The short answer
The Havanese is close to a perfect Sydney apartment dog. It is small, adaptable, only moderately energetic, and quiet enough for close-quarters living, and it was bred as a companion rather than a worker so it does not need a big yard. The one thing to plan for is its heart. A Havanese attaches hard and hates being alone, so it suits people who are home a lot or can arrange company through a dog walker, daycare or another person. If you can meet its need for company, two short walks, some indoor play and mental work each day, this is a devoted, easy, low-fuss unit companion. If you are out ten hours a day with no plan, choose a different breed.
Why the Havanese is one of the best apartment dogs
Some breeds tolerate apartment life. The Havanese is genuinely built for it. It is the national dog of Cuba, developed over centuries in the townhouses and courtyards of Havana as a companion and lapdog, never as a hunter or a working dog. That history shows in everything about the breed, and it is why a Havanese fits a Sydney unit better than most dogs its size.
Start with size. A typical Havanese weighs around four to seven kilograms and stands roughly a hand-span tall, so it takes up very little floor space, is easy to carry into a lift, and does not overwhelm a one or two-bedroom flat. Then the energy. This is a moderate-energy breed, not a hard-charging working dog, so its exercise needs are realistic for someone without a backyard: a couple of walks a day plus some play and training covers it. It is also adaptable and eager to please, which makes it calm and settled indoors between outings rather than restless.
Noise is the trait people worry about most with small dogs in close quarters, and here the Havanese scores well. It is not a compulsive barker by reputation. Most will give an alert bark at a knock or a noise in the hallway and then settle, which is a very different thing from the non-stop yapping some small breeds are known for. Add a low-shedding coat that many apartment owners keep in a short, easy clip, and you have a dog that is clean, quiet and small enough to live comfortably in a high-rise. For where the breed sits against other small companions, see our Havanese adoption guide.
None of this means a Havanese is low-maintenance in every way. What it saves you in space and exercise, it asks back in company and attention, and that trade is the single most important thing to understand before you adopt one. A Havanese is a companion first. The apartment part is easy; the companionship part is the whole job.
Strata, by-laws and unit approval in NSW
Before you adopt, sort out whether you are allowed to keep a dog where you live. If you own or rent in a strata scheme, the rules live in your building's registered by-laws, and they vary from building to building. Some schemes allow pets outright, some require you to seek approval or notify the owners corporation first, and the process differs by scheme. The right move is to read your own by-laws and follow whatever approval or notification step applies, rather than assume.
The broader picture in NSW has shifted in the pet owner's favour. Recent changes to strata law have made it harder for an owners corporation to unreasonably refuse a pet, and a blanket no-pets by-law is on much weaker ground than it used to be. That said, the detail is genuinely case-by-case, and there are still conditions a scheme can reasonably impose, so treat this as general guidance and confirm the specifics for your building rather than relying on a summary. If you are renting, you will also need your landlord's agreement under your tenancy, so raise it early.
A Havanese is one of the easiest cases you can put forward, because the honest answer to an owners corporation's real concerns, noise, mess and damage in common areas, is favourable for this breed. It is small, quiet, clean and low-shedding. Keep your side of the bargain: control barking, keep the dog on lead in common areas and lifts, clean up after it, and be a considerate neighbour. Whatever your building requires, register the dog with your council through the NSW Pet Registry and keep the microchip details current, because that is a legal requirement regardless of where you live.
The velcro dog: companionship is the whole point
Havanese owners have a nickname for the breed: the velcro dog. A Havanese wants to be with its person, following you from room to room, curling up beside you on the couch, waiting outside the bathroom door. This is not a flaw. It is the breed doing exactly what centuries of selection built it to do, and for the right owner it is the best thing about living with one. A Havanese is affectionate, intuitive and endlessly devoted, and if you want a dog that is genuinely your shadow, this is it.
The flip side is real and needs saying plainly. A dog this attached does not do well left alone for long stretches, and a Havanese left alone all day, every day, is at genuine risk of separation-related distress. That can look like persistent barking or howling, whining, pacing, toileting indoors despite being house-trained, or chewing and scratching at doors and windows. In an apartment, the barking and howling in particular can become a neighbour problem fast, which is often how a Havanese in a unit ends up surrendered. This is the breed's one big honest catch, and it is why the apartment question and the company question cannot be separated.
So the breed suits a particular kind of home. A Havanese is a wonderful match for someone who works from home, works part time, is retired, has a household where someone is usually around, or is willing to build company into the dog's day. It is a poor match for a home that is empty ten hours a day with no plan for the dog. There is no shame in recognising your life is the second kind. Being honest about it before you adopt is the single kindest thing you can do for the dog.
Managing time alone and reducing separation stress
Even the most attached Havanese can learn to cope with reasonable, planned absences, and every apartment dog needs to. The goal is not to force the dog to endure long stretches alone, it is to teach it that being alone for a manageable window is normal, safe and boring in a good way. A few approaches work well together.
Build alone-time gradually. Start with very short absences, even a few minutes, and slowly extend them as the dog stays relaxed. A dog that has never practised being alone until the day you go back to the office is being set up to panic. With a newly adopted rescue Havanese, take this especially slowly while it is still settling in. Our Sydney adoption resources cover the first weeks with a new dog in more detail.
Keep departures and arrivals low-key. Big emotional goodbyes and excited reunions teach the dog that your comings and goings are a huge deal, which winds up the anxiety. Leave and return calmly, without fuss. Let the dog settle before you greet it.
Leave enrichment. A food-puzzle toy, a stuffed and frozen chew toy, or a snuffle mat gives the dog something absorbing to do the moment you leave, so the start of alone-time, the hardest part, is associated with something good. A tired dog also copes better, so a walk and some training before you go help a lot.
Arrange company for long days. For a full working day, do not ask a Havanese to white-knuckle ten hours alone. Book a dog walker for a midday break, use a doggy daycare a few days a week, or arrange for a friend, family member or neighbour to drop in. Rotating a bit of company through the week makes a genuine difference to a companion breed.
If your dog shows real distress, panic rather than mild boredom, do not just push through it. Talk to your vet, because genuine separation anxiety is a treatable welfare issue and your vet can refer you to a suitably qualified behaviour professional. The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase and the Australian Veterinary Association both have sound general guidance on separation-related behaviour in dogs.
Daily life with a Havanese in a Sydney unit
Exercise and enrichment. A Havanese does not need a big yard or long runs. Two short-to-moderate walks a day, plus some indoor play and short training sessions, keep most of them happy and healthy. What matters just as much as the physical exercise is mental work. This is a clever, food-motivated breed that loves learning tricks, working a food puzzle and playing training games, and that mental stimulation tires the dog and heads off the boredom behaviours that plague under-stimulated dogs in small spaces. A daily trip to a local park or off-lead reserve for a sniff and a social play covers both body and brain.
Sydney has good options within reach of most apartment suburbs. Fenced off-lead areas like Sydney Park in St Peters in the Inner West, the timed off-lead zones at Centennial Parklands in the Eastern Suburbs, and reserves such as Bicentennial Park at Sydney Olympic Park give a small dog room to move and other dogs to meet. In summer, go early morning or evening and skip the midday heat.
Toilet training without a yard. You can absolutely house-train a Havanese in a unit. The method is a consistent schedule plus a designated spot: take the dog out or to a balcony or laundry potty area after waking, after eating, after play and before bed, and reward the moment it goes in the right place. Many apartment owners keep a real-grass or artificial-turf pad on the balcony as a backup for times they cannot get downstairs fast, especially with a young dog or in wet weather. Havanese are bright and keen to please but can be a touch slower to house-train than some breeds, so patience and consistency win. Clean any accident with an enzymatic cleaner so no scent marker is left behind, and never punish accidents.
Keeping cool. That long silky coat is lovely but it holds heat, so a Sydney summer needs a plan. Keep the flat cool on hot days with air conditioning, a fan or good cross-ventilation, keep fresh water available, and never leave the dog shut in a hot, closed-up unit or a parked car. Many owners keep the coat in a shorter clip over summer for comfort. Watch for heat stress, heavy panting, drooling, wobbliness or lethargy, and see a vet promptly if you are concerned, because in Sydney it is heat, not cold, that is the real seasonal risk.
Parasite prevention. This is non-negotiable for any Sydney dog, apartment or not. The paralysis tick is present along the whole NSW coast and its bushland fringes, and it is potentially fatal, so keep your Havanese on year-round tick and parasite prevention and check the coat after any bushwalk or trip to a leafy reserve. Talk to your vet about the right product. For the full rundown on tick prevention and the breed's medical risks, see the Havanese health guide.
Browse adoptable Havanese in Sydney
Small, devoted and built for close company, the Havanese is a near-ideal apartment dog for a home that is around. Browse live NSW listings and set an alert so you hear the moment one comes in.
See Available Havanese →Is a Havanese the right apartment dog for you
A Havanese is an excellent unit dog for the person or household who is around a lot and wants a small, devoted companion woven through their day. If you work from home, work part time, are retired, or live in a busy household where someone is usually in, a Havanese will fit an apartment beautifully. It asks for little space and moderate exercise, it is quiet and clean by small-dog standards, and it will repay you with the kind of constant affectionate presence that companion breeds are famous for.
The honest counter-case is simple and it is all about time. If your home is empty for long days with no plan for the dog, a Havanese is the wrong choice, and no amount of apartment-suitability makes up for it, because the loneliness is the thing that breaks this breed. Think about whether you can genuinely provide company, whether through your own schedule or a walker or daycare, before you fall for a face. And remember that the individual dog matters more than the breed average, so lean on the rescue or foster carer's notes about how a specific Havanese copes with time alone, other dogs and children. When you are ready, the Havanese adoption guide covers where to find one and what it costs, and the Sydney dog adoption pages list what is available now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Havanese good apartment dogs?
Yes, the Havanese is one of the best small apartment dogs you can choose in Sydney. It is compact at around four to seven kilograms, adaptable to unit and high-rise living, has only moderate exercise needs that a couple of walks and some indoor play will meet, and it is not a heavy barker by breed reputation. It was bred as a companion dog rather than a working or hunting dog, so it does not need a big yard to be happy, only close human company and daily interaction. The one genuine catch is that its suitability for a small space depends entirely on you being around. A Havanese does not thrive left alone all day, so the breed suits apartment dwellers who work from home, work part time, or can arrange company. Get that part right and it is a near-ideal unit dog.
Can Havanese be left alone?
Havanese can learn to cope with a few hours alone, but they do not suit long days home by themselves, because this is a companion breed that bonds intensely with its people. Left alone too long, too often, a Havanese is prone to separation-related distress that can show up as barking, whining, pacing, toileting indoors or destructive chewing. The workable approach is to build alone-time gradually from short absences, leave enrichment like food-puzzle toys and a long-lasting chew, keep departures and arrivals calm and low-key rather than emotional, and for full working days arrange a dog walker, doggy daycare, or another form of company. If your household is out ten hours a day with no plan for the dog, a Havanese is the wrong breed, and being honest about that before you adopt saves a dog from becoming a surrender.
Do Havanese bark a lot?
Not excessively by breed reputation, which is a large part of why they suit apartments and units. A Havanese will usually alert-bark at a knock, the lift, or someone in the hallway, but it is not a compulsive, non-stop barker the way some small breeds are. The exception is boredom and separation. A Havanese left alone too long, or under-exercised and under-stimulated, can develop nuisance barking as a symptom of distress rather than a fixed trait. So the barking question is really a management question. Meet the dog's needs for exercise, mental work and company, teach a calm response to normal building noise from the start, and reward quiet, and most Havanese are considerate neighbours in close quarters.
How much exercise does a Havanese need?
A Havanese needs only moderate exercise, which makes it very manageable in a Sydney apartment. Two short-to-moderate walks a day plus some indoor play and training will keep most Havanese happy and healthy, and you do not need a big yard or long runs. What matters as much as the physical exercise is mental stimulation. This is a clever, people-focused breed that loves learning tricks, doing food-puzzle toys, and short training games, and that mental work tires them out and prevents boredom behaviours in a small space. In summer, walk in the cooler parts of the day, early morning or evening, and skip the midday heat, especially for a coated dog. A daily outing to a local park or off-lead reserve for a sniff and a play covers both the body and the mind.
Do I need approval to keep a Havanese in my Sydney apartment?
In most cases you need to check your building's by-laws and, depending on the scheme, seek approval or notify the owners corporation, so confirm the rules for your specific building before you adopt. Many strata schemes in NSW allow pets subject to conditions, and recent changes to strata law have made it harder for an owners corporation to unreasonably refuse a pet, but the detail varies by building and by-law, so this is general guidance rather than a guarantee for your scheme. The practical steps are to read your building's registered by-laws, follow whatever approval or notification process applies, and keep your side of the deal by controlling noise and keeping common areas clean. A small, quiet, well-managed companion like a Havanese is usually an easy case, but always check rather than assume.
How do I toilet-train a Havanese in an apartment without a yard?
You can toilet-train a Havanese in a unit using a consistent schedule plus a designated toileting spot, even without a yard. The reliable method is frequent, scheduled trips outside or to a balcony or laundry potty area, taking the dog to the same spot after waking, after eating, after play and before bed, and rewarding the moment it goes in the right place. Many apartment owners use a real-grass or artificial-turf pad on a balcony as a backup for times they cannot get downstairs quickly, especially with a young dog or in bad weather. Havanese are intelligent and eager to please, which makes them trainable, but they can be a little slower to house-train than some breeds, so patience and consistency matter. Supervise closely early on, clean any accidents with an enzymatic cleaner so no scent marker is left, and never punish accidents.
Is a Havanese too fragile for children in a small home?
A Havanese is small but sturdy for its size and is generally good with respectful, gentle children, though the usual small-dog cautions apply in a busy household. They are affectionate, playful and people-loving, which makes them a genuinely good family companion in an apartment, but a four-to-seven kilogram dog can be hurt by rough handling or a fall, so young children need supervision and need to learn calm, gentle interaction. In a small space, give the dog a quiet retreat, a crate or a bed in a low-traffic corner, where it can rest undisturbed. As with any breed, the individual dog matters more than the label, so lean on the rescue or foster carer's notes about how a specific Havanese has behaved around kids before you commit.
Does a Havanese cope with Sydney summer heat in a unit?
A Havanese can live comfortably through a Sydney summer in a unit, but the coat means heat management matters. That long, silky double coat is beautiful but it holds warmth, so keep the apartment cool on hot days with air conditioning, a fan or good airflow, make sure fresh water is always available, and never leave the dog in a hot, closed-up flat or a parked car. Walk in the cool of early morning or evening and avoid hot pavement, which can burn paw pads and radiate heat onto a low dog. Many owners keep the coat in a shorter puppy clip over summer for comfort and easier upkeep. Watch for heat-stress signs like heavy panting, drooling or lethargy, and see a vet promptly if you are worried, because heat, not cold, is the real seasonal risk for dogs in Sydney.
Keep reading
Adoptable Havanese in Sydney
Live listings of Havanese and Havanese crosses across Sydney and NSW rescues.
Havanese Adoption in Sydney
Where to adopt a Havanese or cross, real costs, why they surrender, and whether one suits your home.
Havanese Health Issues in Sydney
The eye, knee, hip and heart issues to know, plus Sydney heat and year-round paralysis tick prevention.
All Sydney Adoption Guides
Browse every breed and how-to guide for adopting a rescue dog in Sydney.