The first paragraph of the standard goes on to talk about the coat; a long, un- trimmed, double coat. There seems to be a huge division of thought on what is correct when discussing the coat. First of all, age will determine the length of coat. A coat of shorter length on a younger dog should not be faulted. Even some adults, those that have a slower growing coat, may have shorter length. But, it should always be a double coat on an adult Havanese and it should never be trimmed! The standard describes the perfect coat. It is silky to the touch, soft, and light in texture. The outer coat carries slightly more weight. It stands off the body, flows with movement and is abundant and wavy. Dogs can be shown corded as well. Puppy coats can be softer than on adults, and they also may not have much undercoat develop- ment. If the coat is flat, frizzy or curly, it should be faulted. If it is coarse or wiry, it is a DQ. The standard is pretty explicit on how the coat should be, and it goes on to say that head furnishings can be in simple braids—simple, plain bands holding the braids in place. The big issue is what can be done to the coat to comply with the sentence that states: “Havanese should be shown as naturally as is consistent with good grooming.” I think it is simply stated in the standard and should be adhered to. Minimal trimming of the anal and genital area is allowed, but should not be seen on presentation. Hair on the feet and be- tween the pads should be trimmed. No other trimming or sculpting of the coat is permitted; it is to be severely penal- ized as to preclude placement. For some reason, time after time, I see obviously scissored coats being rewarded. And, yes, many are also flat ironed. Why? The standard calls for a wavy coat! Flat ironing also changes the texture of the coat. It is no longer that soft, wavy, lightweight coat. When a standard says it should be severely penalized and pre- clude placement, why are theywinning? Is the rest of the entry, untrimmed and being shown naturally (but brushed), so bad that the judges cannot “see” the trimming of the coat and the excessive shaving around the bum? The HCA has
stated in their standard that they do not want this level of grooming rewarded. Another area of confusion in the stan- dard is the parting [of the coat]. Most adult Havanese coats will fall down from the middle of their backs to the sides. If they do not, they have an incor- rect coat. The coat should not stand off their backs like a Bichon. Remember, it is to be a long coat. Long coats will fall to either side. What the standard says, very clearly, is that the coat should not be deliberately parted. Meaning, not a Yorkie or Maltese part that is perfect and done with a knitting needle! And never should the dog’s coat be parted and held in place with hairspray! Yes, I have watched it being done right out- side the ring. But, judges, please under- stand that a correct coat is going to part. Time and again I have had handlers and owners tell me that they were scolded in the ring for their dog’s coat parting. And just where would those judges like the coats to fall? Even brushed straight back, the dog shakes and the coat falls to either side—naturally. The first paragraph also describes the topline in the Havanese. For a while, when I first started showing Havanese, I saw dogs winning with excessive rises. Putting my hands on them, I realized it was either that they had crooked front legs, poor shoulder assembly or no rear angulation. (Or they were a bad combi- nation of all three.) But they had a rise, and so the judges were rewarding this. It seems that the breeders have gotten better about choosing “keeper” puppies with better front legs and somewhat better shoulders, and all should be look- ing for that short upper arm. But now, toplines seem to have gone completely in the opposite direction. We now have level toplines. Finding a slight rise is getting harder and harder. I hear it all the time from judges. They are seeing it across the country. We are losing the short upper arm, the topline, and the springy gait. I see videos on Facebook and,maybe, one infivehas a slight riseon the move. The well-behaved puppy with a level topline wins because the judges can’t get past that cute face and happy temperament. Please remember, this is
a hallmark of the breed and is what makes the Havanese outline different from other breeds. While I am glad that we have less and less chondrodysplastic dogs being shown and bred, I would hate to lose this hallmark of the breed. The plumed tail also adds to that beautiful, correct outline.While Iwouldnot throw out a tight or a loose tail, I would hope that breeders would choose mates care- fully, to try to breed away from these traits. We want to keep that arched tail, another hallmark of our breed. The springy gait is also mentioned in the first paragraph. This is so impor- tant as to distinguish aHavanese froma Shih Tzu or a Lhasa. The structure and attitude both contribute to the gait. The Havanese should never be run around the ring. They are not a Sporting dog and should not have the reach and drive of one. They also should not have “lift” in the front like a Min Pin. And, yes, I have seen both being rewarded. They are to be shown on a loose lead. Howev- er, this does not mean the lead should be dragging on the ground behind the dog. The handler still has to have control over the dog. What is meant here is that the HCA does not want to see the Ha- vanese being strung-up as is so popular with other Toy dogs. Stringing them up, letting them run, and letting them sniff the ground, all throw-off the topline on the move. It is important to see the topline rise on the move, not just while stacked. So, no tight leads; but also, not so loose that the dog is then controlling how they move around the ring instead of the handler controlling the dog. Yes, this is a training issue too. Please keep in mind that these little dogs are happy and inquisitive, and letting them have too much leeway on that loose lead can lead to a disaster. I hope that I have helped you under- stand the hallmarks of the breed. Keep in mind that these are simply my opin- ions, and how I personally have inter- preted the breed standard. If you want to know how I evaluate puppies and adult dogs, and how I determine overall balance and quality, I would be happy to discuss my thoughts with you. My email address is havayork@yahoo.com.
40 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2021
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