What's the difference between a Certified Havana Silk Dog and just a dog someone is calling a Havana Silk Dog?  That, dear reader, is the key question and I'm so glad you asked. 

A Certified Havana Silk Dog has been registered with the Havana Silk Dog Association of America.  The HSDAA is a group of breeders who got together in 2007 and said enough is enough.  We are dedicated to preserving the original look of the breed along with good health and a wonderful temperament.  I'm happy to point out that I was among this group of people and am a Charter Member of the HSDAA. 

I was in good company too.  Standing with me were the breeders who brought the Havanese into the AKC.  Included were three past Presidents, Board Members, longtime Committee Chairs and the former Registrar for the HCA who took over from Dorothy herself.  I bet your spidey sense is going into overdrive now, isn't it?

So what's this Certified thing anyway?  Well, to be Certified, a dog has to provide proof it is free of hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, congenital deafness and heritable eyes disease.  There must be a DNA profile to guarantee parentage........... and the biggie..... the dog must be physically examined to determine it displays soundness, Havana Silk Dog breed type and be free from CD (Osteochondrodysplasia).  CD is a skeletal abnormality known to be associated with liver problems, heart problems and cataracts.  Since you can not longer go to the Havanese Club of America website to learn about the biggest health problems facing the breed, here's a study from the Department of Pathobiolgy, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University:

Hereditary Evaluation of Multiple Developmental Abnormalities in the Havanese Dog Breed

The association established in Havanese between osteochondrodysplasia (often referred to by breeders as CD and characterized by abnormally short, bowed or asymmetric legs) and heart and liver abnormalities, as well as cataracts, may appear unlikely at first blush, and probably explains in part why many breeders simply refuse to accept it. (Although the TAMU research project was funded in part by the Havanese Club of America, isn't it interesting there is no mention of this on the HCA website). Do you think being honest about the health problems facing their breed would help them sell more or less puppies?

In a fascinating turn of events, however, two separate human studies published recently lend significant credibility to TAMU's discovery in Havanese.  One study established a link between leg length and liver disease in humans (http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/55/12/867), and a second established a clear correlation between leg length and incidence of heart disease (http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/62/1/48).

Wouldn't you think every breeder would be concerned with producing healthy puppies?  Me too.  Guess what?  It ain't so.  If it were, the Havanese Club of America would be doing something about the diseases that gallop rather than run through their breed.

Along with that physical examination, owners must also submit soaped pictures of their dog.  This helps display soundness and proportion and can help in determining if a dog has straight legs.  Dogs with short or bowed legs are disqualified from being registered with the HSDAA.  Let's face it, if we want to move away from health problems and science is telling us crooked or abnormally short legs are a good indication of hidden (or not so hidden) health problems..........why would we want dogs with crooked or short legs?  Now keep in mind a dog can have OFA certified hips and patella, have a current clear CERF and hear out of both ears........and still have crooked or abnormally short legs.  Heck, lots of them have AKC Championships too!  The picture on the right shows 3 Havanese with CD, and all 3 have their AKC Championships as well. 

If a Havanese breeder can't or won't show you soaped pictures of a puppy or its parents.......run run away.  Don't believe any excuse that comes out of their mouth (either side). 

And here's another biggie.............AKC Championships don't guarantee a thing.  Judges don't check the health of a dog or its puppies.  Most of them don't even check to see what is under the coat.  Plus puppies from AKC registered parents are automatically eligible to registration without any health screening.  So you never know what you are getting. 

The HSDAA is an elite (yes I just used that word) registry of Havanese.  It is not an elitist organization and anyone who supports its goals may join.

I wish you well as you continue your search to find your perfect Havanese.  When you hear, "Oh, the HSDAA is just a political organization," you should immediately ask to see the soaped pictures of the puppy and its parents. 

You may also hear that the Havanese and Havana Silk Dog come from the same gene pool.  This is true, but misleading.  While the gene pool may be the same at the moment, it doesn’t mean the dogs look the same.  For years now we have been selecting our dogs that express a different set of genes (look different).  Just because the same ingredients are in the dog, doesn’t mean the recipe is the same.  To make it even simpler to understand, there isn’t much genetic diversity between Boxers and Beagles either.  And it is this selection and expression of genes that is the root of the HSDAA and the Havana Silk Dog.  We chose to bring out the look of that dog that existed in Cuba prior to the revolution.  We think this is a cool and elegant breed.  Other (but not all) Havanese breeders will tell you that look is extinct (They'll tell you the Havana Silk Dog is extinct) and we should all just work with whatever we have today.  If this were true why are we able to breed dogs today that look like the dogs of old Cuba? 

So, if you are looking for a "cute" little dog with a fluffy coat, a babydoll face, large, round eyes, and a jaunty high-set tail carried curled on his back, a Havana Silk dog is probably not going to appeal to you, because that's not what this breed looks like. (Likewise, if you are specifically looking for a chocolate-colored puppy, you will be disappointed. Although Havana Silk Dogs come in many colors, chocolate is not an allowable color in the Havana Silk Dog  breed standard and is rarely if ever produced.)

If, on the other hand, your preference is for a more "elegant" little dog of traditional Cuban type, with a flatter, silky, wash-and-wear coat (which the average pet owner can maintain without monthly professional grooming), a longer, more refined muzzle and dark, almond-shaped eyes, a longer neck, and a tail carried high and waving like a plume over his back, an HSDAA-registered Havana Silk Dog might be just what you are looking for!