Kuvasz
Other names: Hungarian Kuvasz
Like a cross between a Golden Retriever and the ball of fluff that blows away after you’ve brushed a Golden Retriever, the Hungarian Kuvasz is essentially an oversized furball. You might not think it to look at her, but the Kuvasz’s CV is mostly filled with guarding jobs, variously working as a royal guard or a watcher of livestock. She’s a clever, funny being, but due to her highly developed sense of vigilance she is only suitable in the hands of experienced dog owners. She’s barky, and can potentially take down a wolf – so a person who steps over the line with a poorly-trained Kuvasz is likely to find themselves in trouble.
Key facts about the Kuvasz
Origins and history
This is an old dog breed. She seems to have arrived in Hungary in the Middle Ages, by way of Tibet, Mesopotamia, or both – if we’re to trust and correctly interpret ancient documents from Mesopotamia, she goes back at least to 1300BC and her name means ‘dog horse.’ She was developed as a guard dog and shepherd in Hungary over the centuries, and in the 15th-century was the breed of choice of the teen king King Matthias – the Kuvasz was even restricted to noble families for some time. The 20th century took its toll on Hungary and on the Hungarian Kuvasz, with numbers down to double-figures, but now she’s back, ready to steal your heart and save you from wolves.
FCI breed nomenclature
FCI Group
Group 1 - Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
Section
Section 1 : Sheepdogs
Physical characteristics of the Kuvasz
Adult size
Female : Between 26 and 28 in
Male : Between 28 and 30 in
Weight
Female : Between 82 and 110 lb
Male : Between 106 and 137 lb
Coat colour
Ivory/white.
Type of coat
Coarse topcoat and fine, downy undercoat.
Eye colour
Dark brown.
Description
This deceptively cute looking brute might be mistaken, on a wintry day, for a snowdog, such is the whiteness and fluffiness of her coat. Big, strong, and radiant, her comfortable look – a kind of cosy armchair of a dog – gives lie to her powerful muscles and business-like structure. Her wedge-shaped head is a little leaner than the Golden Retriever's, to whom her looks might be most closely compared. Her pleasant expression is by no means insincere, but shows just one side of her complex personality. An ivory white colour is obligatory: she was bred that way by Hungarian shepherds so they could pick her out from the wolves, who she will invariably defeat in battle.
Good to know
It is difficult to obtain a Kuvasz pup in the UK so be prepared to wait.