Pumi breed guide

The Pumi is a thinking dog that must assess each new situation, so AKC calls early socialization vital. It learns quickly and has a boundless willingness to work without being obsessive about it.

Beneath the curls is a lean, deep-chested herder with a seemingly endless capacity for work and play.

Pumik live 12 to 13 years. AKC calls them a very healthy breed. Breeders screen for elbow and hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, degenerative myelopathy and eye disorders and the Hungarian Pumi Club of America's website has detailed health information.

The coat is half soft hair and half harsher hair, all the same length. It needs combing every three to six weeks followed by a good wetting-down to let it curl back up and then it may be trimmed. The Pumi does not shed, but hair comes out during grooming.

Very intelligent and energetic, the Pumi needs regular exercise and mental stimulation. It is agile and climbs over and under things, loves high places where it can see what is going on and often demands a good chase-and-fetch with a tennis ball or flying disc.

Authorities recognize three sheepdogs native to Hungary: the Mudi, Puli and Pumi. The Puli is thought to be the oldest, established in what is now Hungary around A.D. 800 and 300 to 400 years ago it was interbred with Western European herding dogs and terriers to produce the Pumi.

For years the Pumi was considered a regional variant of the Puli and that began to change in the early 20th century with the standardization of both breeds.