Slovak Cuvac - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
Slovak Cuvac is an European white mountain dogs that was derived from the Arctic wolves very long time ago. The Slovak Cuvac has a long history in Slovak mountains, where it was mostly used as livestock protector, but also as property guard, for pulling carts and of course as companion.
2) Antonin Hruza
The Slovak Cuvac was very popular in Slovak mountains, mostly for protecting the sheep from predators such as wolves, but in 1800s, their numbers started to decline. It was because modern herding practices were instituted and the numbers of wolves started to decline. In the first half of the 20th century, the Slovak Cuvac almost went extinct, but the breed was succesfully revived by Dr. Antonin Hruza, who founded the first stud book.

3) Flock Guardian
When the Slovak Cuvac is working and protecting, than it is absolutely dedicated for the job. The Slovak Cuvac is known for its courageous and independent natural guardians. They have inborn guarding tendencies which does not need to be taught. Important thing is, that they are defensive protectors and not offensive. These dogs will monitor the situation around the flock or property and if they detect some danger, they will scare it away by barking or defensive posture. This is not agressive or attack dog and the Slovak Cuvac should never show sign of agression without a reason.

4) Companion
But the Slovak Cuvac is not only brave protector. It is also loyal and faithful companion who tends to create extremely strong bond with its owner. They want to be part of the family and they want to be included in any kind of activity with you. They are also extremely good with kids, although, you should never leave a young child with any dog breed unsupervised. The Slovak Cuvac is known for its patience, gentleness and tolerance towards kids. But even though, they are great companion dogs, they are not for everyone. This is definitely not a dog for novices or unexperienced owners.

5) Size
The Slovak Cuvac is a big and strong dog, which is slightly longer than higher. The average height is between 59-70 cm, which is 25-28 inch and weight is usually between 31-44 kg, which is 68-97 lbs. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.

6) Other names
The Slovak Cuvac is also known under many other names, which can be little bit confusing, but all those names are describing the same dogs. The names include Slovensky Cuvac, Slovensky Kuvac, Tatransky Cuvac or Liptok.

7) Utilization
As you already know, the Slovak Cuvac is great livestock and property protector or family companion. But they were also used for some other jobs. The Slovak Cuvac can be service dog or search and rescue dogs. These dogs are known as great swimmers and are reported to have saved many people from drowning. In the past, they were also used as big game hunters or powerful border patrols in Slovakia.

8) White Mountain Dogs
The Slovak Cuvac is not the only white mountain dog from Europe. There is also the Kuvasz, Maremma Sheepdog, Great Pyrenees and Polish Tatra Sheepdog. Even though, all these dogs are very similar together and they serve the same purpose, they are all separate distinct breeds with different breed standards.

9) Maintenance
The doublecoat of Slovak Cuvac is always white, thick and very dense. It is pretty self cleaning and these dogs does not require much bathing, but they do need regular brushing to remove the dead hair. The Slovak Cuvac does shed, more heavily twice a year. The brushing will help to minimize the shedding, but it is impossible to stop it. Just like with all dogs, you should regularly check the eyes, ears, teeth and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
This is pretty hardy and healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 11-13 years. Just like majority of large dogs, they can ocassionaly suffer from hip dysplasia. These dogs can also be prone to bloating.