The Havanese's rise from a population of eleven dogs in the 1970s to one of the most popular toy breeds today created a market, and markets attract a wide range of participants. At one end: careful, health-conscious breeders who track pedigrees, screen for genetic conditions, and place puppies with the same deliberation they apply to breeding decisions. At the other: operations that produce Havanese puppies as efficiently as possible, with health screening treated as an optional expense. The havanese puppy buying guide you need is one that tells you how to distinguish between the two before you've committed emotionally and financially.
Health Testing That Matters
The Havanese has a solid health profile for a toy breed, but several conditions occur at meaningful rates and can be screened for. Responsible breeding programs test for all of them. Operations that skip testing are gambling with their puppies' futures — and with your veterinary bills.
Required Evaluations for Parent Dogs
- Patellar luxation evaluation: Both parents should have patella evaluations showing normal or grade-appropriate results. Patellar luxation is the most common orthopedic issue in the breed, and while it can't be eliminated through screening alone, consistent evaluation reduces prevalence over generations.
- Hip evaluation: Hip dysplasia occurs less frequently in Havanese than in large breeds, but it's present. Either OFA radiographic evaluation or PennHIP assessment on both parents is the standard.
- Eye examination: An annual ophthalmologist evaluation detects cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy signs, and other heritable eye conditions. Results should be current — within the past year.
- BAER hearing test: Congenital deafness occurs in the breed, sometimes associated with white coat color. The BAER test confirms normal hearing in both parents and, ideally, in puppies before placement.
- Cardiac evaluation: A basic cardiac screening by a veterinary cardiologist or through auscultation as part of a breed-health panel. Congenital heart conditions, while not as prevalent as in some breeds, do occur.
DNA Tests
- Progressive retinal atrophy (prcd-PRA): A DNA test identifies carriers. Breeding two carriers together produces affected offspring. Responsible programs test and breed accordingly — never mating carrier to carrier.
- Chondrodysplasia/chondrodystrophy (CDDY/CDPA): Certain forms affect intervertebral disc health. DNA testing identifies at-risk genotypes.
If a breeding operation cannot produce documentation for these tests — not verbal assurances, actual written results — that tells you everything you need to know about their commitment to the dogs they're producing.
Evaluating Temperament
Havanese puppies should be confident, curious, and social. At six to eight weeks, a well-socialized litter will approach a crouching visitor willingly, explore their immediate environment without excessive fear, and recover quickly from a mild startle (a clapped hand, a dropped object).
Watch for the full range of responses in a litter. Some puppies will charge forward immediately. Others will hang back, observe, then approach. Both are normal for the breed — the Havanese shows more individual temperament variation than some toy breeds, and a slightly reserved puppy isn't necessarily a problem. What you're looking for is recovery: after a moment of hesitation, does the puppy re-engage, or does it stay withdrawn?
A puppy that's extremely fearful, trembling, or hiding and not recovering is a concern. So is a puppy that's dramatically more hyperactive than its littermates — not just energetic, but unable to settle. Extremes at either end of the spectrum warrant caution.
Ask the breeder how the puppies have been socialized. Exposure to different surfaces, sounds, household activity, and gentle handling by multiple people during the critical socialization window (roughly three to twelve weeks) shapes adult temperament significantly. A breeder who raises puppies in a quiet, isolated space with minimal human interaction is not giving them the developmental foundation the breed needs.
Meeting the Parents
Insist on meeting the mother. Her temperament is your best available predictor of what the puppies will become — not a guarantee, but a strong indicator. A Havanese dam should be friendly, confident, and engaged with her owner. Some wariness toward strangers in the postpartum period is normal, but outright fear or aggression is a red flag.
The sire may not be on-site (many breeders use outside stud dogs), but photos, pedigree information, and health testing documentation should be readily available. A breeder who can't or won't tell you about the father's health, temperament, and lineage is withholding information you need.
Coat Considerations
Havanese coats change dramatically from puppyhood to adulthood. The soft, fluffy puppy coat transitions to a silkier adult texture between roughly eight and fourteen months. During this transition, matting increases significantly — this is the period that tests new owners' grooming commitment most severely.
Coat color at the time of purchase often bears limited resemblance to the adult color. Havanese are known for color fading and shifting — a dark puppy may lighten considerably, and patterns can change in unexpected ways. The complete havanese breed guide covers the genetics behind this. If a specific adult color is important to you, discuss the parents' color histories and any known color-change patterns in the line with the breeder.
Coat texture varies. A silky, flowing coat is preferred by breed standards and is generally easier to maintain than a cottony texture, which mats more readily. Feel the puppy's coat and ask about the parents' coat types. This isn't a cosmetic preference — it's a maintenance reality that affects your daily grooming workload for the next fifteen years.
Red Flags
Walk away if you encounter:
- No health testing documentation. Verbal assurances that "our dogs are healthy" without test results are meaningless. Health-screened dogs come with paperwork.
- Puppies available before eight weeks of age. Early separation from the litter deprives puppies of critical socialization and bite-inhibition learning from their mother and siblings.
- Multiple litters always available with no waitlist. Quality breeding programs plan litters carefully and have waitlists. Perpetual availability suggests volume production.
- "Rare" color premiums. Havanese come in nearly every color, and no color is rare enough to justify a surcharge. Premium pricing for "chocolate," "silver," or "blue" is a marketing tactic, not a reflection of breeding quality.
- No facility visit. If you can't see where the dogs live, there's a reason. Breeding dogs should be living in household conditions, not kenneled in outbuildings.
- No contract or health guarantee. Responsible breeders provide a written contract that includes a health guarantee, spay/neuter requirements for pet-quality puppies, and a take-back clause if you can no longer keep the dog.
- No questions about you. A breeder who doesn't ask about your living situation, schedule, experience with dogs, and plans for the puppy isn't screening buyers — they're selling product.
Adoption as an Alternative
Breed-specific rescue organizations place Havanese of all ages, including puppies occasionally. Adult dogs from rescue come with known temperaments and often some existing training, which removes much of the guesswork.
Senior Havanese — often available through rescues when owners pass away or can no longer provide care — are an underappreciated option. A seven- or eight-year-old Havanese still has six to eight years of companionship ahead of it, typically with a settled temperament and established house manners. For people who want the breed's qualities without the puppy-raising phase, it's worth serious consideration.
The Right Approach
Due diligence takes time. You'll likely join a waitlist, possibly for several months. You'll ask questions that some breeders find intrusive. You'll walk away from puppies that are available immediately because the availability itself is the warning sign. The assessment of whether a Havanese fits your life should come before the search for a puppy, not after.
That patience is the price of starting with a healthy, well-bred, properly socialized dog — and over a 14-to-16-year partnership, it's the best investment you'll make.