History

The history of Hungary starts at the end of the 9th century, when the Magyars,
coming from the Ural, settle down in the country under the leadership of sovereign Árpad. This leader is one of the ancestors of the first king, István the Holy (1000 – 1038). The most important king for the Kuvasz, Corwin átyás, rules Hungary from 1458 till 1490. At that time keeping Kuvasz was only reserved to sovereigns. The dogs were bred on their estates for hunting. Besides that there were two important issues for the Kuvasz:

1. to protect the people against enemies (with two or four legs).

2. to protect the herds against predators, which were rather normal at that time.

The white colour of the Kuvasz was very important when doing their work. Even in the dark the farmers and shepherds could distinguish their dogs from the predators. In the 19th century, circumstances in the country itself caused the vagabonds and the wolfs, the most important enemies of the herds, to withdraw into the mountains. The reasons for having dogs like the Kuvasz, diminished. Sometimes the shepherds kept their dog as a tradition. The Kuvasz came from the Puszta to the villages and started a life as a guard dog. There was no intention for pure breeding. After World War II they started breeding Kuvasz again with a very limited number of dogs. The same problem occurred after the revolt in 1956.