The main characteristics of the cuvac dog breed is its large size and its beautiful white hair. It has an excellent , loving, faithful and always alert character. At Petlifey, we explain everything about the Slovak cuvac.
Character of the breed Slovak Cuvac
The behaviour of the Slovak cuvac is that of a dog with an extremely faithful and courageous character. Its temperament makes them always ready to face any harmful animal, even wolves and bears.
The name it receives comes from the Slovak word cuvat, which means “to listen”, because this dog is always and at all times alert and vigilant.
- Temperament: Vigilant, strong and brave, it is always ready to face any enemy, whatever their size.
- Energy: High level. Very vigorous and active, it needs to get plenty of exercise on a daily basis and to run freely in open spaces.
- Adaptability: Medium / low. Indoor and closed spaces make them nervous, so he does not adapt well to life in the city or in small flats.
- Sociability: Medium. It is a faithful and affectionate dog with all members of the family, especially with children, but very suspicious of individuals outside its family nucleus.
- Health: Very good. It is not prone to hereditary diseases.
- Longevity: Medium. It can live 9 to 12 years if it is well cared for and kept in good health.
- Utility: Very versatile. Basically a sheepdog, it is also a great guard and defence dog, and a good companion dog.
With a robust constitution and intense expression, the Slovak cuvac is a large, powerful and strong-tempered dog that works perfectly as a protective guardian, both of the herds and of the properties of its master, with whom its dedication is absolute.
Is it a dog for the family?
The Slovak cuvac possesses a large size, a lot of strength, powerful vigour and a strong temperament. Used to spending long periods in the mountains, in the most adverse conditions and fighting with enemies as fearsome as wolves and Carpathian bears.
But, despite this ability to live alone, it is a very affectionate dog; When it feels integrated into a family group, it dedicates Its affection to all the components unconditionally.
On the contrary, he is reserved and expectant with strangers, with whom he never has confidence, even when they are in the company of their owners.
It is a brave and faithful guardian who defends Its territory and Its herd to the last consequences, regardless of whether it is the herd or Its human family .
Is it a good dog for children?
The cuvac dog is especially affectionate and attentive with children. However, it is not advisable to leave them alone with them, as this animal has a lot of character and a lot of strength and, although its reactions are usually predictable, the same cannot be said about the behaviour of the little ones in the house.
Is it a good breed to be the first dog?
Precisely because of Its strong temperament and Its independent character, it needs a strong and expert hand to guide them and who knows how to exploit Its full potential, since it can be stubborn and somewhat independent and this together with Its tremendous strength and imposing physique, it can become in serious trouble.
For this reason, it is not considered the most suitable breed for inexperienced owners, but rather the opposite. Its ideal owner is one who has already had other dogs and has experience working with them.
Can you live in an apartment or in the city?
It is not the most convenient dog to live in the city or within a flat. Accustomed to large spaces, indoors and out, it is active and nervous.
Thus, although it is a good companion dog, since it likes to live with the family and is very affectionate, it is not the ideal pet to reside in the city or in a small house.
It is an impressive, vigorous and active dog, so it needs to enjoy large outdoor spaces where it can do a lot of exercise.
Characteristics of the Slovak Cuvac
The general appearance of a Slovakian cuvac breed shows the typical solid and massive appearance of a mountain dog, with a strong bone constitution and a stately figure.
An excellent shepherd dog as a guide for sheep flocks, caretaker of cattle and guardian of farm birds or other domestic animals, it has also demonstrated its aptitudes as a good caretaker, great guardian and faithful companion.
How is the Slovak Cuvac physically?
Body
The body of the cuvac is that of a large dog, rather square in structure and with a strong bone constitution. The limbs are straight, strong and solid and the tail is long and straight, all of which endows the dog with a very harmonious figure.
Their feet are strong, compact, well arched and covered with hair. They are endowed with thick black pads, and the fingers have strong nails.
The tail is well covered with hair and set low, it is straight and does not curl at the tip. At rest it usually hangs up to the hock, but in movement it rises on the back.
Head
The skull is strong, elongated and with a fairly marked stop, while the bridge of the nose is straight in profile and quite long, measuring approximately half the head.
The eyes are horizontally set, oval, and dark brown in color. The lids and the rims of the eyes are also dark, giving them an intense expression.
The ears are set high, they are quite long and fall close to the head, so that the tip, which is rounded, goes down to the level of the mouth.
Hair
Except on the head and legs, where the hair is short and close together, the rest of the body has a long coat, somewhat wavy, dense and dense. It is white , with possible yellowish areas.
The coat is thick but loose. With the exception of the head and the limbs, the coat is dense, without parting on the back and without stripes on the tail or on the back of the thighs.
This dog has a fine, dense undercoat that is completely covered by long hairs that are more wavy on the mane than on the rest of the body.
In summer this inner layer falls off and the outer one becomes less dense, but it always looks vaporous. Males have a remarkable mane.
Slovak Cuvac breed standard
- Origin: Slovakia.
- Size: Very large.
- Height at the withers: 62-70 cm (Males) and 59-65 cm (Females).
- Weight: 36-44 kg (males) and 31-37 kg (females).
- Utilization: Grazing and guarding.
- Other names: Slovakian Chuvach / Tchouvatch slovaque / Slowakischer tsciu atsch / Slovensky Cuvac.
- General appearance: Strongly built with a majestic figure and dense white coat, it has a lively temperament and a vigilant, daring and insightful attitude.
- Head: It is strong, harmonious and covered with short, silky hair.
- Skull : It has an elongated shape and a slightly domed profile.
- Nose-frontal depression (stop): It is moderately marked. Muzzle: With the nasal bridge straight, the muzzle is strong, of medium length, quite broad, and tapers moderately towards the tip.
- Nose: It is black.
- Jaws: They are strong, with medium-thick lips and black mucosa. The bite is scissor.
- Eyes: They are oval in shape, set horizontally and dark brown in color.
- Ears: Set high, they are mobile at the base. Quite long, they hang close to the head. At rest, the rounded lower edge of the ear goes down to the level of the mouth.
- Neck: It is straight and as long as the head; in the male it is very powerful and is covered with a beautiful mane. There is no double chin.
- Body: Moderately square in figure, the trunk rests well on strong and fairly long limbs.
- Back: Straight, moderately long, with a muscular loin, slightly arched and very strong. The rump is also robust, square and somewhat sloping.
- Chest: It is broad, with arched ribs and well separated towards the flanks.
- Tail: Set low, it is straight and does not have a curled tip. At rest it hangs downwards and reaches the hock, but during movement it is usually curved over the back.
- Forelimbs: They are straight like columns and quite tall, especially in males. Shoulders: Sloping and long, with good angulation.
- Forearms and arms: They are muscular, long, very close to the body and inclined towards the elbows, which are well angulated.
- Hind limbs: They form a muscular set of elongated shape and of significant width.
- Legs: Leaning and strong, they are very muscular.
- Knees: They have strong muscles and are well angulated. Hocks: They are strong and form an obtuse angle.
- Feet: The feet are strong, round and closed. The posterior ones are longer. They are well arched, compact in shape, well covered with hair and with thick black pads. They have strong fingers and nails.
- Movement: Movement is surprisingly light, despite its strength. It is agile and fast in any terrain or climate and prefers to jog.
- Skin: The skin of the body moves freely, but is adherent. Pink in color, it is pigmented black only around the eyes, nose and muzzle. The pads are also pigmented black.
- Hair: Double-layered, dense but loose. The undercoat, fine and dense, is covered by a long coat that curls more in the mane than in the rest of the body.
- Color: The specimens of this breed are always white, although sometimes they can present a yellowish tone at the insertion of the ears.
- FCI classification: FCI nº 142. Group 1 – Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs). Section 1 – Sheepdogs .
Health and diseases of the Slovak Cuvac
The Slovak cuvac is a healthy, strong and rustic mountain dog, selected for work and very physically resistant, as it is used to living outdoors and withstanding extreme temperatures.
Therefore, it may not adapt very well to life in hot climates, and it is very important to always guarantee a cool place to sleep and, at all times, clean water to drink.
In the puppy stage it may be interesting to also resort to the administration of some chondroprotector to help promote joint development, since, as with other large breeds, if during its growth stage it receives a poor diet, with the time may show a propensity for joint disease.
For the rest, it is a healthy animal, without serious conditions described as typical of the breed, and it tends to live longer than usual in large breed.
Feeding of the Slovak Cuvac
Regarding its diet of the cuvac, it must be taken into account that it is a large and vigorous dog, so it is advisable to provide it with a rich and well-balanced diet.
Your diet must contain enough protein to guarantee adequate muscular and skeletal development, and with an adequate level of fats that keep your skin and hair in good condition, always ensuring that you do not become overweight, as obesity must be avoided .
Maintenance and care of the Slovak Cuvac breed
The beautiful white coat of the Slovak cuvac is not very difficult to maintain, the only difficulty lies in the large size of the animal, and in that its dense undercoat has very extensive melts.
But in reality, a routine brushing is enough, first working the undercoat with a rake or a king coat , and then combing the coat with a good metallic card.
It is also advisable to bathe the dog every time it is dirty or its white coat turns a little yellowish, because for the coat to look in all its splendour, it must be very white and shiny.
This courageous, faithful and very affectionate dog is perfect for families that live in the countryside and that have a wide area of land that the cuvac can assimilate as their territory. This will ensure that the specimen will grow up physically healthy and mentally balanced.