Breed standards

Komondor

Breed standards are the official guidelines that describe the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential.

Last Updated: 01 Sep 2000

FCI Standard No 53 dated 13 April 1993

Adopted in Australia 1 January 1994

Amended May 2001

Translated by Mrs C. Seidler and Mrs Elke Peper

Country of Origin:  Hungary

Group:
Group 5 (Working Dogs)
History:
General:

The Komondor is large in size and powerfully built. His appealing outward appearance and dignified deportment arouse respect and even fear in the observer. By nature he is not ingratiating. His robust body is covered in matted, corded, dense throughout, long hair. The body, seen sideways, forms a prone rectangle, little deviating from a square. The thickly coated head rises above the body. The tail is carried hanging down to its tip bent upwards, almost horizontal. The coat colour is ivory.

Important Proportions

The length of body slightly exceeds the height at withers.

The deepest point of the brisket is approximately on a level with half of the height at the withers.

The muzzle is slightly shorter than half of the length of the head.

Characteristics:

Not Specified.

Temperament:

He has an imperturbable courage in the guarding and defence of the herds entrusted to him and the property and home of his master. He attacks silently and enduringly. He regards his territory as his own property and will not tolerate any other living creature in it. His nature is suspicious. During the day, he likes to keep a lying position enabling him to control his area. At night, he is always on the move.

Head And Skull:

Cranial region: The head is broad, in good proportion to the body. Even the dense screen of hair does not make him appear out of proportion.

Skull: The skull is domed and the brows well developed.

Stop: Well developed but not too steep.

Nose: Straight, cut off bluntly, black.

Muzzle: Not pointed; the bridge of the nose is straight.

Lips: Black, tightly fitting to the mouth and jaw bones. Corner of the mouth jagged.

Jaws: Jaws very well muscled, strong and powerful.

Cheeks: Broad, of medium length.

Eyes:

Horizontally set, dark brown. The black rim tightly fitting to the eyeball.

Ear:

Set medium high, on the domed skull. Clearly pendant from the base and V or U shaped. Not raised either when alert or in attack.

Mouth:

Even and complete scissor bite, according to the dentition formula.

Neck:

Very well muscled. Should form an angle of 35 degrees to the horizontal. In quiet or peaceful situations, it is carried almost in continuation of the backline. Rather short than of medium length. Without dewlap or neck ruff.

Forequarters:

Judging of the limbs is highly affected by the long corded coat. Front legs are columnar and straight, parallel and vertical seen from the front or the side. The chest is broad which results in wide apart, strong and free moving legs. The limbs are firmly connected to the body. Bone substance is strong and powerful. Joints are large. The shoulder blades are moderately sloping. Points of the shoulder blade are placed vertically over the deepest point of the chest.

Body:

Topline: Those parts of the body, which form the topline, are broad and very well muscled.

Withers: Sufficiently long and clearly defined in front.

Back: Short.

Loin: Of medium length.

Croup: Broad, of medium length, slightly sloping.

Chest: Broad and well muscled. Brisket of medium depth, broad and long.

Underline: Slightly tucked up.

Hindquarters:

The position of the hind legs supports the body with medium angulations. Continuing the croup of medium length, broad, well-muscled limbs are required. The upper thigh is strongly muscled and voluminous.

Feet:

The forefeet are large and strong with well-knit toes. Pads are slate grey, thick and well padded. Toenails grey. The hind feet are longer than the forefeet, otherwise similar. Dewclaws to be removed.

Tail:

Low-set, clearly pendant. The tip of the tail shows a slight bend, almost to horizontal. It is desirable that the tail reaches to the hock. When alert, the tail is raised, at most, to the level of the back.

Gait/Movement:

Light, free and even. The stride is wide and ground covering.

Coat:

Skin: The skin contains a lot of pigment and is slate grey. Dark pigment at the gums and the roof of the mouth preferred. Diminished pigment and pink skin undesirable.

Coat: The whole body is covered by long hair. The coat consists of a coarser topcoat and finer undercoat. The characteristic coat is determined by the relation of the top coat to the undercoat. The shaggy coat that tends towards matting is a basic requirement. An equally dense, wavy, corded coat also occurs. The smaller tufts of hair are less matted or not matted at all. The coat is longest at the croup, at the loin region and on the rear of the upper thighs (at least 20-27 cm). On the back, at the sides of the chest and at the region of the shoulder blades, it is of medium length (15-22 cm), at the cheeks, the eyebrows, on top of the head, on the ears, the neck and the limbs, it is shorter (10-18 cm) and at the lips and the lower parts of the limbs shortest (9-11 cm). Neither a combed or completely neglected coat are desirable.

Colour:

Ivory colour.

Sizes:

Height at withers

Dogs: Minimum 70 cm

Bitches: Minimum 65 cm

Weight

Dogs: 50-60 kg

Bitches 40-50 kg

Faults:

The breed shows few faults in type as it has always been bred with the same target in mind. However, any departure from the foregoing points should be regarded as a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to the degree of the fault.

In particular:
Lack of pigment on noseleather, eyes and rims of eyelids.
Loose eyelids
Ring tail
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

Flabby construction, body lacking muscle.
Entropian, Ectropian.
Overshot or undershot, wry mouth.
Pricked, light ears.
Short tail (ending 3 cm above hock)
Heavy limbs and faulty movement.
Not ivory coloured or a multicoloured coat.
Diversion from lower height limit as mentioned in the standard.

Notes:

Male animals must have two apparently normal developed testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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