Komondor: Dog Breed Profile

The Komondor – the king of the shepherd dogs – comes from Hungary and is an extremely impressive sight with its archaic shaggy coat and its stately size of 70 cm. It’s a smart, reliable guardian who needs plenty of living space and a job befitting his protective nature. Not suitable for city life.

Origin and history

The Komondor is a long-established Hungarian herding breed of Asian origin. He is said to have come from the Carpathian Basin in Hungary in the 9th century, and in 1544 he was first described as a Hungarian shepherd dog. For centuries, these dogs were indispensable helpers and reliable guards of shepherds and cattle breeders in Asia and Hungary. As a rule, their mere presence was enough to keep coyotes or wolves away from the herds of cattle.

Appearance

With a shoulder height of 70 cm (and more), the Komondor is a very tall, powerfully built dog. Its sturdy body is covered with thick shaggy hair. The shaggy coat consists of a coarser top coat and finer undercoat. It offers ideal protection against extreme weather conditions and injuries. The coat color of the Komondor is ivory.

His body is built somewhat square – the length exceeds the shoulder height only slightly. The ears are hanging, as is the tail. The eyes are dark brown, the nose is black. The Komondor’s face doesn’t reveal much about its state of mind, as you can’t see its eyes, ears, or facial expressions due to its long tresses.

Nature

The Komondor is a very serious and calm dog. If necessary, however, he can react at lightning speed. The self-confident Komondor is very territorial and reliably defends its territory and its people.

The Komondor is very independent and only subordinates itself to clear leadership. It can be raised with a lot of empathy, but will never give up its independence. One cannot expect unquestioning obedience from a Komondor. It needs plenty of living space – ideally a large yard, and a spacious, fenced-in area to guard. It is not suitable as an apartment dog or for life in the city. The need to run is not particularly pronounced in the Komondor, they prefer to go for walks or guard their territory. Dog sport is therefore not his thing. In general, the Komondor is not a dog that requires constant attention.

The shaggy fur does not need to be brushed – the dirt is at best rubbed off with a dry towel. One advantage of the shaggy coat: the Komondor doesn’t shed, now and then he loses a shag, that’s all.

The Komondor is a hardy and long-lived dog. For a dog of this size, it lives to a respectable age of 13 years or more.