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Mudi

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 238

Mudi.

FCI 238: herding dog, popular with shepherds for herding large and difficult livestock because of its courageous disposition; excellent guard, watch and alarm dog; house pet. AKC standard: an extremely versatile, intelligent, alert, agile all-purpose Hungarian farm dog. AKC breed page: his courage is useful for working the most stubborn livestock. UKC: a medium-sized Hungarian herding dog purposely bred for work. Wikipedia: a herding breed, known as the 'driver dog', still used for herding and dog sports..

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.

18 / 17INHeightdogs 17.5, bitches 16.5. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
18–29LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 18 to 29 lb; breed bitches 17.6 to 29 lb.

The body

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

Height at the shoulder

dogs 17.5 in (15 to 19) · bitches 16.5 in (14.5 to 18.5)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2025

Center is the AKC printed ideal; FCI's ideal is a range (40 to 42 cm). The AKC page breed-wide band extends the high to 18.5.

Weight

dogs 18 to 29 lb · bitches 17.6 to 29 lb

Breed clubAKC

The AKC band is one breed-wide range and counts in both sex rows; Wikipedia's 8 kg low end converts to 17.6 lb.

Coat

AKC: face and front of legs short, straight and smooth; body very wavy to slightly curly, dense, 1 to 3 in, with cowlicks and ridges; longer featherings on back of forearms and upper thighs; weather resistant. UKC: body 1.5 to 3.5 in, wavy to curly, never trimmed or sculpted. FCI 238: about 3 to 7 cm, dense and always shiny. Colors: black, brown, gray, gray-brown, yellow, white, and merle on any color.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2025

Shedding

AKC breed page: Shedding Level 2 of 5. No other source states a shedding season.

Breed clubAKC

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · Dense, weather resistant coat, very wavy to slightly curly, about 1 to 3 in on the body; short and smooth on face and front of legs

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2025

Derived from the AKC standard's coat description: a short-to-medium dense weather-resistant coat with short hair on face and legs is read as the short dense tier, 4. The standard does not describe a distinct undercoat; borderline between 3 and 4.

The dog at home

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

Exercise need

AKC breed page: Energy Level 5 of 5, Playfulness 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 4. UKC: excellent work-all-day endurance. Wikipedia: needs daily, long, brisk walks or jogs and a large safe area to run free. No minutes-per-day band found.

Breed clubAKC

No Royal Kennel Club page was reachable (the Kennel Club recognised the Mudi only in 2025), so no exercise band in minutes is recorded.

Energy

AKC breed page: Energy Level 5 of 5, Trainability 5, Playfulness 5, Barking Level 4, Watchdog/Protective Nature 4. AKC standard: alert, energetic, intelligent, biddable, adaptable, sensibly suspicious and an excellent watchdog. UKC: courageous, alert, may be aloof to strangers; an outstanding guard, watch and alarm dog; versatile, playful, obedient. FCI 238: extremely able to learn, lively, courageous, watchful, keen to work.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

1 of 5

Breed clubAKC

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

Grooming

AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 1 of 5, Shedding Level 2 of 5. AKC standard: low-maintenance coat, presented naturally, never sculpted, fluffed or blown dry. UKC: easy-care wash-and-show coat that needs no trimming or sculpting; a trimmed or sculpted coat is a serious fault. FCI 238 coat is dense and always shiny.

Breed clubAKC

No grooming_load number is recorded: the AKC page score (1 of 5) is the only band and the RKC page was not reachable.

The work

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

Role

FCI 238: herding dog, popular with shepherds for herding large and difficult livestock because of its courageous disposition; excellent guard, watch and alarm dog; house pet. AKC standard: an extremely versatile, intelligent, alert, agile all-purpose Hungarian farm dog. AKC breed page: his courage is useful for working the most stubborn livestock. UKC: a medium-sized Hungarian herding dog purposely bred for work. Wikipedia: a herding breed, known as the 'driver dog', still used for herding and dog sports.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 238, 2023

Primary game

Large and difficult livestock (FCI 238); the most stubborn livestock (AKC breed page). No source here names the species.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 238, 2023

Stock worked, not game; species not named by the FCI or AKC text read.

Also used on

FCI 238: used for the battue of wild boar; guard, watch and alarm dog. UKC: outstanding guard, watch and alarm dog. AKC breed page: loyal protector of property and family. FCI also: may be kept in the house.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 238, 2023

Boar battue is stated by FCI only. The Mudi is sometimes also called a ratter in other sources; none of those was read, so it is not recorded.

Search pattern

UKC: a loose-eyed and upright herding style with intense, powerful dedication to duty and work-all-day endurance. Wikipedia: first described as the 'driver dog'. AKC standard: capability of quick and sudden movement is essential; FCI 238: vigorous trot and powerful gallop.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2024

No source read states voice on stock or a pack or single pattern.

Field trial standard

FCI 238 classification: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, without working trial. Wikipedia: can compete in herding events; instincts are measured at non-competitive herding tests and dogs showing basic instinct can be trained for trials.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 238, 2023

The AKC herding test and trial rules were not read for this entry.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

7.3% · 7.3% dysplastic (mild 6.0, moderate 1.1, severe 0.2), n = 449 evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026 (OFA)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA all-data is undated and skews to breeding stock (dogs evaluated for breeding), so it may not match the pet population. Current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026. The Mudi is a new AKC breed (recognised 2022), so the database is small and young.

Elbow dysplasia

1.3% · 1.3% abnormal (grade 1 1.3, grade 2 0.0, grade 3 0.0), n = 449 evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026 (OFA)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA all-data is undated and skews to breeding stock (dogs evaluated for breeding), so it may not match the pet population. Current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026. The Mudi is a new AKC breed, so the database is small and young.

More

akc bands

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

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. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Hungarian Mudi

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