The Hovawart isn't a small dog, the dogs are between 63cm and 70 cm high at withers, the bitches between 58cm and 65cm. They are powerful but not heavy. 

Alex vom Sonnentor (Linus) Southtirol - Seiseralm

The strong long-haired coat is lightly waved and lying close, with only little undercoat and only needing a weekly brushing. There are three colour varieties : black/gold, black, blond.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Due to his social character this is certainly no dog to keep in a kennel ! The Hovawart is very attached to his owners and prefers to stay in their neighbourhood. By keeping him in the house he will consider this as his territory and defend it to all costs.
With patience and persistance the Hovawart can be trained to become : tracking- avalanche- defence- and guarddog. He also is an excellent companion. The golden rule for a Hovawart is to train him in a playful way. Putting him under pressure will have a negative effect and slow down the learning process.

The Hovawart was first mentioned back in 1210 where in a German castle "Ordensritterburg" the son of the lord was saved by one of the "Hofwart" dogs of the castle. In spite of his injuries the dog managed to drag the child to one of the castles in the neighbourhood.

                                           

This child, Eike von Repkow, who later on wrote the oldest German law book "Der Sachsenspiegel 1274" (see image), had nothing but praising words for this breed and he even mentioned that a compensation had to be paid if such a dog was stolen or killed.

In 1473 the Hovawart can be found in the list of the 5 most noble breeds, where he is being described as "an ideal tracking dog to hunt down all kinds of criminals".

After the medieval period the breed was slowely replaced by newer breeds like the German Sheperd that is then more commonly used as a guard- and working dog. In the beginning of the 20th century the Hovawart had almost disappeared.

A group of enthusiasts, amongst whom Kurt Friedrich Konig (see picture), decided to try to save the breed. They visited all the farms in the "Black Forest" in Germany to find all the Hovawarts that were left. Thanks to a very careful breeding program, using the dogs they found and crossing them with Hongarian Kuvasz, Newfoundlander, German Sheperd, Leonberger, Bernese Mountain Dog and even an African wild dog ... in 1922 the first official litter was registered in the German breeding register. In 1937 the German Kennel Club officially recognised the Hovawart as a breed.

The results of all these efforts were almost destroyed during the second world war. The Hovawarts were used as war dogs because of their capacities as working dogs. In 1945 there were only a few Hovawarts left.

Because of the great interest in the breed and the efforts of Otto Schramm in 1947, the "Rassezuchtverein für Hovawart-Hunde Coburg" was founded. Thanks to the efforts of this club, recognised by the German Kennel Club in 1964, the Hovawart was the seventh breed recognised as a "working" dog. This was the start for the breeding in other European countries (and also the rest of the world).

In 1984 the "International Hovawart Federation" (IHF) was founded. In this organisation clear agreements are made regarding the breeding of Hovawarts. Today 13 countries are member of the IHF, and they promote the breeding of the Hovawart, the perservation and improvement of the breed.

the Hovawart | character

A Hovawart can be described as friendly, stable and well balanced. They are intelligent, affectionate and sportive dogs. Hovawarts stay puppy-like for a relatively long time. It is not exceptional for a male to mature only around the age of 3 years.

Linus and his daughter “Fee vom Merzbacherhof”:

 

 
That's why they don't like long and boring training sessions. Short lessons with lots of motivation are the keys to the trade secrets !
They have a strong guarding instinct from the day they are born. They are very attached to their family, obedient, but always with a certain degree of independence.

When they sense danger they sound the alert with their strong barking, but nevertheless they are restrained and don't bark excessively.

Even if a Hovawart is strongly attached to one person in particular, he is a real family dog and wants to be part of the day to day family life. However, it needs a clear hierarchy, where his place is last in the family, from the very first day. A Hovawart is good with children but both need to learn the rules of the game! A dog should never be left unattended with a child.

 

the Hovawart | health

Thanks to the strict control of the regulations approved by IHF for breeding Hovawarts, the breed has remained free of most hereditary deseases. Before a dog can be accepted for breeding, it must prove no signs of hip dysplasia or eye diseases and it must have succeeded in a character test.

The strict control of the breeding regulations will give you as an owner the best chances in getting a healthy and loyal companion.

The Hovawart is a very old German working dog breed. The name’s origin stems from Middle High German (an old form of German); Hova = Hof (= yard, farm) and Wart = Wächter (= watchman). Since 1922 the breeding of this breed, by using dogs similar in type still found on farms, has been restored. Apart from this, in the early years of breeding, crosses with German Shepherd Dogs, Newfoundlands, Leonbergers and other breeds were admitted. Due to strict measurements taken in selecting the breeding stock, the original working type was attained again.

Brief historical summary: In the country of origin very great importance is attached to the health of the Hovawart. Especially the presence of hip dysplasia has been reduced to a small percentage by selecting, for decades, breeding stock free from dysplasia. It is expected that all other Hovawart breed clubs will aim for this exemplary goal.

General appearance: The Hovawart is a powerful, medium sized, slightly elongated, long-haired working dog. Difference between sexes is clearly recognizable, especially in the shape of the head and build of body.

Important proportions:  Length of body comprises at least 110 to 115% of height at withers.

Behaviour and temperament:  Recognized working dog with versatile usage. Kind and even disposition. Has a protective instinct, fighting instinct, self-confidence and ability to take stress; of medium temperament; combined with a very good nose. His balanced body proportions and special devotion to his family make him an outstanding companion, watch, guard, tracking and rescue dog.

My private Homepage:  www.asora.de    RZV:   www.hovawart.org

 

Alex vom Sonnentor        

named: LINUS