Pumi Breed Origins and Caracteristics
In the 9th century, when the magyors came from the East and settled in Europe, they brought along with their herds dogs perfectly adapted to the steppe weather. Gradually, they got diversified in three breeds of different sizes. In the 17th and 18th centuries because of crossbreeding the Pomeran spitz with the briard, the pumi was born, which was used in multiples purposes as sheepdog, guardian and predator hunter. The other two breeds are characterized by its typical fur that becomes knotted and get tangled. The Puli, the smallest one, is a true sheepdog, equally used to watch over pigs. The most ancient breed is the Komondor, which is the biggest and it is especially used to defend the herds.
None of these three breeds should live in an apartment. These animals are too noisy, too vivacious, they can be aggressive and its hair demands a special care. Instead, the curled hair of the pumi does not get tangled and that is why it should be groomed once a week. Thus its care is very simple. The pumi and komondor puppies have soft, cotton-like hair which later (in the komondor only since the ninth month) becomes a typical filtered hair. The tangled locks should be separated in small pieces of hair or in cords of pencil-width with the help of a special knife, scissors or a knife, starting from the root of the hair towards the outside. The grooming allows cleaning the sweet and dead hairs. The hair should be controlled regularly so all the locks do not mix again. The female dogs of this breed lose partially their hair after delivering the puppies, especially on the leg, the abdomen and thorax, except in all the body. Hair loss can be produced due to diseases or bad nourishment.
Pumi (1). Size: 35.5-45.5 cm. Weight: 8-13 kg. Colors: all the ranges of gray or black.
Puli (2). Size: male 40-44 cm, female 37-41 cm. Weight: male 13-16 kg, female 10-12 kg. Colors: black or black with a reddish touch, all the ranges of gray and white.
Komondor (3). Size: male 80 cm approximately though never less than 66 cm; female 70 cm approximately; never less than 56 cm. Weight: male 50-60 kg, female 40-50 kg. Colors: white.
In the three breeds, the tail has to be chalkboard gray, strongly pigmented. The nose, the palate and the claws should be dark gray or even better black. The hair falls over the face stressing the head shape; according to the standard the hair must fall on the line of the back.
