Can you recognize the Puli, Komondor and Bergamasco apart? All three share similar appearance due to the heavy matted, flocked or coarded coat. But they are all very different dog breeds, with different temperament, utilization, size and there are even important differences in the coat structure.

All three breeds are used to work with livestock, but they are used for different purposes. The Komondor and Puli are Hungarian breeds that most likely came to the area of todays Hungary with migrating Turkic speaking tribe, known as Cumans.

Most often, they worked as partners, where the large, strong and serious minded Komondor was guarding the livestock and it was protecting it from wolves or strangers and the lively, independent and alert Puli was used to herd the livestock. They most often worked with sheeps. So the Komondor is described as guard dog, while the Puli as herding dog.

Than we have the Italian Bergamasco. It is a breed developed in Italian Alps. They probably have ancestry in ancient Persia and they came to the Alps with nomadic people and their herds. Unlike the Puli and Komondor, who worked together and had separated roles in their job, the Bergamasco was doing everything on its own. It is both – herding and guarding dog breed.

Another difference in their utilization is the environement. While the Komondor and Puli most often work on vast plains, the Bergamasco is used to work in harsh mountainous environemnt of the Alps.

Now you know what is the brief history and utilizitaion of all three breeds. Now lets compare them based on their appearance and we will mainly focus on two areas – size and coat. Lets start with the size.

All three breeds were bred for their utilization, so it is only logical, that the herding dog Puli is the smallest, guardian Komondor is largest and Bergamasco, which is both – herder and protector – has size in between them.

The Puli needs to be quick and agile, so it has smaller size. The Komondor must be strong to deter any intruders and predators, so it the largest. Bergamasco is combination of both. But, the Bergamasco is heavier boned and lets say little bit more muscular than the Komondor.

What is connecting these breeds is their unique coat. It is definitely the most distinctive part of their appearance. The Komondor and Puli has the same coat type with the same cording style, but the Bergamascos coat is different. As you can see on this picture, all three breeds are born with soft coat that is not matted yet and they develop the corded coat later in life.

The Komondor and Puli has rope – like corded coat, which can reach the ground when they are few years old. The coat is formed naturally from the soft undercoat and the coarser outer coat combining to form tassels or cords.

The Bergamasco coat is not formed by rope like cords, but it is formed from long matted locks of hair. The Bergamasco coat is unique, as they not only have the wooly undercoat and coarse outercoat like the other two breeds, but they also have something called „goat hair“. The distribution of various hair types over the body is not homogenous. Some areas might be completely without any flocks, while others, especially the rear, will form mats or cords with maturity. The coat is formed by flocks and clumps, rather than cords.

The final form and look of Bergamasco is not as predictable as with Puli and Komondor, because of the variable presence of the goat hair. The Bergamasco has more unkept and unorganized appearance.

The coat of all three breeds have the same purpose. It is providing excellent protection against nature elements like bad weather and also against attacking predators.

Another difference is the color. The Komondor is always white. Puli comes in white, shades of gray, black and rusty black. And the Bergamasco can be gray, merle or black.

So now you know what is the difference in appearance, but there are also important differences in temperament of these breeds.

It is true that all three are independent, reliable, loyal and intelligent dogs. They need to be extremely independent, but also loyal, so they take instruction from its owner, but they must also be able to take action on their own.

The Puli is the most active and is always ready to herd something or someone. Just like majority of herding dogs, they excell at obedience or agility trials. They are always ready for any action, very active and lively.

The Komondor is much more laid back. They are also more territorial and you can see their natural guarding instincts. They are extremely loyal, protecting, but also loving.

And just like with the appearance, the Bergamasco is once again somewhere in the middle. Definitely not so active as Puli, but also not so laid back as Komondor, even though it is very relaxed breed. They also have protective instincts and may wary of strangers, but they accept the stranger faster and easier than the Komondor.  

 The Berger de Savoie is a dog breed from Southeast France and from local Savoie Alps, where it was used for centuries as a skilled all around farm dog, good at guarding the cows, shepherding, as draft dog or as search dog. It is a very versatile dog breed.
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There is not much documentation about the origin and ancestry of the breed, but it is mostly believed, that the breed evolved as a result of natural selection and by adapting to local mountainous envirnoment and lately to its guarding utilization. It evolved in very isolated geographical region and different types of this breed evolved over the time, based on a mountain valley, where they lived.

The breed was virtually unknown outside the Savoie region for a very long time and the breed was rediscovered in 1940s. Sadly, the numbers of the breed declined a lot in 20th century due to different reasons, such as decline in farming, import of foreign breeds or crossbreeding with other breeds.

Since 2002 group of fanciers, dog enthusiasts, farmers and veterinarians are working together to restore the population of this breed. But today, it is still a very very rare breed.

The Berger de Savoie is a medium to large sized dog breed with height around 21 inch, which is 53 cm and weight around 60 lbs, which is 27 kg. It is a muscular and athletic dog breed, typically with half-perked ears, broad head and tapered and longer muzzle.

The breed evolved in mountainous environment, so it is not surprising that it has a very dense doublecoat, which is providing good protection against cold and bad weather. The coat does not need any special maintenance, but it does shed some deal of fur all year long, so regular brushing is recommended to minimize the shedding. No other grooming is required.

The Berger de Savoie is known for its beautiful mottled color. The breed can be either merle, black and tan, sable and tricolor, all with with or without white markings and patches.

And what about the temperament of this breed? It is a hardy working, endurant and energetic dog breed that needs a lot of daily exercise to stay in good shape, healthy and happy.

The breed creates extremely strong bond with its owner and family. It is very loyal and sensitive breed, affectionate and attached to its master.

On the other hand, it is also pretty protective, alert, vigilant and tough dog. They must be like this, to be good at their original purpose. But they should never be agressive without a reason. It is also a very intelligent breed that can easily learn all the basic obedience commands.

These dogs should not have higher prey drive, so they can typically live with other household pets. They can also be good playful and loyal partners for kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.

The average lifespan of this breed is around 13 or 14 years, but because of its rarity, there are no studies and reports about the breeds health. It should usually be hard and healthy dog, which does not suffer much from any hereditary health issues.

 The Bull Terrier and Miniature Bull Terrier are two extremely similar and closely related dog breeds. For a very long time, they belonged to the same collective breed, but recently, in 1990s, they were recognized as two separate breeds by the AKC.
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Many people believe, that the Miniature Bull Terrier is a downsized version of the Bull Terrier, but that is not true. In reality, the first Bull Terriers that were developed in 19th century England were about the same size as the modern day Mini Bull Terrier. Some breeders wanted to increase the size of this breed, so they crossed it with a Spanish Pointer and possibly some other breeds, which resulted in modern day Bull Terrier.

So indeed, the Miniature Bull Terrier pre-dates the „standard“ Bull Terrier and it is the older breed.

So as you can see, these two dogs are extremely closely related together, and even the American Kennel Club say, that except the size, these dogs are almost identical in every other aspect, including appearance, temperament and maintenance.

It is true, that on a single photo, it is impossible to say, if it is a Miniature or Standard Bull terrier. You can only see the difference, when they stand next to each other, just like on this photo. The average height of the Mini Bull Terrier is between 10-14 inch, which is 25-35 cm and height of Bull Terrier is typically somewhere around 21 or 22 inch, which is 53 to 55 cm. Breed standards do not say anything about the weight, but it should be proportional to the body.

There is no other real difference in the appearance of these two dog breeds. They both have the typical egg shaped head, muscular body, triangular ears and both come in wide spectrum of colors.

The temperament of these two breeds is also identical. Both breeds are described as energetic and lively, courageous, full of spirit and with fun loving attitude. They are very friendly with its family, but if socialized properly, they are friendly with almost everyone. Some might be independent and kind of stubborn, which is the main reason why they are not the perfect fit for unexperienced dog owners. They are perfect family dogs, as they typically absolutely love children and they are devoted to the whole family. This description applies to both breeds and there really is not difference between the temperament of Miniature Bull Terrier and Bull Terrier.

Of course, the Miniature Bull Terrier is little bit more manageable, as they need little bit less of exercise and they can live in smaller space. But they are still active dogs, neither of those breeds are coach potatoes, but it is true that the larger Bull Terrier needs little bit more exercise.

Both breeds are also very easy to maintain, as they do not need almost any grooming at all. You should only brush the coat from time to time to keep it in best possible condition. And thats it, no other grooming is required.

In conclusion, there really is not much difference except the size in those two breeds. So if you are choosing between them, you should only look at the size. If you prefer smaller dog, than go for Miniature Bull Terrier, but if you like medium sized breeds, than go for the normal Bull Terrier.  

1) Origin
The breed was developed in 17th century in historical swedish province Smaland. They are descendants of various European Hounds from Germany, Poland and Baltic regions, that were brought back to Sweden with returning Swedish soldiers. These dogs naturally cross with each other and later, they were also crossed with local swedish spitz like farm dog, which created the foundation stock for the Smalandsstovare.

2) Hunter
The Smalandsstovare was mainly bred by swedish farmers as all around hunting dog breed, specialized on hunting hare and fox, but also squirrels, birds or even large game such as moose. Farmers could not afford more hunting dogs, which is why the Smaland Hound was trained to be independent hunter and they were not used to hunt in packs. This dog is using its strong sense of smell, deep voice and high endurance on the hunt, as well as its high prey drive and chasing instinct. Overall, it is very good hunting breed.

3) Not a Rottweiler
Due to a similar coloration, the Smaland Hound is often times mistaken with Rottweiler or Doberman, but this breed has no links to these two dogs. They are much smaller than the Rottweiler and they have much slimmer face and the similarities are purely accidental and this truly is completely separate dog breed.

4) Companion
Of course, this is not only a hunter, but also amazing lively, loyal and intelligent companion dog. They are very playful and affectionate dogs that create very strong bond with its owner and family and they tend to be very protective over their loved ones. On the other hand, they are known to be suspicious and alert around strangers, but they should never be agressive without a reason. Unlike many other hounds, these dogs were not used to work in large packs, which is why they do not need company of other dogs, but of course, they can be socialized to live with other dogs. Other household pets might be little bit more problematic, because of the high prey drive of Smaland Hound. The Smalandsstovare can be good playful partners for kids as well, but of course, they should never be left with a very young child unsupervised.

5) Exercise
It is important to say that the Smalandsstovare is only suitable as companion pet for active owners and families. They are used to hunt all day long and they need some form of mental and physical exercise to stay healthy and happy and in good shape. It is absolutely essential to provide this dog with long daily walks, jogs, hikes, playtime, fun training session, etc. Otherwise they might become bored and possibly develop some unwanted behaviour such as destruction.

6) Size
The Smalandsstovare is a muscular, robust, but still very athletic dog breed with almost square shaped body. The average height is typically between 41-53 cm, which is 16-21 inch and weight between 15-20 kg, which is 33-44 lbs. Females are naturally slightly smaller than males.

7) Coat and color
The coat of Smaland Hound is in medium length and it is very coarse to touch. The coat is lying very close to the body and it is very shiny and straight. It is a doublecoated dog. The most common color is black and tan, but the markings can range in color from shades of amber to a reddish brown.

8) Maintenance
The dense doublecoat of Smalandsstovare sheds some deal of fur all year long, more heavily during shedding seasons. Regular brushing is ideal to remove all the loose and dead hair and minimize the shedding. No other grooming is required. Just like with any other dog breed, you should regularly check the dogs ears, eyes, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

9) Standardization
For a long time, this breed was bred for purpose, rather than for appearance. Farmers needed a hunting dog and they did not care how it looked. That is why the Smaland Hound came in variety of sizes, colors or different tail types even at the end of 19th century. 19Th century is a date, when selective breeding was put into practice and when the Smaland Hound as we know it today was created. Today, the breed is recognized in many kennel clubs around the world. Next to the swedish kennel club, it is officially recognized by the FCI, UKC or CKC.
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10) Health
The average lifespan of this breed is around 13 or 14 years and it is not linked with any serious genetic health issues. Overall, this is very healthy and hardy breed. They can still suffer from typical doggy health issues like some allergies, infections, eye problems or joint problems, but none of these health issues should not be extremely common in this dog breed.

Are dogs colorblind? Many people believe that dogs only see the world in black and white. Well, that is not true and dogs can really see colors, but they see the world differently than us, than humans. Today i will show you how do dogs see colors, what colors they can see, what is the reason for the difference in color vision and how can you use all these information to make your dogs life better.

Dogs are believed to see the world the way, as you can see in this picture (see in video above). So we could say, that they are colorblind from our perspective, but that does not mean they only see black, grey and white.

To understand why do dogs see the world they do, it is important to understand how we see the colors. People have three color receptors, called cones, that perceive the full range of the visible light spectrum. These color receptors enable to recognize blue, green and red color.

If a person is missing one color receptor, than he is called color blind. He still sees colors, but he will have a problem with some colors and shades and he might for example confuse pink with blue or yellow with green. This is exactly, i am colorblind, but i can see colors. But i have a problem to differentiate between similar shades and similar colors.

And just like color blind person, even dogs only have two color receptors, instead of three. This is the reason why they have problems to see red and green color and shades of these colors, such as pink, purple, and orange. Here you can see compared color spectrum of humans and dogs view.

On the other hand, dogs do not have any problems in seeing shades of blue, brown and yellow. And of course, they can also see black, white and grey.

So if you will be buying your dog a new toy, it is always better to choose blue or yellow toy, instead of red toy. It can also explains, why some dogs will go crazy when they see yellow tennis ball, but they are not so enthusiastic when they see red ball. They can also for example loose a red toy in grass more easily than the same toy in blue color. But of course, some dogs will go crazy for any kind of a ball.

But you do not need to be sad, that your dog is not enjoying the world in the same colors as you do. Keep in mind, that they might have slightly worse sight than you do, but they have much much better hearing and sense of smell, which makes up for the seeing. Andi can guarantee you, as a color blind person, the world is still looking great, even with less colors.

And dogs only have worse vision during the day. At night, they actually have much much better vision than we do. It is because dogs developed their senses as nocturnal hunters, to hunt at night. Thanks to that, they have larger lens and corneal surface and a reflective membrane that enhance the night vision.

So now you know how do dogs see the world. They are not completely colorblind, they just see the world in different spectrum of colors.

1) Origin
The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne is an ancient French breed with Pyrenean origins. The breed is most likely offspring of medium sized Bleu de Gascogne with the Griffon Nivernais and possibly even with the Grand Griffon Vendéen. All three are another French hounds.
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2) Hunting
The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne is a hunter. Hunting was extremely popular in France and this breed was used for hunting by royalty, but also by commoners. They most often hunted hare and other smaller game, but when needed, they were able to go hunt for example wild boar or deer as well. The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne can hunt in large packs, but thanks to their independence, they are also able to hunt alone. It is extremely versatile hunter. Their extraordinary sense of smell and very high prey drive are their biggest weapons on the hunt, next to their endurance and loud voice.

3) Rare breed
The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne is a rare breed, rarely seen outside France and northwest Spain, but in the past, they were quite popular over the Europe, but their numbers were declining for many decades as the hunting dogs were not needed that much anymore and they almost went extinct. But lately, the breed is experiencing a revival and luckily, they are not on the verge of extinction anymore. Today the breed is officially recognized by some of the largest kennel clubs around the world, like FCI or UKC.

4) Companion
Of course, this is not only a hunter, but, just like all the dogs, loyal companion. The breed standard describes this dog as highly excitable, but affectionate. It is also extremely loyal breed with independent mind, but overall friendly demeanor towards its own family. They are pretty alert towards strangers and they can be trained to be okay watchdogs, but they should never be agressive without a reason. They can happily live in a pack with other dogs, especially if socialized together from the puppyhood, but because of their hunting instincts, it might be challenging to socialize them with other household pets. They are also good playful partners for kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.

5) Exercise
This is definitely not a city dweller. The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne is highly energetic dog breed with high exercise needs. They need a lot of daily exercise, physical and mental, just as they need a lot of human interaction. Without these things, they will be unhappy and potentionally develop some unwanted behaviour, like excessive barking. You can take them on long walks to the woods, hikes, jogs or simply play with them. They will love it all.

6) Size
This is medium to large sized dog breed with well built muscular body. The average height is between 50-57 cm, which is 19-23 inch and weight is typically between 35-60 lbs, which is 16-27 kg. Females are naturally slightly smaller than males.

7) Coat and color
This breed has a very descriptive name, which will tell you all you need to know about the dogs coat. Griffon is describing wiry coated hounds from France and Bleu is describing the blue like coat color. De Gascogne is describing geographical region, where these dogs originated. So the breeds name can be literally translated as blue colored and wiry coated hunting breed of Gascogne region. And indeed, the coat of this breed is rough and shaggy and the coats color is white mottled with black, giving a slate blue overall appearance.

8) Bleu de Gascogne
The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne is one of the four breeds that are part of the Bleu de Gascogne family, next to the Petit Bleu de Gascogne, Grand Bleu de Gascogne and Basset Bleu de Gascogne. All four share the same coat pattern, but the Griffon is the only one with longer and rough coat.

9) Maintenance
Speaking of the coat, it is important to mention the grooming and maintenance as well. The breed has quite unkept appearance, but it will still benefit from regular brushing and combing, which will remove all the dead hair. No other grooming is required and the grooming routine is quite simple. Just like with any other breed, you should also regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
There is not much documentation about the breeds health, but it should be generally healthy and hardy breed with average lifespan around 12 or 13 years. The breed is not linked with any serious health issues, but they can ocassionally suffer from ear infections, hip and elbow dysplasia and different allergies.