The Havanese is a toy breed from Cuba with a sturdy physique, a cheerful and amiable disposition, and a long and straight or wavy double coat that comes in a real assortment of colors and color combinations.
It can be quite a challenge to determine what color your Havanese puppy will be as an adult dog because the coat color tends to lighten or darken in shade (sometimes quite drastically) over time. This is due to the presence of modifying genes.
In this post, we’ll explore all the possible coat colors and combinations your adult Havanese could end up with and how likely it is that a puppy will change color based on the color they were born with.
The 11 Havanese Colors
1. Black
Black is one of the most common Havanese coat colors. It’s possible for a Havanese to be solid black or black combined with other colors. Two other American Kennel Club standard colors with black are black and silver and black and tan. Solid black Havanese dogs don’t change color.
2. Chocolate
The chocolate-colored Havanese coat is typically a deep, rich brown that can range from a milky chocolate shade to a darker shade. The nose is also brown. Your chocolate Havanese puppy’s coat may change color as they get older, but this doesn’t always happen.
3. Cream
Cream-colored coats can range from very light in color, making the dog appear almost white, to a subtle tan or yellow-white shade. The nose is black. If a Havanese puppy is cream-colored, this will certainly change as they get older, though there’s no way to know if they’ll lighten or darken until it happens.
4. Fawn
Fawn Havanese are somewhat darker than cream and appear to be more beige or dark blonde in color. Like cream Havanese, however, the fawn Havanese has a black nose. Puppies with fawn coloration are sure to darken or lighten with time.
5. Gold
Gold Havanese are, as the name gives away, golden in color, and some areas, like the head and ears, might take on a darker golden shade than the rest of the body. Dogs with a full gold shade will lighten, but the golden color won’t disappear. The nose is black.
6. Red
Red is a very distinctive color that presents as a sort of dark apricot or orange-brown or mahogany shade, and these dogs have black noses, like gold, cream, and fawn Havanese. Like gold Havanese, the red color doesn’t go away but does get lighter.
7. Brindle
Brindle is a coat coloring pattern that gives dogs a sort of irregular stripey appearance. The roots are darker on brindle Havanese, while the tips of the coat are lighter.
8. Sable
While brindle Havanese have lighter tips and darker roots, sable Havanese have lighter roots and darker tips. Sable Havanese tend to get lighter, some quite drastically, and is the color considered to be the most susceptible to change.
9. White
White Havanese seem to be less common than Havanese in other colors, like black, silver, or cream. Truly white Havanese shouldn’t have any other color on their coats. The white Havanese is less likely to change color than other Havanese (except black) as time progresses.
10. Silver
The silver Havanese is born black and, after around 4–6 weeks, begins to lighten to a shade of silver, which can range from very light to a smoky, dark grey.
11. Blue
Blue is a non-standard Havanese color. A blue puppy is born a dull shade of black that, over several months or even years in some cases, gradually transforms into a bluish-grey shade. The coat may take on a brownish shade before it becomes fully blue.
What Markings Can a Havanese Have?
In addition to the multiple coat color possibilities, your Havanese might have certain markings or points. Markings and points can appear in various locations, including on the head, muzzle, cheeks, chin, chest, feet, tail, and inner ears.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about buying a Havanese, the first thing we’d recommend is that you consider checking if any are available for adoption. We had a look around, and Havanese-specific rescue and rehoming organizations exist, so it’s certainly possible to give a surrendered or rescued Havanese a new and loving home.
Secondly, we’d advise avoiding letting color be the deciding factor as to which Havanese is best for you. The most important thing is how good a fit you and the Havanese are for one another. Good luck!
Featured Image Credit: Sandra Huber, Shutterstock
