Chihuahua vs Havanese — Side by Side

	Chihuahua	Havanese
Lifespan	14-16 years	14-16 years
Size	Toy	Toy
Weight	3-6 lb	7-13 lb
Energy	Moderate	Moderate
Grooming	Low	High
Shedding	Moderate	Low
With kids	Not ideal for young kids	Good with kids

What actually separates them

Less hair on the sofa with the Havanese. More with the Chihuahua.
Less brushing with the Chihuahua. More with the Havanese.
With young children, Havanese is the safer default — Chihuahua is listed as "Not ideal for young kids".

The honest downside of each

Chihuahua

Chihuahuas are genuinely fragile, with thin, easily broken leg bones and, in some dogs, a soft spot in the skull that can persist into adulthood, and despite the tiny, portable image they are one of the most surrendered breeds in American shelters, not a low-commitment accessory.

Havanese

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.

Read the full pages

Chihuahua · Havanese
Health problems, origin and what living with each is actually like.