What is the breed standard and why should you be familiar with it?

 

It is worthy of attention and at the same time interesting for Kuvasz owners and buyers to get to know this unique breed through the breed standard and to be aware of the distinguishing features of the Kuvasz. With the breed standard in mind, the breeders strive to pass on the qualities of the best Kuvaszok by selecting the best breeding pairs.

 

The Kuvasz breed standard, as in the case of other dog breeds, primarily contains the description of the external features of the ideal dog. Based on this, the judges judge and rank the dogs at dog shows. Based on this, the Kuvaszok are evaluated at the breeding test required for breeding in Hungary. Breed standards were originally developed by breed clubs and then officially adopted by national and international organizations.

 

Csaba Anghi and Imre Raisits wrote the first Hungarian Kuvasz standard, and it was recorded in Hungary in 1935. In 1954, the International Cynological Center (FCI, i.e. Federation Cynologique Internationale) accepted the document developed by Hungary, the country of origin of the Kuvasz breed.

 

This standard is valid in Hungary and FCI member countries. Other Kuvasz breed standards exist outside of the FCI, such as the standard by the Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club, as well as the Kuvasz breed standard adopted by the Canadian Kennel Club. The standards have undergone several changes after their official recording and show varying degrees of differences compared to the accepted standard in Hungary and within the member states of the FCI. Ideally, there would be one breed standard, that of the country of origin. In the case of the Kuvasz, the FCI standard accepted in Hungary.

 

In addition to the breed standard, which primarily describes external features, a thorough knowledge of the character, and temperament of the Kuvasz is just as important. On one hand, this makes it possible for the owner to set expectations for the dog fitting the breed, on the other hand, knowing the temperament helps to accurately understand the basic living conditions required for the Kuvasz. In order to get authentic information about the temperament of a particular Kuvasz, a good opportunity is to participate in breeding tests organized by Kuvasz clubs. These events are meetings of highly experienced Kuvasz breeders and owners, where we have the opportunity to learn about the Kuvasz, gain our own, real-world experience, and build relationships with breeders.

 

(You can read about the ideal temperament of the Kuvasz and how temperament tests measure the character of the Kuvasz later.)

 

The various breed standards are shown in their entirety on the subpages below. 

 

The official documents can be found on the pages of the kennel clubs via the links.

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