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Puli

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 55

Puli.

FCI 55: herding dog (utilization). AKC standard: the shaggy coat and light-footed movement fit him for the strenuous work of herding flocks on the plains of Hungary. UKC: part of Hungarian shepherd life for about 1,000 years. AKC breed page: a compact but powerful herder. Wikipedia: small-medium Hungarian herding dog, sometimes also used for livestock guarding; some are used as police dogs..

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.

13.3YRMedian lifespan12.8 to 14.4, measured on real dogs.
17 / 16INHeightdogs 17, bitches 16. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
22–35LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 25 to 35 lb; breed bitches 22 to 35 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayRKC: up to 1 hour per day. AKC breed page: Energy Level 3 of 5. Wikipedia: needs a lot of exercise and free space, preferably outdoors.. 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 17 in (15.4 to 18) · bitches 16 in (14.2 to 17)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1983

Center is the AKC printed ideal; FCI's ideal is a range (38 to 40 cm), shown in the text. The registries differ by up to 2 in at the top of the range; both stand.

Weight

dogs 25 to 35 lb · bitches 22 to 35 lb

Breed clubAKC

UKC prints no weight. The AKC band is one breed-wide range and counts in both sex rows.

Coat

AKC: dense, weather resistant double coat, profuse on all parts; wavy or curly outer coat, never silky, over a soft wooly dense undercoat; clumps into wooly cords, flat or round. Solid rusty black, black, gray shades or white only. UKC: puppy coat dense, wavy or curly, developing tassels and cords; coarse topcoat and finer undercoat in the right ratio; cords longest on loin, croup and back of rear legs. FCI 55: cords 20 to 30 cm on loin and croup, 10 to 12 cm on head and limbs; black, black with rusty or grey shading, fawn with black mask, grey, or pearl white.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1983

Shedding

RKC: does not shed. AKC breed page: Shedding Level 1 of 5. Wikipedia: little to no shedding.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Dense, weather resistant, profuse coat with a soft wooly undercoat; cords that can reach the ground with age

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1983

Derived from the AKC standard's coat description: profuse double coat, long when corded = heavy double / long tier, 2. Wikipedia notes some owners clip the coat short for hot weather, which would raise it in practice.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.3 years (12.8 to 14.4)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK primary-care vet records; n is modest. Table date not stated on the PDF. The AKC page 'Life Expectancy' band (10 to 15 yr) is not recorded here by library rule.

The dog at home

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

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day. AKC breed page: Energy Level 3 of 5. Wikipedia: needs a lot of exercise and free space, preferably outdoors.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60. The sources do not fully agree (RKC moderate, Wikipedia 'a lot'); both stand in the text.

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day. AKC breed page: Energy Level 3 of 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 5 of 5. Wikipedia: needs a lot of exercise and free space, preferably outdoors; restless or over-active when kept in small spaces without enough.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page: Energy Level 3 of 5, Trainability 5, Playfulness 3, Watchdog/Protective Nature 5, Openness to Strangers 3. AKC standard: affectionate, intelligent, home-loving, sensibly suspicious and an excellent watchdog. UKC: aloof and sensibly suspicious, vigorous, alert and active. FCI 55: lively temperament, extremely able to learn, loves children, excellent watchdog. Wikipedia: highly active, keeps puppy-like behavior all its life; sensitive, fun-loving and courageous, but at times tough and headstrong.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

3 of 5 · RKC: grooming more than once a week (mapped 3). AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 5 of 5. The corded coat sets the load: it clumps into cords that need separating and keeping clean, or the dog is clipped or brushed out.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Center is the RKC band mapped (more than once a week = 3); the AKC page rates it 5 of 5, so high is 5. The two scales differ and are not averaged. A clipped or brushed Puli needs less than a corded one (Wikipedia: can be trimmed short regularly).

Grooming

The cords are the job. AKC standard: the coat clumps together easily and, if allowed to develop naturally, forms cords in the adult; the Puli may be shown corded or brushed. FCI 55: the right mix of topcoat and undercoat gives cords that are easy to groom; too much undercoat gives a matted coat that is difficult to groom; a combed-out or neglected tousled coat is undesirable. Wikipedia: the coat needs considerable grooming to keep cords clean and neat, and can be clipped short for easy maintenance. RKC: grooming more than once a week, long coat, does not shed.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

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

Role

FCI 55: herding dog (utilization). AKC standard: the shaggy coat and light-footed movement fit him for the strenuous work of herding flocks on the plains of Hungary. UKC: part of Hungarian shepherd life for about 1,000 years. AKC breed page: a compact but powerful herder. Wikipedia: small-medium Hungarian herding dog, sometimes also used for livestock guarding; some are used as police dogs.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 55, 2013

Primary game

Flocks of sheep (AKC standard: herding flocks on the plains of Hungary; UKC: the smaller, darker Pulik drove and herded the sheep). Wikipedia: instinctively herds sheep or other livestock, and was used to herd stallions as well.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1983

Stock worked, not game. Wikipedia on stallions is editorial.

Also used on

Wikipedia: sometimes livestock guarding, flock and territory protection (very protective, wary of strangers), and some are used as police dogs. UKC: the larger, lighter-colored dogs guarded the flocks at night. FCI 55: excellent watchdog.

EditorialWikipedia

Single editorial source for the guarding and police use; UKC and FCI back the watchdog role.

Search pattern

A driving and herding dog worked by day. UKC: the smaller, darker Pulik drove and herded the sheep during the day while larger, lighter dogs guarded at night. AKC standard: the distinctive quick, acrobatic movement, able to change direction instantly, is essential to the Puli's herding style. RKC: often seen running across the backs of a closely grouped herd. Wikipedia: worked alongside the Komondor, which guarded the stock at night.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2008

No source states a voice-on-stock pattern or a range for the Puli; this row describes the herding style the sources do state.

Field trial standard

FCI 55 classification: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, without working trial. Wikipedia: the Puli can compete in herding events; basic instinct is measured at non-competitive herding tests, and dogs showing it can be trained for herding trials.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 55, 2013

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

Water work

Wikipedia: despite the nickname Hungarian Water Dog, the Puli has never worked in water, and its coat does not grow continuously like a corded Poodle's.

EditorialWikipedia

Single editorial source.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

10.4% · 10.4% dysplastic (mild 6.0, moderate 3.2, severe 1.2), n = 2,005 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.

Elbow dysplasia

4% · 4.0% abnormal (grade 1 3.0, grade 2 1.0, grade 3 0.0), n = 301 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.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 1; Coat Grooming Frequency 5; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; 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. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Pulik (plural), Hungarian Puli

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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