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Hovawart

alert / intelligent / faithful
Foundation Stock Service >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

23-28 inches

Weight

65-90 pounds

Life Expectancy

10-14 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    90% 90%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    80% 80%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    40% 40%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    40% 40%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    80% 80%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    80% 80%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    80% 80%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    90% 90%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    80% 80%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    40% 40%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    40% 40%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    80% 80%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    80% 80%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    80% 80%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The Hovawart is a versatile working dog with a medium disposition who has an excellent nose. He is kind, level-headed, instinctively protective, self-assured, and capable of handling stress. He makes a fantastic companion, watches, guards, tracking, and rescue dog because of his proportionately balanced body and exceptional commitment to his family. Hovawarts are huge, heavy-boned canines that have been developed to be shrewd home and livestock guardians. They are available in three shades: black, black and tan, and blonde. They have a great sense of humor and are tenacious, loyal, and intellectual. A Hovawart prefers to be given a task to complete, or else he will utilize his inventiveness to find one. Their maturation takes about two years.

Currently, Hovawarts are being trained as service dogs and engaging in search and rescue operations, therapy dog activities, obedience and agility competitions, and flyball. Hovawarts are not advised for first-time dog owners because they may be fairly challenging to own and require a lot of time and attention from their owners. However, the payoff is a devoted companion for a dog owner who is prepared to put up the effort to teach their dog acceptable habits in various scenarios. The Hovawart is a pet for families.

It must be a part of family life and form a tight link with the owner and family since it forms a strong bond with its “pack.” It does not mind spending the odd hour with the family if it has been successfully assimilated.

What To Expect When Caring For a Hovawart

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

Hovawarts are generally in good health and have long lives. Owners should be ready to devote this amount of time to their care as they may expect an average lifetime of 10 to 14 years. Breed-specific diseases are not a known problem, and the prevalence of hip dysplasia has been estimated at less than 5%. This is a remarkably low rate for a huge breed dog.  

Grooming

The Hovawart does not require much grooming because it has a thin undercoat. A light brushing every now and again will be sufficient, excluding the shedding season. In addition, taking a bath every now and then will maintain them clean and at their finest. Regular trimming of their thick, quickly growing nails with a nail clipper or grinder is advised to prevent overgrowth, splitting, and cracking. To prevent a buildup of wax and debris that could cause an infection, examine their ears frequently. You should brush your teeth frequently.  

Exercise

Hovawarts are a big breed, so the more space they have for running, the happy they'll be. Although a sizable fenced-in yard is ideal, other activities like hiking and visits to dog parks can make up for part of this shortage. It requires at least one hour of walking each day, in addition to three or four shorter walks. Dog sports training, such as agility, obedience, and rally, can also be a terrific method to exercise your dog. Apartments frequently lack the space or size needed for the required activities.    

Training

The greatest ways to tame a Hovawart's protective instincts are through socialization and exposure to various circumstances and stimuli. This makes use of the dog's intelligence to ensure a measured response and enables the dog to comprehend how each scenario should be handled. Without instructions, the Hovawart will decide on his own course of action, which might not be what you desire. Training is required so that the dog can learn how to think for itself and not just rely on instincts. It takes training for dogs to develop appropriate guarding instincts, thus it is important to expose them to these circumstances. The Hovawart owner must use greater caution, intention, direction, and consistency than his dog. The Hovawart requires a trustworthy commander. Harsh techniques of teaching have no beneficial effect on him; it is much more crucial to establish and uphold the underlying trust that the animal desires to have in its pack leader.    

Nutrition

You should give your Hovawart a formula that will meet all of their special digestive needs as they travel through different life stages. Breed-specific recipes are available from several dog food manufacturers for small, medium, big, and extra-large breeds. The Hovawart is a big breed with a 10- to 14-year lifespan. Choosing what to feed your dog is a personal decision, but the best method to choose how frequently to feed him as a puppy and the best adult diet to lengthen his life is to consult your vet and/or breeder. Fresh water that is clean should always be accessible.    

History

A very old working dog breed from Germany is the Hovawart. Hova = Hof (=yard, farm) and wart = Wächter (=watchman) are the names’ etymological roots in Middle High German, an ancient variety of German. Since 1922, the breeding of this breed has been resumed using dogs of a kind that is still prevalent on farms. Apart from this, crosses with German Shepherd Dogs, Newfoundlands, Leonbergers, and other breeds were permitted in the early years of breeding. The original operating type was once again reached as a result of the stringent criteria used to choose the breeding stock. The Hovawart was given official recognition by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1937. The breed was once more in danger due to the events of World War II. It was challenging to maintain and care for dogs. With the few dogs left behind after the war, various breeders made an effort to resuscitate the breed. The Rassezuchtverein für Hovawart-Hunde e.V. was founded in 1948. (RZV) was established in the Federal Republic of Germany by a few of these organizations, and it joined the German Kennel Club’s Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH).