Komondor

Known in their native homeland of Hungary for over a thousand years, the Komondor is a livestock guardian, bred to live with the flock and protect them from theft and predation. The corded coat would keep them warm and dry no matter the weather and provides a thick body armour effective against the fiercest of predators including wolves. Thought to have arrived in Hungary with the nomadic Magyars and possibly descended from the Ovtcharka, another livestock guardian breed from the Caucasian regions of Russia.

This livestock guardian breed requires a specialist owner, you’ll need to live rurally, have few visitors and be willing to take the time to introduce your Komondor to regular visitors until they seem them as part of the family. Beyond this, the Komondor’s coat takes some very specific care that will not be catered for by a professional groomer, when wet it will smell strongly, and take days to dry out fully! For those with land and livestock this is a challenging but enjoyable breed to live with and train! 

About an hour of daily dog exercise will be needed for the Komondor, with additional time for training and puzzle solving exercises. Access to secure places to run free and a large, securely fenced garden are important. 

Big dog, big coat, capable of collecting a lot of water and debris, a large property with extremely secure fencing is vital. The Komondor will take hours to dry out fully after a bath so their own dedicated room or a home set up for a large, hairy, wet dog is a must. Better suited to remote rural locations, the Komondor is likely to feel constantly on alert and stressed in a busy urban environment.

Large breed dogs, as well as having large appetites, benefit from a different balance of nutrients including minerals and vitamins compared to smaller-breed dogs. The Komondor is prone to bloating and stomach problems; smaller, more frequent meals can help minimise this risk. 

Discover more about how to offer your dog a balanced diet with our easy-to-follow guide.

The top coat of the Komondor is coarse, and the undercoat is soft. Both coats combine to form cords, which will eventually reach floor level if not trimmed. Checking the dog after a walk is essential, as they do tend to sweep up leaves and twigs wherever they go!  

The coat is never brushed – instead the cords are maintained by dividing new hair growth manually, from the skin, every couple of months. New owners must be shown how to do this by the breeder or another breed enthusiast. Cord maintenance is a time-consuming job and should never be neglected or the cords will form huge mats together. This is something you will have to learn to do yourself as very few groomers will be able or willing to deal with this coat.  

You can find out more about dog grooming and daily care with our article.

Not an easy dog to train! Given their history, the Komondor has had many generations of breeding for suspicion towards strangers and a willingness to use aggression against any animal (including humans) that offers a perceived threat or confrontation. Very careful management must be in place to ensure these dogs do not make a mistake. The usual methods of positive reinforcement, patience and kindness are applicable in the Komondor’s dog training, but this is not a dog inclined to enjoy training for its own sake, or to repeat behaviours for the sake of a treat.  

Suited to families with a lot of secure rural space, few visitors and a lot of time and energy for exercise, training and grooming. If they are to live as family dogs, they are better with dog savvy older teenagers – especially as the Komondor’s heavy corded coat makes their body language hard to read and their temperament is not given to tolerance of typical small child behaviour! 

While many dogs are traditionally thought of as being good with children, all dogs and children need to be taught to get on with each other and be safe together. Even so, dogs and young children should never be left alone together and adults should supervise all interactions between them.