6 CritiCal ElEmEnts of HavanEsE BrEEd typE:
1. Topline-Straight but not level, rising slightly from withers to rump…the result of moderate angulation | fore and aft combined with a typically short upper arm.
2. Outline-Slightly longer than tall, with head carried high and tail arched over back.
3. Gait-Springy, with moderate reach and drive, show- ing free reach and good extension. Not stilted. May show flash of pad coming and going
4. Coat-Soft, silky, wavy, abundant. May be corded.
5. Broad backskull and large, dark, almond eyes: cor- rect ear set follows line of skull; full rectangular muz- zle is slightly shorter than backskull. The expression is soft and intelligent, mischievous rather than cute.
6. Intelligent, playful, sweet and non-quarrelsome.
you are examining have a soft, light, silky feel? I have asked Alice Lawrence to explain how to judge a corded Havanese. Alice has had BIS corded dogs in three di ff erent breeds over the years and is our expert in corded Havanese. Judging corded Havanese, for the most part, is an easier task than judging brushed dogs. Th e outline, so important to this breed, is right there. No masking it with artful brushing is possible with a corded dog; the slight rise to the topline
can be spotted (or not) in an instant. Th e neck, tail-set and tail carriage is clearly visible in a corded exhibit: what you see is what you get. As with all corded breeds, the dif- fi cult part is assessing expression and eye shape. Cords naturally fall forward over the face, veiling the eyes. So walk- ing past a corded Havanese, you may look for head tilt but fi nding expres- sion can be very di ffi cult. Even on the exam table, if you pull the cords back to look for eye shape, the glare of the sun
or overhead lights may cause the eyes to close. (Imagine whisking o ff someone’s sunglasses—the reaction is to squint! Be patient with that phenomenon.) To examine a corded Havanese, it is important to assess the actual struc- ture of the dog, not the outer surface of the cords. Stand at the front of the dog and insert each hand under the cords to examine the chest, short upper arm, spring of rib, length of loin and angula- tion. You can feel the topline accurately where the cords fall to either side; the slight rise in topline should be readily apparent. Both the topline and tail set should be easier to fi nd on a corded Havanese than on a brushed dog, as the cords lie relatively close to the body. Cording is a natural coat pre- sentation and must be evaluated without prejudice. We have fi nished the dog and have put it on the ground, let’s watch it move. As the dog moves away from you are you watching where it is placing its rear feet? It is hard to see how the Havanese moves in the rear due to the hair on the dog’s legs but if you look at the rear pads you can get a good idea of where the feet are being placed. As the dog returns to you on the down and back, where are the front feet being placed? Remember, some Havanese will show a fl ash of pad when coming toward you. Th is is caused by the moderate
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