# maltese vs. havanese



## Katkoota

hi everyone,

I am planning to get a new female dog in the near future. I thought of getting a maltese, but now I am interested in a havanese too.

I don't know alot about this breed though -havanese- because I never owned one before. Can you give me few information about this breed?

What is the difference between a maltese and a havanese?

thanks,

~Kat


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## LexiAndNikkisMom

I know they are bigger than maltese and are not as popular in the US yet so they are harder to find and are a little bit more expensive.


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## hillary&lola

i personally think maltese are more gorgeous! i'm sure havanese are very sweet too...i would google "pics of maltese" and havanesse too so you can see what they both look like as adults from real people. also there is a great picture gallery on this site. if you want a smaller dog that you can carrry when shopping or running errands i would go with the maltese...its so nice being able to carry lola into savon for example when i need to (the floors don't exactly look to clean in a lot of stores.) lola is now around 7 lbs which is a great size...don't know how big havenes get but i'm guessing somewhere between 10- 20 lbs. good luck on your search!


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## brendaman

I looked into a Havanese as well before I got my Maltese, Shayna. It was more difficult to find breeders for Havanese. The demand for them was more, it seemed, because there was less supply and the prices were quite higher than Maltese (economics 101). The following is from "Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide"

_"If you want a dog who... _ 
Is small, yet sturdier (and healthier) than his Maltese cousin 
Is playful and entertaining 
Is polite with people and other animals 
Has a long coat that doesn't shed (often a good choice for allergy sufferers) 

*A Havanese may be right for you.*

_If you don't want to deal with... _ 
"Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much 
Shyness or fearfulness when not socialized enough 
Housebreaking difficulties 
Barking 
Frequent brushing and combing 
Very high price tag 

*A Havanese may not be right for you.*"

For the Maltese, the book says:

_"If you want a dog who... _ 
Is one of the smallest of all breeds 
Is one of the brightest and most playful of the toy breeds 
Is polite with people and other animals 
Has a long coat that doesn't shed (often a good choice for allergy sufferers) 

*A Maltese may be right for you.*

_If you don't want to deal with... _ 
The fragility of toy breeds (see below) 
"Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much 
Suspiciousness or fearfulness when not socialized enough 
Notorious housebreaking difficulties 
Barking 
Frequent brushing and combing 

*A Maltese may not be right for you.*

After reading the book, we decided we didn't want to spend a fortune and wanted a smaller, lap dog (less than 10 lbs), we chose a Maltese. I also thought I would have to spend more time doing research to find the right Havanese breeders (although I still spent A LOT of time on finding and speaking to Maltese breeders). 

Good Luck!

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## Fenway's Momma

tough choice, I don't much about them, but they are cute!!


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## MaxMommy

when i went to this puppy socializing group in the city, there was a woman with a mini havenese, it was the second cutest dog in there...next to mine, ofcourse...hee hee. Anyway, he was sooooo cute, a little fuzz ball...and the smallest of all of them.


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## Cosy

I'm not a havanese fan. To me they look like badly bred maltese or lhaso apso.
But that's just ME. Sorry.


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## Katkoota

thanks guys!!

brendaman- I loved reading what you posted.

I still have plenty of time to think. I mean, I am getting that dog after a couple of years, but still I want to make the best dicision -weather to get a havanese or a maltese-









I'm still reading alot about the havanese from here, other forums and the breed information....so not sure yet.


~kat


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## mimi2

Pippensmom, a member here, has and I believe shows a Havanese, she hasn't been on in a while but I think if you go into her profile you can email her.







If you do email her, tell her to come back to SM!


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## Littlemans Mom

I was reading up on them awhile back and found this site very helpful 


http://www.erashavanese.com/index.html



Lots of photo's and info as well as being a breeder of Havanese 

Edited to add...... these links to photo's of the annual reunion picnic's they have had. I thought these were really nice, seeing all the different families with their little ones all in the same place.


http://www.erashavanese.com/picnic3.html


http://www.erashavanese.com/picnic2.html 


http://www.erashavanese.com/eraspicnic.html


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## zsazsasmom

That was a very informative website







But for me I would have to stick with the maltese, the havanese seem a little larger than maltese, I prefer smaller, easier to travel. But thats just my personal preference. Get what you like!







What about a yorkie? I think I might like to have one many many years down the road, I have a Miniature Pinscher that is a pretty cool little dog, he weighs between 10-12 lbs (a little on the chunky side) He is the friendliest dog, he goes to anybody and he is pretty easy to take care of.


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## msmagnolia

Kat, 
I think Havanese are cute too. Do you have any children, grandchildren, nieces, etc.? If you are around children a lot of the time then the sturdier dog might be a good thing. I got my maltese because I wanted the smaller dog (mine are around 4.5-5 pounds). But the thing is that I rarely take them anywhere except in the car. We haven't flown a single time and I never take them into stores, mostly because I have 2 to keep up with. I think a lot of it depends on YOUR lifestyle.


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## saltymalty

We also looked into getting a havanese. We have two dear friends who have this breed. The first one comes from a good breeder (and was about the same price as a maltese, but would have to have been shipped to us) and the second came from a puppy mill. The second dog looks like a Shih Tzu...he is cute, but doesn't look at all like a havanese. I think they paid havanese prices for a Shih Tzu, but that's my uniformed opinion...and I certainly wouldn't make a issue of it with my friend. The well bred havanese is very similar in personality to the maltese. To me malts look more puppy-ish. That's to say that the havanese has a longer snout...although not long like a poodle, just longer in the snout that a malt. Havanese are wonderful dogs and come in a variety of colors, not just white. BTW, the white havanese isn't a snowy white like the maltese, it is a creamier color. Oh and their hair isn't silky and straight, it's got a wave to it (but not like a poodle or bichon).


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## HappyB

> Pippensmom, a member here, has and I believe shows a Havanese, she hasn't been on in a while but I think if you go into her profile you can email her.
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Dianne is no longer active on this site, but I do have her email address. I would be happy to tell her you are interested in the Havanese. She is doing quite well with showing hers, and she can give you a head start with finding a good breeder. In fact, if she continues on as she is, she might have a pup available in a couple years


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## miko's mommy

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> Dianne is no longer active on this site, but I do have her email address. I would be happy to tell her you are interested in the Havanese. She is doing quite well with showing hers, and she can give you a head start with finding a good breeder. In fact, if she continues on as she is, she might have a pup available in a couple years
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Click to expand...

I have seen pictures of Diane's show havanese and they are beautiful!!! She is a great person and its a shame that she is no longer active on this forum.


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## tubtub

my boyfriend's mom has both malteses and a havanese. Most havanese are bigger than a maltese, but there is a breed (??) called mini havanese. My bf's mom adopted a mini havanese, he's as small as the maltese and even a little shorter than my tub! He's very cute, with an all white white body and gray ears and a gray spot around his tail. I think he's only 7-8 lbs? But um personality wise, he's very energetic, very polite (never barks at stranger or anything), and also very demanding heh. That might just be his personality though because all little fur babies are alike, like whenever he wants a belly rub then he wants right then and would lay on his back in front of you until you give it to him. I was thinking about a havanese a while ago, they're a really great breed.


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## Kisses-4-Princess

My coworker has a Havanese and he's a sweetie. He is definitely sturdier than a Maltese. I think they are a great breed (second to the Maltese of course!!)


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## charmypoo

> I'm not a havanese fan. To me they look like badly bred maltese or lhaso apso.
> But that's just ME. Sorry.
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Hehehehee... Brit ... I feel the same way.


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