Hovawart

wliu003wliu003
edited July 2010 in Other Breeds
Hey everyone,

Recently, one of my best friends has been coming over a lot with his golden retriever to play with Kelly. They are both very strong willed but actually get along nicely (which is a relief for me since Kelly can be bossy sometimes =p) and I really started to enjoy playing with a golden retriever. They are such sweet dogs - and perhaps its because shibas don't give off a great deal of affection - but I enjoyed having a dog like the golden retriever around.

Anyways, the reason why I am posting was cause I recently took a quiz for fun on breeds that may match my lifestyle and one of the results that I got was the Hovawart. Upon looking them up I found that they look strikingly similar to a golden retriever and I actually really like the description of their breed. So far they seem like a great breed and perhaps one that I may look into in the future.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/hovawart.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovawart

However - I don't want to rely on those sites so I was wondering if anyone on the board has any experience with them and would like to share their experiences?

Comments

  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Never heard of this breed before...maybe call around & ask some breeders about the temperament to learn more.

    The face reminds me of a Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever [ love them! ] ~
  • okironokiron
    edited November -1
    Link the quiz! :)

    Never heard of the breed but I kinda like how they look.
  • Brego_mellon_ninBrego_mellon_nin
    edited November -1
    The hovawart is a lovely dog! Temperament wise I have heard from owners, that they are affectionate, calm and gets along with anyone, dog or man. Apart from the slight differences in appearance, they remind me a lot of the goldens...
  • ala-chanala-chan
    edited November -1
    A friend of mines cares for a Hovawart three times a week and she is lovely. Not the easiest dog though. She doesn't get along with all dogs and she doesn't like strangers ecpecially men. But to people she likes she is very loyal and sweet.

    There is a great German Hovawart-page:
    http://www.hovawart-info.de/
    I'm gonna translate some important parts for you. :)

    According to this page the name "Hovawart" origins from "Hofwächter" which means guardian of the estate, so it's a guarding dog. It was re-bred to create a more independant protection dog than the GSD. The goal was a dog with "bravery, bitingness(fierceness?), strength, agility, endurance, durability, will to work and intelligence".
    It needs to be educated with affection, but consistence.
    It is a great companion dog if educated well, that can compete well in dog sports etc, but it needs to be with its family and it needs variety, because otherwise it gets bored. On the one hand it is a lovely, sensitive dog, but on the other hand it is not so easy to keep and educate like retrievers.
    With children they are sweet and tolerant and just go away, if they are annoyed.

    The most important part is the comparison to other breeds:
    Even though it looks pretty much like a retriever, it is a different breed. It is more territorial and less willing to please. It has a strong will and tends to make decisions on its own. This is an active breed, more active than the rottweiler, but less active and nervous than the doberman.
    They are not perfect for dog sports because they are very alert and thus easier to distract. They are not as easy forgiving bad treatment as GSDs do.

    It needs a lot of exercise and good socialisation to learn that "impressing" dogs like akita and husky only look like that. And good behaviour is really important for Hovawarts to get along with other dogs - they don't like other dogs being rude or "disrespectful".


    So all in all I think Hovawarts are like Akitas in different shape and a more territorial character. Less hunting drive and perhaps more will to please, but really different from the retrievers.
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the translation Laura! [ I love how international we are on this forum! ] ~
  • Brego_mellon_ninBrego_mellon_nin
    edited November -1
    Wauw that's not what I've heard. Guess the owners I talked to were either very good at training their dogs, very lucky or lying weasels ;o)
  • wliu003wliu003
    edited November -1
    Thanks so much for the translation! We really appreciate it. They sound pretty wonderful, I like the fact that they look lovely like a golden retriever but they kind of have that aloof and protective personality. Awesome dogs!

    Here is the link to the quiz: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm
  • wliu003wliu003
    edited November -1
    Tanja - From what I have read on other websites, the description of temperament was consistent with what Laura translated for us. Maybe your friends really have golden retrievers =p

    Thanks for sharing - appreciate it!
  • Brego_mellon_ninBrego_mellon_nin
    edited November -1
    Haha, yeah maybe they've confused their Goldens with Hovawarts. Sorry for the confusion, and they are not really friends, just people from a danish dog forum...
  • ala-chanala-chan
    edited November -1
    What was also said on the website was that since for the re-breeding many breeds were crossed into the breed, there are greater differences between different lines (at least in Germany), so you just need to take a look at different breeders and their dogs to get the temperament you want. That's the same with every breed to some part, but the Hovawarts seem to have a greater variety...?
    And no thanks for the translation work, that was fun to do and it helps me improve my language a little... ;) (If some of my words or sentences don't make sense, please tell me! lol )
  • JanneeJannee
    edited November -1
    Never seen or heard of this breed before, but they most certainly look interesting. When going over their looks, they remind me a little of my own dog. :)

    Thanks for sharing all this info!
  • okironokiron
    edited November -1
    I got a freaking beagle lmao. Funny thing is, that's the breed I wanted growing up. Don't care too much for them now.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    Ha, these are the results I got on the quiz.

    American Mastiff (Panja)

    American Pit Bull Terrier

    American Staffordshire Terrier

    Black Mouth Cur

    Bull Terrier

    Original English Bulldogge

    Perro de Presa Mallorquin

    Shar-Pei

    Staffordshire Bull Terrier

    No big surprise there.
  • shishiinushishiinu
    edited November -1
    I got a Ainu in the list of dogs. Hell yeah.
  • ala-chanala-chan
    edited November -1
    lol living in an appartment sucks... I got Chihuahua, Finnish Spitz, Japanese Spitz, Miniature Pinscher, Papillon, Pomeranian, Sheltie...
    All that cute fluffy stuff! :D
    (I really have a soft spot for Papillons and Pomeranians though... If I wouldn't bike and skate so much... lol )
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