Know your Dogs: Komondor
The Komondor (or Hungarian Shepherd) is a Hungarian dog breed used as a livestock guardian dog. Even if the dog resembles a “rastaman” and is playful as a puppy, this dog breed is a serious and noble guardian. The breed’s long heritage as a defender has given it a strong protective instinct and a Komondor will defend his family and property with his life.
Description
The Komondor is a big dog breed. They have a muscular build with long heavy boned legs. The males have a height average of 80 cm and a weight average of 50–60 kg. Females have a height average of 70 cm and a weight average of 40–50 kg.
They have a long white coat of corded white hair and it is the heaviest amount of fur in the canine world. Each cord is about 20–27 cm long and they resemble dreadlocks or a mop. The cords develop as they grow older, so puppies have a fluffy and short coat.
Care Details
The Komondor are very protective of their family and flock, so they tend to attack other “treats”, like unkown people or pets. To avoid any possible aggression against others, enough socialising is needed so they can learn nomal behaviors and differentiate between “good guys” and threats. They follow their pack around as a bodyguard, so they will follow you around home and watch you all the time.
They need a lot of grooming to look like the examples in the photos and hours of bathing and drying every few weeks. They are big dogs, so they need a big, hopefully enclosed with 2 m tall fences, space to exercise in. They are work dogs, so they need something constructive to do to pass the time, or they will quickly become bored and destructive. Komondors are highly independent.
They don’t need as much food as their size would suggest, so high quality dog food is ideal. They may skip a meal if not hungry.
