The origin of the Hungarian pumi dog, exterior standard, character, health description, advice on care and training, interesting facts. Price when buying a puppy. Looking at this funny creature with cute ears and a tail twisted into a ring, it is difficult to imagine that the pumi is a completely non-decorative dog, but a real working shepherd dog, who for hundreds of years has tirelessly helped Hungarian shepherds graze livestock and protect it from wolves. However, this is indeed the case. True, in our time, pumi shepherd dogs are less and less used for their intended purpose, more often they are brought up to participate in exhibitions. After all, pumis are no longer just dogs - they are a national treasure and a loud-voiced pride of the Hungarian nation.
History of the origin of the Hungarian herding dog
Despite the fact that the Hungarian Pumi has helped man to manage livestock for centuries, the history of the development of this cute breed is not yet well understood, and therefore the officially recognized version is rather short.
The first mentions of dogs similar to pumis are found in documents from the 17th-18th centuries. Moreover, it is not known for certain whether these are pumis that we know about now or it was some kind of transitional type of dogs.
So, everything is not clear with the origin of these animals. It is believed that the Hungarian Pumi Shepherd Dogs were obtained as a result of long-term selection of another aboriginal Hungarian dog - "bullets" with French and German shepherds. And possibly with some English terriers and even poodles.
But, as other researchers believe, most likely both bullets and pumis have common ancestors and are simply parallel branches of the development of the same native shepherd dog. And they associate this selection with the appearance in the vastness of present-day Hungary of fine-fleeced merino sheep. It was the need to create a less woolly and more nimble (than bullet) dog, capable of clearly but gently handling large herds of expensive sheep that led to the emergence of these cute and efficient dogs.
For the first time, a thorough description of the pumi dogs was made in 1815. A more or less definite exterior of the animal was formed only by the end of the 19th century.
The official registration of the breed took place in 1900. But in the future, work on improving the exterior was carried out for almost fifty more years. And all these years the dog's standards have been revised. International recognition for the breed came in 1966, it was registered with the FCI. The latest breed standard currently used for grading was approved in April 2000. Representatives of this species are distributed mainly in Hungary. It is found in small quantities in other European countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Georgia, Finland and Sweden. On the rest of the continents, this breed is still poorly known.
Purpose of pumi
Originally created to graze sheep and protect them from wolves, today's pumi dogs have almost lost this direction of activity. For a while, pumis were used as guard dogs and even as rat hunters.
But modern electric shepherds, widely used by farmers, the victory over rodents, finally won by humans in the 20th century, and the almost complete absence of any serious predators on the territory of Hungary, have made these canine professions of pumis unclaimed.
Therefore, more and more fans of this breed have pumi dogs as companion dogs intended for championships or, as pets, not burdened with any duties at all. True, the most active and athletic owners have learned to use these shaggy dogs with greater benefit, turning them into active athletes - they are great at obedience, agility (overcoming a dog's obstacle course) and freestyle (dancing with a dog).
Sometimes these four-legged friends with an excellent sense of smell are used by special services for the detection of drugs and explosives, as well as for search and rescue operations.
However, in the mountainous regions of the Western Carpathians, in the Bakony mountains and forests, you can still find pumis accompanying local shepherds and hunters. But this happens less and less. The guarding, hunting and herding working qualities of these dogs are almost universally lost.
Pumi external standard
The Hungarian Shepherd Pumi looks like a young curly-haired Airedale with a longer coat, unusual-shaped ears and a surprisingly curled tail. The dog is very energetic, in constant motion, and this is also close in behavior to terriers.
Pumi is a medium-sized breed. The maximum height of these energetic animals reaches 48 centimeters at the withers, and weighs from 8 to 13 kg.
The head is slightly larger than average in size, elongated, with a well-developed "terrier" type muzzle. The elongated shape of the dog's muzzle is a sign of thoroughbredness. The frontal part is long, slightly convex. The stop is not clearly expressed. The head is completely covered with curly-wavy matted hair. At the same time, the eyes are not covered with wool and are clearly visible. The bridge of the nose is straight. The nose is distinct and narrow. The color of the nose does not depend on the color of the coat. The color of the nose lobe is always black. Lips, close fitting to the jaws, lip color - black or slate gray. The number of teeth corresponds to the full formula. Scissor bite. The teeth are white and strong. The canines are well defined.
- Eyes pumis are oval in shape, moderately wide and somewhat obliquely set, of medium size. With tight-fitting eyelids. Eye color is brown or dark brown, regardless of coat color.
- Ears medium in size, set high, erect, V-shaped, upper third curved forward. The ears are very mobile and look very funny.
- Neck Set high at an angle of 50-55 deg., of medium length, with a slight nape, muscular.
- Torso pumi-dog of a square type, with a deep and long chest of medium width. The back is strong and well developed. The line of the back slopes towards the croup. The withers are pronounced. The croup is short and sloping.
- Tail set high, rolled into a ring over the croup. The hair on the tail is long and often disheveled. The standard allows docking of the tail.
- Limbs straight, set aside, due to the peculiarities of the structure of the dog, it seems long. The toes are tightly closed. The pads are elastic and tight. The claws of the representatives of the Pumi breed are very strong, slate gray.
- Wool. The whole body of the dog is covered with curly-clumpy hair, which has an undercoat and guard hair. The quality of the wool is such that it does not get wet well and never tangle, although it looks very disheveled and shaggy. The shortest length of fur is on the face and legs. The average body length of wool is 5-7 centimeters.
- Color. The color of wool is quite diverse. Basically - it is a solid white, reddish brown and gray. There are pumis in black, light beige and silver-gray colors. Spotting is strictly not allowed.
The character of the Hungarian pumi
Pumi dogs are curious, intelligent and very energetic dogs. They are extremely diligent, obedient and vigilant, which allows them to be not only excellent shepherd beaters, but also wonderful watchmen and guards.
Of course, the small weight of the animal in the old days did not allow him (for all the fearlessness of character) to fight large predators alone, but the sonorous barking constantly emitted by the dog perfectly scared them away from the herd, and also promptly attracted the attention of the shepherd and other relatives.
I must say that these interesting dogs are poorly adapted to life in apartment conditions. They are too energetic, mobile and ringing voices. They are hyperactive, constantly in motion, accompanying all their movements with a sonorous bark. It is this incessant barking that always causes a lot of complaints from neighbors. Therefore, the best place for these animals to live is in the countryside or a country house, where there is always an opportunity to run and eat to your heart's content, without causing inconvenience to others. Best of all, these shepherd dogs feel at home on a farm, in a forest or in a pasture.
Being very active, cougars demand the same from their owner. Therefore, such dogs are unlikely to be suitable for a passive unsportsmanlike person leading a measured, calm lifestyle. It is also undesirable to have pumis for families with small children. An overly energetic shepherd dog does not like and does not understand children's pranks, and for a small child, a fast racing dog is a considerable danger.
Pumi are friendly and social animals, they find a common language with other dogs, they are happy to play and frolic together. The owner's family members are also friendly and affectionate. But strangers are treated with obvious suspicion and some prejudice. It is worth a lot to earn their love and trust to an outsider.
Hungarian Pumi Shepherd Dogs are extremely inquisitive, they carefully study everything that comes into their field of vision. A sheep that has not strayed from the flock, or a suspicious movement in the bush or a shadow on the wall, cannot escape their attention. All this makes them wonderful guard dogs. True, in the conditions of urban life, the shepherd's instinct of the pumi sometimes fails. The dog can, quite suddenly for the owner, rush after a car or any small animal, striving to "return it to the herd." Therefore, in the conditions of city streets, it is better to keep these dogs securely on a leash (although they really do not like this).
Pumi are extremely affectionate and once they have chosen a master for themselves, they are always ready to accompany him wherever he goes. Possessing remarkable endurance and discipline, the Hungarian Shepherd Dogs are excellent companions for people who love to travel, communicate with nature, fish or hunt. And although pumis are not gun hunting dogs, with appropriate training they are able to cope well with hunting duties, scaring away the game and giving trophies to the hunter.
For active people who love nature and animals, this amazing shepherd dog with a funny appearance can become a great companion and a wonderful friend.
Pumi Dog Health
Representatives of the breed are considered by most breeders and veterinarians as a very healthy breed of dogs, with the breeding of which the owners do not have any special problems.
The average life expectancy is 12 to 14 years. There have been cases when pumi shepherd dogs lived to a ripe old age - up to 19 years.
Despite the general good health of this breed, they also have a number of potential breed predispositions that require special attention from the owner. So, they often suffer from hip dysplasia, various dislocations and sprains of the limbs of varying severity.
Pumi can inherit a variety of eye conditions, some of which can lead to blindness. Probably, these problems were inherited from the ancestors of the breed - the terriers. In particular, primary dislocation of the lens of the eye has become a very common disease among pumis.
All this requires regular preventive examinations by a veterinarian, attention and care of the owner.
Hungarian Cattle Dog Care Tips
Despite the fact that pumi dogs have a rather shaggy appearance, caring for their fur requires minimal effort on the part of the owner.
The fact is that the creators of the breed, engaged in selection, sought to get the most working dog, constantly living in the street, often falling under rain and snow, wading through bush or thorny grass of pastures. Therefore, the fur of these pumi dogs is so unique in its qualities - it does not get wet, does not cling to thorns, does not fall into tangles and does not intertwine in pigtails. And therefore, it requires the very minimum care. The owner only needs to brush his pet from time to time. Naturally, if he is not the "star" of the championships. There will be much more trouble with the "star".
Bathing pumis is carried out as the animal becomes dirty. Pumi are not afraid of water at all and they swim and bathe with pleasure. In nutrition, these shepherd dogs are also unpretentious, and are able to do with the very minimum. Naturally, the dog's diet is entirely in the hands of the owner. Regardless of what type of pet food you choose, natural products or industrial concentrates, it is very important that the diet is well balanced in terms of the composition of nutrients, the amount of vitamins and minerals obtained. The energy component is also important. Pumi - dogs are very energetic, and therefore should receive food that can replenish their energy reserves.
The nuances of training pumi dogs
The breed lends itself well to training and training. The pumi dog is very smart and quick-witted, capable of making independent decisions. Many dog handlers consider the Hungarian Shepherd to be one of the best and easiest to train dogs.
That is why, among all breeds of dogs, the pumi takes the leading place when choosing for participation in agility competitions. There they look great and have almost no equal in strength, dexterity and ingenuity.
Interesting facts about pumi
Despite the fact that in Hungary the Pumi breed was registered back in 1900, America discovered this breed for itself just yesterday. On June 22, 2016 the official registration of Hungarian shaggy pumi dogs by the American Kennel Club took place. Well, it is possible that thanks to the American recognition, the Pumi breed will soon become much more popular all over the world.
Price when buying a pumi puppy
Currently, the breed of Hungarian pumis has not received proper distribution in the world. Basically, all the main nurseries of these animals are located in Hungary. In Russia, only a couple of breeders are also engaged in breeding this shepherd. Therefore, the main problem for those who want to buy a puppy of this breed is to find a decent kennel in Russia or go to Hungary yourself.
The price of pumi puppies in Russia is quite acceptable - about 15,000 rubles. However, show-class puppies reach the price of $ 2,000. In Hungary, the price of pumi puppies is half the price.
What a pumi looks like, see this video:
