WHERE DOES THE KUVASZ COME FROM?
The Kuvasz (pronounced Koo-vahss) is a guarding dog and a member of AKC’s Working Group. The plural of Kuvasz is Kuvaszok (Koo-vah-sock). The Kuvasz originated in Asia and is one of the most ancient of all dog breeds. It is the probable ancestor of the Tibetan Mastiff, Samoyed, Anatolian Shepherd, Akbash, Maremma, Great Pyrenees and other breeds of Asiatic origin. The Kuvasz arrived with nomadic tribes in Hungary’s Carpathian Basin about 896 AD. It was used and bred first by shepherds and later by Hungarian nobility. Its most notable promo ter was King Matthius Corvinus, who ruled Hungary from 1458 – 1490. Matthius kept a pack of Kuvaszok for hunting and had at least one Kuvasz beside him at all times for protection from assassins. Since it is an odorless breed, specially cleaned and trained Kuvaszok were also used at royal banquets as dinner napkins!
