| Komondors: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Komondor personality and behavior. |
|
|
My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Komondor, including these excerpts:
"Although energetic and playful as a puppy, the Komondor matures into a serious, dignified, self-reliant adult at two or three years of age.
Then he becomes calm and quiet indoors, yet he is not suited to an apartment. His ideal environment is set away from close neighbors, with a spacious, securely fenced yard.
Selflessly devoted to his family and distrustful of strangers, some Komondors are never completely comfortable with any outsiders, including children. Most of these dogs must be carefully introduced to guests, then supervised while the guest is present in the home.
Despite his bulk and heavy coat, the Komondor is remarkably agile and reacts very, very quickly. Early and ongoing socialization are essential if his territorial instincts are to remain controlled rather than indiscriminate.
He is patient with his own family's children, but can be overprotective when neighborhood kids join in. Similarly, he may be protective of his own family's pets while aggressively attacking others.
Livestock guardians were expected to keep watch and make their own decisions and that is exactly what the Komondor does. His instincts to trust his own judgment are very strong. Unless you establish yourself as the alpha (number one), no one will really have control over him.
Komondorok have a deep, impressive bark which they tend to use freely, especially at night when they are most attentive."
History
This imposing dog, described as a huge walking string mop, was developed on the Hungarian plains to guard large flocks of sheep.
Size
26-31 inches and 80-130 lbs |
|
Komondors
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is large, shaggy, and exceedingly powerful and imposing
- Will protect your horses, llamas, sheep, goats, and chickens
- Is steady and dependable, rather than playful
- Is serious with strangers, but not aggressive unless provoked
- Needs only moderate exercise
A Komondor may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- A very large dog who takes up a lot of space in your house and car
- A heavy dog who wants to sit on your feet, lie on your lap, and lean his weight against your leg
- Providing enough exercise to keep him satisfied
- Massive destructiveness when bored
- Suspiciousness toward strangers
- Aggression toward animals who don't belong to his family
- Providing six-foot fences and lots of supervision to prevent wandering
- Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge
- Deep booming barks, especially at night when he hears a sound
- LOTS of grooming
- "Shaggy dog syndrome," i.e. debris clinging to the coat, water soaking into the beard and dripping on your floors
- Legal liabilities (increased chance of lawsuits)
A Komondor may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Komondor... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Komondors MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing. Bored Komondors can make a shamble of your house and yard.
| Komondors are most satisfied when guarding livestock. You can substitute pulling a cart or sled, or backpacking, or tracking, or a similar canine activity, but if you simply want a pet for your family, I do not recommend this breed. Komondors were never intended to be simply household pets. |
- Suspiciousness and over-protectiveness. Komondors need extensive exposure to friendly people so they learn to recognize the normal behaviors of "good guys." Then they can recognize the difference when someone acts abnormally. Without careful socialization, they are likely to be suspicious of everyone, and with their power and determination, this can be exceedingly dangerous.
| If you have small children, I do not recommend a Komondor. Young Komondors (up to about three years old) can be bulls in a china shop. When they romp and jump, they do so with great vigor, and things can go flying, including people. In addition, Komondors may try to protect their own children from other children, which could lead to tragedy if kids are simply roughhousing and the Komondor decides to stop it. With such a massive dog, I wouldn't take the risk. |
- Animal aggression. Most Komondors will treat the pets in their own family as members of their flock. However, they have strong instincts to drive away animals who do not belong to their family. If anything goes wrong in the breeding, socializing, training, handling, or management of this breed, it is capable of seriously injuring or killing other animals.
| To keep your Komondor in, and to keep strangers and other animals out, fences should be high, with wire sunk into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks. |
- The strong temperament. Komondors are not Golden Retrievers. They have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. Many Komondors are willful, obstinate, and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
| To teach your Komondor to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Komondor Training Page discusses the program you need. |
- Noise. Unless you live on a farm or ranch away from close neighbors, Komondors should never be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. Their deep, booming barks will have your neighbors calling the cops to report the nuisance -- or perhaps letting your Komondor out of his yard so he'll wander away.
- Grooming. If you want your Komondor to look anything like the pictures in dog books and on TV, you'll be spending an enormous amount of time and energy in coat care. The wiry hairs of his outer coat tend to fuse with the wooly hairs of his undercoat to form felt cords. If you wish to keep this appearance, you must separate the cords every few weeks. Bathing takes an hour, for the cords must be thoroughly rinsed. Drying takes at least 24 hours, with the dog in a crate surrounded by a dryer and box fans. Your second option is to brush out the cords whenever they start to form. This produces a natural "shaggy" look that simply requires lots of regular brushing. For the easiest coat, you may choose to keep the coat trimmed or clipped so it's short and neat.
- Shedding. Komondors definitely shed, though some of the shed hair gets caught in the long coat rather than ending up on your floor.
- "Shaggy dog syndrome." Like all shaggy dogs, the Komondor is a messy dog. Leaves, mud, snow, fecal matter, and other debris cling to his rough coat and ends up all over your house. When he drinks, his beard absorbs water, which drips on your floors when he walks away. When he eats, his beard absorbs food so that when he sniffs your face or presses his head against your leg, YOU end up dirty, too. Big shaggy dogs are not suited to fastidious housekeepers.
- Legal liabilities. In this day and age, the legal liabilities of owning any giant breed that looks intimidating and has a history as a guard dog should be seriously considered. People are quicker to sue if such a dog does anything even remotely questionable.
| Frankly, most Komondors are "too much dog" for the average household. This is a serious working dog with tremendous strength. Very few people really have the knowledge, facilities, or skills necessary to manage this breed and provide the type of work that keeps him satisfied. |
| Not all Komondors are alike! |
- There are energetic Komondors, and placid Komondors.
- Hard-headed Komondors, and sweet-natured Komondors.
- Serious Komondors, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Komondors, and Komondors who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Komondor puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Komondor... |
There are plenty of adult Komondors who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
 If you would like to link to this review,
here is the HTML code:
<a href="http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/komondors.html">Komondors: What's Good About 'Em, What's Bad About 'Em</a>
|
Copyright © 2000-2008 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
|
