This is a question I hear almost 500 times a year. Surprised! It is hard to believe there is that much interest in our breed. When I was asked to take the job of information secretary for our club two years ago, I had no doubts it would be a cushy job since our breed is not one of the most popular. How could I have known I would have to answer 150 letters a year and more than twice as many telephone inquires. Without actually putting dots on a map I have calculated that I have had interest from almost every state in the U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska. Outside of the U.S. I have received correspondence from Canada, South America, and Europe.

The next question we all want to ask is why has our breed suddenly become so interesting to so many people? Is it because it is such a rare breed and people want something different or unusual? Is it the rise in crime and therefore a need for a guard dog? Is it that more Kuvasz are being seen in public at shows as well as obedience and agility classes?

It is most likely a combination of all of these things. The comment I receive most often from the people who call is how beautiful and regal looking this breed is. Of course this is a point we all proudly acknowledge. This can often be the most misleading characteristic of the breed because most people are very surprised when I tell them that this is a guarding breed much like the Doberman or Rottweiler. It seems white is associated with something soft, sweet, and cuddly while dark coloring denoted toughness and aggression.

So what do I tell these individuals who are sure the Kuvasz is the perfect dog for them? First I ask how much they know about the breed so as to ascertain whether or not they have any misguided information. The only source of information for the general public is the all-breed books. It is pretty amazing how people can read about a breed and become very single-minded in picking out the characteristics that suit their individual needs and ignore any negatives that might pose a problem. It is not unusual for me to have to spend most of my time pointing out those negatives in order to be sure someone will know exactly what to expect. I feel by going a little overboard on the negatives a puppy purchaser will be less surprised by these things after the fact. So what are these negatives I'm talking about?

The need for a great deal of work and commitment up front in socializing, training, and establishing the owners leadership of the dog is always number one in my mind. Many people in this day and age lead such hectic lives where time is at a premium that a dog becomes a passing infatuation only to be pushed to the background as the next hobby, sport, job, or interest takes its place. To me the first two years are the most critical so as to insure a well-mannered, well-adjusted, and easy to live with pet. Ask any breeder and they will tell you how many times they have gotten a dog back at a year to two years because the dog is out of control or just not what the owner expected. Most often when questions are asked as to how much time was spent with the dog the answer for the dog's unruly nature becomes quite clear.

Another negative is a positive as well. Being a highly intelligent breed that through the generations thought for itself and worked without guidance from humans, most Kuvasz will quickly take over a household if they detect any weakness in authority from their owner. As the happy 8 week old puppy who follows its owners directives happily matures into the 6 month or year and a half old adolescent with a mind of its own, many wishy-washy individuals suddenly are faced with a situation they have no idea how to handle. Of course to the rest of us this intelligence and independence is a challenge that makes us love the breed even more.

Beyond these major obstacles are the little irritations like size, shedding, barking and more shedding. As our cities and suburbs expand to the countryside space is limited. A fenced yard is an absolute must for the safety of the animal as well as for the happiness of neighbors. Liability insurance for dog owners is a thing of the past as more and more insurance companies choose to drop customers who own large dogs. Most of the people I talk to are shocked when I tell them they can be sued for someone being bitten by their dog even on their own property. Believe it or not this does include the burglar who is trying to take your valuables. It is unlikely a thief will hang around long enough to file a law suit, but stranger things have happened in this day and age.

Barking is a problem we all face as Kuvasz owners and neighbors become less than friendly after listening to a dog who finds it necessary to continue to bark hours after the reason for such action is long since gone.

It is always amusing to me when someone asks if our dogs shed especially as I am grooming my dog at a show and everything within 500 yards of me has white hair on it. I am not sure where they think the hair comes from since it doesn't remotely look like what is on my head. My appliance repairman often marvels at the fact that the dogs have any hair on their bodies considering what he pulls out of the motors of all my household appliances. It sometimes is amazing how it manages to get into every crack and crevice of a house even when you think of yourself as a fairly good housekeeper. The birds are the only ones who manage to love all that shedding in the spring when it is time to build their nests.

So why is it, after all these negatives, I own a Kuvasz much less three of them? My number one answer to that is their total loyalty and devotion to their owner. Whatever you put into a Kuvasz in terms of time and commitment you receive tenfold in return in terms of love and faithfulness. I also always know that wherever I am as long as one of my dogs is with me I am safe and secure. I truly believe they would defend me even to their own death. As they lay curled around the table where I write this I can think of no other breed I would rather have more, and I have shared my life with several other breeds. This does not mean I would recommend a Kuvasz to everyone.

After talking to that many people, you can surely guess that I have had some interesting calls. One that always stands out in my mind is the woman who was interested in getting a Kuvasz and talked to an obedience instructor about what he/she thought of the breed. The instructor was vehement about not even considering this uncontrollable animal. She went on to say that this breed could never be allowed in the same room with other dogs because it would kill everything in sight. On one hand this made me very angry, but I also couldn't keep myself from laughing. I asked how she thought all the finished champions and dogs with CD's got their titles. Evidently she thought we got special privileges from the AKC to do this in private.

However, our breed does have a bad reputation for having less than sound temperaments. We must as owners of this breed become its ambassadors by socializing and training our dogs to behave in public. The breeders have been doing their part over the last 20 years to promote sound temperaments by careful breeding practices. The owner must then be responsible enough to follow-up with the socialization and training I spoke of earlier. We also need to understand and therefore educate others about the history of our breed as a guardian to the flock whose job it was to be territorial and kill any unwanted intruder. By understanding a breed's purpose for existence it becomes easier to explain its behavior. This does not excuse bad behavior due to lack of training or an irresponsible owner!

Of course not all my calls are from people who know nothing of our breed. I also get calls from happy owners who just want to talk to someone who knows about the breed because they are thrilled with their decision to let a Kuvasz become a part of their life. I always enjoy these the most because each believes they have the brightest, cutest, and most lovable companion.

The saddest part of this job are the calls of desperation from people who need to place their pet or have found an abandoned dog and need help with a rescue or adoption. These calls are referred to our rescue committee, but my heart is broken by each one's story.

There are probably some people in our club who question the need for the services we provide based on the expense of advertising, postage, and the printing of materials for the information packets. I hope after reading this some of those doubts have been erased. Education as a means for promoting and encouraging the betterment of the Kuvasz is priceless. This is most certainly not the breed for everyone. Some people are not responsible enough to own any dog much less a Kuvasz. If we can prevent any circumstance where a less than perfect relationship between the dog and owner will be formed, then we may succeed in giving our rescue committee less reason for existence.

After almost two years I still enjoy my job for the most part. The people are interesting and I feel I am doing something very worthwhile. A statement I hear over and over again that makes me happy to pick up the phone for the next hour-long conversation is "Thank you so much, you have given me a lot of information and a lot to think about."

Perhaps if every breed club placed as much importance on education and had this service, and every perspective dog owner did a little research in advance, there would be many less unwanted pets to be put to sleep by our humane societies.

Note: This article first appeared in the Kuvasz Times, Winter 1992 issue. After many years as information secretary, Linda is now serving the AKA in other capacities. While this website has taken over much of the work of a secretary, there is still no substitute for printed material. To obtain a copy of the AKA Breed Booklet and other educational material, send $5.00, payable to AKA, to our current information secretary: Maria Lavicska Rt. 1, Box 281C, Amherst, VA 24521.

Summer 92 -
Escape Artist? A Solution by Katharine Ringering
Hip Dysplasia by The James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine
Parents, Pets, and Babies by Kathleen A. Merkel, M.S., A.B., Pet Behavior Consultant & Trainer
Avoiding Hot Weather Disasters by Kathee Brewer and Joann Linebaugh

Spring 94 -
A Discussion On When To Disqualify For Coat Color
BOP/Sertl Shelf Arthroplasty: A Realistic Hip Dysplasia Alternative - An interview with Dr. Donald Jensen DVM by Katharine Ringering
Agility and the Kuvasz by Debbie Eldredge DVM
Penn-Hip - Compression/Distraction Technique

Summer 94 -
Inherited Eye Disorders by Susan Secor
Ask Blitz, Canine Behavior Expert (topic - Chewing) by Dan Wasson
Patellar Luxation Classification and Certification by Donald R. Piermattei DVM, PhD & Steven P. Arnoczky DVM

Fall 94 -
Microchips for Dogs by Jill Warren
Bloat: More Than Just a Stomach Ache by Debbie Eldredge DVM
More About Penn-Hip

Winter 94 -
Ask Blitz, Canine Behavior Expert (topic - Barking) by Dan Wasson
Health Registries and the Role They Can Play in Reducing Genetic Disorders by Susan Secor
The Case For Early Spay/Neuter by Darlene Arden

Spring 95 -
The Correct Way to Show a Bite/Dentition by Katharine Ringering
The Ears Have It: Common Ear Problems by Debbie Eldredge DVM
Mental Preparation Strategies: Uesful Techniques for Dog Handlers to Improve Performance by Richard A. Detert PhD & Ruth A Roby, M.L.S.
Why Dogs Bite by Captain A.J. Haggerty

Summer 96 -
Developments in the War on Fleas by Debbie Eldredge DVM
Bone Survey Update (Hypertropic Osteodystrophy, Osteochondritis Dissecans, Panosteitis) by Linda Arndt, Blackwatch Great Danes
Ask Blitz, Canine Behavior Expert (topic - Sniffing) by Dan Wasson
Housetraining by Ian Dunbar
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture by the Southern California Surgical Group

Back issues are available for $4.00 apiece, including shipping. Contact Dorie Engstrom for details.