King Charles Cavalier
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small breed of dog of Spaniel type, usually considered one of the toy dog breeds. It is a small spaniel with a substantial silky coat of moderate length, often with a mild wave, and long ears. Four colours (Blenheim, Tricolour, Black and Tan, and Ruby) are recognized. The breed originated in the 20th century but has its roots in the older King Charles Spaniel of the Restoration.
The extremely social nature of the Cavalier KC Spaniel means that they require almost constant companionship from humans or other dogs, and are not suited to spending long periods of time on their own. (Even though they will be very patient and obedient) This breed is one of the friendliest of the toy group. It is important for Cavaliers to have a hand-reared puppyhood to ensure security and friendliness. When they greet somebody they tend to lick them on the hand. They connect with their owners almost immediately, but are rarely a little delayed with strangers. They are very playful.
Some Cavaliers have been known to exhibit traits in common with cats, such as perching in high places (the tops of couches, the highest pillow, etc), cleaning their own paws and can also show some birding qualities. Cavaliers have been seen to catch small birds in mid-flight that are flying too close to the ground. Such behaviour is a result of their earlier use as a hunting dog, and as such, they can develop habits that predispose them to chase small animals such as chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, birds etc. Because of this, it is recommended that care should be taken when walking a Cavalier off-leash, as they can single-mindedly chase a butterfly or rabbit onto a busy road or other dangerous situation without regard for their own safety if not properly trained.
Bichon Havanese
Havanese with a recessive coat. The short hair Havanese, a Registered purebred dog.
Some Havanese carry a short haired recessive gene. If two Adults with this recessive gene have a litter of puppies, it is possible that some of the puppies will be born with smooth coats. A Havanese with a short coat cannot be shown and is a disqualification in the show arena, meaning it would not be allowed to participate in a dog show, however it is not a medical factor and in no way affects the dog itself. A short coated Havanese looks very different when full grown than a long coated Havanese. Some have nicknamed the Havanese born with short coats Shavanese.
Around 1980, several German breeders started finding odd-coated puppies in litters with regular Havanese. As these pups matured they did not grow full coats like their other littermates. They had feathering on the skirts, tail, legs, chest, and ears - the rest of the body hair was close lying. They oddly enough grew up to have smooth coats. Breeders got together and found that this was happening in other litters of Havanese and was not a chance genetic mutation in one single litter, but something carried in a lot of Havanese as a recessive gene.
These dogs were called Smooth-Coated Havanese, but have picked up the name Shavanese somewhere along the line. The short coated Havanese are not showable or breedable, however they are perfectly healthy.