Havana Silk Dog Association of America
HSDAA Eligibility Requirements and Procedures
for Registry of Individual Dogs and Litters
Revised March 31, 2023,
Download pdf version: Registry Regulations
The HSDAA Registry is totally unique in the world of purebred dogs. It maintains the highest standards for quality, health and integrity of any registry in the world, and the HSDAA is justifiably proud of it.
One of the most important things to understand is that HSDAA is not actively soliciting dogs for
its registry – it is a “closed” registry rather than an “open” one. This means that unless a specific
exception is made by a vote of the Board of Directors to open the registry to admit a particular
dog solely to further the goals of the organization, the only dogs eligible for registration are the
offspring of dogs with HSDAA “Certified” registration status. Every dog which phenotypically
resembles a Havana Silk Dog is NOT automatically eligible for registration with HSDAA as a
Silk dog, any more than any dog which happens to phenotypically resemble a beagle is
automatically eligible for registration with AKC as a beagle! No dog registry is based on
phenotype alone.
HSDAA established and maintains a Registry of Havana Silk Dogs to further its goal of
preserving Cuba’s native dog in its original form both phenotypically and genotypically.
In order to achieve the goals of the organization and to protect its gene pool, members of the
HSDAA do not interbreed their dogs with American Havanese, and maintaining a separate
registry allows us to track progress being made in the breed in areas of breed type, soundness,
and health. (OFA, CHIC and CERF also maintain separate breed-specific databases for the
Havana Silk Dog.)
The establishment and maintenance of a well-managed and accurate stud book is also necessary
for the recognition of the Havana Silk Dog as a separate and distinct breed, although at this point
in time, HSDAA has not requested recognition of the Havana Silk Dog breed by any all-breed
canine registry, including the American Kennel Club. (The reason for this is simple – no all breed
canine registry currently requires the certification of “breeding fitness” that HSDAA does
before granting full registration with breeding rights.)
The policies and procedures below detail the current registration and Certification requirements
in this breed. (Any questions concerning registration policies should be addressed to
“Registration Committee” and sent to the Registrar, Marilyn Spence, at
registrar@havanasilkdog.org – please allow a day or two for an answer.)
Types of Registration
There are seven types of registration:
Litter Registration, Provisional Certified Registration, Certified Registration, Companion Dog
Registration, Foundation Pending Registration, Offspring of Foundation Pending Registration
and Companion Pending Registration. All registrations shall be presented to the board for
approval by the Registrar.
Litter Registration:
Litters from two HSDAA Certified parents are automatically eligible for registration with
HSDAA provided that the breeder is an HSDAA member at the time of registration. (Effective
1/8/2019). Litter applications must be signed by all recorded owners of the bitch and at least one
owner of the sire. Owner(s) or lessee(s) of the bitch at the time of whelping shall be considered
breeder(s) and litter owner(s) of record. Upon receipt of completed application and fee,
individual registration applications for each puppy will be forwarded to the litter owner once
approved by the Board.
Litters by dogs with Provisional Certified Registration status but not yet certified at the date of
whelping are eligible for registration when both parents achieve Certified Registration status, at
which time a litter registration application should be submitted by the breeder and signed by the
owner(s) of both the sire and dam. (Effective date May 1, 2011) The breeder must be a HSDAA
member at the time of registration of the litter. (Effective 1/8/2019).
Given that OFA Eye Certification is only good for one year from the date of the exam, both sire and dam
shall have a passing OFA Eye Certificate which is dated within one year of the litter application, and
attached thereto. Additionally, each litter application shall include a CBC & Blood Chemistry Panel to
include paired bile acid assay – indicating normal liver function done after 18 months for both the sire
and the dam. These changes are effective 3/1/2022.
In order to comply with Article 2 of the HSDAA Constitution and to clarify and enforce existing
policy concerning the interbreeding of Havana Silk Dogs with any other breed, effective July 31,
2011, all living puppies in a litter must be listed on the litter registration application; only those
litters in which none of the litter members are concurrently or subsequently registered as any
other breed with any other registry will be eligible for HSDAA registration.
To promote genetic diversity in the Havana Silk Dog breed, a breeding between a certified
Havana Silk Dog and a dog or bitch that is not HSDAA registered for the purpose of bringing the
litter through the foreign/foundation program will be permitted under the following conditions:
a) That the dog/bitch has passed similar health testing required for our breed as
determined appropriate by the Board
b)That the owner of the dog/bitch obtain approval from the Board that the litter will be
accepted in the program before breeding outside of [the] HSDAA
c) That the breeding must contribute something that is deemed by the Board to beneficial
to the gene pool and/or the club. (Addition approved September 9, 2014)
Provisional Certified & Certified Registration:
Offspring of dogs with Certified HSDAA registration (that came in as provisionally certified) are eligible
for Provisional Certified registration. Pups not assigned Companion Dog registration status from eligible
litters shall be automatically eligible for HSDAA Provisional Certified Registration upon submission of
the appropriate registration application, registration fee, and a copy of an approved Puppy Health
Exam Report indicating normal cardiac and patella’s as well as BAER hearing report indicating
normal hearing signed by a licensed veterinarian.
To upgrade from Provisional Certified to Certified status, when a dog is over 18 months old, the
following documentation should be submitted along with the Application for Upgrade from
Provisional to Certified form (available on the HSDAA website) (Effective November 1, 2017),
provided that the owner is an HSDAA member at the time of registration. (Effective 1/8/2019):
1. CHIC certificate
2. OFA BAER report indicating no evidence of congenital deafness and that hearing is normal
done anytime.
3. OFA Hip report indicating no evidence of hip dysplasia. OFA Hip certification must be done
after a dog is over 1 year and the open box MUST be checked to allow the release of abnormal
results. PennHip can be accepted in lieu of OFA if the DI is no more than .62 and there is no
evidence of cavitation or DJD.
4. OFA Eye report issuing an eye certification registry number done within the last year.
5. OFA Cardiac report indicating no evidence of congenital cardiac disease done after 12
months.
6. OFA Patella report indicating no evidence of patella luxation done after 12 months.
7. DNA profile from UC Davis as a Havana Silk Dog done anytime. Vetgen profile will be accepted for any dogs whose owners have already done the Vetgen DNA profile. Going forward owners should use UC Davis.
8. CHIC DNA repository report indicating submission of DNA with OFA done anytime.
9. Soaped photographs taken from the side, front and rear and full dry coat side stacked, all done
after 18 months.
10. An HSDAA Conformation Evaluation completed by the HSDAA Evaluators’ Committee reflecting a score of at least 80 after the dogs is 18 months.
11. CBC & Blood Chemistry Panel to include paired bile acid assay – indicating normal liver
function done after 18 months.
Companion Dog Registration:
Breeders have the option of designating Companion Dog status for pups sold solely as
companions provided that the breeder is an HSDAA member at the time of registration. A breeder can
designate a puppy as a Companion Dog but still must supply the new owner with the
appropriate registration application, a copy of an approved Puppy Health Exam Report and a BAER
hearing report signed by a licensed veterinarian so that the new owner can register the puppy. The new
owner can apply for registration by providing the application for registration along with the Puppy
Health Report and Baer report. The new owners seeking to register a dog as a companion need not be
HSDAA members or apply to become HSDAA members as part of the application process. These dogs
may compete in Companion and Performance events and such non-regular Conformation classes as may
be designated by the Club if the owners become members.
Dogs with Provisional Certified Registration which fail one or more of the CHIC health screening
requirements shall automatically be granted Companion Dog Registration with no
transfer fee upon notification of the Registrar. Dogs registered as Provisionally Certified who have not
applied for transfer to Certified registration within a year of their second birthday (before their third
birthday) shall be granted Companion Dog registration unless an extension is applied for by the owner
or breeder. (This rule was suspended until the end of 2022 because of the pandemic to allow dogs to
complete their health testing.)
Dogs which have met the requirements for a championship prior to certification but
subsequently fail to pass the Board’s requirements for certification will be converted to
Companion status and an age-appropriate Companion Championship will be awarded.
05-13-14: NOTE: Conversion of Companion to Provisional registration.
Companion registration status is reserved for those puppies that are not going to breeding homes
and that are not intended to contribute to the gene pool.
Initially, our policy was that companion registration was permanent and that puppies registered
as companions could never have their status change. There have been occasions, however, that
the quality of such a puppy or the genetic diversity that it may contribute to the gene pool would
merit the conversion of a particular dog to provisional status. Examples might be of a quality
puppy registered as companion solely because the home it went to was not interested in breeding.
This puppy may have been returned to the breeder who then wished to have its registration status
changed. Or an owner may become interested in breeding and, with the blessing of the breeder,
wish to have the registration changed.
However, a dog’s status from companion to provisionally certified may only be changed if the
owner is an HSDAA member at the time of registration, (effective 1/8/2019) and the breeder
agrees to the change and if the supporting documentation required for provisionally certified
registration is received. This would include the Puppy Health Exam Report by a vet certifying
that patellas & heart are normal as well as the BAER hearing report indicating normal hearing,
The status change application from companion to provisionally certified must be submitted along
with the Puppy Health Exam Report, administration fee, and be signed by the breeder and the
current owner of the dog. The offspring of dogs with Companion Dog Registration are not eligible for
registration with HSDAA.
Foundation Pending Registration:
Dogs with Foundation Pending status are eligible to compete in the Provisional/Certified
ring. Dogs with Foundation Pending Status may be shown in age appropriate classes at HSDAA
shows and may earn championship points. Junior Championships and Championships may be
awarded.
Application for certification of Foundation Pending dogs may be applied for once the dog has
reached the age of 18 months provided that the owner is an HSDAA member at the time of
registration. (Effective 1/8/2019). Application can be found under “Forms” on the HSDAA
website.
Dogs initially admitted into the HSDAA Registry as Foundation Pending and that are later
admitted as certified shall not be bred to other dogs that are initially brought in as Foundation
Pending and later certified. All litters resulting from a breeding of two dogs that were initially
brought into the Registry as Foundation Pending are not eligible to be registered with
HSDAA. The primary goal of the HSDAA is the development and recognition of the Havana
Silk Dog as a separate breed, and to bring its qualities to perfection. This goal will not be well
served by the breeding of dogs brought in as Foundation Pending to one another.
The requirements for certification of Foundation Pending dogs are:
1. CHIC certificate
2. OFA hip report done after 18 months (must sign release of abnormal results) indicating
no evidence of hip dysplasia. PennHip is also acceptable as long as the DI is .62 or less
on each hip and there is no evidence of cavitation, or degenerative joint disease.
3. OFA patella report indicating no evidence of patella luxation done after 12 months.
4. OFA cardiac report indicating no evidence of congenital cardiac disease done after 12
months.
5. OFA BAER hearing report indicating no evidence of congenital deafness done anytime.
6. OFA Eye report issuing an eye certification registry number done within the last year.
7. CBC & Blood Chemistry Panel to include paired bile acid assay indicating normal liver
function done after 18 months.
8. HSDAA Conformation Evaluation completed by the HSDAA Evaluators’ Committee
after the dog is 18 months reflecting a score of at least 80. Note: The Evaluators Committee, in the
interest of accommodating people to allow timely evaluations, taking into account the limited number of
shows and limited number of evaluators available, proposes a grace period of two weeks prior to 18
months for Foundation Pending and Foundation Pending offspring evaluations. On a
case by case basis evaluators may also be allowed some flexibility if needed.
9. DNA profile from UC Davis as a Havana Silk Dog done anytime. .) Vetgen profile will be accepted for any dogs whose owners have already done the Vetgen DNA profile. Going forward owners should use UC Davis.
10. CHIC DNA Repository report indicating submission of DNA with OFA done anytime
11. Soaped front, side and rear photos and a dry side stacked, full coat photo all done
after 18 months.
12. Any additional testing required by the Board of Directors
Offspring of Foundation Pending
The certification requirements for Foundation Pending Dogs also apply to all immediate (1st
generation offspring of dogs entering the registry through the Foundation Pending status.
Application for 1st generation offspring may be applied for once the dog has reached the age of
18 months provided that the owner is an HSDAA member at the time of registration. (Effective
1/8/2019). The OFA hip evaluation, CBC and Blood Chemistry Panel and the Evaluation must
be done after the dog is 18 months.
Only the offspring of Certified dogs (originally brought in as FoundationPending) will be eligible
for registration.
Companion Pending Registration
Dogs that are out of one certified Havana Silk Dog parent and one uncertified Havana Silk Dog
parent are eligible to apply for Companion Pending Status provided that the owner is HSDAA
members at the time of registration. (Effective 1/8/2019). An application for Companion
Pending Registration can be found under “Forms” on the HSDAA website. The completed
application will include soaped pictures of the dog including the front, both sides, the rear, and
dry side stacked. If approved by the Board, the dog’s registration will be converted to
Companion Dog status. In no event, shall dogs that are granted Companion Dog status by virtue
of this provision ever be eligible for conversion to certified status.
FEES :
$ 10.00 registration of an individual dog
$ 3.00 transfer from Provisional Certified to Certified Registration
$ 5.00 litter registration
$ 10.00 registration for Companion Pending
$ 10.00 registration for Foundation Pending
$ 3.00 registration from Foundation Pending or Offspring of Foundation Pending to Certified
$ 5.00 registration from Companion to Certified
(Please note “registration fee” on check)
For questions or assistance with Registration questions please contact the Registrar, Marilyn
Spence, at registrar@havanasilkdog.org.
Revised October 25, 2022