# Should I get a Havapoo or Havanese ?



## Jaz (Jan 3, 2021)

Hi! We recently lost our 13 yo Havanese and I am exploring options for our next puppy. Does anyone know the major differences between a pure bred Havanese and a Havapoo (Havanese/poodle cross)? I am wondering if the Havapoo is easier to housetrain and less likely to chew as is common with the Havanese? Also, what would be the grooming differences? Would they be equally good with children! Thank you for any opinions!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

There are not true set types for these designer hybrids than for their parent breeds. I would either get a Havanese or a poodle.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

If choosing between a Havanese or a Havanese/Poodle mix, I would get the Havanese. Mixed breed dogs are less likely to be from quality parents. 

House training and nuisance chewing are training issues that can happen with any breed. Commit yourself to learning how to train, going to puppy classes, and hiring a dog trainer to come to your home to get you on track as needed. If your previous dog toileted in the home, make sure a complete cleaning has been done before bringing home a new puppy.

Also see our new puppy sticky for more information on training puppies.


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## Olive Love (Jul 22, 2020)

Mix breeds can be very sickly.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

I’ve had the healthiest dog I’ve ever had, 14.5 right now, and he’s a mutt from the pound. I’ve had the sickliest 2 dogs I’ve ever had, one diagnosed with hip dysplasia before a year and another with chronic allergies/ear infections/ skin infections her entire life, also mutts. I’ll never pay for a designer mutt, so my vote is buy a poodle or buy a Havanese from a reputable breeder that does all the recommended breed-specific testing or adopt a shelter mutt. Adopting is a pretty terrible option right now because of the pandemic induced dog shortage in most places, but I suspect in a year or so there will be an over abundance of young dogs looking for new homes.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Get a poodle if you don’t want a Havanese. I see no interest in getting a mixed breed, since you never know how they are going to turn out, either physically or temperament wise. Also, I would never encourage anyone breeding mutts.


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## Pup2pupgamer (2 mo ago)

I would love to continue this conversation. It was my intention to start to watch for a Havanese puppy to come into my life. I work with children and hope to be able to train my dog to act as both a companion and therapy dog for my gentle older clients. 
I was very set until today someone yelled at me about being dumb for seeking a pure breed. I was informed that they have horrible health and allergies and my life would be a living hell. If I was wise I would get a Havapoo. 
Needless to say I cannot find facts one way or another to support this person's opinion, but I would love to hear anyones experience.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Welcome to Poodle Forum!

There is a misconception about mixes and crosses being automatically healthier than purebreds. I'll add a link to a fairly recent large study to support this.

Even without the study, if purebreds are "unhealthy" (and every purebred does have some known issues)
and
if mixes/crosses are the result of two or more purebred of different breeds.

how then could the mixes/crosses escape having inherited some/any of those issues?

Frequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs | PLOS Genetics

Health is a primary reason that purebred forums stand so strongly for choosing quality, conscientious breeders. They are the ones that follow the recommended testing from the parent breed club, and while they're at it, they also breed to meet the breed standard, also set by the parent breed club.

This makes breeding crosses an additional challenge that few breeders will spend the time and money on. 

First, there can be no single "breed standard" with crosses because a cross is unpredictable being comprised of two or more different breeds. It's not a "breed" until many generations of predictable genetic results are produced so that a breed standard can be set.

Second, those breeders would have to test for the health issues of the two or more breeds involved in the cross. Most won't bother as it cuts into their profits.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I think a true mutt, the kind of semi-feral dog you'd find foraging out of trash cans in various parts of the world, may indeed be genetically healthier than most pure breeds. Nature is harsh. Dogs with weak constitutions don't survive to breeding age without human intervention. However, a doodle is still a far cry from the genetic diversity of indigenous village dogs. Crossing two dogs from a fairly limited gene pool doesn't get you the same kind of diversity as what you'd find in a little yellow dog living under a porch in some parts of the world. So, I wouldn't count on a doodle being any healthier than a well bred miniature poodle.


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## farleysd (Apr 18, 2011)

In my opinion you should get a pure bred Havanese or a pure bred poodle. Mixing any two breeds, no matter how fancy of a name they might come up with is still just a mutt. I am not against any dog at all, I am against the intentional mixing of breeds. EVERY DOG ALIVE IS WORTH LOVING. But I believe it is unethical to breed a mixed breed dog. Every breed standard states that breeding any two dogs is to "improve the standard." How can someone claim to "improve the standard" when they are mixing more than one standard together?

I have bred poodles for over 30 years, I have bred Havanese for over 20, and have never considered crossing the two. It seems that when someone crosses two breeds the offspring inherits the worst qualities of each separate breed rather then the positive qualities. As for housebreaking, ,, yes, Havanese are not as easy as poodles; and as for chewing, I have never seem a higher tendency for Havanese to chew than any other breed.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Get the real deal from a great breeder. Worth the wait and peace of mind. They are lovely dogs.


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