A cross between the Havanese and the Yorkshire Terrier, the Havashire can be the perfect choice for those looking for a smaller, mostly hypoallergenic dog for apartment living. Havashire may take a bit more time to train, but overall, they make wonderful companions. Plus, they are pretty cute!

Breed Overview

Havashires rarely bark, are extremely loyal, and will likely follow you around the house whenever you’re at home. They’re a great companion dog, but they do not like being left alone for extended periods. So, is a Havashire right for you and your family? Getting any pet takes serious thinking. We break down everything that you need to know to care for these adorable pooches.

Havashire Characteristics

Havashire Puppies

While Havashire dogs are not that budget-friendly, it’s far less than you’d expect to spend on a purebred puppy. One of the most notable reasons for is if you’re getting a first-generation Havashire or not. First-generation Havashire puppies tend to have a more predictable 50/50 split between the two parent breeds, while multiple-generation Havashires might favor one parent breed more than another.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Havashire

While everyone wants to talk about how intelligent their dog is, the truth is that the Havashire won’t be the smartest dog on the block. Both the Yorkshire Terrier and the Havanese have average intelligence, though, so you’re not getting a dumb dog either.

Once you look past their intelligence or lack thereof, you get an extremely friendly, energetic dog that loves to be around their owner as much as possible. These dogs are likely to be your shadow as you go about your day at home.

However, keep in mind that they are prone to separation anxiety and don’t like to spend a ton of time alone. If you have a 9-to-5 job and don’t have anyone to watch them, this might not be the best breed for you.

Are These Dogs Good for Families?

The Havashire is a great family dog, although you need to be careful with them around smaller children. Due to their smaller size, you should always supervise the dog and children as children might be tempted to pick them up. When kids are learning to walk, you should keep them separate. Your Havashire won’t try to hurt your child if properly socialized, but if your child falls on them, your Havashire could easily get injured. This could lead the dog to nip at your kid, and this could hurt them.

Does This Breed Get Along With Other Pets?

With early socialization, the Havashire is a great dog to have around other pets. Whether it’s with other dogs, cats, or something more exotic, the Havashire rarely creates any problems.

Still, your Havashire will have the same problem around larger pets that they do with small kids. The Havashire is small, and extremely large dogs and other pets can easily trample and hurt them if they’re not careful.

Things to Know When Owning a Havashire

Before you head out and purchase a Havashire, there are a few things that you should be aware of. Here, we highlighted the basic care requirements. That way, you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into and don’t regret your decision.

Food & Diet Requirements

As a smaller dog, your Havashire will eat far less than many other breeds out there. The smallest Havashires will only eat about ½ cup of food a day, while the largest will eat about 1 cup.

Neither is a large amount, and you should choose a high-quality dry dog food to keep them healthy. For such a small dog, the price difference is negligible, but it will have a significant impact on your pup’s health.

Feel free to give your Havashire the occasional treat, especially while training them.

Exercise

While the Havashire might be a small dog, they’re full of energy. Whether you live in an apartment or a house with a white picket fence, you need to take them out for one or two walks each day.

Over the course of a day, you should walk them for about a mile but still expect them to have plenty of energy. You can give them toys to help burn off this energy in the house, but they’ll still need plenty of attention from their owner or another dog.

If you can’t keep up with your pup’s exercise requirements, destructive boredom behaviors can quickly become a frustrating and expensive problem.

Training

While the Havashire is a cute and adorable dog, they’re also a bit difficult to train. Since they have average intelligence, it’s not that they can’t learn at all—it’s that they can have a stubborn streak.

Consistency and positive reinforcement are critical, as is convincing them that they want to do whatever you’re training them to do. Since these dogs can be so challenging to train, we don’t recommend them for first-time dog owners.

Grooming ✂️

The Havashire has an extremely long coat, no matter which parent breed they take after, so grooming them properly requires a bit of work. You need to brush them at least once a day to prevent knots from forming and bathe them about once a month.

When bathing them, use a high-quality soap and conditioner to keep their coat clean, soft, and free of knots.

In addition to their brushing and bathing requirements, you also need to keep up with their oral hygiene. Brush your dog’s teeth two to three times a week to help with tartar buildup and to save you money at the dentist later.

Health and Conditions

While most of the health problems with the Havashire come from their genetics, once you own your pup, the best thing that you can do to keep them healthy is to give them a nutritious diet and enough exercise.

However, if you’re still shopping for your puppy, it’s best to do as much research as you can into their family tree to see if their parents have had any of the following conditions. Also, never be afraid to ask for references, as this is a great way to see how other dogs with similar genetics are doing.

Male vs. Female

While there aren’t many differences between a male and a female Havashire, there are a few dog-specific tendencies that you should be aware of. First, males tend to be a bit larger than females. Since both the Havanese and the Yorkshire Terrier are small dogs, you expect the Havashire to be small too.

However, a female will likely be slightly smaller. Furthermore, males tend to need more attention than females. While both male and female Havashires are needy, most males require even more attention and affection.

Finally, while males are more challenging to housebreak before neutering, after neutering, housebreaking a male dog is relatively easy. Of course, you can’t neuter a puppy, so this is only useful information if you’re adopting an older dog.

3 Little-Known Facts About the Havashire

1. The Havashire Is a Hypoallergenic Dog (Almost)

While it’s impossible to know which parent breed a designer dog will take after in any one area, since both the Yorkshire Terrier and the Havanese are close to being hypoallergenic, your pup should be too. Keep in mind that there are no truly hypoallergenic dogs but there are dogs that shed less than others.

2. Havashires Were Bred in the Last 10 Years

Designer breeds are a relatively new thing, and the Havashire wasn’t the first one to come around. Havashires are an incredibly new breed, with most puppies only coming around in the last 10 years.

Even so, there are plenty of second-, third-, and even fourth-generation Havashires around.

3. They Are Extremely Protective but Rarely Bark

Both parent breeds are extremely loyal, and unlike many small dogs that bark at their own shadow, they’re also quiet in nature. This means you’re getting a loyal and protective dog, but not a noisy one. It really is the best of both worlds!

Final Thoughts

The Havashire will soon become the best friend of everyone in your family. With proper training, you’ll have a great companion with a long lifespan. This means you won’t have to worry about those pesky puppy days again anytime soon, and you’ll have plenty of time to bond with your pup.

Even better, if you suffer from allergies, the Havashire is a more affordable dog option for you, as they don’t shed as much as some other breeds, although this is highly dependent on the individual dog. So, track down a Havashire breeder and add one of these pups to your family today!

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Featured Image Credit: Pxfuel