Hovawart Breed Origins and Caracteristics

This breed is very old and it was already mentioned in the 13th century. These dogs guarded herds and farms that is why they received the name of "hofwarth", Hof (farm) and Wart (guard). This breed is found especially in Harz. But gradually it began to disappear, until it was not spoken about it. In 1900, the breeders of Harz, of the Black Forest and Bergland of Wesphalia recovered this breed or actually they raised it again from long-haired, bristly-tail and hanging-ear dogs that were found in the farms of this region. Since the beginning there was a systematic selection; all the specimens were marked and registered. Thus, the physical appearance of the breed stabilized rapidly, and in 1936 it was officially recognized. At first, the hovawart did not appear except in some exhibitions but its popularity was increasing even outside Germany, especially in Switzerland, in Italy and the Netherlands.

The hovawart is a calm, well-balanced and versatile dog. It has a good character and loves children. It has bad character when it protects its master or his or her property, otherwise it is very docile. At present, it is used as a guard dog or police dog, but it mostly used as a pet dog, since it is loyal and confident. The hovawart hair is long and slightly wavy but with a daily grooming and sporadic hairdo, it does not require any other especial care.

Size: male 63-70 cm; female 58-63 cm. Weight: 25-35 kg. Because of the color there are three different groups.

Black with patches (1): On the black background there are golden yellow or golden brown patches; on the head, the patches start on the nose bridge and they continue to the throat. Under the eyes there are also patches. The chest color should not extend to the front legs; the leg patches extend from the toes to the tarsus joint in front and up to the torso from behind. In the rear legs, the color must extend up to the belly but on the sides there should not be anything but a narrow strip on the anterior part. The patch at the beginning of the tail must be clearly seen. A white patch is allowed on the chest provided that it does not exceed 6 cm, and some white isolated hairs at the end of the tail.

Black (2): chestnut-colored black (in other words without any white hair)

Blond (3): a homogeneous golden blond shade in all the body. A small white patch is allowed on the chest and some white isolated hairs at the end of the tail.
