Sardi Havanese

Briefly, we are very interested in the health and well being of our havanese.  The health testing we do can identify issues once they have occurred (or not), but genetic (DNA) testing is the ideal answer to predicting the future health of the breed.  The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) at UC Davis, in collaboration with Dr. Niels C. Pedersen and staff, has developed a test panel which will be useful to breeders who wish to track and increase genetic diversity.

DNA color testing is fascinating - and with all we can identify now, we still don't have all the answers nor can we conclusively predict what colors will come out in a litter. We continue to gather information in our search for greater knowledge.

We are firm believers in health testing and as such I'm a member of the Havanese Club of America's Health Committee.  We recently finished our first Longevity Survey which can be read in full on the Havanese Club of America web site; on the Health page you'll see "Havanese Health Surveys"; at the bottom of that page is the link to the full text of the Longevity Survey.  We have begun collecting data for our second survey, called the Rainbow Bridge Survey.

There are a lot of opinions about health, and what health testing is important.  Havanese are a relatively "young" breed in the AKC and we're still learning a lot. Many tests that have been done are virtually eliminating the problems from the breed (BAER testing for hearing, CAER testing for vision), more information here.  The genetics of "loose" patellas (knees) and dysplastic hips is thought to be polygenetic (ie many factors are involved).

Genetic Diversity Testing

Chilli    

DD    

Fabio    

Garbo     Giselle    Griz

Halle    

Kiki    

Milly  

Rosie     Roxy    

Tommy    

Wally     Willie     Woody    

Color Testing

Aspen

Chilli     Clifford     Cooper  

DD   Dixie

Everly    

Fabio

Garbo    Giselle     Griz

Halle

Kiki

KikiWoody Puppy 1  2  3 

Marko  Maverick  Milly

Ritchie     Rosie     Roxy

Snickers  Shermie   Sting

Taylor     Tommy

Wally     Willie     Woody

Zinger   Zinn 

Some sites with information about havanese color:

Colours of the Rainbow

Colours

Havanese Fanciers of Canada Color page