Komondor

The Hungarian Sheepdog is a guard dog. If there is a stranger in the animal’s territory, there will always be hostile behavior and mistrust. It takes a long time for the Komondor to start treating a stranger with trust. It would be best if you socialized the dog. If you do not associate the dog, you will have aggression problems with strangers in the future.

Breed Photos

Origin History

The Komondor is one of the oldest dog breeds. How exactly the breed originated is not fully known to anyone. But researchers assume that the species lived in the area of the Black Sea. There they were kept for guarding and herding livestock. A century ago, the dogs were displaced by the Khazars on the territory of Hungary. There the breed lives to this day.

Researchers claim that crossing wolves and sheepdogs bred this breed. Jozsef Bukowski is the owner of the kennel that started the worldwide spread of the breed. After World War II, the Komondor was on the verge of extinction. In the provinces and townships, people were dying of starvation, and many were being drafted into the army. Under such conditions, no one thought about dogs. This contributed to the near extinction of the Komondors. But the Americans helped Hungary preserve the breed. After that, the American version of the species emerged.

Appearance

This dog resembles a sheep. They also have this long hair that curls. The coat makes the dog look bigger than it is.

Males reach a height of 71-76 cm and females 64-69 cm. The males’ weight ranges from 35 to 50 kg, and the bitches weigh 30-50 kg.

The dog’s hair begins to turn into tangled cords at the age of two. In adulthood, the Commander wears seven kilograms of his hair. The color of the coat is white.

Character

The Hungarian Sheepdog is a guard dog. If there is a stranger in the animal’s territory, there will always be hostile behavior and mistrust. It takes a long time for the Komondor to start treating a stranger with trust. It would be best if you socialized the dog. If you do not associate the dog, you will have aggression problems with strangers in the future.

Animals are also treated with aggression. An untrained dog may bite a stranger for no reason. Therefore, it is undesirable to take the dog for a walk without a collar and leash. It takes a long time for a puppy to grow up. A dog may behave childishly by the age of two.

Care

Quality grooming is essential for the Komondor. The coat is tangled all the time. It should take care to ensure that this process occurs as infrequently as possible. The owner needs to separate the cords on his pet’s body regularly.

It would help if you considered that very few groomers know how to take care of a dog’s coat. Therefore, it is worth learning how to do it yourself. After bathing, the dog’s coat can dry for 4 hours, sometimes more.

Mites, fleas, and other parasites are hard to spot on the Komondor body because of its long coat. After every walk, the dog should be carefully inspected. Make sure that the ears and teeth of the horehound are clean.

Training

It is an independent dog who is used to working alone. Independence and willfulness are the most pronounced character traits of the breed. There is a chance that with the right training, the dog will still live by its own rules. Inexperienced owners may have problems here. A character trait of almost all herding dogs is a tendency to dominate. The dog owner needs to remind the dog often who is in charge of the house.

Komondor has high intelligence. This indicates that the dog quickly learns new commands. The owner needs to train the dog regularly. Otherwise, the animal will feel the power and will be naughty.

The Komandor needs a lot of physical activity. If the owner enjoys running, hiking, or biking, the dog will be a great companion. Any lazy day the dog will take for granted will harm his behavior toward the owner. This dog is noisy. If there is a stranger on the property, it will be heard immediately. The Komondor is a noisy breed of dog. They bark loudly and happily, warning that strangers are coming.

Common Diseases

The dog has a predisposition to such diseases: autoimmune hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, eyelid volvulus, cataracts.

Nutrition

Which food to choose – dry food or groceries – is up to the owner. Dry food is more comfortable because it has all the necessary vitamins and enzymes.

If the owner has decided that he will feed the commodore natural food, it must include vegetables, cereals, and vegetable oil in the diet. The pet should always have access to water.