cuba was visited by European aristocrats who acquired their own little "white Havanas" as gifts during their travels to Cuba.  They took their silky dogs back to France, Spain and England.

Eventually, the Havanese became more available to those less elite, they were wonderful family dogs, watch dogs and noted especially for their ways with the children. 

During the political upheaval of the 1950's and 1960's and exodus that followed, few Havanese dogs made it to America.  There was however, a few Cuban families living in America and Costa Rica. These families worked toward preserving this disappearing breed.

A couple most noted for their contribution to protect this breed from extinction were Dorothy and Bert Goodale of Colorado.  These experienced dog breeders took interest in the Havanese breed and with great effort; they were able to locate a handful of Havanese dogs and began to introduce the Havanese to America.

The Havanese is said to appear today as it did in the 18th century.

FUN FACTS:

Queen Victoria, King Henry III, Napoleon III, Francis I and Charles Dickens all owned Havanese dogs.

Other breeds are related to the Havanese are the Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Coton De Tulear, Lowchen and the Bolonka Tsvetnaya.

In the past the Havanese dog was also known as the Havana Silk Dog, The White Cuban, Spanish Silk Poodle and Bichon Habanero.

 

Our Mission Statement

To provide clients with healthy, high quality Havanese puppies.

To offer exceptional customer service to all of our clients.  To educate, guide and inform them in all aspects of ownership, rearing and training of their Havanese puppy. 

To be courteous and accommodating towards all clients and prospective clients at all times.

To offer lifetime support in an effort to enhance the owner/pet relationship at every life stage.

To provide new owners with safety tips, so that they may keep their puppy safe from harm or injury.

To be reputable and appeal to those who expect honesty and integrity when considering a new Havanese companion.

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our puppies by placing them in qualified homes with responsible new owners.

There are only two ways to live your life.  One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein

 

The Havanese is an exceptional dog. While they are a toy breed, they are not to be stereotyped as having a lot of "issues".  The truly well bred and well raised Havanese is not an excessive barker, that said, most will bark at a strangers approach to their property or when the door bell rings, once you welcome the stranger they advance with wagging tails and distinctive enthusiasm.  

 They would never think of bitting in an agressive way. They also adore children and are patient and tolerant (all children/pet interaction should be supervised) They feel responsible to their children and are excellent playmates and watchdogs. 

The Havanese is generally a great travel companion, they love to be with their family, so a trip in the car is a fun experience. The Havanese is great at adapting to changes, we like to travel with our Havanese dogs and they are quite comfortable in many differnt circumstances. We even have clients who take their Havs boating, camping, on flights to vacation destinations and to family gatherings.

The Havanese can get along with other dogs and cats, they are very curious by nature and like to advance and retreat when it comes to inspecting something new. They also love to sprint, this is an activity that last only a few minutes and it consists of very agile running from one room to another or around in tight circles, it is very comical. No one ever knows when their Havanese will have these little bursts but it is something you have to see, they seemingly do this out of sheer joy!

The Havanese is highly intelligent and acutley sensitive to your tone of voice, this is why, I believe, it takes very little effort to train them. You will often see the Havanese gazing intently at their owners while they speak to them as if they are studying their owner. Some owners will asstest to the fact that they can often communicate to their Havanese dog with out use of words and that at times, facial expressions are enough to get their point across, myself included.

The Havanese can come up with their own tricks and cute antics, it is as if they were bred to know exactly how and when to crack you up! The other day, I was photographing Mr Bobbins and each time I snapped a photo, he would put his paw in front of his face like "Awe, cut that out!" They love to hide behind their paws sheepishly or reach out to you and smack you lightly on the face to engage you in play.

No one believes the owner of a Havanese when they tell them the age of their puppy, that is because the Havanese is like no other puppy! They are content to quietly lay in your lap for hours while you talk to company. Generally they like to remain close to their owners rather than tearing off by themselves into the neighbors yard. Most times puppies will dutifully follow their owners wether at home or at the family picnic.

My family and I take extra steps to ensure that the puppies have been exposed to many differnt situations before they go home. Especially important is that they are taken out of their enviornment often. Training is started early so that they have a good start. No matter what, it is most important for their new families to be committed to continuing their puppies education and to continue their socialization with children too. Keep in mind that like children, our puppies learn from us and our reactions to situations. So keep it light, keep it full of variety and always keep it fun!