# How big is big?



## Marge Hamilton

We recently brought Barney home who is a wonderful bouncing baby boy. We lost our first Havanese, Buster, who was 14 years old and considered a large Havanese at 13 pounds, in January.
Barney , who is now 4 months and three weeks, tops the scales at 13 pounds and has been putting on a pound a week for the last month. His paws are like bear paws, and he seems big all over and not fat. He eats about a cup of food a day. Just wondering how big the boy might get to be. The breeder thought he might even reach 20 pounds! Does anyone have a boy this big?


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## Rita Nelson

Tucker will be 1 yr. old on 4/4 and weighs in at 18 lbs. The breeder told us he would be on the big side. He hasn't gained weight in about 3 mos. so may guess is he's reach full growth. He eat 1/2 cup Orijen twice a day now.


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## galaxie

Marge, 13 lbs is not at all a "large" Hav! That's a pretty common weight.

My girl, Maddie, is 5 years and 21 lbs. At a year old she was about 18.5 lbs. So if Barney gets to be about 20 lbs, that's not really odd at all! There are quite a few members here on the board with Havs on the larger side. Personally, I love that Maddie is a big girl especially when she is playing with kids because I don't have to worry about her being frail and getting injured easily


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## Marge Hamilton

*How Big is Big*

Thanks so much, I feel better already. Barney does look more like a polar bear from the back end and my, he has big ears and a great big tongue, but we love him to death. Thank Heaven for him because my husband and I were deeply depressed after losing Buster at age 14. I have had dogs all my life but no dog has ever been like having a Havanese. The hole Buster left in our lives was so enormous we were just not functioning. People who have never had a Havanese might not understand. Well, now with this big baby boy we are moving ahead with smiles even though we still miss Buster. Needless to say I was just thrown a baby shower for Barney. He did manage to poop in front of all the ladies. What can I say, but my boy Barney!


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## Missy

I have two big boys. Jasper is 4 and 18lbs. Cash is 3 and uhmmmm... almost 23 lbs. He also was 12 lbs at 4 months, 17lbs at 7months and 22 at a year. His a bit pudgy but also like a bear. He is just a dense boy. Enjoy Barney...and we love pictures here at the forum.


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## galaxie

Missy said:


> and we love pictures here at the forum.


because Missy has a terrible case of MHS and IWAP. Just be careful, she might try to steal Barney!


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## Marge Hamilton

Wow, Havanese do get to be big! Back 14 years the breeder said that Buster would be beyond the breed standard at 13 pounds. Things are different now.
I only worry now that I won't be able to get Barney in a bag that fits under the seat in an airline. But we now fly a little airline that allows us to hold him, so as long as we only have to fly from the Bahamas to Florida we are OK. Other places will now be out as I would never want to put a dog in the hold of a plane, especially not a Havanese. As Buster got older we decided too much flying was not so good for him so we bought a very small RV names "Dogs Go" so we could travel to FL and then take a quick puddle hopper over to the Bahmas. he loved it all and it wasn't stressfull for him.
If I cold figure out better how to post pictures I would. I seem to fail at this.


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## Missy

geez Natalie, let her learn my weakness on her own!~!!! LOL.

all kidding aside Marge, that is the only thing I regret about Jasper and Cash's size is that they definitely will not fit under an airplane seat. We purposely looked for Havs on the larger size of the range (it was a guy thing not wanting a girly dog) but I thought that would be 14, 15 lbs top.... But never dreamed I would have such large boys...But I love them to pieces and I don't think they would do well on a plane anyway. 

Welcome to the forum, and don't worry... my next hav (if there is another) has to be a girl...so Barney is safe. Post all the pictures you can. Would also love to see pictures of Buster. You were a trend setter back then with a Havanese.


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## Amy R.

I feel just like Missy, my only regret (since we travel a lot) is that mine are too big to fly on a plane (well Biscuit is) but there's more of him to love. Heath is about average 11-12 lbs, but Biscuit is at least 18 now. But he started out smallish, so there's no knowing. When we got him at 3 mos he was just 4 lbs & the breeder said he'd not top 12lbs. His parents were small. Go figure.


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## irnfit

Shelby is a petite 13 lbs :biggrin1: but Kodi is husky at a little over 17 lbs.


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## Brady's mom

Another big boy in my house. Brady is about 20 pounds. My smaller hav, Dugan, is over 16 pounds. I have the same feeling as everyone else. I love that my boys are a little bigger and sturdier than the "average" hav. But, I know traveling under the seat of a plane with either of them is probably unlikely. I will say that my Mom's hav, Bacca, is 16 pounds and he did travel under the seat from Florida to Philly to get to my Mom. I know someone else who brought a hav from California to Philly that was 18 pounds. So, it may be a tight, but not impossible


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## mellowbo

.............and then there's Vinny at 24 lbs...............


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## Marge Hamilton

Well, we love our big guy but realize that as Barney gets bigger we may not be able to haul him around under arm without throwing out our backs. Buster was afraid of our steep stairs as he could see through the steps and sometimes he would panic and stumble, so for the last number of year he would wait to be picked up before we went upstairs to bed. 
As far as taking Barney home on the plane I think we can still get away with using Buster's old bag but by next year we will have to come up with something bigger, even if it is a cage. The airline here will let us sit next to his cage and if there is no one else on board we can take him out of the cage and put him on our laps.
Vinnie at 24 must be a bruiser! How big was he at 5 months? How big was Bradyat 5 months?


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## Brady's mom

I am trying to remember how big Brady was at 5 months. I will have to take a look and see if I have any vet records from then. I remember him being about 15 or 16 pounds at 6 months. I thought he might be a horse by the time he was through growing, but he slowed down a lot as he got beyond 6 months. He was almost 5 pounds when we brought him home at 8 week. 

Now, for the pictures of Buster?


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## marltonmommy

Skippy is 12lbs. Jaime is 16 lbs. and my Sunshine is 18 lbs. I think there is a wide range when it comes to weights. I love my bigger havs, there's so much more to hug and cuddle.


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## Marge Hamilton

Thanks for the info about Brady. I have tried to submit photos but having trouble. I will try again.


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## morridon

My baby is 10 lbs and almost 2 years old. I guess she is really on the small side.


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## lfung5

Both my guys are big. Fred is 16lbs and Scuds is 17lbs.


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## mellowbo

I'll look in Vinny's "baby book" and let you know how big he was at 5 months..........


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## Kathie

My Abby is nearly three and only eight pounds. I'm really just posting to welcome you to the forum and to tell you that there is a place on the right when you first get on the forum about resizing photos - that should help you! If not, maybe someone else can give more details - I'm not exactly expert at it which is why I don't post pictures too often.....lol


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## ama0722

morridon said:


> My baby is 10 lbs and almost 2 years old. I guess she is really on the small side.


I don't think that is considered small as I know a lot of Havs are smaller than 10lbs as well. When I first had Dora and was living in Ohio, she was considered small at 11lbs at a lot of the playdates. Then when I moved to California she was big! I think with the different lines and with no weight standard, there is a lot of variety in the breed. I also think some dogs are a lot longer than others so of course they are going to weigh more.


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## Scooter's Family

My 3 are 9, 10, and 11 pounds so who's to say what's normal size? No matter what I still think they're the sweetest dogs ever!

Welcome to the forum, I hope you can figure out how to post photos!


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## marjrc

Welcome to another Marge!  I'm so sorry about the loss of your 14 yr. old Hav, Buster. How sad. We have heard of many Hav owners who just can't last very long without a Hav in their lives and find that it helps the grieving process tremendously. 

There are Havs from 5 lbs. to 25 lbs. on the forum here and though the standard heights and lengths usually mean you'll find 10-12 lb'ers in the show ring, that doesn't mean these dogs all produce puppies that weigh that. 

Sammy is 10 lbs. and Ricky is 17 lbs., and very tall. We had Ricky first and both his parents are 10 lbs., but he has a champion sibling who weighs 14 lbs. When we got Sammy at 7.5 months, he weighed 8 lbs and I thought I got a mixed breed! I was so used to a stocky, tough, tall and big Havanese, that Sammy's stick legs and delicate body and demeanor threw me for a loop! lol 

For me, there are pros and cons to both smaller Havs and larger ones. I love the toughness of a bigger Hav, but I admit that grooming, carrying, caring for and feeding a smaller Hav is good too! lol


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## Julie

Quincy is going to be 4 years old and is not quite 10 1/2 pounds.


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## CoopersMom

I lost my first Hav a year ago and lasted 2 months before there was another one in the house. My husband and I called our first Hefty Havanese because she weighed 22 pounds. Cooper, dog # 2, is 12 pounds and sooo skinny by comparison. I now how MHS and am searching for another.


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## irnfit

If I shaved Shelby down, she would probably be 10 lbs. She has a lot of long hair. Kodi is all fluff, but I'm very concerned about the "saddle bags" he has now. You can't see them until I give him a bath, and there they are. We have to go to the vet for his rabies shot, so we'll have to come up with a plan.


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## Marge Hamilton

Well, as I type I have the big bundle of joy on my lap, what a trip this guy is. He has the hiccups,too! 
After Buster died we found that there was no way we could live w/o another one of these incredible creatures. We lasted a month! We were unable to pick up Barney for 2 more months after that time as we would be taking him out of the country. 
Barney does seem stockier and longer. His legs are very sturdy and feet look like bear paws. Buster was finer boned, and he did have the curved front legs. It must have been 5 years after we got Buster that we found out about problems with the legs and possible related heart issues. I down loaded info from the internet for my vet who then did tests. Buster was fine and did not end up with a heart murmur until he was 14 and had undergone surgery. He was such a gentleman. Even though we love Barney to pieces, I still miss my boy Buster, always will.
Meanwhile, Barney has constant itching. We are on an island where the vet comes once a week. He put Barney on Prednisone for several weeks. His appetite and water consumption increased as did his need for going to the bathroom! Anyway that did not seem to work.The vet now has me giving him a Benedryl every day but that does not seem to help too much, either. We brought a load of Royal Canin dog food with us to the island as reccommended by the breeder, but now would like to change foods but the problem is there is no place to get it here and we won't be leaving for US until the end of May. Barney is eating well, seems very happy and perky and has no sores or areas of hair loss. It just general all over scratching. I did bathe him with a shampoo that I had for Buster that treats yeast related skin conditions with no luck. Anyway, when we get home we will get allergy testing done if the vet thinks that's the way to go. But meanwhile any advice would be appreciated.


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## Missy

Marge, how nice that you are in the Bahamas and have Barney with you. It will be interesting to see if it some sort of Bahamian pollen or vegetation that is making Barney itch. You could try just cooking for Barney for a week or two and see if the itching is less. try a protein source other than what is in the RC... so if it's chicken do beef and rice... I also noticed that both my boys just seemed to be itchier as puppies. If he is not red or has no inflammation I wouldn't worry too much. But it is hard to see them itch. 

You could also try adding some Omega 3 fish oil to his diet. I give my boys the same gel cap I take and wrap in a bit of cheese. itch wise, my boys also did great with plain old Pantene shampoo and conditioner. Can you get that on the island?


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## Marge Hamilton

Love the pictures of the eye , and mouth!
I can get Pantene here and the vet gave me some special vitamins called Omega Tri-V liquid which is fish oil etc.and I put in his food daily.
His skin has a slight pink tinge, but I think it was worse when I got him from the breeder in Florida. She said he was itching very badly then and she thought it was due to fleas. He seems to be flea free here, so don't think that is the issue now. I due have oatmeal shampoo that I have not tried yet. Also, cooking for him at this point in time may be the way to go. I will check the label of Royal Canin and see what we have to avoid.


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## Ana's Mojito

How nice to read about all these "big" Havanese! Mojito who will be 3 in May is 11 lbs, and Mambo who will be 2 in July is about 15 lbs. Mambo is considered "huge" by some... A Cuban judge and breeder judged us when Mambo was 7 months old, and she said he was REALLY big.... / (she breeds smaller Havs too...) I was surprised but getting used to it by now, to see how much smaller Havs in shows are getting. I went to the Nationals i 2009, my friends were at the FL circuit and brought back pictures, and I was in Westminster, they're getting smaller, and smaller. I personally like the bigger size because they're more sturdy and not dainty at all. The only downside like some have said (Thank you!! I don't feel alone now) is they don't fit under the plane. That fact has kept me from going to other countries to show them.... I've only driven to El Salvador. It terrifies me to put them in the cargo section... although they should be fine, I haven't done it.


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## Marge Hamilton

Well, today Barney is 12 1/2 pounds and his is just over 5 months so we keep on growing! His feet still look like bear paws and his legs are very sturdy! He is a sweetheart and fills our days with laughter and smiles.


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## SMARTY

Buster is a real cutie, welcome to the forum. Like someone else said we have havs from 5 to 25 lbs on the forum. When showing I think the average is closer to 10 lbs.


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## marjrc

Marge, I just love that picture of Barney! What a teddy bear, like my Ricky. 

Royal Canin has grain and corn and grain can be the #1 cause of allergies in dogs, resulting in things like itchy skin, hair loss, licking of paws, bloating, chronic ear infections, stool issues.... depends on the dog. I have one, Sammy, who is allergic to products with grain and will lick his paws until they are pink.

There are many no-grain kibbles out there for this reason, such as Orijen, Acana, EVO, Horizon, Fromm's Surf and Turf, Wellness CORE, Merrcik BG .... many others too. If you check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com and click 'review', you can look at their 6-star foods. They are all no-grain kibbles and you might just find a brand or two that you can get to try. It might help!


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## Scooter's Family

Marj - You just answered a question I have about the two foster doggies at my house. Both lick their paws a lot and I wondered why, they're pink too. They're on Eukanuba so I'm going to read the ingredients on the bag. I've been thinking of changing them over to the Merrick I feed my dogs, I'm going to talk to the vet about it on Monday.
Thanks Marj!


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## Marge Hamilton

Marj, Love the name! Anyway thanks for info. Once we get off this island we will change his food but after we see our vet. I have checked out the website you mentioned and figured out where I can get the different foods in CT when we get home.
Barney's skin has a pink tinge and he seems to be itchy all over . He does not seem to be focusing just on his feet. I do give him a Benedryl and I think it helps a little.


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## Missy

Marge, the boys/men in your family are sure to love the bigger size. My DH just came back from a walk yesterday after running into a "normal" size" Havanese. and he was singing the praises of our "sturdy little big dogs" our Giant Havanese. I think it makes him feel that they are less girly dogs. (I of course would love a little 11lb girl too) 

It will be fun for us to watch how Barney grows. I can see in that picture his bear paws. he is so cute.


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## hav2

We just took Fergus to the Vet for some more puppy stuff and he was exactly 11 weeks old and.....7LBS!!!! I think he will definitely be one of the larger sized Havanese!!!


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## hav2

BTW....LOVE Barney's colors, I am partial to the black and whites


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## Marge Hamilton

Well, today at 5 months one week, he is 13 pounds. He is definitely all boy. 
Buster was more "refined" and did not really chew things, he would walk around puddles and was most thoughful about what he was doing. I know, he was 14 and a mature gentleman. But Barney is a guy who throws himself into everything with gusto and has chewing and shredding down to a science. Every time he comes in he has a 'treasure" that he likes to shred at leisure unless he is relieved of the treasure, there are a lot of poisonous plants here so we really have to watch him. He likes to tease, and can play ball by himself for extended periods of time.
I love the black and white and got Barney because he looked so much like Buster.


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## marjrc

Ann, glad to help.  Eubkanuba is rated 1, 2 or some at 3 stars because of all the grain they use and there isn't much in the way of meat. That would most definitely be the first thing I'd change with the two fosters. 

Ask anyone who was at the last two U.S. Nat'l Hav Specialties with me and they'll tell you how often I'd gasp and ooh and aaah at the "bigger" Havs in the ring. I just love the tough, teddy bear Havanese.


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## Scooter's Family

Thanks Marj, I think I'll gradually switch them over to Merrick, their coats are awful too. I've been giving them the Merrick kibble as treats and they both love it.

You would love these two!!! Bo is 23 pounds but he's such a baby, he loves belly rubs and just being scratched and massaged all over. Jackie is about 13 pounds and when you rub her belly she'll wave her paws in the air if you stop.


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## Natasha&Drake

I recently just adopted my Havanese, Drake. I was told that 13-15lbs was big for a Havanese , my boy is now 8 months old and 22lbs! So I’m glad to see that he’s not the only one. Regardless , I adore my boy. So happy to have found this forum!


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## krandall

Natasha&Drake said:


> I recently just adopted my Havanese, Drake. I was told that 13-15lbs was big for a Havanese , my boy is now 8 months old and 22lbs! So I’m glad to see that he’s not the only one. Regardless , I adore my boy. So happy to have found this forum!


Well, my boy, Kodi, is 17 1/2 lbs, so not as big as yours, but still a "larger" Havanese. We just call him our "Lap and a Half" dog! 💗


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