Breed guide
Havanese Breeding Guide: Litter Size, Whelping, Puppy Weights and Health Testing
Updated September 6, 2026 · 6 min read · By the BreedBloom team
Havanese are a small companion breed with a comparatively sound health profile and an active parent club that asks for a broad testing panel, including BAER hearing tests, which is unusual for a toy breed.
Havanese at a glance
Typical litter size
4–6 puppies (average around 5)
Birth weight
5–8 oz (140–230 g)
Adult weight
7–13 lb (3–6 kg)
Gestation
About 63 days from ovulation (57–72 from breeding)
Whelping
Usually free-whelping and good mothers. Small size means warmth and weight monitoring for the pups.
Breeding and whelping notes
Chondrodysplasia (short, bowed forelegs) is a breed concern; radiograph front legs and select against it.
Hearing: BAER test breeding stock and puppies; unilateral deafness is easy to miss.
Coat care is significant; families should be shown brushing and offered the pet-trim option.
Havanese are sociable and adaptable; early socialisation to being alone prevents separation problems.
Health testing before breeding
•
Hips: OFA
•
Eyes: annual CAER exam
•
Patellas: OFA
•
Cardiac exam
•
Hearing: BAER test
•
Elbows: OFA (chondrodysplasia awareness)
•
DNA panels as available
Keep the paperwork attached
Test results are only useful when they travel with the dog. Keep certificate numbers and dates on each dog's record and include copies in every go-home packet.
Tracking a Havanese litter
Enter the ovulation or tie date and BreedBloom builds the Havanese litter timeline: ultrasound window, X-ray count reminder, temperature checks, the day 3–16 ENS/ESI schedule, deworming and vaccination tasks, and per-puppy weight curves you can compare against the whole litter. Families follow along in the BloomPetz portal, and the go-home packet is assembled from the same records.
About these figures
Figures on this page are typical ranges drawn from breed club and veterinary references; individual lines vary. Confirm health-testing requirements with your breed's parent club, and whelping plans with your reproductive veterinarian.
Frequently asked questions
How many puppies do Havanese have?
Typically 4–6, average around 5.
What health tests do Havanese breeders do?
The parent club's panel includes hips, elbows, annual eye exams, patellas, cardiac exams and BAER hearing tests.
Run your program on BreedBloom
Dogs, litters, puppy weights, ENS/ESI tasks, waitlists, contracts and go-home packets in one connected record, with a family portal built in. Free for up to 3 dogs.
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