Hi all! An acquaintance of mine has a young (under 1 year) unaltered male Havanese that they’re hoping to rehome. He’s either too playful or too dominant (not clear from the description) for the resident male dog. I myself have a small spayed female. I was asked if I’d consider adopting him; I’ve been casually looking for another dog but haven’t found the right one. There are a lot of unknowns here and I’m only thinking about it, but I’m just curious who in COTH-land has one and what their experience with the breed is? Thanks!
I think Tom King is Havanese breeder? Maybe you can PM him?
I don’t know much about the breed except that the foo-foo exterior is not to be believed. They are sturdy, hardy “big” dogs in small packages. But I really can’t say what typical is.
I am totally charmed by the ones I have met! Playful, sweet, so soft!
Would the breeder want to rehome the dog? Many reputable breeders will either take the dog back, or help with placement.
Will they not consider neutering the dog to see if that helps with the behavior?
I would not assume that his behavior is really defined by being unneutered at this age. Obviously it depends on the dog and the breed, but I know a lot of unneutered males of different breeds (mostly sporting) and they don’t seem to be affected by being unaltered. The only issue they may have is in the presence of other unneutered males, or females in season.
But still, at that age, I wouldn’t think it would matter. I’d imagine it’s either the typical temperament of the dog, OR if it’s not typical of the breed, it has other “issues”.
E.g. in my breed, a puppy of that age would definitely be considered “too playful” for a lot of homes. They are sporting dogs that need serious energy burning exercise or they might wreck the house and annoy the shit out of other animals.
I suspect the temperament of a Havanese is not like a lapdog – Pekinese, and if that’s was expected, it might not be a good fit.
We had the cutest 8 month old one in at work the other day I LOVED him he was such a cool dog and his older owners loved him.
I think the biggest problem with all of the foo-foo breeds is owners not training them and/or treating them like babies.
Havanese mostly remain an unusual breed, so hopefully he came from a reputable breeder who is involved in the situation.
They’re too messy looking for my tastes, sorry Tom!. My cousin had three over the years that ranged from sassy to fearfully shy. I think sassy is more characteristic for the breed.
I had a Havanese growing up, a super sweet dog with people, but could be a little “aggressive” (I put that in quotations because she would never hurt another dog, but was loud around other dogs). She thought she was a much bigger dog than she was 
BUT Havanese as a breed are supposed to be very friendly and very amenable, and she by all accounts was that except for the fact that we didn’t socialize her with other dogs as well as we could have. We also kept her hair cut short, didn’t want to deal with the long hair! Could you have a trial period? Perhaps his behavior is not personality but more reactive?
One of my neighbors has one and she is very sweet but has a bratty streak in her. And she is a bit of a primadonna about food. But overall she is a very sweet dog, medium energy level, and gets along with just about every other dog in the neighborhood.
Thank you all for the responses. To address a few questions:
- yes, the breeder will take the dog back. It is in no danger of ending up homeless.
- the folks who have him are not against neutering him; in fact, it is expected to be done, just hasn’t yet (the dog is 8 months old). To be honest I’m not sure they’re dog savvy enough to react to his behavior, whether it’s aggressive or playful or otherwise. Their other dog (who is a Havanese and I suspect from the same breeder) is, by description, a model citizen. To be clear, I haven’t met the dog in question. He may be a dominant PITA, he may be totally fine; just an exuberant adolescent.
I was more or less asking about the overall experience of those having encountered and/or familiar with the breed; I had heard nice things about them and my interest was piqued when he was offered to me.
Ive known a few, they are not as reliable temperamentally as say, bichon, who are sort of known for their sunny dispositions. But generally happy,clever little dogs who suffer somewhat from not enough training and excersize, being attractive to apt dwellers and the frou-frou crowd attracted to their adorableness. OK they are usually spoiled, but good overall ( experience with them from grooming)
BT- I suspect you’re right, and it’s more a situation of an adolescent dog being a growing puppy, and having clueless owners, than anything else.
