KENAI
Komondor

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 53

Komondor.

Livestock guardian, not a herder (AKC standard: 'a flock guardian, not a herder'). AKC: developed in Hungary to guard large herds on open plains by himself, with no assistance and no commands from his master; the mature dog stays close to his charges and is unlikely to be drawn away in chase; the coat of white cords lets him blend with the flock and shields him from weather and predators. FCI 53 utilisation prints 'herding dog' and describes imperturbable courage in the guarding and defence of the herds, silent attack, suspicious nature. UKC: the largest Hungarian herding breed, advisable to use only as herd and flock guardian, not for driving; makes an excellent house guard. RKC: formidable flock guard, distrustful of strangers and strongly territorial. Komondor Club of America: matures at about 18 to 24 months (puppies are playful and cannot be trusted alone with young stock); puppies raised with livestock begin guarding earlier and are more aggressive toward strangers than house dogs; guards what he considers his territory. USDA bulletin: Komondors reach behavioral maturity about 18 to 30 months, later than Great Pyrenees; Komondors were 18 percent of 763 dogs in the 1986 Idaho survey. Andelt 1999: effectiveness ratings of Komondor, Great Pyrenees and Akbash were the same among producers using one breed (13 producers rated Komondors); multi-breed producers rated the Akbash above the Komondor.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
80–132LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 100 to 132 lb; breed bitches 80 to 110 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day (Royal Kennel Club band for the Komondor). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 27 to 31 in · bitches 25 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Every standard prints a floor, not a range, so high is blank.

Weight

dogs 100 to 132 lb · bitches 80 to 110 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Low is the AKC floor; high is the FCI ceiling (50 kg). Center blank.

Coat

AKC: puppy coat soft and falling into cord-like curls; mature coat a dense soft woolly undercoat with a coarser wavy or curly outer coat that traps it, forming permanent felt-like cords; a grown dog is entirely covered with tassel-like cords; failure to cord by two years of age and a short smooth coat on head and legs are disqualifications; straight or silky coat is a fault. Colour white. UKC: ivory is the only acceptable colour; coat that fails to cord by two years is a disqualification. FCI 53: ivory; longest on the croup, loin and rear of the upper thighs (at least 20 to 27 cm), 15 to 22 cm on back, chest sides and shoulders, 10 to 18 cm on cheeks, head, ears, neck and limbs, 9 to 11 cm on lips and lower limbs

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Shedding

Royal Kennel Club: sheds, no. AKC breed page: shedding level 1 of 5. Komondor Club of America: adults may occasionally lose an entire cord but do not shed in the usual sense; the club says the breed suits people with allergies to dog hair and dander

Breed clubKomondor Club of America

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · AKC: heavy coat of white cords covering the whole dog, which lives most of the year in the open; the mature coat has a dense soft woolly undercoat and a coarser wavy or curly outer coat forming felt-like cords. FCI 53: long, matted, corded hair 9 to 27 cm

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1994

Derived from the coat description (2 = heavy double / long). The Komondor Club of America says hot spots are a summer problem, that the cords protect against heat and cold, and that dogs like moving air from a fan.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (Royal Kennel Club band for the Komondor)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60.

Exercise need

Royal Kennel Club: up to 1 hour per day, large house and large garden, country. AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5. Komondor Club of America: he may appear lazy and sleepy but responds at once to trouble, is fast and agile, and does not need a constant patrol; most successful with a territory marked by a fence. AKC standard: the mature dog stays close to his charges and typically does not wander far. FCI 53: lies down by day to keep watch over his area and is always on the move at night

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

A guardian's activity is territory watch rather than a daily walk quota.

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · Royal Kennel Club: grooming more than once a week. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 4 of 5. Komondor Club of America: the coat is torn by hand into thumb-wide cords as it mats (adolescence is the heavy work; some dogs nearly self-cord); you need to spend time every week working on the cords; once corded it requires little maintenance; keeping the coat dry (a dryer or floor fan) helps keep it clean

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Center is the RKC band (3 = more than once a week); high is the AKC band. The coat sets the load: cording is heavy labour in the first two years, then weekly cord separating, with long drying times after a wash. A working dog kept with stock needs only enough separating to keep him comfortable (breed club).

Grooming

Corded coat. The cords form when the woolly undercoat is trapped by the harsher curly outer coat; cords begin forming between 8 and 12 months and continue through life. Time every week to separate cords; dirt trapped in a tightening cord discolors the coat; trim hair around the mouth but leave cords on the muzzle; a mature dog's coat cannot be kept immaculate; ears cleaned occasionally (breed club). The ear canals fill with hair and dirt (breed club working page)

Breed clubKomondor Club of America

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Livestock guardian, not a herder (AKC standard: 'a flock guardian, not a herder'). AKC: developed in Hungary to guard large herds on open plains by himself, with no assistance and no commands from his master; the mature dog stays close to his charges and is unlikely to be drawn away in chase; the coat of white cords lets him blend with the flock and shields him from weather and predators. FCI 53 utilisation prints 'herding dog' and describes imperturbable courage in the guarding and defence of the herds, silent attack, suspicious nature. UKC: the largest Hungarian herding breed, advisable to use only as herd and flock guardian, not for driving; makes an excellent house guard. RKC: formidable flock guard, distrustful of strangers and strongly territorial. Komondor Club of America: matures at about 18 to 24 months (puppies are playful and cannot be trusted alone with young stock); puppies raised with livestock begin guarding earlier and are more aggressive toward strangers than house dogs; guards what he considers his territory. USDA bulletin: Komondors reach behavioral maturity about 18 to 30 months, later than Great Pyrenees; Komondors were 18 percent of 763 dogs in the 1986 Idaho survey. Andelt 1999: effectiveness ratings of Komondor, Great Pyrenees and Akbash were the same among producers using one breed (13 producers rated Komondors); multi-breed producers rated the Akbash above the Komondor

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Registries differ on the label (FCI 'herding dog'; AKC 'flock guardian, not a herder'); both are shown. Producer ratings are opinion surveys with small samples for the Komondor.

Also used on

UKC: makes an excellent house guard dog, devoted to its master. Komondor Club of America: guards cattle, sheep, goat and alpaca stock in the United States as well as farm and household; guards children with special care; some Komondors compete in obedience (the club says the breed can be a challenge for serious obedience trainers)

Breed clubKomondor Club of America

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

13.1% · 13.1% dysplastic of 1,103 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 85.8% normal; mild 7.9%, moderate 4.4%, severe 0.8%; breed rank 98 of the breeds listed. Komondor Club of America (undated page): incidence about 10% of all radiographs submitted, per OFA statistics

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. Current all-data figure, undated. The breed club's 'about 10%' predates this pull; both are shown, not merged. OFA lists no elbow figure for the Komondor.

Most common disorders

Komondor Club of America: not subject to any particular health problems; hip dysplasia is the main concern of large dogs; bloat can be a problem as in most large breeds; summer hot spots; barbed-wire cuts in puppies and adolescents going over fences; ear canals fill with hair and dirt and need regular cleaning; worms and heartworm in working dogs. The club's other page says there is no evidence of the retinal eye problems, dwarfism or hereditary blood disorders found in other breeds. Parent-club recommended tests on the AKC CHIC page: hips, ophthalmologist evaluation, dentition exam

Breed clubKomondor Club of America Predator Control Committee

Breed-club statements, not a prevalence study; no VetCompass paper or insurer report was found.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 2; Shedding Level 1; Coat Grooming Frequency 4; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 7 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

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