Howavart Puppies Blog

If you would like to have a furry friend that is a loyal, elegant and self-confident dog, then the Howavart Dog is the best breed for you. These dogs will defend their family at any cost in case of any danger. They are relatively big in size, so they are not advised for novice dog owners. The Howavart loves children and other pets in case they have been raised with them. On the other hand, other dogs are not accepted by the breed, they can get aggressive in those cases.

The coat of this breed is a long, dense and wavy double coat that requires regular, at least weekly brushing to prevent it from matting. This breed is relatively healthy; they are only prone to health issues like hip dysplasia or thyroid functionality problems.

Training of the Howavart Dog is not too hard, but they require consistency, firmness and many patience; they never respond well to harsh, heavy-handed training methods. Early socialization and obedience training is a must. They are eager to learn special jobs like rescuing or tracking.

All in all, this breed needs a home that has at least a small, fenced yard to play and daily exercise to keep it happy – otherwise it can get destructive if bored.

I hope these few sentences will help you decide whether the Howavart is the ideal breed for you and your family.

It is very important to know that instincts of dogs don’t disappear as time goes by… this is why it’s very important to make it clear for the dog who is the Alpha, the Beta and others. You should know that a Hovawart will only obey to your commands if he places you above himself. If there are two adults in a family, one is usually and Alpha, the other one is the Beta and the dog comes only after. It is extremely important that if a child is born, the dog won’t place a kid above himself, only as the he/she gets older can come above the dog. This is the reason why you should never leave your child and dog alone. However, being a pack leader is not an easy role at all. You can’t turn into al Alpha just by using force. Being an Alpha means respect and leadership, being capable leader that the dog will follow.

Having been bred and design to be guardians to oversee livestock in fields, these dogs have what it takes to be dependable protectors. But do not get confused with an aggressive type of protection. These dogs show a more defensive stance instead for being an attacker. When raising a Hovawart, it is best to treat it as an intelligent companion that thinks and determines which action to take on various situations and not just react at anything that comes its way.

Heavy socialization is recommended so that it is exposed to the different stimuli and environments. The Hovawart is an independent dog and will tend to make most of its decisions without the owner. So like raising a child and pointing out what is good and bad, is a similar approach of training a Hovawart to shape its protective instincts.

Save money on vet bills! Do the basic health check yourself.

Usually before babies are born, soon to be parents can be seen flipping through baby name books and trying to pick out the perfect name for their bundle of joy. It is said that names have meanings like Leo for lion thereby granting the child with strength as he matures. The same can go for dogs.Take the Hovawart for example. These dogs originated from Germany’s Black Forest region and it was mainly utilized for guarding during the Middle Ages.

Taken from the old German vocabulary, “HOF” means “farm” and “Wart” translates to “watch” therefore the dog’s name meant farm watchdog. This breed was used to effectively watch flocks and alert its masters if there were any dangers. They are classified as herding dogs however they are not registered by the AKC, making them fall in the rare breed’s category.

The Hovawart is a medium sized dog whose history can be traced back to 1210, Germany. They have a powerful robust build with a deep and broad chest, well sprung ribs. Their skulls are broad with a rounded forehead and a deep muzzle that tapers towards the tip. Their noses are brown or depending on which coat they have.  Eyes are oval dark brown and their ears are triangular drop type ones which are high set. Their necks have no dewlap and strong.

Their skin is tight fitting and is covered with long slightly wavy fur that is laid close to the body. Hair on the head, the face and hindquarters are shorter than that on the chest, belly and forelegs. Hovawarts can come in 3 coat colors: black, blonde, and black with gold which is the most popular of the three.  Males are between 63 to 70 centimeters in height while females are 58 to 65 centimeters and weigh between 25 to 40 kilograms.

The Hovie, (as it is lovingly called) is often confused with a Golden Retriever to the untrained eye. Although it does have luscious fur like the Retriever, it is still a whole different breed! It also comes in Black, that the Golden Retriever never comes in. The correct colour descriptions of a Hovawart are Black, Black and Gold combination, and Blonde. The Black and Gold combination is the most popular colour of the breed. Below the different color schemes- so to speak- can be seen!