All About the Maltipoo Havanese Mix

If you like your Poodle hybrids on the small and fluffy side, boy do we have a delight for you!

In this article, we will look at what could arise from crossing the impossibly adorable Maltipoo with another little bundle of silken hair, the Havanese.

Now spoiler alert upfront, the reason you may not have heard of this cross is due to the fact it is not being extensively bred at the moment, however in this piece we will explore exactly what this hybrid could offer up.

Maltipoo History

The Maltipoo is a popular Doodle cross in its own right. Comprising of the Maltese and usually a small Miniature or Toy Poodle parents, this small breed is favored for its forever puppy-like appearance. The addition of Poodle genetics allows for greater variation in their coat color and type than the pristine white straight coat of the Maltese alone. 

To find out more about the Maltipoo be sure to check out our other articles “Are Maltipoos AKC Registered?” and “Are Maltipoos Good with Other Dogs?” along with other titles.

Havanese History

Trivia fact: the Havanese is considered the national dog of Cuba and is the only breed determined as native to the country. The general consensus is the origins of the breed were Bichon descendants who arrived in Cuba with early settlers from Spain, in particular those from the Canary Islands. The dogs became established in Cuba and evolved into the Havanese that we recognise today.

The Havanese is a small sturdy, Toy breed who has an abundance of glorious, silken, hairlike coat. These are perky little dogs with a spring in their step and sparkly eyes.  They are a fairly robust little breed and known to have a life span of up to 16 years.

What Do You Call a Maltipoo Havanese Mix?

There seems to be no widely recognized name for this cross so far. There is a title for the Maltese Havanese cross which is referred to as a “Havamalt” and the Havanese and Poodle is a lesser-known Poodle hybrid referred to as the “Havapoo”.

It would be suggested therefore that a suitable title for a Maltipoo Havanese could be the relatively straight forwards “Hava-maltipoo”.

Why is the Havanese Maltipoo Cross Being Bred?

After our trawl of the web and available resources, it is apparent that currently the Maltipoo Havanese is not being actively bred in any great numbers. Forums and owner’s groups often contain mentions of accidental litters however no recognized breeders of this cross, in particular, appear to be active.

The reason behind this is not immediately clear however it may be due to the possibility of overlap in health conditions common in toy breeds such as the Toy Poodle, the Maltese, and the Havanese.

The trend in recent centuries for increasingly smaller dogs means many Toy breeds now experience health conditions relating to their small size. In addition, both the Maltese and Havanese have some pre-existing commonalities in coat type and build, it may be felt that they are too similar to justify going with a Maltipoo Havanese cross when a Maltipoo or a Havapoo may be more readily available.

Is it Ethical to Cross the Maltipoo and the Havanese?

As mentioned above, there is concern about the ethics of breeding ever-smaller Toy breed crosses for purely aesthetic reasons. There is often a temptation from unethical breeders to pick the smallest of each parent in the hope of creating ever-smaller litters. In reality, the smallest examples of Toy breeds such as the Maltipoo or Havanese often carry health issues that contribute to their even smaller size and are not what you would want to pass on in a breeding program.

Of course, there may be perfectly healthy Maltipoos and Havanese being selected to make this cross and in which case this hybrid is unlikely to be any less ethical than any other hybrid or multigenerational crossing out there.

The Benefits of a Maltipoo Havanese Mix

The number one potential benefit of a Maltipoo Havanese mix has got to be the potential for a heartbreakingly cute dog. The Maltipoo is sometimes referred to as “the cutest dog in the world” owing to its forever puppylike build and scruffy-ish coat. Add to this a helping of the even bigger puppy dog eyes possessed by the Havanese and its jaunty bouncy walk and the resultant cross could be devastatingly cute.

The Cons of a Maltipoo Havanese Mix

As mentioned above, the Maltipoo Havanese is not being bred in any great numbers, so firstly finding one will be a challenge. Secondly, due to their rarity, it is difficult to predict with certainty things like size,  coat type, temperament, and health. This means taking on a Maltipoo Havanese may be a bit of a lottery and for some people who like to research all aspects of a breed before making a commitment, this may just be too much of an overall risk.

What to Expect from the Maltipoo Havanese Mix

Size and Weight

We do not have the luxury of pulling a vast array of examples to provide average height and weight predictions as there just aren’t enough recorded details regarding the Maltipoo Havanese cross out there right now.

We can take a hint from the size and weight of each parent breed to give a rough idea of what to expect,

The Maltipoo is a small breed and can be expected to be between 8lbs and 1lbs in weight and 7″ to 14″ tall.  The biggest factor in determining a Maltipoo’s size is whether a Toy or Miniature Poodle parent was utilized. A Toy Poodle parent will create a smaller Maltipoo while a Miniature Poodle parent will generally be resultant in a larger size Maltipoo.

The Havanese is equally short in stature, coming in at between 8″ and 12″ and weighing somewhere between 7lbs and 13lbs.

As the Maltipoo and Havanese are fairly similar it is expected that the resultant cross would be somewhere between 7″ and 14″ in height and up to 13lbs. The difficulty arises however if there is a discrepancy in the parent sizes, for example, a Havanese mother right at the top of the height and weight averages paired with the smallest example of a Maltipoo. This could make for significant variation across the range even in the same litter.

Color and Coat Types

We can make a general prediction of coat type and color of a Maltipoo Havanese mix by pulling on what we know about Maltipoo and Havanese coats respectively. In reality, though this cross has the genetics of three different purebred dogs: the Poodle, the Maltese, and the Havanese, and as such, any one of these could appear more prevalent.

In this mix, the genetics are not split evenly. They would be 50% Havanese, 25% Poodle, and 25% Maltipoo. The Havanese coat type may be more represented however this is not always the case.

Starting with the Havanese, they have a long silken hair like coat. Colorwise they come in a whole plethora of shades including white, cream, champagne, beige/fawn, apricot, gold, red, black, silver, chocolate, and blue. They have a number of different coloring patterns and are rarely one solid color. The Havanese when kept long will need a rigorous grooming and brushing schedule.

The Maltipoo has just about as much color variation if not more however their coat is what we expect from a Doodle hybrid due to the addition of Poodle genetics. Think wavy to curly in pattern that often gives off the desired teddy bear appearance. They are generally low shedding.

A Maltipoo Havanese cross could therefore be just about any color imaginable. It is much harder to predict coat type as you are taking the curly Maltipoo and often near poker-straight Havanese. This means the cross may have a more relaxed curl pattern than the Maltipoo, could be slightly longer haired overall, and has the potential to shed

Health

It would be expected that a Maltipoo Havanese mix who has been bred from good examples of the parent breeds would be a healthy dog.

There are some conditions that overlap. However, these are more as a result of their small stature that would potentially apply to any small dog. These include luxating patellas, dental issues, and some hip dysplasia.

Temperament

Both the Maltipoo and Havanese are intelligent little dogs so we can safely assume any cross of the two will be bright as a button. The Havanese in particular bring a loving and energetic energy that can be tempered well by the Maltipoo’s slightly gentler and affectionate leanings.

The only concern would be that the Maltipoo can be prone to separation anxiety which may be compounded by the Havanese natural shyness around strangers. Early socialization would be key to raising a confident cross of these two breeds.

Exercise Needs

While this cross will have energy for days, it will also have little legs. This means they are unlikely to handle being your jogging or hiking partner but they will thrive on one to two local walks a day and plenty of play at home. Given their smaller size, a yard is not necessarily essential although if they can’t run off their zoomies in a garden you will need to be creative with enrichment activities indoors to keep them out of trouble.

Feeding Requirements

Individual feeding will vary dependent on overall size and activity level however as we can estimate a Maltipoo Havanese will be in the small or Toy dog range feeding costs are not anticipated to be extreme. The tiniest examples may need less than 1 whole cup of good quality dry food split over two meals a day.