When Do Havanese Growth Plates Close?
The Havanese is one of the most popular breeds in North America these days, adored for its tiny size and sweet personality. In fact, according to the American Kennel Club, the breed is the 24th most popular in America right now!
If you want to raise your Havanese from a puppy, you will have questions–such as what to expect as they grow, and what sort of maintenance a Havanese puppy will require.
Read on to learn more about the growth rates of the Havanese breed, as well as when this breed will be finished growing.
What Is a Havanese Dog?
The Havanese is a toy breed that is identifiable by a long, silky coat and bright, intelligent eyes. The breed is meant as a companion breed, so it is a perfect fit if you are looking for a sidekick who will always be at your heels. They are also sometimes referred to as Velcro dogs. Havanese dogs are known, too, for their temperament.
They do not bark very often, so this and their size make them good apartment dogs. In addition, they are highly intelligent and easy to please, so they pick up tricks quickly. However, as this breed is a companion breed, it is not well suited to being left alone for too long. It will develop separation anxiety and can exhibit this through destructive behavior.
Havanese Breed History
The Havanese is a breed of dog that originated in Cuba–to this day, the Havanese is still Cuba’s national dog! Spanish settlers brought the ancestors of the Havanese to Cuba in the 1500s. Then, they began to selectively breed the Blanquito, a breed that is now extinct, with other dogs from the Bichon family, like the poodle.
The resulting litters of puppies were the first Havanese dogs! As the Havanese was bred for its special traits, such as its cuddly nature and its intelligence, the breed became popular with wealthy Cubans.
The wealthy Cubans adopted the Havanese as companion dogs, and when the Cuban Revolution began, some of these families were able to escape to America with their pets in tow. This is when the Havanese was introduced to a larger market.
American breeders fell in love with the sweet, spunky Havanese, and began breeding them stateside, too, from the ones that had come from Cuba. Then, at last, in 1996, the American Kennel Club recognized them as an official breed.
When Do Havanese Dogs Stop Growing?
Most dogs are fully grown by the time that they are 1 year old, but the Havanese is often fully grown even earlier, usually between the ages of 6 and 8 months old.
Part of this is due to their status as a toy breed.
Toy breeds and smaller dogs are known to get to their adult size very quickly. Large breeds, on the other hand, take longer and can easily take 18 to 24 months to finish growing completely.
Puppy Growth Patterns
There are a few easy ways to tell if your puppy is growing. Look at their teeth, paws, and ears. All of these will show marked changes–for example, losing the first set of teeth, or paws that increase in size over time.
Puppies typically grow very fast at first, and then once they reach 6 months of age, they grow more slowly if they are not fully grown already.
By 6 months old, they are usually at 60% of their full size and will grow that last 40% by around 1 year old. However, the bones of a puppy are still growing and developing until they are 2 years old. This is not growth that we can see, though!
Frequently Asked Questions
What age does a Havanese stop growing?
A Havanese is a toy breed of dog, so it will not grow to be very large at all! That being said, you will still want to know what to expect if you are adopting a Havanese. Havanese dogs will be fully grown by the time they are 1 year old, but will often stop growing by the time they are 6 to 8 months of age.
At what age does a Havanese coat change?
When a dog’s coat changes, this is when its soft, puppy coat changes and becomes its adult coat of hair or fur. This will happen over a period of 2 to 4 months and can come with a unique set of challenges for pet owners. For Havanese dogs, they go through this coat change when they are anywhere from 8 to 15 months old.
This is something to be aware of, as you may have to change how you maintain your dog’s coat!
How long does it take for Havanese hair to grow?
When you have a pet, it is important to remember how often you need to schedule appointments with the groomers and how often you will need to brush and maintain their coat.
This is especially important with breeds such as the Havanese–well known for their long, silky coats, this breed requires extra maintenance! A way to gauge how often you will need to do all of this is by how fast the dog’s coat grows.
A Havanese’s coat or hair can grow at a rate of around 1 to 2 cm per month as puppies. By the age of 1, a Havanese could have hair that is anywhere from 13 to 20 cm long.
How much do puppies grow after 6 months?
When it comes to the growth of your dog, most breeds will be fully grown once they are 1 year old. Some dogs may even be fully grown by the time they are 6 months old.
After 6 months, if a puppy is not fully grown, it will usually begin to grow more slowly at this point. At 6 months, a puppy will be at about 60% of its full size, so after 6 months, these puppies will only grow to be about 40% larger!