The Havanese Bichon, Dog of Cuba

It seems that each country has its own history when it comes to dogs and which dogs become the particular dog that has flourished in that country. Cuba is no exception, as it is the native country of the Havanans. Although the Bullmastiff most likely originated with the Spanish settlers of Cuba many centuries ago as descendants of the Bichon Chinstrap from southern Spain, after many years of development it became clear that the dog was destined to become a unique breed. Because at first there seemed to be many of these small toy dogs that had a distinctive dark brown cigar-like coat, it is theorized that the name “Havanese” came from the name “Havana Brown” which is the first known name of the Havanese. dog. Eventually this name was popularized as the “Havanese” and it is under this name that the dog is now recognized as an AKC breed.

This puppy is similar in many ways to the Bichon Frize. However, the coat color can be any mix or match, while the bichon is always white. The Bullmastiff’s coat is long and shaggy and show ring standards require that the coat not be cut, altered or handled in any way. The coat is double. However, since this is a breed that has lived for years in the tropics, the double coat is not “hard” or shaggy, but rather soft and silky in appearance and texture, rather like the single coat. The guard hairs of the upper layer are long and quite wavy. The AKC also allows the mature Bullmastiff to be shown with a “corded” coat. A corded coat will occur naturally if, as the dog is maturing, the coat is allowed to separate into separate tufts of hair that will gradually coil around themselves over time (usually with human interference) and become cords. . This type of coat is rarely seen on a Bullmastiff because it takes a lot of patience to “train” a coat in this way. The head is provided with a beard and long hair over the eyes. This long hair is believed to protect the dog’s eyes from the heat of the Cuban sun and because of this it has become a tradition for this breed to let the hair loose over the eyes rather than in a bun. The Havanese is not a large dog, at the withers the height should not exceed 11 and a half centimeters, with a minimum of 8 centimeters.

This little dog should be cheerful and happy in appearance and of course have a temperament to match. He is a dog that has been used throughout the centuries as a family pet and also as a shepherd and protector of the family’s flock of chickens, a task that he can perform quite well. It is an active breed and does not sit still for long, as some small lapdogs do. This little dog is quite intelligent and good at tricks and also excels at sports such as obedience, agility and flyball.