The dog is the domesticated form of the wolf, however it is still not known where and which subspecies played a role in the process of domestication started maybe 135.000 years ago (Vila et al., 1997) and ended within the Old-World long before written history (Clutton-Brock, 1984; Kovács and Rózsáné Várszegi, 2015).

Flock guard dogs

The place and time of the sheep domestication is exactly known, it happened 11.000 years ago in the territory of North-Iraq (Perkins, 1964 cit. Bökönyi, 1976). The domestication of the Bezoar Goat (Capra aegagrus) happened about 1.000 years later in Western Iran (Bökönyi, 1977). The excavated evidence is supported by the identical chromosome set of the Asiatic Mouflon and domestic sheep (2n=54), as the Argali and Urial wildsheep living eastwards have higher chromosome numbers (Nadler et al., 1973) and also different mitochondrial DNA (Hiendleder et al., 1998). The domestic dogs in the Middle-East before sheep domestication were of small sizes, such as the find from Palegawra Cave and dogs of the Natufian period (Braidwood and Howe, 1960; Clutton-Brock, 1984; Lawrence and Reed, 1983; Turnbull and Reed, 1974). Bones of larger dogs were found close to the area of sheep and goat domestication: Jarmo, North-Iraq, Suberde, Anatolia and Kermansah Valley, West-Iran (Braidwood and Howe, 1960; Clutton-Brock, 1984) are 9.000 years old. Domestic sheep reached Europe 7.000 years ago (Ryder, 1984) accompanied by the large flock guard dogs (Clutton-Brock, 1984; Kovács, 1988; Kovács and Rózsáné Várszegi, 2015).

The two Hungarian flock guard dogs

Kuvasz

The ~1.100 years-old skeleton found in 1978 by Károly Sági in Keszthely–Fenékpuszta at Lake Balaton shows astonishing similarity to that of an extant Kuvasz, exhibited together in the Hungarian Museum of Agriculture, Budapest (Matolcsi, 1982).

The word “Kuvasz” first documented  the 17th century originates from a Turkic languague, according to Róna-Tas et al. (2011) from Cumanian, meaning ”driver”. Kuvasz dogs were also used for large game (bison, bear and boar) hunting (Kubinszky and Szél, 1956; Sárkány and Ócsag, 1987; Örkény, 1996) and accompanied the large herds of Hungarian Grey Cattle exported to Austria, Germany and Italy (Buzády, 2002; Örkény, 1996). It may be supposed that Kuvasz-type dogs were already present in the Carpathian Basin, and brought by the Hungarians, as well.

The Kuvasz shows great similarity to flock guard dogs used in Iraq, Iran and Turkey, living in the area of the flock guard group’s origin. The wavy coat distinguishing the Kuvasz from its white European relatives (Slovensky Cuvac, Polski Owczarek Podhalanski, Maremmano-Abruzzese) might be a Komondor effect (Raitsits, 1924), however it occurs among Kurdish dogs in North-Iraq and Iran (Kovács, 1973) and Akbash dogs in Turkey, as well (Holczhakker, 2014).  Kuvasz standard:  Canis familiaris undulans hungaricus (FCI 54).

Komondor

No bones reminding of the Komondor were found from the time of the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin (AD 895) and the Period of the Árpád-dynasty (1000–1301, Matolcsi, 1982). A skull, reminescent to today’s Komondor’s was found from the 15th-16th century at Túrkeve-Móricz (Bökönyi, 1988).

The Komondor putatively arrived with the Cumanian people in the 13th century (Raitsits, 1924). The Cumans originally lived in the territory of today’s Gansu-province of China and moved westwards persecuted by the Mongols and a part of them settled in the Great Hungarian Plains in the 13th century. The word ”Komondor” has been mentioned since the 16th century, most authors agree originally ”kumandur” = belonging to Cumans (Anghi, 1936; Raitsits, 1924; Róna-Tas et al. 2011).

The skulls of our two flock guard dogs are strictly different and distinguishable (Raitsits, 1924). The Komondor’s corded coat ensured defense against wolves, but was not so advantageous in hilly, bushy territories. There are similar dogs in Afghanistan and breeds in Russia (South-Russian Ovcharka), Romania (Mioritic) and Italy (Bergamasco). Komondor standard: Canis familiaris pastoralis villosus hungaricus (FCI 53).

The three Hungarian herding dogs

Herding dogs have a much shorter history. There are many large flock guards, but no herding dogs at the mobile pastoralists in Asia. The Hungarian herding dogs are much smaller and occur in different colours. They may originate from flock guards becoming smaller by the disappearance of wolves, especially in the lowland areas of the Carpathian Basin and from Spanish, French and German sheperds dogs herding imported Merino Sheep (Anghi, 1936; Raitsits, 1924). Herders were not interested in the phaenotype and called their working dogs “puli”, a name possibly originating from the Austrian ”Pudli” (Raitsits, 1924). Distinguishing the three breeds was carried out by selective breeding but a few Puli- or Mudi-like puppies still occur in Pumi litters.

The Mudi thoroughly described by Méhely (1902), but also named ”puli” was distributed in all over the Carpathian Basin, and the shepherd’s dogs today without pedigree are mostly of this type, but still called “puli”. According to Anghi (1936) it may have originated from kuvasz-type flock guards. It was distinguished by Dezső Fényes and its standard was described by Csaba Anghi: “Canis ovilis Fényesi” (Anghi, 1936).

The Puli in its present form was fixed 100 years ago by Emil Raitsits in the „Állatkerti Kennel” of the Budapest Zoo. It might be originated from the Komondor and it’s latin name is “Canis ovilis villosus hungaricus” (Anghi, 1936).

The Pumi having terrier characteristics was distinguished from the Puli by Raitsits and after his death described by Csaba Anghi as “Canis ovilis terrarius Raitsitsi” (Anghi, 1936). The terrier type ancestors probably arrived with Merino flocks from France mixing with the local dogs here. The more aggressive Pumis having stronger teeth were also used for wild boar hunting. 

Kovács András prof. emeritus
University of Debrecen, Centre of Agricultural Sciences