Every Havanese mix here has one Havanese parent, and that breed’s standard is written in inches with no weight in it at all. The second parent — Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu or Poodle — changes the coat, and on the Shih Tzu side can also bring a short muzzle. No standard exists for any of these crosses.
What the Havanese parent brings
Havachon, Hava Tzu and Havapoo are marketplace names. No registry recognises any of them and none has a written standard. Everything below is read off the two parent breed standards, and we say which parent each figure came from.
The Havanese standard gives an ideal height of 9 to 10½ inches with 8½ to 11½ acceptable, and no weight figure whatsoever. Where we quote pounds for this parent the number is VCA’s, not the standard’s: VCA puts adult Havanese at 7 to 13 pounds. The standard also asks for a dog slightly longer than tall, and it permits a corded coat — the long soft double coat may be separated into cords instead of brushed out. That one clause is why two Havanese can look like different breeds. With no pound figure in the parent document, a Havanese cross can only be bracketed, never specified.
The three crosses we see
Havachon (Havanese × Bichon Frise)
The Bichon standard prefers 9½ to 11½ inches, never over 12 nor under 9, and contains no weight either — VCA puts adult Bichons at 10 to 16 pounds. Both parents’ standards are written only in inches, and the two height ranges nearly coincide. That makes it the narrowest cross here for height and the least anchored for weight: every pound figure available is veterinary. The coat changes most, because the Bichon carries a soft undercoat under a coarser curling outer coat that springs back when patted, scissored to the natural outline. Crossed with a long flowing Havanese coat, the result may curl or may hang, and needs a groomer either way.
Hava Tzu (Havanese × Shih Tzu)
The Shih Tzu standard is the only parent document in this group that gives a weight: 9 to 16 pounds, with 9 to 10½ inches ideal and never under 8 nor over 11. Against VCA’s 7 to 13 pounds for the Havanese, the honest bracket is roughly 7 to 16 pounds. The Shih Tzu coat is “luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing”, so this cross adds coat. The Shih Tzu also brings a muzzle the standard calls “square, short”, and VCA names the breed among brachycephalic ones; a puppy may inherit that muzzle or may not. More on our Shih Tzu mixes page.
Havapoo (Havanese × Poodle)
Ask which Poodle variety the parent is, because it moves the whole bracket. The Poodle standard puts the Toy at “10 inches or under” and the Miniature at “15 inches or under, with a minimum height in excess of 10 inches”, and gives no weight for any variety. A Toy-sired Havapoo sits inside the Havanese range; a Miniature-sired one can finish taller. The Poodle coat is “curly: of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout” — the biggest coat change of the three, and the least predictable, because a first cross can run from loose waves to tight curl. See Poodle mixes.
The honest tradeoffs
All three are groomer dogs for life. A corded coat is a skill, not a shortcut, and a brushed Havanese coat mats if you skip weeks. None of these coats makes a dog suitable for someone with allergies, and we will not describe any dog that way. Low-shedding is a grooming fact, not a health claim; our low-shedding page explains the difference. Veterinary guidance from Dr. Jerry Klein notes that small breeds finish growing around six to eight months and reach full adult size by about twelve months, so you will know your dog’s real size early. We will not predict it in advance.
All four parent standards describe sociable, people-oriented dogs, and the Shih Tzu’s reads “outgoing, happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all”. Individual dogs vary, and a standard describes a breed rather than the puppy in front of you. For what is in the Lawrenceville showroom now, check available puppies by breed.
Common questions
How much does a Havanese mix weigh?
There is no honest single answer. The Havanese standard gives no weight, so the only pound figures for that parent are veterinary: VCA says 7 to 13 pounds. A Hava Tzu brackets between that and the Shih Tzu standard’s 9 to 16 pounds, and a Havachon has no breed-club weight on either side.
Will a Havapoo have a curly coat?
Possibly. The Poodle standard describes a curly coat of naturally harsh texture and the Havanese a long soft one, and a first cross can land anywhere between. Nobody can tell from a puppy photograph how an adult coat will behave.
Does a Hava Tzu have a short muzzle?
It may. The Shih Tzu standard calls for a square, short muzzle, and VCA names the breed among brachycephalic ones, where narrowed nostrils and an elongated soft palate can restrict airflow, with signs often worse in hot or humid weather. Only a veterinarian examining the dog can assess an individual puppy’s airway.
Do any registries recognise these crosses?
No. There is no breed standard for a Havachon, Hava Tzu or Havapoo. Every figure here comes from a parent standard, or from VCA where a standard gives no weight.
Come and meet a Havanese mix
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
