Hovawart

German Hovawart, Bavarian Watchdog

The Hovawart is a magnificent dog with many qualities. His wonderful character and particular aptitudes for guarding, defence and searching make him a very popular dog. Families love him as a companion and protection dog. Police and security officers love him to help them deter and apprehend suspects, or conduct avalanche searches, and for sniffing out drugs and explosives. People with disabilities, whether hard of hearing or sight impaired, use them as an aid in everyday tasks. Whatever the function required, he stands out by his many qualities. Today, this wonderful dog is a life companion par excellence for many people who are happy to own this superb dog.

Height 58 to 70 cm
Weight 25 to 35 kg
Life expectancy 13 to 14 years
Home country Germany

Quick Overview of the Hovawart

Temperament

  • Kind and loving
  • Hates solitude
  • Guardian and good protector
  • Naturally distrustful

Appearance

  • Slightly elongated shape
  • Hairy silhouette
  • Pleasant nice dog impression
  • Long, strong and tight hair

Health

  • Very robust
  • Generally healthy
  • No particular pathology
  • Excellent life expectancy

Temperament of the Hovawart

Kind and affectionate, he hates solitude. Guardian and good protector, he is naturally distrustful of strangers.

This versatile working dog is well-balanced and good-natured. His character is ideal for family life, protection, search and rescue and even tracking.

He is rather of a dominant nature, and if he has to live with other dogs, his education must be adequate.

hovawart personnalité

Breed Appearance

hovawart

The Hovawart is a medium-size, vigorous working dog with a slightly elongated shape.

His hairy silhouette leaves a pleasant impression of nice dog, but this apparent softness hides a solid protective guardian that will stop at nothing.

Height

Between 63 and 70 cm (24.80 to 27.56 inches) for the male
Between 58 and 65 cm (22.83 to 25.59 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 25 and 35 kg (55.12 to 77.16 pounds) for the male
Between 25 and 35 kg (55.12 to 77.16 pounds) for the female

Color

His pretty dress can vary between red, black and blond, black and black and red.

Hair

The long hair of his coat is strong and dense. It is also tight but slightly wavy, and has a light undercoat.

Morphology

His strong, powerful and wide head has a well marked stop. His pretty dark brown eyes have a beautiful oval shape.

His triangular ears fall along the cheeks and are set high. His nose is black. His tail is bushy and extends beyond the tip of the hock.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 2, section 2 and is #190

Price and monthly budget

Price you can expect to pay for a Hovawart puppy: between 900 € / $ 1 / £1 and 1100 € / $ 1 / £1
These prices are indicative and may vary from breeder to breeder
Average monthly budget for a Hovawart: 120 € / $ 1 / £1
The monthly budget includes the average expenses for food and hygiene products (grooming, anti-parasite...)

Hovawart puppies near me

Hovawart pictures

Tips About this breed

This magnificent dog has many wonderful qualities that make him a truly exceptional companion.

The Hovawart looks like a nice dog, and acts like one in the family. He hates solitude and can't stand being away from his family.

Good-natured dog, he loves children, with whom he is always very protective.

However, his gentle poochy appearance can quickly change if he feels his family is threatened, so he doesn't hesitate and listens only to his courage to defend his family against all potential dangers.

This superb specimen can withstand outdoor life very well as he is very resistant to temperature variations.

He tolerates cold better than heat, but he loves wind, rain and winter.  He loves being covered with snow in winter.

He is well protected from harsh climatic conditions thanks to his long and abundant coat.

However, even if he can bear bad weather very well, he hates being alone, so he must be able to benefit from the presence of his family as often as possible.

He can adapt to anything and live just about anywhere.

As he is protective and somewhat dominant, his education must be undertaken early and commensurate with his strong temperament.

The master has to impose himself and not allow his dog to become leader the pack. The family hierarchy must be instilled in him, so that he knows his role in the household.

Socialization with peers and protective instincts must be well mastered through good education.

Health of the Hovawart

Not at all fragile, this very robust dog generally enjoys excellent health.

Since the previous problems of hip dysplasia have practically disappeared, the current breed has no particular pathology and generally enjoys an excellent life expectancy.

GROOMING

His superb coat requires weekly brushing, but no other special care is needed to keep his coat beautiful and healthy.

History of this breed

Originally from Germany, the Hovawart breed probably began in the Middle Ages, apparently descended from the Tibetan Mastiff.

Although he has probably existed for a very long time, the official breed is only very recent. He owes his name to medieval German, where the words "Hova" means court and "Wart" means guardian. The Hovawart is therefore, literally speaking, a court guardian.

At the very beginning, crossbreeding was done between Newfoundlanders, German Shepherds, Leonbergs and many other breeds, but the desired type of working dog was finally obtained, thanks to very strict selection criteria.

Regularly suffering from hip dysplasia at the time, today's breed is much less affected by this flaw thanks to a very strict selection of breeding specimens.

It is in 1922 that the reconstitution and very strict selection of the breed began, but his official recognition was only obtained in 1970.

As his name implies, the Hovawart is an excellent guardian. Whether of the court, the home, his masters or their property, this dog is a guardian and protector at heart. He also stands out as an excellent tracking and utility dog.

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