Are Havanese Dogs Smart?
The Havanese dog breed is one that has rapidly increased in popularity in recent years. They are well-loved for their adorable, cuddly appearance, and for their eager-to-please and affectionate nature, too.
If you are considering a Havanese as an addition to your family unit, then you will want to be sure that you consider important features of the breed to make sure they are the right dog for you. Some things to consider would be personality, maintenance, and intelligence.
Take a look below to learn more about the Havanese dog breed, its history, and how smart the breed is as well!
What Is a Havanese Dog?
The Havanese breed is easily recognizable by its long, silky coat and dark, almond-shaped eyes.
The breed can come in a few different colorations, they can be beige, black and white, chocolate and a mix of all three.
Havanese are not big dogs, the typically grow to be between 7 and 13 pounds and can vary in height between 8 ½ to 11 ½ inches high at the shoulder.
They are a toy breed and were bred to be companion dogs. This means that they are very cuddly and affectionate, and are always eager to please their humans!
It also means that the Havanese is not a breed that does well when left alone at home for too long. Read on to learn more about the history of this breed!
Havanese Breed History
The Havanese is a breed that came from Cuba, originally. In fact, the breed is still the national dog of Cuba. Havanese were first brought over to Cuba by Spanish settlers, but it was not the breed as we know it today. Instead, it was the ancestors of the modern Havanese that came over to Cuba with the settlers.
The Blanquito dog, which is now an extinct breed, was bred together with dogs from the Bichon family to pass along the desirable traits of the Havanese. The resulting litters and offspring were the Havanese dogs.
Once the Havanese started to become established, the breed became popular with the wealthy aristocrats in Cuba. They adopted the Havanese as companion dogs or lap dogs!
Some Havanese left Cuba with traders and were introduced to the world, but the breed was not truly popular until after the Cuban Revolution. During the Revolution, the wealthy and elite of Cuba fled the country to America with their dogs in tow.
Americans grew to love the little dogs, and breeders started a breeding program using some of the Havanese that had come over during this tumultuous time. This helped to catapult the breed to the popularity it experiences today.
Are Havanese Dogs Smart?
The Havanese breed is known to be very intelligent. This is great for Havanese training, as it makes it easier for you to teach your dog what you expect of it— and to teach your pup new tricks, too!
However, intelligent breeds can also be stubborn, too, so this is something to watch out for. The Havanese will still need you to be patient and gentle while you are training your pup.
The intelligence of the Havanese also means that it will pick up on things more quickly, and can be well suited for activities such as agility training.
There are other dogs that are known to be highly intelligent as well. These include the Border Collie and German Shepherd. However, these breeds are larger and need more physical stimulation. For this reason, the Havanese can be a perfect companion if you are looking for a smaller breed that is sharp as a tack!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is special about Havanese?
Havanese is a breed that has become very popular in recent years! But, you may be wondering, why are they so popular? The breed is well-loved for its small size and long, silky fur.
Some may affectionately say that this breed looks like a stuffed animal. On top of that, they are very intelligent and are adaptable, friendly companion dogs. They are well suited to city or apartment living as well!
Which dog has a high IQ?
Depending on what you are looking for in a pet, you may be on the lookout for a breed that is highly intelligent. This can sometimes make training easier and can make a breed good for certain activities like agility training.
Of course, if this is something you are interested in doing with your dog, then you will want to choose a breed that will be able to understand what it is you are asking it to do, and you will want a breed that will pick up on this kind of thing quickly!
Some very intelligent dog breeds include the Havanese, German Shepherd, or Golden Retriever. The Border Collie is also known to be one of the most intelligent breeds of dog.
How hard is it to train a Havanese?
Luckily, the Havanese breed is intelligent and picks up on cues easily. They are also eager to please their owners. All of this makes the Havanese fairly easy to train!
Of course, if you are potty training a Havanese puppy, you may find it more difficult than potty training a larger dog, due to the size of the Havanese breed’s bladder. You will have to account for more potential accidents and take them out more often than you might a larger breed.
It is also important to take note of the sensitivity of the Havanese. They do well with positive reinforcement during training, but you should be sure to always be gentle and patient with them!
Are Havanese OK to be left alone?
While you might want to spend all of your time with your new Havanese dog, this is not always possible! There is work to be done and errands to run that take us all away from the home.
Havanese are companion dogs, so if you expect to be away from home all day, they are not the breed for you. If a Havanese is left alone too long, then they can easily develop separation anxiety. This can manifest itself in destructive behavior, accidents, or excessive barking, too.