Hovawart

The first mention of dogs called Hovawart is found in medieval German codes - Sachsenspiegel and Schwabenspiegel (1274), which mentioned a certain \"Hofewart\" or \"Hofwart\" who was a guard dog of the aristocracy. The word \"Hovawart\" probably comes from the shepherd of German farms who was called in the Middle Ages \"Hovawarth\" and in the code of the Bojan law as \"Hofewart\", \"Hofwart\" or \"Hofward\". This word \"Hofwart\" literally means \"farm guardian\" in German and clearly indicates the intended use of these dogs. The approximate description of the medieval Hovawart would be something like this: it is a medium-sized dog (60-65 cm) with long shaggy hair, a drooping tail and small drooping ears. Its color is approximately brownish-gray, black and tan or parti-colored. It was used as a house guard but also to guard herds. After some centuries, efforts multiplied to recreate the Hovawart breed, notably by selectors such as Bertram König, his son Kurt F.König, Alwin Busch, J.A.Becker and Theo Gräb. The first Hovawart was registered in 1922. It is not possible to say who was the creator of the Hovawart breed, but these mentioned men who played a major role. It should be noted that the Hovawart has a reputation for its sense of smell. It is moreover used in Germany and Switzerland as a drug detection dog, tracking dog, or even to find people buried under avalanches. The Hovawart is one of the breeds that Captain Von Stephanitz and Arthur Meier used to create the German Shepherd Dog breed.

Very resistant, vigorous, energetic, good runner, good jumper, loving to swim, endowed with an excellent sense of smell, vigilant but never aggressive without reason, this dog is versatile. Calm, balanced, affectionate with its masters, gentle with children, it is easy to educate in a gentle but firm manner. Its voice is strong, deep and sonorous, but it barks little. It only reaches maturity around two years of age.

The Hovawart is a lupoid dog of medium size. Its long coat can be blonde, black or black and tan. Males measure between 64 and 70 cm and females from 58 to 65 cm for a mass varying from 30 to 40 kg.