Skilers Havanese

Skilers Havanese

We are anxious to help everyone understand the care necessary to maintain the Havanese breed.
They are so easy to love, easy to train, and their care is minimal.

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641 792-6072

      We are very serious about the health of our breed. Health is what led us to HSDAA. Registration is not an easy thing to obtain. One
must have DNA on file with AKC; pass all tests for a CHIC number; have the dog evaluated by a certified evaluator and score at least an
80; then, the owners must submit soaped photos of their dog demonstrating soundness and proper proportion. Dogs displaying bowed or
abnormally short forelegs are ineligible for HSDAA certification, as one of the chief goals of the organization is rigid selection away from
the osteochondrodysplasia that plagues the breed.
    It is important to understand that a dog with a short or bowed front can have a current CERF, BAER, and OFA-certified hips and patellas
and, unfortunately, many do! [These tests earn the dog a CHIC number from OFA. HSDAA requires the dog to PASS each test. However,
only a soaped picture can identify osteochondrodysplasia.]
       An AKC championship unfortunately affords no guarantee that a Havanese is free from osteochondrodysplasia or its associated
problems. Havanese are shown in full coat, and a full coat can hide legs that are short or bowed to an astonishing degree. The pretty bitch
pictured below easily achieved an AKC championship, and subsequently developed cataracts before the age of three.
    And by AKC's rules, had this bitch been bred to an AKC registered Havanese male, the resulting offspring would have been
automatically eligible for AKC registration. Unlike the HSDAA, the American Kennel Club has never required proof of health-screening as
a condition of registration.*
    The Havanese breed is no different than any other breed when it comes to health cautions. All breeds have their health issues. Having
said that, we are just very protective and very careful to see that this breed is not bred casually allowing defective genes to mix into the
whole population.
     My Havanese are Certified Havana Silk Dogs™ which are healthy and tested to prove their health.