What is a BLUE Havanese? It is one that is born blue, not one that changes to a "bluish" color at a later age. Blue Havanese have as much variation of color and pattern as any other color
Havanese. They can range from a dark steel blue to a light silvery blue and color may lighten or darken as the dog ages, just like any other Havanese color. The pigmentation of the nose, eye
rims and lips is blue instead of black, and their eye color ranges from brown to shades of gold. Pigmentation often darkens as the dog matures and becomes virtually indistinguishable from
black pigmentation..

Over the past several years, a number of breeders of Havanese worldwide have been surprised (and sometimes shocked) to find a blue  born in a litter of puppies. Breeders in the United
States, Canada, Cuba, Germany, France and Belgium have produced blue Havanese, and most likely other places that I have not yet heard about.

Where did the blue color come from? It was almost certainly one of many colors introduced into the breed by the infusion of toy poodle into the Blanquito de la Habana, the cross that ultimately
resulted in the Havanese breed as we know it today. According to breed authority, Zoila Portuondo Guerra, there have been blue Havanese in Cuba for many years. While not common, blues
are known to be there. Three well-known stud dogs from Cuba were blues. They were a sire and two of his sons. In order for the blue sons to have been produced, the dams of those two dogs
had to be blue carriers. While the sire remained in Cuba, the two sons were exported - one to South America and one to Europe, thereby increasing the chances of the blue color being spread
worldwide. Eventually, the South American dog was sent to Europe, helping to spread the blue gene in the breed further.

There are differences between blues and silvers. Blue dogs are born blue, and have blue pigmentation. Silver dogs are born black, but change to a silver color at a young age. Silver dogs have
black pigmentation. Several of the original dogs purchased by Dorothy Goodale were registered as silver. It is probable that at least one of those dogs was not silver, but blue. Since Mrs
Goodale did not get those dogs until they were adults, she would not have known their color at birth. Blue pigmentation often darkens with age, so that further increases the chance that there
was an unrecognized blue in the original group of Havanese dogs in America.

Since the blue color is recessive, it can be carried for many generations before it is expressed. It requires two blue carriers being bred together for a blue to be born. My theory (and it is just MY
theory) why it took so long for any number of blues to appear is this: When a breeder produced a blue puppy, that puppy was sold to  a pet home, and not bred, since the breeder did not realize
the true color and thought the dog had "poor pigmentation". Some of the littermates of those blue dogs almost certainly were blue carriers. Some of those blue carriers were eventually bred,
and continued to further spread the recessive blue gene through the Havanese population. In addition, the carrier parents were also bred further, thereby increasing the number of carriers in the
breed. After many generations, there were sufficient numbers of blue carriers in the breeding population that a sudden increase in the number of blues was noted.

While some breeders think the blues are stunning, others do not like them at all. Those same breeders that don't like blues seem to not like chocolates, either. It's a personal choice. If you don't
like them, then don't have them! Claims are being made that the blue dogs have skin disease (color dilution alopecia), as do blue dogs of some other breeds, though there is absolutely NO
evidence that is true. A small group of Havanese breeders have been keeping records on blue dogs, going back to dogs born in the 1980s. Not one single case of a blue dog with color dilution
alopecia has been found to date.

Here are some samples of blue Havanese, with thanks to all those who submitted pictures.
Blue Havanese
A  dark blue tricolor puppy. Note
the tan points and white markings.
Newborn puppy with gorgeous silvery blue
color and blue pigmentation.
A stunning blue adult from Europe.
A trio of young blue puppies.
The 4 photos above are all the same dog, at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and 2 years. Blues have as much color change as any other Havanese color.
An older dark blue puppy.
1 day old litter with one blue puppy.
2 day old blue puppy
Blue puppy with white markings
approximately 4 weeks old.
Blue sable parti-color puppy 10 weeks old
This is a newborn SILVER Parti-color puppy. Silvers
are born black and begin to turn silver at a few
weeks of age. See photo to the right for her adult
picture.
The puppy on the left became a Silver
Parti-color adult. Her color was changing to
silver by the time she was 6 weeks old. Silvers
always have BLACK pigmentation.
FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES
To read more about Blue Havanese, follow the link to an article that appeared in the Havanese
Hotline in 2010.  Article from the Havanese Hotline