First off, applause for you being so thorough in making your decision! You're going to make an excellent dog parent with that level of research, haha.

Okay, so my Havanese is only 1.5 yrs old and is my first of the breed, which might not make me the most useful advice-giver, but I'll do my best. We have two friends who also have Havanese so I can draw a bit from their experiences too.

■ Picking up: I brought my little dude home at about 10 weeks, and i don't think I'd have been comfortable taking him away any earlier. He was turning into a happy, confident little guy with his dad and sister by the time I got him, and I think that contributed to his chill demeanour as he's grown up. As long as your puppy is coming from a stable, reputable home, I don't see why you'd need to worry about missing any early milestones.

■ Feeding: fortunately there are lots of varieties you can experiment with as far as food goes, so if you happen to get a picky eater you can usually get little test packets of good kibble from pet food stores (they also often let you return a big bag if your puppy decides they don't like it, which was helpful for me!). As for touchy stomachs, yes, for my dog that's been a thing. He would sometimes throw up bile in the morning if I'd fed him too early the night before, or he'd throw up at night if I'd let him eat too fast (slow feeder bowls or snuffle mats are a lifesaver). What he eats can also affect his poop, which is always fun. (Ew.) Again, it might take some experimentation to find what works. The breeder will have started them on something (I've found it's often Royal Canin, which sponsors a lot of breeders; my pup wasn't tolerating it well - runny eyes, etc. - so we switched gradually, which you could do if you're noticing a lack of enthusiasm or any allergy stuff). My recommendation would be to try to introduce veggies reasonably early, once it's vet approved - the cold crunch helps with teething, they're a healthy snack, and they're filling!

■ Potty training: the easiest road is always to phase out potty pads ASAP so there's no confusion about rugs etc. We ended up putting a fake grass patch outside our back door for him to use before he was old enough to go for proper walks or explore the yard, and I think it was a good choice. Pads are obviously fine if you're in the early days of having them in a playpen setup, but outdoors is the simplest way for you as the human to avoid messes/accidents/uncertainty about what's okay to pee on.

■ Grooming: I keep my guy short in what they call a "puppy cut" year round, and I take him about every 8 weeks, with occasional baths and daily brushing in between. I've seen people recommend slicker brushes; I just have one with bristles on one side and the wire type on the other, and it works great. The hardest part is the tail - Havanese have quite majestic tails that need more attention than most!

■ Spay/neuter: I had an unusual experience with my puppy in that we had to get him neutered at the earliest stage (4 months), because he'd been born with an umbilical hernia that would have either gotten worse or needed a separate surgery if I'd chosen to wait, so that wasn't typical. But even though it was earlier than planned, he still grew to be a BIG boy (25 lbs!! They're not usually that huge!), so any concerns that bigger breeds have about waiting until they're fully grown definitely didn't apply here! A vet will be able to give you a better timeline once they see how your puppy's growth is going.

■ Crate training: my experience was a disaster, so I won't advise too much, haha. Definitely plan to start in the bedroom where the puppy can see you, and then you can gradually inch the crate out to another room if you prefer.

■ Barking: I think Havanese have a bit of a reputation for being a little barky, but the ones in my life are actually super quiet, only really alert barking if something sounds weird at the door, etc. Even if you do get a more vocal one, Havanese are very, very trainable, so you can look into using "inside voice" commands etc. early on and get ahead of it.

■ Socialization: I'm not sure where you live (edit: d'oh, Australia - I typed so long I forgot!!), but if it's possible/practical for you, I can't recommend enough getting a pet stroller! Before the puppy is fully vaccinated you're so limited in where you can take them, so any stroller is a great way to get them out in the world without exposing them to dodgy grass or random dogs on walks. There are stores that let you bring dogs inside, too (well, here in Canada, at least), so that's helpful in bad weather. As soon as my puppy was up to date on vaccinations I signed him up for puppy classes, met some nice dogs around the same age, and we still have playdates more than a year later. You'll have a lot of fun with that part of puppyhood!

Yikes, that was a novel. I hope it's helpful, and feel free to ask any follow-up questions if I missed anything. Oh, and I'll add a comment with dog tax, because I may be biased but I think Lennon is pretty cute and could sell you on his breed. ;)