# Short haired vs Standard



## mevensen (Apr 14, 2008)

Hello all.

We are looking to add a Havanese to our family, their size and temperament sound great. Also, our daughter has allergies/asthma and the hypoallergenic coat, low shed qualities of the breed are very attractive to us.

We've been working with a breeder and had a pup selected, but this puppy has turned out to be a short haired one. We've seen conflicting views in our searches for more information about short haired Havanese regarding their hypoallergenic and low shed qualities.

Our breeder mentioned something about different lines of Havanese, stating that not even all standard Havanese are truly hypoallergenic and low shed, and that a short haired Havanese produced from her dogs might have a greater chance of having some of those qualities.

Can anyone give more input. This breeder has another puppy that will be available in about a month more that she expects to be long haired, should we just wait for the long haired one to be more certain?


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## shorthairhavmom (Apr 25, 2008)

Welcome! I have a short haired Hav and a short haired Bolonka (similar breed, also typically non-shed). Both of my dogs do shed and as I understand it would not be hypoallergenic. If these issues are important to you, you might want to wait. It would be terrible if you took your chances and it didn't work out.

That being said, my dogs are very easy to bath and require no trips to the groomer. They have great temperaments, too! Hope this helps. Good luck!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

mevensen said:


> We've been working with a breeder and had a pup selected, but this puppy has turned out to be a short haired one. We've seen conflicting views in our searches for more information about short haired Havanese regarding their hypoallergenic and low shed qualities.
> 
> Our breeder mentioned something about different lines of Havanese, stating that not even all standard Havanese are truly hypoallergenic and low shed, and that a short haired Havanese produced from her dogs might have a greater chance of having some of those qualities.


Any creature with hair will shed it, including you. Ever look at your bathroom floor after blowdrying your hair? 

The difference with the breeds that are considered "non-shedding" is that they don't lose their hair in clumps like other dogs that have the bushy undercoat. Ever see an Akita shedding? That's a nightmare. I ruined a new vaccum in just a couple of months in trying to keep up with the regular shedding, never mind the huge shedding that happens twice a year!

A short-haired Havanese is not considered to be a non-shedding dog like the rest of the breed is. It will shed, and I believe it produces dander like other dogs. If you are specifically looking for a dog due to allergies, you do not want a short-haired Hav.

There is one breeder on this forum who is much more familiar with the short-hairs and may be able to give you more details if you'd like. She doesn't post often though, so feel free to click on my name (to the left) and utilize the e-mail option or the private message option. E-mail is better. I can forward a message to her if you'd like to see if she can answer you more specifically.

And yes, all Havanese lose their hair. You'll see it on your clothes, especially after grooming them. Some of them do lose their hair more than others, so I agree with that breeder on that point.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Kimberly's post was right on, but just wanted to add that although Havs lose hair just like humans (though it's negligible really unless they're blowing coat - which only happens twice in their life), they are still hypoallergenic because it's hair and not fur, which the short haired Havs have. My fiance is really really allergic to dogs. Even his parents' dauchsunds, who have really short hair and shed minimally, will make his eyes itch and start him sneezing. That being said, Kubrick has never bothered him once and he's one year old (today! ) and has been blowing coat, so his hair is coming out more than usual. I would suggest that if you are really that worried about it, that you find someone with a Hav and go to their house to make sure that your daughter will be fine.

Good luck!


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## luv3havs (Jul 27, 2007)

*Happy Birthday Kubrick*

Lina,
Wishing Kubrick a very Happy first Birthday from Cali and Chico.:kiss:


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Thanks Nan, Cali and Chico!


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Happy Birthday Kubrick!!! I think we'd better start another thread....:rockon::kiss::yo:


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