Havanese are popular, and that makes them a favourite of puppy scammers and careless breeders. Here’s how to recognize a reputable Havanese breeder in Canada, and the red flags that should make you walk away.
Signs of a reputable breeder
- Health testing. Both parents are tested before breeding: hearing (BAER), eyes, knees (patellas), heart, hips and elbows, thyroid. A good breeder will tell you which tests were done and show you the results, often listed publicly with the OFA.
- CKC registration. Purebred Havanese puppies in Canada should be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club. Ask about registration before you commit.
- A written contract and health guarantee. You should get the terms in writing, before you pay. Here’s ours.
- You can meet them. A good breeder welcomes a visit, lets you meet the mother (and often the father), and shows you where the puppies are raised.
- They ask you questions. Expect a questionnaire or a conversation about your home, lifestyle, schedule and experience. A breeder who cares where the puppy goes will want to know about you.
- They’ll take the dog back. Reputable breeders ask you to return the dog to them, at any age, if you can’t keep it.
- Club involvement. Many belong to the Havanese Fanciers of Canada or a regional Havanese club, and show or title their dogs.
Red flags
- Puppies always available, in several breeds, or listed on classified sites
- A price that seems too good to be true
- Pressure to send a deposit quickly to “hold” a puppy
- Payment only by e-Transfer to a stranger, gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfer
- No visit allowed, and no video call either
- Offers to ship a puppy to you, followed by surprise “crate”, “insurance” or “vaccination” fees
- No health testing, or “vet checked” offered in place of health testing
- No contract, or no CKC registration
Check the photos
Scammers often steal photos from real breeders’ websites. If a listing looks suspicious, do a reverse image search (Google Lens or TinEye) on the puppy photos. If the same pictures turn up on another breeder’s site, walk away.
We have seen our puppy photos used by scammers on social media and have reported them to have the photos removed from their pages.
How we do things
We never ship puppies, and we never sell a puppy sight unseen. Every family completes a questionnaire and visits our home, in person or virtually, to meet us and our dogs before joining the waitlist. Our dogs are health tested and CKC registered, and every puppy comes with a written contract and health guarantee. Learn more in our FAQs.