THE HAVANESE WHAT’S SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?
By Kathy Ambler, Ambler Havanese
T he very first paragraph in the Ha- vanese Standard says it all. It de- scribes our wonderful breed in a nutshell. So, why is it so difficult to understand when you actually are in the process of evaluating a dog for show potential at home, or evaluating a class of dogs in the show ring? GENERAL APPEARANCE: “The Havanese is a small, sturdy dog of immense charm. The native dog of Cuba, he is beloved as a friendly, intelligent and playful companion. He is slightly longer than tall, with a long, untrimmed, double coat. The Havanese has a short upper arm with moderate shoulder layback and a straight topline that rises slightly from the withers to the croup. The plumed tail is carried arched forward up over the back. The unique springy gait is a result of the breed’s structure and playful, spir- ited personality. These characteristics of temperament, coat, structure and gait are essential to type.” The Havanese is a small, sturdy dog of immense charm. Well—your version of small and mine may be two different ideas. But the standard goes on to say, the Havanese must not be under 8.5 inches or over 11.5 inches at the withers. As a judge, you can wicket if you are un- sure. As a breeder, you should know be- fore you take your dog into the ring if it is within the standard. So if your idea of small does not include an 11.5 inch tall dog, then you are not understanding the AKC standard. The Havanese breeders who approved this standard are telling you, point blank, small is anything be- tween 8.5 and 11.5 inches, and we go on to say that our preferred height is 9 to 10.5 inches. Easy enough, right? Not re- ally, because the standard goes on to de- scribe the length of body in relation to
height and the amount of bone we want our dogs to have; all to help you under- stand what is meant by “small.” The standard uses the word “slightly”—the Havanese should be slightly longer than tall, with a rectangular outline. The standard even goes on to describe the rectangle. The length should come from the rib cage, not the loin. The loin is short! When I evaluate puppies, I want my length to be 2/3 from sternum to last rib and 1/3 from last rib to buttock. If you think a dog looks too long, put your finger on the last rib. Stand back. Does it divide the dog directly in half? Then chances are, your eye is right, the dog is longer than we are describing as slightly longer in the standard. (Could also be that the dog looks long because it is actually low on leg, creating an optical illusion). So, now you understand what the standard means by slightly longer than tall and a rectangle. So, what else makes up a small, sturdy Havanese? Bone. The standard calls for moderate bone. The Havanese should never appear coarse or fragile. The Ha- vanese that is 8.5 inches is going to be smaller than the Havanese that is 11.5 inches, but both should have sturdy, moderate bone. That 8.5 inchHavanese should not be fine-boned and the 11.5 inch Havanese should not be heavy- boned. Remember, this breed is meant to be a family companion for all ages. I would never want to have to tell a fam- ily with small children that my puppies are too fragile for their family! My ideal is approximately 1.25 to 1.5 pounds per inch tall. So, as an example, an 8.5 inch Havanese should be about 10 pounds to as much as 12. An 11.5 inch Havanese could be 14 to 17 pounds and still be considered small and sturdy. You, as
breeders, can breed to your prefer- ence for size; and judges, if all else is equal, you can also have a preference for size. You cannot, however, award a dog that is under- or over-sized, frag- ile or coarse. Always keep in mind that the HCA preference is 9-10.5 inches. You cannot award a poor quality, small Havanese over a good quality, larger Havanese just because you prefer small and feel the breed should be small to be in the Toy Group. And yes, I have seen it happen. So, let’s move on next to “Immense Charm.” What does this mean and how do you judge it in the show ring? How does the exhibitor show his/her dog’s immense charm? That is easy! It is described under temperament in the standard: “The Havanese is friend- ly, playful, alert and intelligent with a sweet, non-quarrelsome disposition. Ag- gression and shyness should be faulted.” So, why are we seeing aggressive Ha- vanese in the ring? Why are they being awarded ribbons? The standard says it should be faulted. Now, luckily, we see fewer aggressive Havanese than shy Havanese. The standard also says that shyness should be faulted! Yet, I see Havanese with their tails between their legs, crouching away from judges on the table—simply scared to death— being awarded winning ribbons. I am not telling you to not show it. However, these dogs need to learn that shows are fun and, with some youngsters, this may take awhile. But, personally, I do not care howwonderful your dog is at home. If it is aggressive or shy in the ring, it should never take home a winning rib- bon. And no owner, handler or breeder should ever expect one. Just consider it an expensive handling class.
38 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2021
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