The Havanese is an old breed of the Bichon family. There are references to the ancestors of the modern dogs that go back to Plinius (23-79 BC) in the Mediterranean region, and may have originated on the island of Malta. Dogs in both Spain and Italy played a great part in bringing the Havanese to the New World.

They were also known as the Havana Silk Dog, today's Havanese descended from dogs that found a permanent home in Cuba, where they were popular among the wealthy. After the Cuban revolution in 1959, many of the dogs ended up in the United States.

The Havanese is a sturdy, short-legged small dog with a soft profuse coat. His tail is carried curled over his back. Their height ranges from 8 and a half to 11 and a half inches, and their weight should be from 7-13 pounds.

They have a double coat, with soft hair both in outer and undercoat. The hair is very long and profuse. The adult coat reaches 6-8 inches in length. All colors, ranging from pure white to shades of cream, champagne, gold, black, blue, silver, chocolate-or any combination of these colors including parti and tri are allowed.

Health concerns with the Havanese include cataracts which is an opacity of the lens of the eye. Make sure that your breeder performs annual CERF exams. Chondrodysplasia can be manifested in a variety of ways. It can be characterized by premature closure of the growth plates of long bones either symmetrically, or asymmetrically. This can result in short legs (dwarfism) that are straight or bowed either unilaterally or bilaterally. Luxating patella's is when the patella (kneecap) is unstable and is able to move out of this groove. Legg-Calve-Perthes results when the blood supply to the femoral head is interrupted resulting in avascular necrosis, or the death, of the bone cells. Hip dysplasia is a malformation of the hip joint can result in development of arthritis due to damage done to the articular cartilage from trauma as bones grind together because they do not fit correctly. Elbow Dysplasia an inherited polygenic disease in the elbow of dogs. Portosystemic shunt is abnormal blood flow in the liver. Other concerns with the breed include Cardiac Problems and Deafness.