Dog breed · Hungary
The Pumi (in Hungarian, the plural form is pumik) is a medium-small breed of sheep dog from Hungary. They are capable herding dogs, able to gather and work close to farm stock, particularly sheep, to keep them under control. Pumis have an extended, tapered muzzle with prominent ears, and a tail curled over their back, and are sometimes described as having a whimsical expression. The double coat (black, white, grey, or fawn) has a mix of wavy and curly hair.
The Pumi is considered to have arisen from the cross-breeding of Hungarian Puli with French and German herding dogs from the 17th century onwards. The international breed standard was approved in 1935. The Pumi became an officially recognised breed in the US in 2011 and in the UK in 2015. There are over 2,000 Pumis registered in Hungary, with notable populations in Finland and Sweden and small but growing numbers of registrations in the US, UK and Germany.
Some refer to the Pumi as the "Hungarian herding terrier" because it has some terrier-like attributes such as quick movement, alert temperament, and a quadratic, lean and muscular body type.
Temperament: The Pumi is alert, lively, expressive, bold, a little suspicious of strangers, but never overly aggressive or shy, somewhat vocal and always ready for action. They can be very protective of their own families. Early socialisation is important.
Pumis are intelligent and bark easily, but are easy to train. As a herding dog, the Pumi is intelligent and alert, and should be kept busy with activities such as herding, dog agility and trick and obedience training, and given plenty of exercise. Pumis are good with children and other animals, as long as they are trained from an early age. It retains a playful temperament into adulthood and this, together with its tufted ears, gives its Hungarian nickname, "the clown".
A well-socialised Pumi with mental stimulation and plenty of physical activity should not have behavioural problems, but some natural behaviours that might become a problem if not managed properly include digging, barking, and a tendency to try to herd people. The Pumi was bred as a herding dog and it is still so used today, working close to and driving livestock with its rapid movement, barking, and the occasional nip. It has also acted as a guard dog barking at any strange person or animal. Consequently, it can be a vocal breed and dogs that are not engaged in farm work should be discouraged from barking unnecessarily. The Pumi can be protective and stubborn.
Appearance: Pumis are medium-sized dogs that can be in varying shades of grey, white, or fawn (known as 'fako' in Hungary). Grey Pumis are the most common, born black, and ranging from almost black to light grey in adulthood. Puppies usually start greying at six to eight weeks old and the shade progressively lightens. The final shade is predicted by the colour of the parents. Other accepted colours are black, white, and cream to red with a darker mask, known as fawn with mask. An analysis of 1023 Pumi puppies carried out in 2009 by the University of Debrecen found that 56% were born black turning grey, 14% were black, 13% white, 11% grey, and 4% are fawn-coloured. Brown, mottled or blue-merle-coloured puppies are born occasionally.
The thick coat is curly and of medium length approximately 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) long and consisting of a harsh topcoat and soft undercoat, which provides good insulation and enables the dog to tolerate extremes of weather. The coat grows constantly (similar to that of the Poodle) and, if grooming is not maintained, it may start matting. The adult coat begins to grow at about nine months of age, and has little to no shedding. The coat is maintained by combing every few weeks, and trimming every two to four months. The Pumi is known for its alert and lively ears, which are high-set and carried semi-erect and with longer hair than the body.
The Pumi is a square, light-bodied dog which looks somewhat larger because of its thick coat with a long, narrow head. The muzzle is 45% of the length of the head, which is of equal length to the neck. The stop is barely noticeable, and the skull is flat when seen from the side. The eyes are small, dark, and slightly oblique. Movements are lively and energetic as is the Pumi itself.
Male Pumis stand 41 to 47 cm (16 to 19 in) at the withers and weigh 10 to [dose — ask your vet] (22 to 33 lb); bitches are 38 to 44 cm (15 to 17 in) and weigh 8 to [dose — ask your vet] (18 to 29 lb).
Health: Pumis have a typical life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. Known medical issues are a knee problem called patella luxation and canine hip dysplasia. Responsible breeders have DNA testing performed for degenerative myelopathy and an eye disease called primary lens luxation, although neither is common. They also screen for patellar luxation and sometimes for elbow dysplasia.
A study looking at a million dogs that had undergone genetic screening identified the gene RPGRIP1 as being prevalent in 4.65% of Pumi dogs. This gene is responsible for cone-rod dystrophy.
History: This breed emerged in the 17th–18th Century as a descendent from the Puli, German spitz, French Briard and some type of terrier. The breed was first mentioned by name in 1815 but it was regarded by many as a regional variation of the Puli. In 1921, the breed was recognised as a distinct breed when Emil Raitsitz distinguished the Pumi from the Puli by writing a separate breed standard for the Pumi.
The breed evolved spontaneously and was not the result of planned breeding. Pulis were cross-bred with German Pomeranians and Spitzes, French Briards, and several varieties of terriers during the 17th and 18th century. In the 18th century, many Merino sheep were imported to Hungary, along with small Pyrenean Mountain Dogs that probably contributed to development of the Pumi producing dogs with a shorter and curlier coat. The first known drawing of a Pumi is from 1815.
The breeding of pedigree dogs began on the initiative of Count István Széchenyi, founder of the Hungarian Academy of Science. Within the Austro-Hungarian empire, during the later part of the 19th century, breeding of native Hungarian dogs was not encouraged. During the early twentieth century, Hungarians separated their herding dogs into the various breeds according to their phenotypes, and so the first distinction between Puli and Pumi was published in 1902. The Puli was most common on the east Hungarian plains the Pumi in the hills of west Hungary with the Mudi common in southern Hungary. In the 1910s, controlled breeding began, but many large herds and their dogs were lost during the First World War, and the subsequent division of Hungary.
