The Havana Silk Dog is a small, very social, drop coated companion dog breed. It enjoys the distinction of being the only purebred dog born of an effort to eliminate a genetic problem from within a breed. The efforts of a dedicated group of Havanese breeders resulted in the reemergence of the Havana Silk Dog, a breed of Cuban origin long thought to be extinct.
The Havana Silk Dog is a purely Cuban creation, and reflects the culture of La Habana and its people – attractive and fun-loving, brave and resourceful, and highly adaptable to any situation. He is a small, elegant, but athletic dog breed with strong herding instincts, rectangular in form, covered from nose to tail with long, silky hair of various colors.
The Havana Silk Dog is a lively, playful, curious, and intelligent dog breed. Very outgoing and self-confident. They get along well with other animals and generally live in harmony with other household members. They are non-quarrelsome and are usually cheerful in sharing food, toys, and humans with other pets.
As the Havana Silk Dog gene pool has been selected out of the Havanese gene pool, it is possible that some of the Havanese health issues may still affect Silk Dogs. The HSD registry precludes any dog being certified if it displays chondrodysplasia, so dwarfism does not appear to be an issue in the HSD.