It wasn’t that long ago that when someone mentioned a dog, the image that most likely came to mind was some kind of mutt or maybe just a relatively “old school” breed such as a beagle, or a hound, or possibly something like an Irish setter. In recent years, however, novelty and specialty breeds – even something people have dubbed “designer” breeds – have been quick to emerge. Of these, perhaps only the Havanese is worth mentioning. Where these other dogs of the toy family are timid and fragile things often pictured being carried around by some debutante in her pocket book, the noble Havanese is a playful and intelligent dog, and somewhat on the larger side for a toy. As far as intelligence goes, this breed ranks near the top and, as such, many people claim that Havanese dog training is a bit easier than the raising of other breeds. In fact, the Havanese is quickly rising as one of the more popular dogs at shows and contests across the country.