The Bichon Havanese (BH) is a small luxury and companion dog that originated in Cuba between the XVIII and XIX centuries. As a product of the Cuban culture its history shows, to a certain extent, the history of the country; and its physical conformation and temperament reflect the Cuban taste, style and character.
The name "Habanero" was inherited from the famous port of the city where, since colonial times, many ships and crews arrived from the many different regions of the world. Havana , a true pot of cultures in substantially Spanish hands, warmly offered constant shelter to these travelers, which definitively contributed to the "setting" of the Cuban nationality.
Geographical Area: Cuba
Dispersion of the Breed: Scarce. A small number of dogs entered the U.S.A. in the sixties. From the U.S.A. some were exported to Europe in the eighties.
F.C.I. Classification: Group IX. Section I.
The BH is a small, vigorous dog of short legs and elongated trunk.
Its body is completely covered with long, silky, wavy and shiny hair of
variable colors, although the most common are ivory and honey.
The tail is raised like a plume with hair falling over the loins.
The eyes are covered with a curtain of hair.
In temperament, it is playful, alert, curious, brave, loving and very
intelligent.
Its character decisively influences its behavior and movement
with head and tail proudly and happily raised.
Wither height is from 23 to 30 cm, although the ideal height is 27cm.
The length between the wither and the elbow and that from the elbow to the floor
is practically the same. Wither height and longitudinal diameter (this is the distance from the shoulderjoint to the ischium) of the body have a 3/4 proportion.
The head is proportional to the size of the body, with the longitudinal
diameter (the distance from occiput to nose(point)) of the head being approximately half of the wither height. A properly balanced head is three parts muzzle to four parts skull.
The skull is broad and flattened, almost square, and the forehead is slightly
elevated. Its transversal diameter (the distance from ear to ear)
coincides with muzzle length. The ideal skull length is 8 cm from stop to
occiput, and is longer than the muzzle which is 6 cm from stop to nose.
The stop is moderate.
The ears, which are implanted above the lines of the eyes,
have a plait which allows the dog to raise them discreetly when he is paying
attention. They are covered with long silky hair that reaches the long hair of the neck.
The BH has big, dark, almond-shaped eyes and a dark, bevelled
nose.
He has no chin.
The cheeks are flat.
The distance between the eyes is about 3.5 cm or 4 cm.
The nose is black or very dark, rather broad but not coarse, big and
bevelled.
A curtain of hair covers the eyes and reaches the point of the
nose.
The muzzle is narrower than the skull and slightly thinner toward the
nose, with an ideal length of 6 cm from nose to stop.
The upperlip covers the lower lip and the lip edges are dark
and well pigmented.
The jaws meet in a scissors bite.
The set of teeth should be complete, and the teeth themselves should be
white, strong and healthy.
The eyes are very expressive, relatively large,
dark and almond-shaped with well
pigmented corners and edges.
The ears are broad based and triangular in shape. They settle above the
line of the eyes and, although droopy, they do not square up the cheeks.
They have this little plait for discreet rising when the dog is at
attention, so the plait settle is slightly above the skull line.
The ears are covered with long silky hair. Their length generally equals the
skull length and, when extended forward, their tips reach the external
corners of the eyes.
The proper placement of the ears as well as the correct shape, size and plait give the dog the typical and very special Bichon Havanese look!
The neck is conical, moderately long, but never short, since it must clearly separate the trunk from the head. Its length is approximately one third of the overall length of the body from the wither to the tail base. It should be erect , because the BH carries his head high and proud.
The trunk is vigorous, cylindrical with rounded ribs.
The thorax is broad (ample) and the abdomen retired.
The sternum is at elbow height.
The dorsal line is almost straight with a slight elevation towards the lumbar
region and a slightly low rump (croupe).
The dorsal-sternal diameter is
equal to the substernal hollow.
The "thoracic perimeter" (this is the length of the thorax measured with a band from the withers, around the ribs to the same point of departure at the withers ) is 43 cm (about 17 inches).
The chest is broad and the point of the sternum is moderately marked.
The couplings are relatively long, allowing amplitude of movement.
The tail, which is rather highly located, is thick at the base and thin at
the tip. The BH carries it well-raised above the loin in such a way that its
long hair falls like a palm tree leaf. The tail is arched, never curled and
doesn't touch the back.
The manner of tail deportment is very important in
this breed, because it expresses very clearly the correct temperament! When
the BH moves, its tail waves like a flag, expressing at the same time pride
and joy. Its length is usually 18 cm.
The forequarters are straight and parallel (front view), muscled and with strong bones. The shoulder blades tend to the vertical position. The arms are muscled, strong, forming with the shoulder blades an angle wider than 110 degrees. The metacarpus is sligthly inclined and the feet are round and compact.
The hindquarters are moderately angulated, powerful and with strong bones. Legs must be straight and parallel (rear view). Hindfeet are slightly oval, a little more elongated than the forefeet.
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The BH moves freely, with his head, neck and tail well raised, and with a
lively and elastic gait expressing his gay, confident and kind of proud
character.
If the dog is properly built, the dorsal line remains straight
(steady) while he moves his four legs in the trot with great agility.
The moderated angulations give the BH a special amplitude of movement, supported
by the relatively long couplings, in such a way that the dog can move fast
and sprightly and with great elasticity, more than what you would expect in
such a small dog.
The waving movement of the tail provides the necessary balance, while the
temperament provides the energy, joy and pride.
The BH is vital, merry, curious, very intelligent, and extremely affectionate, especially with its owner who is the center of its constant attention. It is also brave, playful, a little boastful, a little arrogant, and a sort of proud, self-satisfied dog.
One of the most distinctive and characteristic traits of the BH is the
abundant and beautiful hair coat completely covering its body.
Typical of this breed is to carry a hair curtain in front of the eyes and the tail
plume dropping like a palm tree leaf over the loin without touching it.
The coat color of the BH can be one color or color combinations that range
from white to black, although commonly this dog is ivory, white or honey.
There are some exceptional specimens which we call "capuchin" . These have
two colors symmetrically arranged: one at the lower part of the body, legs
and head and the other in the upper part of the same regions.
The coat is composed of fine strands with a very soft and silky texture and mother-of-pearl shining. It drops profusely lengthwise on the body , reaching a length of approximately four to five inches, with the exception of the legs, where the hair is slightly shorter. The flank strands never touch the ground. As a matter of fact, you can see the legs. The hair never hides the legs. The hair on the chest never touches the ground, either.
There is no doubt that its coat is one of the distinctive and beautifying traits of this breed, but at the time of breeding and judging the BH we cannot forget that it is structure that determines the quality, dressed with an adequate coat.
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