Havachon Dog Breed

The Havachon is a hybrid dog classified in the toy group. These hybrid dogs are produced from cross-breeding a Havanese with a Bichon Frise. It's unknown who first conceived and produced this hybrid, but it is known that the parents — the Havanese and the Bichon Frise — are close cousins. It is known that the Havanese, which is the national dog of Cuba, was not very well known (if at all) in the United States until the 1970s when many upper-class Cuban refugees fled their homeland and a few families were able to take their dogs along. (The Havanese became somewhat of a rare breed due to many Cubans not being able to take their dogs with them when they fled.)

These cute, fluffy and lovable dogs tend to be medium-sized, easy to train and amicable. They may have a stubbornness if the Bichon Frise parent's personality is stronger than that of the Havanese in the Havachon pup, so it's best to be prepared to be "leader of the pack" to keep him in line should this happen. These are great dogs for families: they are good watchdogs, they don't bark much and they love kids and seniors and everyone between!

PROS

• Cute
  
• Small
  
• Not a barker
  
• Easy to train
  
• Good watchdog
  
• Hypoallergenic
  
• Loves attention
  
• Great with kids
  
• Adapts easy to various environments
  

CONS

• Can be shy
  
• May be stubborn
  
• Medium maintenance
  
• Needs lots of exercise
  
• Prone to many inheritable ailments and diseases
  

The Havachon is produced when a Havanese and a Bichon Frise are crossbred. This adorable little hypoallergenic fluff-muffin is perfectly suited for families of any size and are eager to please, highly adaptable and great fun. As they love attention, they are great for first-time dog owners. The following Havachon information can be supplemented by visiting the pages for both parent breeds.

Havachons tend to be highly intelligent — perhaps too much so, especially if they have a strong Havanese streak running through them. They aren't usually dogs that strive to be "leader of the pack," but with enough of the Havanese side and not enough exercise, attention and mental stimulation, they can quickly and easily dominate your household as well as turn to destructive behavior because of the very intelligence that makes them appealing.

Your Havachon, regardless of how stubborn she may be, is sure to be doting, friendly and active. Curious, affable and a desire to please may best define the personality of a Havachon.

Havachons are highly active dogs that are small but need a fair amount of exercise even as they tend to find ways to burn if off by themselves by investigating everything, everyone and everywhere to sate their curiosity. They aren't strong and they don't make good guard dogs, but they are somewhat relentless in their search for new friends, mental stimulation and constant attention.

Although the Bichon Frise is pure white, the Havanese — a Bichon breed and a close cousin to the Bichon Frise — the comes in a handful of colors and will almost always impart color to their Havachon puppies when cross-bred. Most Havachons are two- or three-color with golden, cream, tan, brown, silver, blue, black and white in the coat. There are also those rare ones that are all-black.

Many Havachons tend to get the "fade" trait from their Havanese parent, and as such, their coats will usually fade as they age.

Tan

Black & White

Havachons are hybrid dogs but breeders seem to not desire the long trot to F7 — which is the multi-generational level whereby hybrid vigor is eliminated and the American Kennel Club considers the hybrid for recognition as a pure breed. The desire for hybrid vigor is high on the list of those who breed and desire Havachons due to the hybrid's appearance and due to this, almost all Havachons are F1 or F2.

First-generation Havachons that have purebred parents — Havanese and Bichon Frise — are called F1. Two Havachons crossbred produce F2 puppies. If a Havachon is back-bred to a Bichon Frise (to attempt getting a pure white Havachon, for instance), that is an F1B. Should a breeder back-breed an F1B to an F1 Havachon, that is called an F2B. If two F2 Havachons are cross-bred, that is called an F3, and so on (i.e., two F3's produce an F4). Any and all generations from F3 onward are called "multi-generational."

There are instances where breeders may offer "Toy Bichon Havanese" dogs; these are already tiny dogs and breeding them down in size even more may come with additional health problems.

The Havachon is a hybrid dog that comes from cross-breeding a Havanese (Havanais) with a Bichon Frise. While some Havachons will get more of their Havanese parent than their Bichon Frise side, and vice-versa, there is always the chance of an even mix of traits that any given Havachon will inherit. Even those from the same litter may have different temperament from each other, however, so it's best to learn about both the Havanese and the Bichon Frise if you plan on adopting a Havachon.

The Havachon personality is typically playful, curious and intelligent. They don't tend to dominate but can be headstrong. As they are energetic, friendly and easy to train, they love agility games and engaging them with such activities will help to burn off energy as well as keep any possible destructive behavior — which most dogs will develop if not exercised, left alone for long periods of time and / or without mental stimulation — from becoming a habit. While they are good watchdogs, they are very friendly with strangers and do not make good guard dogs. Kids and seniors will love the company they provide and in return, Havachons will return the favor of all the attention they receive from them. Like any dog, early socialization and training will help greatly in helping your Havachon be happy, out-going and a joy to have around the home!Havanese

Below are pictures and images of the Havachon dog breed.

Havachons are hybrids that are produced more for their cute appearance and less for the breeding-out of possible inherited ailments. As such, eye ailments, hearing problems, heart illnesses, joint dysplasia, skin troubles, allergies and bladder issues are among the problems that may well affect your Havachon.

With great care and love, however, your Havachon should live to be 14-15 years old.

• Hip Dysplasia
• Patellar Luxation

The following dog breed registries and organizations recognize the Havachon as a dog breed:

• American Canine Hybrid Club
• Designer Breed Registry
• Designer Dogs Kennel Club
• Dog Registry of America Inc.
• International Designer Canine Registry

• Sources
• http://www.101dogbreeds.com/havachon.asp
• http://www.dogbreedplus.com/dog_breeds/havachon.php
• http://www.animaroo.com/dog-breeds/havachons.html
• http://dogs.petbreeds.com/l/755/Havachon
• http://www.infobarrel.com/Havanese__Bichon_Frise__Havachon