Talk:Kuvasz

redraft

I did a substantial redraft of the page in order to clean it up a bit and also try to flesh out the discussions concerning the origin of the breed's name and its history generally. Please feel free to add and to correct any typos. Not sure about the picture request. This was brought up previously and a different wikipedian said it wasn't needed, however a picture of a dog standing and at a better resolution might be helpful. croll 02:20, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Introduction

Are the Kuvaszok also known as the Hungarian Sheepdog? They're not really a sheepdog -- they're a livestock guardian and are not often found in the role of a herding animal. More importantly, the term Hungarian Sheepdog seems to arise more with respect to the Puli and Komondor (particularly the Puli). I'm thinking of deleting this reference but would appreciate comments. croll 21:37, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

Removed "Hungarian Sheepdog" reference but happy to see it put back in if someone can show it's accurate. croll 19:40, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

They are actually known as 'Juhasz Kutya' , translating into Shepherds dog, not sheep dog. The term Juhasz Kutya is used for both Kommondor and Kuvasz.Horsemount 22:07, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Citation Needed

Someone (very rightly) added a citation needed mark on the issue of the breed's origins. I've looked and have had trouble finding one, however I thought I read somewhere that the Kuvasz Club of America has stricken references to Szumeria from its literature precisely because this theory has been debunked. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a source for that, either, and I could be wrong. croll 14:47, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Fixed -- I think. croll 15:20, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

History

Could someone explain the relevance of the Bouvier des Flandres to this article? Where they in Hungary as well, or is this just a reference to a breed that suffered a similar ordeal during World War II? croll 14:33, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

• So far, this hasn't been explained. Not only that, but the reference to the Soviet's role in the near-extermination of the breed has now been twice removed despite the fact that it is cited. Per the cited source, "Advancing Nazi and Russian armies shot Kuvaszok who impeded their movements by protecting their families and property, and countless other dogs died from starvation in the postwar food shortages. When Hungarian fanciers sought to salvage their historic breed, only twelve surviving Kuvasz could be found. Another small population of Kuvaszok existed in Germany. Cut off from Hungarian influence, German breeders suffered considerable confusion about correct Kuvasz type and began breeding Kuvaszok whose appearance differed vastly from the Hungarian population." For the record, someone else originally added the Soviet reference (not me) but it does appear to be true. Please don't remove it again without discussion. croll 00:16, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
• Also, what relevance does the 2nd SS Division Das Reich have to this article or the near-extermination of the Kuvasz, or has this been referenced merely because that Division invaded Hungary? croll 00:05, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Removed the reference to the 2nd Division due to lack of a citing reference or explanation of relevance to the Kuvasz, but I'm happy to see it put back in if it's relevant and can be cited. croll 23:48, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

External Links

I removed the link to the "Danish Kuvasz Page" as it is primarily a page in a foreign language, which is prohibited under WP:EL. There is some English content, but mostly not. Also, the page appears to be more about a specific dog rather than the breed generally. After further development and more English content, it may be worth putting back in but not right now. croll 15:18, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Photos of puppies would be nice

In dog breed articles, it's usually a good idea to try and include a photo of an adult animal and a puppy so readers can see the two different stages of developement. I don't have any such photos but if other editors do, please add one. It wouldn't hurt to add even more such as a young pup, say about weaning age and then another young dog at say 3 to 4 months or even 6 months of age. Just a suggestion.LiPollis (talk) 01:23, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Kuvasz KOO-vahss

"The Kuvasz (pronounced KOO-vahss; in Hungarian language the plural is Kuvaszok, pronounced KOO-vah-sock)" from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Kuvasz Cuvtixo (talk) 02:56, 1 February 2009 (UTC) The present pronunciation is tagged with IPA(International Phonetic Alphabet). I'm not sure its entirely accurate, but its presence contradicts the request for a an IPA pronunciation. Strange that an IPA entry would use only conventional Roman letters. Cuvtixo (talk) 03:12, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

kuvasz maremma pyrenees guardian dogs

Picking and owning a guardian dog

I owned Maremma / Pyrenees while my neighbor owned 3 kuvasz and the only differences we found were the potential for more aggressiveness in the kuvasz, and that may well have been to the difference in home position to the road and used it to protect pigs and house. My experience in picking them is waiting for the one that stays away, last one to come out as a pup. The younger you can get them the better, unless they are with the type of animal you will put them with. Things to understand about this bread is they DO NOT like change, if you move pens frequently it confuses them if an animal belongs in a certain place they like to keep them there . We found them to only get pushy if say the horses charged the fence the dogs would bark and run at them to stop the offense also if the pigs came in the yard the dogs used their size to push at the pig barking in the ear accelerating if the animal did not respond, nipping the ear until animal responded appropriately. Our guardian dog was loving and protective of the baby pigs, having as many as 10 babies of assorted sizes sleeping on and around the dog. They like to do a perimeter check daily so walking them on their boundaries is helpful to keeping them home. They can be very intimidating to people because the way they treat wayward animals is how they will treat people who appear to not belong in your property. Eg. when we had to move off the farm we were hesitant to lose our dogs so we had them in a big yard when people would loiter in front of our place they would run over barking put their shoulder against the person pushing until they moved on. This was frightening to people who did not understand the breed. In the end we had to give the dog away to a working farm .We had the same problem with the working retriever dogs that have a purpose do not like being dormant. If you want to have a guardian dog as a pet you MUST spend a lot of time with them initially so they understand their role in your family they guard what they perceive to be their pack so whatever you give them they belong to and they do not transfer owners easily. If they are the right mix with your need you will NEVER find a better dog. An interesting footnote about the breed is ,half way from Fort Saint John BC and Dawson Creek BC is a heard of sheep with 2 guardian dogs there is close to 100 sheep and no fence in the 7 years we have lived here the sheep have never been even close to the road or the neighbors fields. Melboden Melboden (talk) 17:12, 13 February 2010 (UTC)

Couple of things.

1. Work on your grammar and punctuation, the lack-there-of made it difficult to read that.
2. How does this help the encyclopedia?
3. On their dislike of being moved, they like to have very clearly defined territory.
4. Pyrenees have a very gentle temperament, and it also depends on the individual.
5. Spend time with them yes, but you want them to bond with the herd. During their socialization period, you leave them with the flock (or whatever you're having them guard). While you work with the flock you'll be near them, so they'll be used to you.

I recommend for further reading Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep, chapter 5 part 2. GoogolplexForce ♪J♪ 19:26, 1 May 2011 (UTC)