If you're walking with a Puli, you attract attention. If you got two white ones certainly. And if besides that they're also very noisy, succes is guaranteed.

Most people make comments to each other, but every once in a while somebody dares to ask us some questions. Most of the time these are the same 'classic' questions. While visiting our website, you'll probably have the same questions. Hence this FAQ-page.


 

What kind of breed is that?

Do you make these braids yourselves? Can you comb them?

How are the cords formed? Do they moult a lot?

Can they see something?

Don't they get too warm in this coat?

Can I touch them?

Why is that dog's hair like that?

Are they good with children?


 

What kind of breed is that?

The Puli is a thousands years old breed. It's a Hungarian pastoral breed, but they originated much more eastward than Hungary. There are archeological finds which show that about sixthousand years ago the Asian nomads had dogs that look just like the modern Puli. These were used as cattle- and sheepdogs, but also as guard-dogs.

Nowadays the Puli isn't used that much as sheepdog anymore (which is a pitty of course), but their lively character and intelligence make them especialy usefull for canine sports like obedience and agility.

They are devoted to their own family, but they welcome strangers with a lot of barking. In Hungary they're still used frequently as guard-dogs.

 


 

Do you make these braids yourselves? Can you comb them?

The cords form in a totaly natural way. We don't do that much on them. Combing is not only unnecessary, it's even impossible.

When Pulis are puppies, they have a weavy coat. When they are about ten months old, the matting begins. At this age, they need a lot of attention. Sometimes the cords do not form regular, you'll have to do it yourself. Cords that are too thick need to be teared in two. Also needs to be looked out for 'packs' of felt under the ears and tail or in the arm-pits and groins.

When the cords are long enough (about ten centimeter), the movement of the dog does the most maintenance for the coat. The cords tear up unto the skin. It's still necessary to watch out for problems once a week. Sometimes cords need to be manually teared apart. There's absolutely no daily grooming.

When the cords finaly reach the ground, everything that actualy touches the ground should be cut. If you're walking with the dog after a rain-shower and the cords drag on the surface the whole time, your Puli will be soaking wet. The cords absorb the moisture very easily. The paws also need to be looked at. The coat on them needs to be cut regularly, if you don't do that, there can form mats between the toes. Or the dog might step on his own cords. Both are very painfull.

(Also look to the grooming).

 


 

How are the cords formed? Do they moult a lot?

Like in most dogbreeds, the coat has an upper- and an undercoat. The uppercoat are the 'hairs', the undercoat is 'wool'. The hairs moult when they are about 10 cm long. At that moment they're already felted with the wool so they don't fall on the floor. So one single cord is formed with a lot of loose hairs from the uppercoat, each about 10 cm long, helt together by means of the undercoat.

The amount of uppercoat needs to be in relation to the amount of undercoat. If that's not the case, there's no good felting (forming of cords). When there's too much wool, large clusters of felt will be formed. In that case forming cords is possible, but you'll have to do it yourself and it's a lot of work. The cords will be thick and heavy. When there's too little wool, the hairs don't get stuck very well in the wool. The cords will be much thinner then. When there's no undercoat, there won't be cords at all. When the relation between upper- and undercoat is good, cords will be formed in quite a natural way. You don't have a lot of work then.

When there's a little more wool than necessary to form cords, the excess falls on the floor. So not the hairs! Wool is easy to remove by means of a vacuum cleaner, this in contrast with doghairs (especially hairs from shorthaired breeds) that sticks in carpets and clothes.

 


 

Can they see something?

Yes indeed. You can look through a woollen pullover and see the whole world while nobody can see your face. Also try to look through a window with curtains. The people inside did see you!

A lot of sheepdogs have coat in front of the eyes. It's like some kind of 'sunglasses' for them.

The eyes of our two Pulis are rather good visible. That is at first because they're white so the black eyes can be seen very well. We also cut a little of the coat from time to time. We do this because they do agility. We don't want them to fall from the obstacles. We also like their pretty faces when they're like that...

 

 

If there's someone who absolutely wants to see the eyes of our dogs, better be carefull. Dogs don't like it to be looked straight in the eyes, especialy not when it's a stranger who does it. And just because they really can see you, they might let you know! They're not as cute as they might look.

 


 

Don't they get too warm in this coat?

We ask ourselves if people with short-haired dogs are also asked over and over again if their dogs get cold in wintertime?

So far as the Puli is concerned, no, they don't get too warm. The coat is an excellent isolation in both ways. In wintertime, it keeps the bodyheat insite, while in summertime the sunrays can't reach the skin. And our dogs are not the only dogs that pant in the summer, all dogs do that. It's their only way to release excessive body-heat. Dogs don't sweat on their bodies, only the paws and tongue can give heat to the surroundings.

The Puli lives and works on the Puszta, the Hungarian prairie. The climate is a dry continental one, in other words, very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. Their coat is adapted on these circumstances.

 


 

Can I touch them?

If people ask us first, we can see in what kind of mood they are. Most of the time there's no problem. If we see some dogs around, they might be a little heated, in that case it's better not to touch them. They wouldn't bite, but when they see another dog they snap each other and someone who doens't know what is going on will be frightened. We are used to that kind of behaviour, we almost don't even notice it anymore.

It's always best if people touch Toby first. He's the calmest of the twosome and absolutely easier to stroke. We can't really trust Terry. Only if we see that she doesn't react when one touches Toby, that person can touch Terry too.

This may seem like a whole show, but it's absolutely better than somebody who comes straight at them and immediately reaches out his hand. That's something you better never do with any dog. Kids are a big 'danger'. When they see Toby and Terry they're like two Teddy's and they want to get them!

 


 

Why is that dog's hair like that?

That dog, that's Toby. He is a male so he lifts his leg to urinate. When his cords are loose, they're like a curtain and get wet. The felt absorbs the urine, so it doesn't smell very good. Besides that, if the cords are always wet, they don't get any longer because they break.

 

 

 


 

Are they good with children?

It's best to never let a dog alone with children. Sometimes it's also true to not leave the kid alone with the dog.

Until now we didn't have a problem with children. We have a baby ourselves. Toby and Terry don't seem to have a problem with him. They know that he's a part of the family and they probably don't have the urge to do something wrong with him. Maybe later, when he's older and starts running around everywhere. We'll have to teach our kid that they are not moving teddybears.

 

  

 

We never noticed any different behaviour between that against adults and that agains children.

 

 


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