The Hovawart
The Hovawart is considered a rare breed, with roughly only 100 across the whole US, and though they originated in Germany the Hovawart is not much more common in Europe. The Hovawart is a German bred dog that originated about 100 years ago as a working farm dog. It was expected that the dog would guard the home and livestock, and be a great family companion. They are believed to have been bred from The Newfoundland, German Shepherd, Kuvasz, and Leonberger. Other breeds may have contributed as well. The first written references to Hovawarts date to the 1200's and in the 1400's they were described as dogs that tracked robbers. Most commonly the Hovawart is used in Schutzhund sport, Search and Rescue and family companions. They are excellent tracking dogs and some believe the most outstanding Search and Rescue dogs.
There are three main colors of the Hovawart including the Blond like our Marie, Black and Gold, and solid Black. Many people confuse them with the Golden retriever although they are nearly nothing alike in temperament or ability.
Many great breed descriptions are written about the Hovawart, but this is a dog that has a definite place in an American home. If you want a protective companion that does not carry the stigma of most guard breeds and is not banned on any insurance or housing lists, this may be the right breed for you. If you are interested in Search and Rescue, the build and body type of the Hovawart make it ideal for all disciplines and all weather conditions. Once you have worked a Hovawart, you may never go back to anything else.
.jpg)
From Wikipedia:
Thirteenth century
One of the first documented recordings comes from the year 1210 when the German castle Ordensritterburg was besieged by Slavic invaders. The castle fell and its inhabitants including the Lord were slaughtered, however the Lord's infant son was saved by one of the castle's Hovawarts. In spite of being wounded itself, the dog dragged the tiny child to a neighbouring castle and thus saved the boy's life. This young boy, Eike von Repkow, grew up to become a legendary figure in the history of German law. He later published the Sachsenspiegel, the oldest Code of Law to survive from medieval Germany. Not surprisingly, the Hovawart is mentioned with praise. The Schwabenspiegel, a law text published in 1274 and based on Eike von Repkow's Sachsenspiegel, lists the Hovawart among the dogs you have to replace and pay restitution for if they are killed or stolen.
Fifteenth century
By 1473, Heinrich Mynsinger described the Hovawart as one of "The Five Noble Breeds" and among its uses listed that it was useful for tracking the robber and miscreant. This along with references to the Hovawart in German law show that it was a readily identifiable breed and held in similar esteem to that of hunting dogs.
Twentieth century
Following the medieval period, the popularity of the Hovawart began to decline. Newer breeds such as the German Shepherd slowly replaced the Hovawart as a guard and working dog until it had almost disappeared by the beginning of the twentieth century. Around 1915 a group of enthusiasts decided to try and save the breed. Predominant in this group was the zoologist Kurt Friedrich König. They started by looking for dogs in the farms of the Black Forest region. König then started a careful breeding program using these dogs and crossed them with Kuvaszok, Newfoundlands, German Shepherds, Leonbergers, a Bernese Mountain Dog and an African Hunting Dog. After much work the group was rewarded in 1922 when the first Hovawart litter was entered into the German Breeding Registry. The enthusiasts continued their work and in 1937 the German Kennel Club officially recognised the Hovawart. All this work was almost undone with the outbreak of the Second World War. Because of their abilities many Hovawarts were used in the German war effort and perished. By 1945 only a few remained. Enthusiasm for the breed remained and in 1947, Otto Schramm and some fellow enthusiasts in Coburg formed a new club, the "Rassezuchtverein für Hovawart-Hunde Coburg" which is still in existence today. In 1964 the German Kennel Club recognised the Hovawart as the country's seventh working breed and around this time enthusiasm for the breed started to develop in other countries.
Miscellaneous
The Hovawart does exceptionally well in search and rescue, tracking and working dog activities. The females are generally lighter in build and often love agility. In training and especially obedience work the trainer must keep positive reinforcement in mind all the time, as the Hovawart is not as eager to please as many other working dog breeds: it always needs some kind of motivation. It is important to realize that the Hovawart works with you and not for you. They do have the ability to think and act independently. Their guarding instinct for example does not require any real training; it is inherent, as it is what they were bred for. The Hovawart may easily become reluctant if training is built only on punishments.
The owner of a Hovawart should ideally have previous experience in owning and training a dog and as such the Hovawart is not usually suitable as a first dog.