History of the Pumi
 

Overview
The pumi is a fast and extreme intelligent dog. With lots of 'will to please' he is a jolly companion and a very good family dog. He has a great ability to learn fast and adjust quickly to his surroundings. The Pumi has a brave and alert character. He can certainly be noisy, he loves to bark. Normally this can be tempered with consistent training. Towards strangers he can be reserved or shy. It is a healthy breed with little heritable diseases or problems. Breeding dogs are checked for hip dysplacia (HD).

 The Pumi breed is less old as the Puli. More then likely it was formed out of cross breedings between Puli's and German Keeshounds. Besides that, it is said that  the French Briard or Terriers might have been cross bred.


Around 1760, the Merino sheep were imported into Hungary. With these herds, the Pumi came along. Although the connection with Terriers was never proven certain similarities are obvious.

Distinction
In 1801, the name Pumi was first mentioned to indicate a typical herding dog. Back then there was no distinction between herding dogs. The Hungarian professor Emil Raitsits was the first to describe the difference between the Puli and the Pumi. In the beginning of the 20st century, the segregation became more distinct. The newer breed got an official name that was derived from the older breed (Puli) and so the breed of the Pumi was born. In 1921, the individual standard of the breed was formulated and in 1923 a Pumi was first shown. A year later, the breed was officially acknowledged.
  
Unknown
While the Puli became more and more attention on shows, the Pumi was left behind with the herds. Therefore he was never in the spotlights and as popular like the Puli. The fact that the Pumi has always been the working dog with the herd, has greatly influenced the breeding policy. With most breeds, cross breeding with unknown origin was prohibited at an early stage. With the Pumi, this has been possible for an extensive period because the Pumi was primarily needed as a perfect working dog. Therefore several perfect Pumi's were found with herds that should never have been named pure bred because of their unknown ancestry.

Usage
The Pumi is was and still is used a lot for herding purposes. It is a jolly dog with lots of energy. He is very brave and likes to use his voice. In the old standard he was described never to shut his mouth. This is not true. As with many dog breeds, consistent raising and correction can temper his untamed barking to an acceptable level.
Alertness and braveness makes the Pumi an excellent watchdog around the house. He is versatile as a herding dog for cattle, sheep and pigs. He is also used with the hunt for wild boar. With this, his terrier characteristics become very useful. Last but not least, a Pumi makes a perfect house dog.
Character
The Pumi is a real family dog. He has lots of temperament, is lively, brave and always alert. He keeps everything under control and mistrusts strangers.
As mentioned before, he likes to bark. He uses this to make a herd move. Apart from that, he uses a short bark to let his master know that he understands a command and again when he acts on it. This way, barking is functional. Even as a house dog, he will behave like this. Although it can be tempered, it is to be considered while orienting on this interesting breed. It is obvious that this can also be an advantage, no burglar will be able to enter your home without notice.
 
Family
He loves children and likes playing wild. He will automatically guard the children qand likes to keep everyone together. While walking in the forest he will prevent them from wandering off by "herding" them back to the group. Although he has lots of patience with children, he is not a babysitter. This goes for all dog breeds. No matter how good a dog can be with children, both need to be tought strict rules about what is allowed and what not. Dogs need their own safe place where they need to be left alone. On the other hand, children need their free space as well. During eating, both should not be allowed to interfere with eachother.
Children can certainly play a part in taking care of a dog and during playtime. Searching and fetching is better then pull games. Children should be as consistent with the dog as yourself. That way they really can become best friends. Good socialization is also important to make your dog a good companion for other animals.
  
 
Grooming
 A pumi has a wavy, curly coat that forms tufts and never is smooth or corded. It consists of a strong, but not coarse, topcoat and a soft undercoat. The coat is insulating so the Pumi can do his work also in wet terrain. The hair dries quickly. Even though the coat can become matted, this is not allowed, therefore it needs regular combing. Show dogs will always be groomed.