The breed standard for the Havanese gives height only: 9 to 10½ inches is ideal, with 8½ to 11½ inches acceptable. It sets no weight; VCA puts adults at 7 to 13 pounds. The height disqualification does not apply to dogs under twelve months.
What the breed standard actually specifies
The Official breed standard for the Havanese is written in inches, not pounds. The ideal height is 9 to 10½ inches, with an acceptable range of 8½ to 11½ inches. Outside that range is a disqualification in the show ring.
Then comes the detail that sets this breed apart from most size charts: that height disqualification does not apply to dogs under twelve months of age. The standard builds in a puppy exemption, because a Havanese under a year old is still a work in progress and the breed’s own rule book says so. If you are looking at a nine-month-old and trying to read its adult height off a tape measure, the standard itself is telling you to wait.
The standard gives no weight whatsoever. The 7 to 13 pound range comes from VCA’s Havanese breed page, a veterinary source, not from a breed standard or a breed club. It is a wide range for a small dog, and that width is honest rather than sloppy.
Shape matters too. The Havanese is slightly longer than tall, so the outline is rectangular rather than square, and the topline rises a little from withers to croup — the rear sits a touch higher than the shoulder. That is correct for the breed, not a fault, and not a sign your puppy is growing unevenly.
Weight by age: general small-breed estimates
These are general small-breed growth estimates. They are not breed-club figures and they are not in the standard, which gives no weight at all. Read the table as the rough shape of a curve, not as a schedule your puppy is meant to keep.
| Age | Estimated weight |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks | 2-4 lb |
| 3 months | 3½-6 lb |
| 4 months | 4½-7½ lb |
| 6 months | 6-10 lb |
| 9 months | 6½-12 lb |
| 12 months | 7-13 lb |
| Adult | 7-13 lb (VCA) |
Why the coat changes how big the dog looks
The standard permits a corded coat. Young coats “naturally separate into wavy sections” and mature into “tassel-like cords”, and a corded Havanese looks much larger than the same dog in a short pet trim. It is the same dog on the same scale.
We will not put a number on how much a full corded coat appears to add, because no reliable source gives one. What we can say is that the difference is large enough to fool the eye badly, and that plenty of owners in Lawrenceville keep a shorter trim through a Georgia summer and then wonder where half their dog went. Check size with your hands along the ribs and waist instead. That hands-on approach is what VCA’s Body Condition Scores guidance is built on.
What actually determines final adult size
Mostly genetics, and no one can tell you an individual puppy’s adult weight as a fact. The dependable part is the timeline: veterinary guidance on when dogs stop growing puts small breeds at the end of their growth around six to eight months, with full adult size by twelve months. The standard’s own under-twelve-months exemption lines up with that.
Discuss size with your veterinarian rather than using an online calculator if growth stalls, if your puppy drops weight, or if the body condition check disagrees with the number on the scale. Your vet can compare the dog against its own record, which is the only useful comparison there is. If you want to see how the Havanese sits beside other small breeds, our breed information pages include the Shih Tzu size chart.
About the word “teacup”
There is no teacup Havanese. The word is marketing, not a size and not a recognised variety. The standard sets a floor at 8½ inches and disqualifies dogs under it, which means an adult smaller than that is not a premium miniature version — it is outside the breed’s own range.
Asking for the smallest puppy in a litter is a different thing from asking for a healthy one, and we would rather say that plainly. If a genuinely tiny adult is what you are after, look at breeds that are small by standard on our toy breeds page, and check available puppies by breed for what is actually here.
Common questions
How much does a full-grown Havanese weigh?
VCA puts adult Havanese at 7 to 13 pounds. The breed standard gives no weight at all, so every pound figure for this breed comes from a veterinary or descriptive source rather than the standard.
How tall does a Havanese get?
The standard calls 9 to 10½ inches ideal and 8½ to 11½ inches acceptable. Heights outside that range are a disqualification, except in dogs under twelve months, who are exempt.
At what age is a Havanese fully grown?
Small breeds generally finish growing around six to eight months and reach full adult size by twelve months, per veterinary guidance. The standard’s puppy exemption reflects the same timeline.
Does a corded coat make a Havanese look bigger?
Yes, and the difference is striking. A corded coat can make a dog look much larger than it does in a pet trim, with no change in weight, so go by feel over the ribs rather than by outline.
Why does my puppy’s rear sit higher than its shoulders?
Because the breed is built that way. The standard describes a topline that rises slightly from withers to croup, along with a body slightly longer than it is tall. Ask your veterinarian if anything about your puppy’s movement or growth concerns you.
Come and meet a Havanese
Every puppy here is health-checked by our on-staff veterinarian, raised in our family home nursery, and waiting to say hello.
1848 Old Norcross Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Mon–Sat 12:00–7:00 PM • Sun 2:00–6:00 PM
