Group:Herding
Dogs named Hofewart^ meaning estate dog or farmyard warden, were mentioned and reproduced in documents and pictures since the 13th century. This dog was used to guard the courtyard, and a writer of that era told of his rescue as a baby by a wounded Hovawart. When the family castle was besieged, he was carried by the dog to a neighboring estate.
In those early times, stealing the Hovawart was penalized with a fine and a demand to replace the dog. The fine was higher for a nighttime theft than a day-time one because their worth as guards was so highly valued. The original Hofewart seemed to disappear with the German aristocracy. No mention of the breed was seen in formal dog circles for centuries. The breed reappeared around the turn of this century under the impetus of enthusiast Kurt Konig.
Much controversy exists over whether the 20th-century Hovawart was a "reinvented" breed or a resurrected one. Believers of the reinvention theory state that breeders used Leonb-ergers, German Shepherds, Newfoundlands, Kuvasz and the semi-wild African veldt dogs to create a tough working breed which looked like the Hofewart of old. It is hard to imagine type being established and dogs breeding true in a short period of time, after this extreme crossbreeding procedure—especially since neither the German Shepherd nor the Leonberger were themselves fixed in type at that time.
The resurrection proponents believe dogs of the old-type Hovawart survived on isolated farms and in remote rural areas of the Harz and Black Forest. These people contend that Konig and his cohorts scoured these areas, acquiring dogs that had the desired looks and temperament. It was these farm dogs that formed the base for the "new" breed.
Whatever the true story, type was well set in the early decades of this century and the German Kennel Club (VDH) recognized the Hovawart in 1937. The War years were hard on the breed. The new beginning of the breed had a tenuous hold, not only because of the cessation of breeding and scarcity of food during those years, but because many of the kennels were designated as part of the eastern zone when Germany was divided in 1945. Interested owners reaffirmed their dedication, and the Hovawart— although not in large numbers—now is firmly established in Germany. In the 1960s, breed enthusiasts saw sponsoring organizations formed in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark., Finland, Sweden and Scotland. Hovaw-arts were introduced to America in the 1980s.
Characterized as "weatherproof," intelligent, trustworthy and responsive to training, the Hovawart, however, tends to stay puppyish for a long time, and needs patience in training. Bred to protect their home and family, they are void of any hunting or roving tendencies. They work well with livestock in their role as farm dogs. Natural guardians even in puppyhood, the Ho-vawarts require a dominant hand. Care must be taken to assert the "pack leader" position of the human in this relationship. An aptitude for obedience and schutzhund work is apparent. A "job" and extensive exercise keeps them happy and fit. Hovawarts are good house dogs, being quiet in nature and requiring minimal coat care.
The breed is classified in Europe as a working dog, in the same group as German Shepherds, Boxers, Dobermans, Rottweilers and Giant Schnauzers. The breed organizations are very strict in selecting for good conformation, proper color, sound hips and health, and proper guardian temperament, which includes a gun shyness test. Puppies are guaranteed and German stock is 95-percent free of hip dysplasia.
