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Slovensky Cuvac

The breeds · herding

AKC Foundation Stock Service · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 142

Slovensky Cuvac.

Mountain flock and farm guardian. FCI 142 utilization: derived from its age-old use as a shepherd and mountain dog in bare high mountain regions and as a guard dog for farms and borders. FCI history: a good guard, watch dog and companion as well as guide for the shepherds; also proved itself guarding cattle, driving poultry and other domestic animals to pasture, and guarding objects; the name comes from the Slovak cuvat, to hear. FCI temperament (and the AKC page): boundlessly faithful and courageous, always ready to fight off any intruder, even bears and wolves; bred only in white by ancient tradition so the shepherd can tell it from wild beasts at night. FCI general: lively temperament, vigilant, fearless, alert, long used to the harsh climate of the Slovak mountains. FCI Group 1 (sheepdogs), without working trial. Wikipedia: a good watchdog, guard, shepherd and companion; also watches cattle, turkeys and other domestic animals and the household; used on sheep farms and mountain ridges as well as homes and frontiers; resists bears and wolves; bred white to be told from the beasts of the night. Psickar.sk: use listed as shepherd dog and companion; a mountain shepherd breed that has guarded flocks of sheep for centuries. Pes.sk: current purpose companion, guardian, shepherd dog.

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.
66–99LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 66 to 99 lb; breed bitches 66 to 99 lb.

The body

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

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23 to 28 in · bitches 23 to 27.5 in

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

Spans FCI and the AKC breed-wide band. Center blank.

Weight

dogs 66 to 99 lb · bitches 66 to 99 lb

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

Low/high span FCI, AKC, Wikipedia and the portals' breed-wide kg bands (30 to 45 kg = 66 to 99 lb, conversion mine). A breed-wide band counts in both sex rows.

Coat

FCI 142: dense coat without a parting on the back and without feathering on tail and buttocks; short close hair on head and legs; topcoat 5 to 15 cm, most wavy on the mane, forming waves across the back; undercoat fine and dense, half to two thirds the topcoat length, shed in summer. White; yellowish shading at the ear set permitted but not desired; distinct yellow patches not permitted

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

Shedding

FCI 142: the undercoat is shed during the summer, so the coat loses its density, but remains light throughout the year because the wavy topcoat forms no parting on the back. AKC breed page: shedding level 4 of 5. Wikipedia: annual shed of the dense underwool in spring (FCI: summer)

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

FCI says summer, Wikipedia says spring; both stand.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · FCI 142: dense wavy topcoat 5 to 15 cm over a fine dense undercoat that is shed in summer; a light coat all year; white. FCI general: long accustomed to the harsh climate of the Slovak mountains

DerivedFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

Derived from the coat description (3 = medium double): the standard calls the coat light and says the undercoat sheds in summer. No source measures heat tolerance.

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 3 of 5; mental stimulation needs 3 of 5; barking level 1 of 5. Psickar.sk: movement needs are average. Pes.sk: movement demand rated 'naročný' (demanding)

Breed clubAKC

The two Slovak portals disagree (average against demanding); both stand. No Royal Kennel Club page, so exercise_need_min is omitted.

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

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

Grooming load

2 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 2 of 5; shedding level 4 of 5. FCI 142: dense, light wavy topcoat of 5 to 15 cm forming waves with no parting on the back, over a fine dense undercoat. Wikipedia: regular grooming keeps the white coat clean and furniture free of white 'mohair'; the annual shed of dense underwool needs vigorous brushing and bathing in spring

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands only; no source states a brushing schedule, so grooming_load is omitted.

The work

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

Role

Mountain flock and farm guardian. FCI 142 utilization: derived from its age-old use as a shepherd and mountain dog in bare high mountain regions and as a guard dog for farms and borders. FCI history: a good guard, watch dog and companion as well as guide for the shepherds; also proved itself guarding cattle, driving poultry and other domestic animals to pasture, and guarding objects; the name comes from the Slovak cuvat, to hear. FCI temperament (and the AKC page): boundlessly faithful and courageous, always ready to fight off any intruder, even bears and wolves; bred only in white by ancient tradition so the shepherd can tell it from wild beasts at night. FCI general: lively temperament, vigilant, fearless, alert, long used to the harsh climate of the Slovak mountains. FCI Group 1 (sheepdogs), without working trial. Wikipedia: a good watchdog, guard, shepherd and companion; also watches cattle, turkeys and other domestic animals and the household; used on sheep farms and mountain ridges as well as homes and frontiers; resists bears and wolves; bred white to be told from the beasts of the night. Psickar.sk: use listed as shepherd dog and companion; a mountain shepherd breed that has guarded flocks of sheep for centuries. Pes.sk: current purpose companion, guardian, shepherd dog

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

FCI and the AKC page share one text; they are one voice on the work, not two. FCI also records that the Tatra Chuvach stud book had about 800 living registered dogs in Slovakia at the time of the 1996 document. Wikipedia's history text is the same passage family as FCI; the Slovak portals add the current-use line.

Also used on

FCI 142: guard of farms and borders; guide for shepherds; guard of cattle; drives poultry and other domestic animals to pasture. Wikipedia: cattle, turkeys and other domestic animals; homes and frontiers. Psickar.sk: guard dog for dwellings and borders; shepherd and sheepfold dog on the mountain pastures. Pes.sk: companion, guardian

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 142, 1996

More

akc bands

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

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

Also called
Slovak Cuvac, Slovakian Chuvach, Tatra Chuvach, Slovenský čuvač, Cuvac

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