The Havanese is a toy breed from Cuba with a sturdy physique, a cheerful and amiable disposition, and a long and straight or wavy double coat that comes in an assortment of colors and color combinations. It can be quite a challenge to determine what color your Havanese puppy will be as an adult dog because the coat color lightens or darkens in shade (sometimes quite drastically) over time. This is due to the presence of modifying genes.
In this post, we’ll explore all the possible coat colors and combinations your adult Havanese could end up with and how likely a puppy will change color based on the color they were born with.
The 11 Havanese Colors
1. Black
Black is one of the most common coat colors for Havanese dogs. A Havanese can be solid black or black combined with other colors. Two other American Kennel Club standard colors with black are black and silver and black and tan. Solid black Havanese dogs don’t change color.
2. Chocolate
The chocolate-colored Havanese coat is typically a deep, rich brown that can range from a milky chocolate shade to a darker shade. The nose is also brown. Your chocolate Havanese puppy’s coat may change color as they age, but this doesn’t always happen.
3. Cream
Cream-colored coats can range from very light, making the dog appear almost white, to a subtle tan or yellow-white shade. The nose is black. If a Havanese puppy is cream-colored, the color will undoubtedly change as they age, though there’s no way to know if they’ll lighten or darken until it happens.
4. Fawn
Fawn Havanese are darker than cream and appear more beige or dark blonde in color. Like cream Havanese, the fawn Havanese has a black nose. Puppies with fawn coloration are sure to darken or lighten with time.
5. Gold
Gold Havanese are, as the name gives away, golden in color, and some areas, like the head and ears, might take on a darker golden shade than the rest of the body. Dogs with a full gold shade will lighten, but the golden color won’t disappear. Gold Havanese have black noses.
6. Red
Red is a very distinctive color that presents as a sort of dark apricot or orange-brown or mahogany shade, and Red Havanese dogs have black noses, like gold, cream, and fawn Havanese. Like gold Havanese, the red fur doesn’t go away but gets lighter.
7. Brindle
Brindle is a coat coloring pattern that gives dogs a sort of irregular stripey appearance. The roots are darker on brindle Havanese, while the tips of the coat are lighter.
- Red brindle (standard)
- Blue brindle (non-standard)
- Fawn brindle (non-standard)
- Black brindle (standard)
- Silver brindle (standard)
- Chocolate brindle (non-standard)
- Gold brindle (standard)
- Black & tan brindle (non-standard)
- Black & silver brindle (non-standard)
8. Sable
While brindle Havanese have lighter tips and darker roots, sable Havanese have lighter roots and darker tips. Sable Havanese tend to get lighter, some quite drastically, and the color is considered the most susceptible to change.
- Red sable (standard)
- Silver sable (non-standard)
- Gold sable (standard)
- Chocolate sable (non-standard)
9. White
White Havanese seem to be less common than Havanese in other colors, like black, silver, or cream. Truly white Havanese shouldn’t have any other color on their coats. The white Havanese is less likely to change color than other Havanese (except black) as time progresses.
10. Silver
The silver Havanese is born black and, after around 4–6 weeks, begins to lighten to a shade of silver, which can range from very light to a smoky, dark grey.
11. Blue
Blue is a non-standard Havanese color. A blue puppy is born a dull shade of black that, over several months or even years in some cases, gradually transforms into a bluish-grey shade. The coat may take on a brownish shade before it becomes entirely blue.
What Markings Can a Havanese Have?
In addition to the multiple coat color possibilities, your Havanese might have specific markings or points. Markings and points can appear in various locations, including on the head, muzzle, cheeks, chin, chest, feet, tail, and inner ears.
- White markings
- Cream markings
- Silver markings
- Silver points
- Parti-color (more than 50% white with patches or spotting in another color)
- Tan points
- Irish pied (two colors, more than 50% of the coat in a color that isn’t white)
- Parti belton (a white coat with flecking caused by the ticking gene)
Summing Up
If you’re thinking about buying a Havanese, see if any are available for adoption. We looked around, and Havanese-specific rescue and rehoming organizations exist, so giving a surrendered or rescued Havanese a new and loving home is possible.
Secondly, we’d advise avoiding letting color be the deciding factor as to which Havanese is best for you. The most important factor is how good a fit you and the Havanese are for one another. Good luck!
Featured Image Credit: Sandra Huber, Shutterstock
The 11 Havanese Colors
