HSDAA Registry

Havana Silk Dog Association of America

HSDAA Eligibility Requirements and Procedures for Registry of Individual Dogs and Litters

Revised March 10, 2025

Download pdf version: Registration Rules

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. 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 sent 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. The breeder must be a HSDAA member at the time of registration of the litter.

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 done after one year and a post prandial bile acid assay – indicating normal liver function done after 16 weeks  for both the sire and the dam. These changes are effective March 10, 25. Additionally, given that OFA Cardiac Certification is only good for one year from the date of the exam, both sire and dam shall have a passing OFA Basic Cardiac Certificate which is dated within one year of the litter application and attached thereto. This cardiac requirement is effective January 1, 2026.

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:

  1. That the dog/bitch has passed similar health testing required for our breed as determined appropriate by the Board;
  2. 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;
  3. 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 patellas.

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), provided that the owner is an HSDAA member at the time of registration):

  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 Basic 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 12 months.
  10. An HSDAA Conformation Evaluation completed by the HSDAA Evaluators’ Committee reflecting a score of at least 80 after the dogs is 12 months.
  11. CBC & Blood Chemistry Panel done after 12 months indicating normal liver function and a post prandial bile acid assay – indicating normal liver function done after 16 weeks.

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.  The breeder must be a HSDAA member at the time of registration of the litter.

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  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.

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, 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.

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 12 months provided that the owner is an HSDAA member at the time of registration.  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 12 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 Basic Cardiac report indicating no evidence of congenital cardiac disease done after 12months.
  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 done after one year indication normal liver function and a post prandial bile acid assay indicating normal liver function done after 16 weeks .
  8. An HSDAA Conformation Evaluation completed by the HSDAA Evaluators’ Committee after the dog is 12 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 12 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 12 months.
  12. 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. The OFA hip evaluation, CBC and Blood Chemistry Panel and the Evaluation must be done after the dog is 12 months. Only the offspring of Certified dogs (originally brought in as Foundation Pending) 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. 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 March 10, 2025