consideration as brushed coats. The presence of the desired wave in the coat with the two slightly different textures is what allows the Havanese coat to cord naturally. The slightly heavier outer coat wraps around the lighter undercoat, and these clumps are easily separated into sections that develop into cords. Havanese cords are softer and silkier than the cords of other breeds, though the cord itself will never feel as soft as a brushed coat. To best evaluate the texture of a corded coat, feel at the base of the cord where there will be a segment of uncorded hair near the skin. The corded coat is to be evalu- ated by the quality of the hair and not the length of the cords. It is important that the Havanese remain an untrimmed breed, to the point where obvious trimming is to be so heavily faulted that the offend- ing dog should not be considered for placement. Coat color and markings are com- pletely immaterial, and should never factor in decisions in the conforma- tion ring or whelping box. The only requirement is that all colors have black pigment on the eye rims, nose, and lips, except chocolate dogs, which
breed type, as it has a critical influence on the dog having the correct light spring to its gait. Regardless of the structure, if a Havanese doesn’t have the required spirited and cheerful personality, it will not move correctly. The ebullient personality means Ha- vanese should not be robotic while in the ring, and often may dance around rather than standing still like stat- ues. While Havanese are an outgo- ing breed, do not overcrowd or baby talk dogs while on the table, nor stoop down while they are on the ground. These actions may make a dog with an otherwise acceptable tempera- ment apprehensive. A slight hesitancy can be seen in puppies that are unsure of themselves, which should not be penalized as long as they recover as they acclimate to being in the ring. Shyness that results in the inability to touch the dog while on the table or the dog being unwilling to carry its tail up and over the back while gaiting should not be tolerated. There should be zero tolerance for any evidence of any ag- gression toward people or other dogs. These characteristics are what makes the Havanese unique among all of the other AKC recognized breeds and what made every Havanese owner fall in love with the breed. Each time a judge walks into the ring or a breeder evaluates a litter of puppies, these six critical elements of breed type should be at the forefront of their mind to en- sure they do their part to preserve our charming little Cuban.
standard around the world calls for the muzzle and skull lengths to be equal, so it is essential to note that a muzzle of equal length to the skull is a fault per the AKC standard. It is im- portant that the muzzle not become too short, however, as this changes the unique Havanese head to a more generic Toy dog head, often with more extreme stop than desired as well. COAT Unlike most long coated breeds de- scribed to have a silky texture to the coat, the Havanese must have a dou- ble coat. Both the outer and undercoat are relatively light, which serves an important function for the breed. As the outer coat is only slightly heavi- er, the abundant soft undercoat lifts it slightly away from the body. This gave protection from the heat, al- lowing them to thrive in their native Cuba. The untrimmed coat is plenti- ful, but should never stand-off away from the body enough to prevent the natural lines of the dog from being seen. While in many long-coated Toy breeds it is common to cultivate a coat to a length where it drags on the ground, this is atypical and un- desirable for the naturally presented Havanese. The lightness of the Ha- vanese coat causes natural breakage of the hair, allowing the underline of the dog to be seen. When lifted, the coat will slowly float down rather than fall heavily when dropped. A correct Havanese coat will cord, and corded coats must be given equal
have brown pigment. TEMPERAMENT
The temperament of the Havanese is of utmost importance. This is a cheer- ful and gregarious breed that is hap- piest when they are with people. This joyful personality is important to
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adam King has been involved in the Havanese breed for over 20 years. He received his first Havanese as a Christmas gift from Rita Stern (Silverdale Havanese) as a teenager, and was immediately smitten with the breed. “Pete” (Silverdale’s For Pete’s Sake) would go on to be- come Adam’s first owner-handled champion before he was a year old, as well as his Junior Showmanship dog. A second Havanese from Rita, “Gracie”(CH Silverdale’s Amazing Grace ROM), was added shortly thereafter, who became the foundation bitch for Askin Havanese. In a limited breeding program, Adam has produced over 30 AKC champions (11 of which he
finished from the Bred-By-Exhibitor Class), with several more actively working on their championships, and he has been named a Breeder of Distinction by the Havanese Club of America. He is a member of the HCA Judges’ Education, Illustrated Standard, and Health Committees. In addition to Havanese, Adam has been involved in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Miniature Bull Terriers, and English Toy Spaniels. Professionally, he is a veterinary ophthalmologist and practices in Chicago. Currently, Adam is approved by the AKC to judge the Toy Group in addition to breeds in the Sporting, Terrier, and Non-Sporting Groups as well as Junior Showmanship.
38 • T op N otch T oys , S eptember /O ctober 2022
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