How Much Does a Havanese Cost? (2024 Updated)

A Havanese can steal your heart with its charming looks and outgoing personality. If this unique Cuban pooch already did, it’s only natural to ask how much it would cost to bring it home with you.

There are several things to consider before buying a Havanese dog. You need to allocate a sufficient budget for the actual purchase of the puppy and the associated costs of raising it.

This article will guide you through everything about the Havanese’s cost. Stick around to learn about Havanese price ranges, various ownership expenses, the best places to find one, money-saving tips, and more!

How Much Does a Havanese Puppy Cost?

The average cost of a purebred Havanese puppy ranges between $1,000 and $1,500. However, expect to pay at least $2,500 for show-quality puppies with champion bloodlines. These prices depend on factors like age, gender, health condition, pedigree, breeder reputation, and registration.

Aside from its beautiful, long, silky coat, the Havanese’s jolly disposition, good nature, and wit make it a sought-after family pet. Moreover, being a rare breed and regarded as the national dog of Cuba adds extra value.

All these qualities contribute to the high price tag, which costs a bit more than most toy breeds. Thus, acquiring and caring for these little fluffballs can be relatively expensive.

Due to the growing demand for the breed, it’s possible to find Havanese puppies sold at exaggeratedly low prices. This deal should raise doubts over the pup’s well-being and the breeder’s legitimacy.

A cheap Havanese puppy often indicates it came from a backyard breeder or puppy mill. They are notorious for breeding dogs in harsh conditions and mass-producing any available puppy breed for profit.

Hence, to ensure getting a high-quality purebred Havanese puppy, buy only from a reputable breeder.

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Havanese From a Shelter?

If you’re on a tight budget, you can adopt a Havanese from an animal shelter or rescue. The adoption fee for a Havanese dog typically costs around $150 to $500.

The upfront Havanese adoption price already covers expenses for training, rehabilitation, medical treatments, deworming, vaccinations, and spaying/neutering provided by the shelters.

More than saving money, adoption lets you give once-abandoned Havanese puppies and adult Havanese dogs another chance to live a better life.

First-Time Expenses of Havanese Ownership

The purchase cost of a Havanese puppy is just the beginning. As you welcome the little pooch into your home, you will have to provide for its primary needs to settle comfortably into its new environment.

Thus, it helps to plan your finances early for this new set of expenses. Most of them include essential items to be purchased ahead before taking the Havanese pup home.

Below is a detailed list of all the initial expenses of owning a Havanese:

• Food and Treats: Since the Havanese is such a small dog breed, it only needs a few cups of food. To ensure your puppy grows healthy, feed it high-quality dog food with essential nutrients. You can save money on food by buying it in bulk. You also need treats for training. On average, nutritious dog food and treats cost around $30 to $80.
• Bowls: You should invest in good-quality feeding bowls. Stainless steel or ceramic ones are durable, safe, and easy to clean. Moreover, their sizes should also be appropriate for your Havanese puppy to ensure comfort in eating and drinking. You can buy food and water bowls for about $10 to $30.
• Toys: Havanese puppies love to chew anything within reach, especially when bored. To prevent potential damage in your home, buy some chew toys for your little pooch. These will also keep it occupied and give it the mental stimulation it needs. Good-quality toys for little dogs range from $20 to $30.
• Beds: After a full day of playing, your Havanese puppy deserves to rest in a high-quality and comfortable bed. You can get one for little dogs at around $30 to $200.
• Collars and Leashes: When picking up your Havanese puppy, you should have a collar and leash beforehand. For $15 to $50, you can buy a durable and properly-fitted set.
• Crates and Carriers: A crate is essential for making your puppy feel safe whenever you’re away. It’s helpful for crate training, especially since Havanese dogs are prone to separation anxiety. If you plan to travel with your Havanese pup, you can get it into a carrier to keep him comfortable. Set aside approximately $30 and $200 for a high-quality dog crate and carrier.
• Grooming Essentials: The Havanese’s signature long, soft, and silky coat needs daily brushing to keep it from matting and tangling. You can trim its nails short to reduce grooming time. A good investment for grooming essentials such as combs, hairbrushes, shampoo, and clippers ranges from $50 to $150.
• Initial Vet Visits: The best way to monitor your Havanese puppy’s overall health and well-being during its formative stages is to do regular check-ups with a veterinarian. Your puppy will need at least three trips to the vet clinic for its first year. Expect to spend around $100 to $500 for initial vet visits, including consultations and tests.
• Initial Vaccine Shots: Your Havanese puppy needs a few rounds of vaccinations during the first years as protection from lethal canine diseases. Prepare to shell out about $50 to $300 for these initial vaccine shots.
• Deworming, Flea, and Tick Medications: Preventative measures against parasite infestation protect dogs from deadly diseases. Prepare a budget of $40 to $300 for your Havanese’s medications, including heartworm and flea prevention.
• Neutering or Spaying: If you don’t intend to breed your Havanese puppy in the future, you can opt for neutering or spaying. Additionally, these procedures offer health and behavioral benefits. These surgeries cost around $50 to $500.
• Microchipping: If your Havanese gets lost at some point, a pet microchip makes it easier to rescue. This tiny electronic device implanted under the pet’s skin contains computer-readable information about your puppy, including its owner’s contact details. Expect to pay $40 to $60 for a microchipping procedure.
• Dog License: Licensing your dog has many advantages, especially when your dog goes missing. It makes your Havanese easily identifiable, increasing its chances of being returned to you. The registration fee for a dog license ranges from $10 to $20.
• Other Essentials: You will also need cleaning and maintenance items for your Havanese puppy. These essentials include poop bags, scoopers, training pads, diapers, sanitizers, odor neutralizers, and training pads. Set aside $20 to $50 for these miscellaneous expenses.

Below is a table summary of all the first-time expenses you need to prepare for your Havanese puppy:

The initial cost of owning a Havanese is definitely not cheap. However, don’t be discouraged just yet. The expenses mentioned are just rough estimates and can still vary depending on your actual spending.

Proper financial preparation and budget-saving hacks are excellent ways to reduce first-time expenses for your Havanese puppy.

Further, with my extensive experience in taking care of dogs, I highly suggest getting the best quality materials for your puppy at the onset. This may sound more expensive, but it will be more cost-effective in the long run.

Instead of having to repurchase items that can be easily destroyed by your dog, going for items made of durable materials will make them last longer and save you money, time, and effort.

Annual Cost of Owning a Havanese

After dealing with the initial cost of a Havanese, the next step would be planning your finances for the dog’s annual expenses.

As a responsible pet owner, you should carefully consider your means to provide for your dog. Upkeep costs will be recurring throughout your Havanese’s lifetime, which is about 14 to 16 years.

Below is a breakdown of the yearly maintenance costs of owning a Havanese dog:

A large budget for food and routine vet care is only reasonable since they ensure your Havanese dog’s overall health and wellness from its puppy stage until its senior years.

Vet care expenses for potential health conditions like patellar luxation may only entail pain management and supplements. If the case is more severe and requires surgery, expect to spend more for this.

Another top expense is pet insurance. Though pricey, it can help reduce potential vet bills, especially during medical emergencies.

Keep in mind that the annual costs presented are just computed estimates. Your actual expenses may vary depending on factors like lifestyle and preferences.

Other Potential Expenses to Consider

You can always plan financially for your Havanese’s basic needs, as these are mostly non-negotiable. However, unexpected circumstances can happen, which may require you to spend outside your set budget.

Setting aside a decent amount of money for unforeseen events can keep your planned budget intact.

Below is a list of potential expenses you might deal with in raising a Havanese:

• Pet Sitting: Havanese dogs don’t like being left alone for too long. So if you need to be out for a day or more, you can hire a pet sitter to look after your dog while you’re away. Dog-sitting services typically cost $15 to $30 per day.
• Pet Boarding: If you frequently travel for business or vacation where you can’t bring a dog, leaving your Havanese in a pet daycare is a convenient solution. Their professionals can care for your dog’s needs and ensure its safety during its stay. Expect a fee of $20 to $50 per day for pet boarding services.
• Pet Rent: If you live in an apartment or any rental unit, you may be required to pay pet rent to keep your Havanese dog. It’s a monthly fee that ranges from $10 to $100.
• Grooming Services: The Havanese’s long double coat can be challenging to groom yourself. It’s advisable to bring your dog to a professional groomer occasionally for better maintenance or hairstyling of its gorgeous silky hair. Fees for grooming services cost around $40 to $80.
• Dog Training: Both you and your Havanese can benefit from professional dog training. Aside from improving your pup’s behavior, this can also strengthen the bond between you two. Prepare about $40 to $250 per session for dog training classes like housebreaking, obedience, and agility.
• Kennel Club Registration: You may want to showcase your Havanese’s athletic skills by competing in dog shows and sporting events organized by the AKC. To do that, you need to register your dog first. Registration fees cost around $80 to $200.
• Emergency Medical Expenses: Although the Havanese is a generally healthy breed, accidents and unexpected medical situations might still happen. An emergency fund for these events is crucial, especially if your pet insurance doesn’t cover these. Emergency medical expenses can set you back $1,000 to $5,000.

The potential expenses mentioned may or may not occur to you. Regardless, it’s still better to have spare money to spend on these than to be caught off guard.

Best Places to Find Havanese Puppies for Sale and Adoption

If you can afford the upfront cost and associated expenses of owning a Havanese puppy with your current budget, the next step would be to look for experienced breeders.

Fortunately, you can easily find reputable breeders for Havanese dogs due to the breed’s popularity. Nonetheless, you should only purchase dogs from responsible breeders with kennel club certifications and credible backgrounds.

To make your search easier, check out these sites where you can find legitimate Havanese breeders:

• AKC Marketplace – The AKC Marketplace features only registered breeders who passed AKC’s qualifications. Thus, you can be sure to get healthy and top-quality Havanese breed puppies from this site.
• Havacasa Havanese – The Arizona-based breeder Havacasa Havanese has been producing healthy, well-adjusted, and socialized Havanese puppies for over 20 years. For that, they received awards from the Havanese Club of America (HCA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC).
• Artwyrks Havanese – Artwyrks Havanese have been breeding Havanese puppies of excellent health and temperament for more than 20 years. By following AKC guidelines, they assure potential buyers that their puppies were ethically produced. Their commitment to quality earned them recognition, like the AKC Bred with H.E.A.R.T. program.

Should you adopt a Havanese dog rather than buy one, you can go to animal shelters, a local breed club, and rescue organizations that specifically foster this breed according to proper standards.

Check out some of the best legitimate rescue organizations to find a Havanese dog for rehoming:

• Havanese Rescue Inc. (HRI) – Being the only Havanese rescue organization recognized by the HCA, you are assured that HRI is committed to its cause. They focus on saving, rehabilitating, and rehoming all Havanese dogs, including Havanese mixed breeds. HRI’s main facility is in Florida, but you can still apply to adopt if you’re from another state.
• Havanese Angel League Organization for Rescue (HALO) – Since 2002, HALO has saved and rescued Havanese dogs, mostly from puppy mills. They find a foster home for each dog to be housebroken and properly socialized. HALO also provides medical treatment for their dogs before putting them up for adoption. Like other rescues, they conduct a thorough screening process for potential adopters.
• Havaheart Rescue – Havaheart Rescue’s mission is to rescue, foster, and rehabilitate every dog needing care. They save unwanted purebred Havanese and Havanese mixed-breed dogs and other endangered breeds. They place their dogs in foster homes until they are ready for rehoming. Though Havaheart is in Missouri, aspiring Havanese dog breed owners outside the state may apply.

Whether you choose to buy or adopt Havanese puppies or adult dogs, it’s advisable to consider the sites mentioned above as your top options.

If these don’t work out for you, you may search for other reputable breeders online or ask other Havanese owners for recommendations. Research thoroughly to avoid puppy mills, backyard breeders, and even pet stores.

These questionable sources produce puppies with unethical standards. Their Havanese dog price is considerably low, but the potential health issues and genetic conditions of their dogs will cost you more in the long run.

Money-Saving Tips for Havanese Owners

It may be tempting to splurge on your Havanese, but you can benefit from holding back spending on some items and services. You can still provide your dog with the best quality of life while minimizing expenses.

Below are some practical money-saving tips for Havanese dog owners:

• Prepare homemade food and treats. If you have time to spare, preparing homemade meals for your Havanese can cut expenses on food. You save more money by not needing to buy commercial dog food. Additionally, homemade food and treats are healthier and tastier for dogs.
• Train your Havanese at home. Being an intelligent breed, the Havanese is easy to train even on your own if you have the time and patience. Doing so will save you the costs of hiring a professional dog trainer. You can find a variety of online materials for teaching your puppy simple tricks at home.
• Groom your Havanese at home. Though their long double coat can be hard to maintain, it’s still possible to do DIY grooming for a Havanese dog. It lessens your trips to a professional groomer, thus saving you a lot of money. You can learn Havanese grooming tips from online tutorials and experienced Havanese owners.
• Don’t skip vet visits. Regular vet visits ensure up-to-date monitoring of your Havanese’s health and well-being. Missing these can lead to spending more on medical emergencies caused by unchecked health conditions.

These money-saving tips apply to most Havanese dog breed owners. You can also strategize other ways to stretch your budget that don’t sacrifice your dog’s quality of life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Are Havanese Puppies so Expensive?

The Havanese is pretty expensive compared to other small dog breeds, like the Shih Tzu or Bichon Frise. Their Cuban heritage, teddy bear looks, sweet personality, and maintenance needs are the top reasons for their high price.

Havanese dogs were once exclusive only to the elite class in Cuba. The Cuban Revolution instigated their journey to the United States. Since then, the Havanese remained to be high-end dogs as they did in the past.

Their teddy bear looks and sweet personality make the Havanese popular among dog lovers. This demand for the breed also leads to their high pricing.

How Much Does a Black Havanese Cost?

Since black is among the breed’s standard colors, the average price of a black Havanese dog can range from $1,000 to $1,500 if you buy from a reputable breeder.

How Much Does It Cost to Groom a Havanese?

You need to allot a big chunk of money for your Havanese’s grooming expenses, especially for its long double coat.

Initial expenses for grooming items, like hairbrushes and shampoo, cost around $50 to $150. As your Havanese grows, expect to spend $100 to $300 yearly for grooming essentials.

Should you bring your Havanese to a professional groomer, prepare about $40 to $80 per session.

However, you can save money by grooming your Havanese on your own. Just make sure you are skilled enough to do it to ensure the dog’s safety.

This video about grooming a Havanese puppy for the first time is a great place to start learning:

Final Thoughts

Owning and raising a Havanese can get quite expensive. On top of the upfront Havanese dog price, you must also spend on your pet’s living expenses and maintenance needs.

That said, you must be financially capable before getting a Havanese. Caring for a dog is a serious responsibility not to be done on a whim.

Hopefully, this article helps experienced and future dog owners to plan a budget for their new furry friend. If you already did, feel free to share your thoughts on Havanese costs in the comments below!