Havanese are a genuinely sturdy, healthy toy breed by small-dog standards, but the silky coat is a real daily-brushing job, and this breed bonds so hard to its people that separation anxiety is a common, real problem, not an occasional quirk.
14.5years, median
2 years above the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 437 dogs of this breed. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, small breeds as a group had a median of 12.7 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is small and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
Havanese Club of America sets the tests a Havanese needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, after 2 years)
- Patellar Luxation (OFA Evaluation, after 1 year)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist (OFA CAER, annually)
When to spay or neuter: the guidelines split at 45 pounds grown, five to six months under it and after growth is complete over it, and the UC Davis study gives a guideline by breed for 35 breeds. The spay and neuter page has both, and the two weeks after.
- BAER hearing test (no longer required for CHIC)
- Cardiac Evaluation (congenital and adult-onset)
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Havanese near you
Shelters and rescues list Havaneses and Havanese mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Havanese
Havanese are cheerful, adaptable little dogs that genuinely do well in apartments and do not need intense exercise, just daily play and a walk. The real catch is the coat, which needs real time at a brush or regular professional grooming, and how attached they get to their people; left alone too often, many Havanese develop separation anxiety and destructive or vocal behavior.
Health you should know about
- Progressive retinal atrophy — an inherited, degenerative eye disease that gradually causes blindness; responsible breeders screen for it before breeding.
- Legg-Calve-Perthes disease — degeneration of the head of the femur in young dogs, causing lameness and usually requiring surgery to correct.
- Patellar luxation — a slipping kneecap common across small and toy breeds.
- Dental disease — small jaws and crowded teeth make periodontal disease common without regular home dental care.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Havanese? Spanish dog and cat names, 88 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 2 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 2 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.