Our hairy breed this week is the Komondor. Also commonly known as the ‘mop dog’ with their tons of dreadlocks. Most people look at this dog and see a giant walking mop! While this breed might not be so great at mopping up your kitchen floor, they do have some fabulous traits that would suit many owners!
The Komondor originated in Hungary in the 9th century (known then as the Danube Basin Region). The breed was used for guarding livestock, mostly sheep. The Komondor was bred to be a strong and calm watchdog and we can see that in their personalities even today. As with many breeds, the Komondor was almost wiped out during World War II. With the ties being cut off between United States and Hungary, all importing came to a halt including bringing in Komondor dogs for breeding. After the war, Hungary slowly re-established the breed and eventually gained popularity with breeders in United States.
The Komondor takes his job as a protector very seriously. They are most comfortable when their owner or family are all within eyesight so they can keep watch over them. Under all those dreads are a lot of muscle, so be sure to train them to walk nicely on leash. While they aren’t known to be a rambunctious breed, just as with any dog, if the Komondor finds something interesting on your walk together, he might go running after it and is strong enough to drag you along with him! The Komondor does well with children and other animals when properly socialized. When training a Komondor, it’s a good idea to heavily focus on their guarding instincts. You want to make sure your dog knows to stay calm when you are welcoming a new person into your home.
The Komondor can be very high maintenance for grooming. If you aren’t a fan of the dreadlock look or don’t want to deal with maintaining the dreads, you can have your Komondor clipped/shaved so there is only short somewhat curly hair all over.
If you are a fan of the dreadlocks (also known as cords) on the Komondor, first thing you should know is to never brush out the dreads. This will damage the hair and create more grooming issues down the road. When the Komonder is around 9 months of age, they start to lose their soft baby fur, and it begins to change to a coarser, thicker hair. On its own, the hair will start to naturally clump around their legs and bum. If you are doing the cording process, this is the time to start pulling apart (by hand only!) the chunks of fur to determine the size each dread will approximately be. The dog will be completely corded (dreadlocks all over their body) by about 2 years of age. If you are thinking about bringing a Komondor into your life, be sure to have your groomer on call as even the smallest mistakes could possibly ruin the look and the health of your Komondor’s hair. It is recommended to leave any bathing to your groomer due to the extremely long process of properly drying the cords.
The Komondor is a great companion for many families. With proper training and grooming maintenance, they can make wonderful pets. Be sure to stay in touch with your groomer to ensure your Komondor has their dreadlocks looking their best!
