My three molossers
I will start my new blog not very amusing for some people but I hope it will be interesting for the dog lovers. If you are thinking about buying a dog but you don’t know yet which breed is suitable for you, maybe I’ll help you to make the right decision. I like all animals, I have some at home, the kynology itself has been affecting my life since I was 8. Our first dog was leonberger Argo z Helsu called Cid, we bought a Pyrenean mountain dog called Chrobak Farma Stekot a few years later. When Cid passed away (fortunately because of his age), it was a tragedy for us from which we recovered for a long time. To fill in the large empty space, to cheer up the sad Chrobak and to replace one great watchdog with another, we got a hovawart puppy Amor Carnovia Silesia in January 2008. Athough I adore the giant dog breeds, even this “only” large breed has surprised me very positively. I can say that each dog of ours was a bull’s-eye with both their appearance and their nature. I can’t imagine better dogs. It is clear that leonbergers will always be the dogs of my heart, I think that no other breed can compare with their love to people. And I also believe that Amor isn’t my last hovawart.
I would like to introduce you “my” three breed in short. I’m not going to write here the whole breed standards, these you can find anywhere on the internet. I want to share some short stories about what enchanted me about my dogs.
Leonberger
Short description: Leons are giant dogs with the characteristic brown-golden colour and black mask. The puppies are born dark-brown or black, then become rather grey but they soon show their beautiful colours. Even the pups capture your attention with their large feet and wide “bear-like” muzzle. The adult dogs are colossusses with the gorgeous mane thanks which they look so majestically. The bitches are also mighty but a bit more elegant. Leonbergers have webs between the fingers, so that they’re good swimmers and they love water like their forefathers newfoundlands.
Leonbergers are excellend watchdogs and guardians, they’re friendly even to strange people but only in their masters are present. They’re no dogs for watching abandoned buildings, they need tight contact to their people and those who work for example 10 hours a day away from home and are tired after work with no desire to go for walks and trips with their leons, should not even think of getting a leonberger. A Leon suffers very much without his master and his personality degenerates.
This dog doesn’t need so very long trips but is also not against them, the main thing for him is to be with his family. In my opinion, leonberger is the best family dog, great with children, has incredible patience and heightened noise resistance. A proof of the nature of this breed is the fact that leonbergers are often used for canistherapy.
Leonbergers need a year-long stay outside in a large garden, quite much food of high quality, regular care of their hair and big interest provided to them by their families.
If you have enough time and resources for a big dog and you are willing to engage a lot, maybe if you also have a house and children to protect, I can recommend you the leonbergers. Their only real disadvantage is the length of their lifes, a leon who’s 10 years old is an exception.
Leonberger can be mistaken for Kavkazskaia Ovtcharka which can be up to 15 cm shorter and doesn’t look so friendly at the first sight and even isn’t so friendly and playful.
Cid: Cid was a hundred percent leonberger, the best dog I’ve ever known. Those who know what he’d been through at the end of his life and that je was great until the last moment, know what I’m talking about. He was good-hearted, didn’t trouble himself about anything. When little Chrobak came to our family, Cid fell for him, took care of him lovingly and later subordinated to the dominant Pyrenean. Cid loved all the other pets, too. It’s his credit that the leonbergers will always be special for me.
Visit also The club of leonberger dog breeders of the Czech republic.
Pyrenean mountain dog
Short description: When I walk down the street with my Chrobak, I often hear people calling him “the polar bear”. It is quite suitable for the PMDs are the same giants like leons, mighty with rich white hair, big paws and wide muzzle. They can be whole white or with marks on the head. The Pyrenean mountain dogs have so-called dewclaws on the hind feet - these are extra toes which were helping the PMDs climbing the hills during their original occupation in the mountains. Usualy there are two dewclaws on each foot and it is said that once in a while a puppy is born with more dewclaws. These pups are then bigger and stronger that the other ones (this is the case of my Chrobak and at least this time it is true).
PMDs are family dogs, like leonbergers they are obedient and easy to train but in comparison to leons they keep their distance a bit and are more independent. According to my experience, they are no good watchdogs and they love raking to death.
They should be kept outside in a large garden during the whole year, every Pyrenean should have his/her place somewhere high if possible because it’s in their blood to watch their territorium from an elevated place.
The Pyrenean mountain dogs are quite sporty for their size, this should be considered by their future owners. They also live longer for a giant breed.
You can mistake Pyrenean mountain dog for the Slovensky cuvac, who is smaller and less mighty. And by the way, the dog Belle from the French series Belle and Sebastien is a Pyrenean mountain dog.
Chrobak: Our Chroby has always been noble, he never really acted like a puppy. He likes posing and being photographed. He likes his family but is also independent, he likes his privacy the same. He’s very obedient, raising the voice is enough punishment for him although he doesn’t give us many reasons to raise our voices. He loves running, unfortunately I can’t give him much freedom outside the garden because he’s always trying to escape - as soon as he feels the absolut freedom, he’s running like the wind.
After Cid died, Chrobak seems to have taken a part of him, he is much more cuddly. He’s treating his step-son Amor very nicely, almost like a mommy and is tolerant but when the youngster is really fesh with him, Chrobak knows how to calm him.
Visit also The Club of Pyrenean breeds of the Czech republic.
Hovawart
Short description: Hovawart is a large breed with strong legs, deep thorax, big strength and stamina and other characteristics of the working breeds. The hair is of a middle length and in three colour-variety: black, black and tan and blonde.
The Hovis, like other working breeds, need a lot of action for the body and mind. They love training and learning new things, they’re good at everything from swimmimg to running at the bycicle, they’re excellent at scenting a trail, defence training and life-saving and the agility training doesn’t come in vain, either. And I can’t forget their excellent guarding and watching abilities. They are lively and stubborn, because of that and their strength it is necessary that they were trained by strong and consistent (but not cruel) people with natural authority.
Hovawarts should be kept outside but a tight contact with their people is a necessary. Every hovawart loves his family but it’s not a very companion breed. They respect strange people when the masters want them in the house, but hovis are not excited of strange people. They don’t like strange dogs very much, they don’t pick fights but if they don’t like something they don’t hesitate to defend themselves or their families. If you think about buying a hovi, count on that you should devote much time to him and his training. Your reward could be many passed exams and won contests. You will have to prevent your hovawart from becoming a sofawart - a dog who watches the sofa instead of the yard.
You can mistake hovawart for the golden retriever (blonde hovawart) who is much smaller, less sporty and is not a watchdog, the flat coated retriever (black hovawart), who is smaller and lighter or maybe for a newfoundland who’s got different heard and is mightier. The black and tan hovi can be mistaken for the gordon setter but only because of the colour, the gordon setter’s got flews, diffent body frame and is smaller.
Amor: Amor’s a typical hovawart, lively, strong and stubborn and above all an excellent watchdog and guardian. He’s almost 8 months old right now and I don’t have to be afraid when I’m with him on the street in the dark. He arouses respect with his deep barks and his size as well. He likes to cuddle, loves any activity and his biggest passion is the defence training at the moment. I can’t imagine us having a better relationship than now - Amor listens to me and respects me, if he’s naughty, he knows that he deserves a punishment and he also knows that he’ll be given another chance to gain a praise and a stroke. If he’s sad, he comes to me, sometimes even to my room and I can keep sitting in his nook rubbing his ears and asking myself what I would do without this great dog.
Visit also the Hovawart club of the Czech republic, the club Hovawart pro sport and Amor’s personal page.
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