Komondor (Hungarian Shepherd): description of the breed, character and photo

There are many truly amazing dog breeds in the world. One of them is a Hungarian shepherd dog, in which at first you may not recognize the dog because of its long and thick coat, as if woven into pigtails. However, despite such a somewhat strange appearance, this animal is distinguished by developed intelligence, strength and endurance, which causes increased interest of dog breeders.

Historical data

This breed, called Komondor in another way, originates approximately from the 9th century AD (this is the time the first mentions of it date back to). Hungarians brought it out and used it for sentry purposes, mainly for the protection and escort of cattle during grazing and hauling.

Qualities evaluated by shepherds

The Hungarian shepherd Shepherd, protecting flocks of sheep or herds of cows, could easily resist large predators - wolves and even bears. This is explained not only by natural courage, but also by purely physical factors – thick wool is able to protect it from the teeth of attacking animals in the same way as a bulletproof vest protects a person from bullets.

An equally important quality that the shepherds noticed was that this breed was equally easy to tolerate both cold and heat. This is due to the fact that the wool cover helps to maintain the natural temperature of the animal's body, reliably isolating it from the environment and preventing very cold or, conversely, overheated air from reaching the skin surface. Accordingly, thanks to this microclimate, the Hungarian Shepherd feels comfortable in any weather and can effectively perform the tasks assigned to it.

Other qualities and mention of them in the literature

This breed has managed to "light up" in literary works. People admired her qualities so much that the authors called her "the king among shepherd dogs" (Jan Amos Komensky). Yes, he really had no equal among shepherd dogs, because, thanks to his coloring, he was invisible in a flock of sheep, and therefore, he could always make an unexpected and lightning-fast throw in the direction of a predator who decided to attack.

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But people especially appreciated the fact that komondor is able to understand the owner without a word, work without supervision, make decisions independently in difficult situations. And the creator of the work "The History of Nature and the teaching of craft" Ferenc Peach said that "only komondor can be trusted with his life."

Description of the breed

The Hungarian Shepherd is a beautiful white (ivory) dog of very large size. The body is powerful, if viewed from the side, it resembles a rectangle slightly tilted towards the back. The wool is thick, long, twisted into cords, or as they are also called dreadlocks. It grows throughout the dog's life, moreover, its length in an adult dog can reach 70 cm, and its weight is about 7 kg.

The length of the dog's body slightly exceeds the height at the withers. The head is raised above the body, and the tail, usually lowered, is raised almost parallel to the ground during the dog's movement, as if forming one straight line with the spine. Moves easily, energetically. The height of an adult dog is at least 70 cm at the withers in males and 65 cm in females, the weight is 50-60 and 40-50 kg, respectively.

The nature of the dog is calm, not aggressive, if it does not see danger to the property entrusted to it, animals or people. Finds a common language with children well. He is wary of strangers. At an early age, the dog lends itself well to training – it is better not to neglect this factor, otherwise it may later show stubbornness.

Komondor care and maintenance

Komondor is a Hungarian watchdog that requires special care. This is due to the peculiarities of its wool cover. Some dog breeders believe that the Komondor's coat should be combed with combs with widely spaced teeth. In fact, this is a wrong opinion. Of course, before taking their pets to the exhibition, their owners make various efforts to give the animal a proper appearance. However, regular combing and combing of the commander is not only not required, but also contraindicated, as it can damage dreadlocks.

How to properly care for komondor's fur?

What kind of care does a Hungarian Shepherd require? Photos of the dog clearly demonstrate its appearance. You can see individual cords on them, which are cared for only with the fingers, excluding other tools. However, sometimes it also happens that there is a need to arm yourself with scissors to separate the tangled cords. In such cases, you need to act carefully so as not to damage the skin of the animal. To do this, the necessary manipulations of the tool begin in the direction from the roots of the hair.

Actually, the care is to prevent the cords from tangling with each other and separating them from each other. Acting with his fingers, the dog breeder must separate the strands running side by side, making them separate along the entire length, starting from the ends of the hair and following to the roots. This procedure becomes necessary starting from the age of a puppy of 6-8 months. During this period, it becomes denser, longer and can fall off without proper attention. It is necessary to separate the cords at first with a frequency of 1-2 times a month, then, as the dog grows up, it is done only occasionally, as needed.

How often should Komondor be bathed?

There are different opinions about how often a komondor should bathe. The Hungarian Shepherd, because of its long and thick coat, dries for a very long time after taking water treatments, so it can catch a cold in cool weather. Many dog breeders for this reason believe that it should be bathed only 2 times a year. However, experienced dog handlers do not support this opinion, saying that in the warm season swimming in a pond or lake will not hurt the dog, she can do it quite often without harming her health.

But as for the use of detergents when bathing, there are quite clear restrictions here. For example, you should not use them more often than once a quarter. It is unacceptable to use ordinary toilet or household soap, as this, firstly, will inevitably lead to dry skin and itching in the dog, and secondly, it can negatively affect the appearance of its fur.

What to feed the komondor?

The Hungarian Shepherd is a dog that is not picky in food. However, you need to remember that her diet should be balanced. You should not constantly feed your pet canned food, much less one dry food. In the diet of any dog, including a komondor, such products as meat, large bones, eggs, vegetables, bran, fermented dairy products should be present.

Meat can be given not only heat-treated, but also raw - it is more useful for the dog. At the same time, you should not be afraid of the possibility of infecting the animal with worms. In dogs, the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is much higher than in humans, which is an insurmountable barrier for many parasites.

The price of komondor puppies - what does it depend on?

Dog breeders are interested in the question of how much does a Hungarian shepherd dog cost? The price for it depends on the compliance of the puppy's parents with the standards of the FCI - the international cynological organization. Any deviations from these standards reduce the value of the dog. In particular, any deviation from the ivory color, malocclusion and some other signs are considered unacceptable. As a result, puppies whose parents are animals with such deviations will cost much cheaper. At the moment, in Russia, the minimum price for komondors starts from 15,000 rubles. In most kennels, a puppy can be purchased at a price of 25-50 thousand rubles.