Puli Dog (Detailed Introduction)

   The Puli dog, also known as: Hungarian Puli dog, Hungarian Puli, Hungarian water dog, Puli dog, Puli. The Puli dog is a purebred dog with reason and intelligence, naturally affectionate, smart, family-loving, harmonious with other pets, especially loyal to its owner, making it a very good watchdog. Today, the author will introduce it from both external appearance and personality.
   1. Origin
   Hungary
   2. Personality
   The Puli dog is a purebred with reason and intelligence, naturally affectionate, smart, family-loving, harmonious with other pets, and particularly loyal to its owner, making it a very good watchdog. It is best to buy a puppy because it is emotionally rich; dogs over 3 years old put up for adoption may refuse to eat or drink due to missing their old owner, suffering from loneliness. However, it has serious defects of excessive timidity or shyness.
   3. External Features
   1. Overall Appearance
   The Puli dog is strong, with a square-shaped balanced body and medium build. It is energetic, sharp, and lively. Its most prominent feature is its dense, coarse, and messy coat combined with its silent footsteps. Its distinctive movement style makes it very suitable for hard herding work on the Hungarian plains. Agility, combined with an intelligent mind and sturdy body, are the most important factors for accomplishing this longstanding work.
   2. Size, Proportion, and Structure
   Height is measured from withers to the ground. The ideal height for males is 43.2 cm, and for females is 40.6 cm. Heights above or below this range are also permitted. The length from withers to ground and from shoulder to rump are approximately equal, giving this tightly built dog a near-square body. Bone structure is moderately sized.
   3. Head
   The head is medium-sized and proportional to the body. Almond-shaped eyes are deeply set, fairly large, deep brown with black or dark blue-gray edges. Ears are set slightly above the eye level, hanging, medium sized, V-shaped, about half the length of the head. The skull is slightly rounded and medium width. The indentation between the forehead and muzzle is clearly defined but not steep. The muzzle is firm and straight, one-third the length of the head. The nose is always black. The hanging upper lip and gums are black or dark blue-gray. The hanging upper lip is taut. Teeth are full, relatively large, with a tight bite.
   4. Neck, Backline, and Trunk
   The neck is strong, muscular, medium length, and the voice is not hoarse. The back is flat and strong, medium length, with a slightly sloping rump. The chest is moderately wide and deep with elastic ribs. The loin is short, strong, moderately curved. The tail extends and blends with the backline.
   5. Forequarters
The shoulders are well laid back. The length of the upper arm is about equal to the scapula, forming a 90° angle. The forelegs are straight, strong, with medium-sized bones, and the metacarpus is strong and elastic. If there are dewclaws, they should be removed. The paws are round and strong with arched toes and thick pads. The Puli dog stands firmly on its pads. Pads and nails are black or dark blue-gray.
   6. Hindquarters
   The hindquarters are well developed, muscular, with freely extended stifle joints. The abdomen and back are balanced. The hock joints are vertical to the ground and well sloped. Dewclaws should be removed if present. Toes are the same as the forelegs.
   7. Coat
   Dense and abundant. The outer coat is wavy or curly but never smooth. The undercoat is soft, messy, and dense. The coat easily forms cords and, if allowed to grow naturally, will form woven cords at maturity. The corded coat appears fluffy and varies in shape and thickness depending on the texture of the coat and the balance between the undercoat and outer coat, appearing either flat or round. The Puli dog's coat state is either corded or brushed. The correct textured double coat is a fundamental requirement. As the dog ages, the coat grows very long, even touching the ground; however, it is necessary to consider the adequate length for correctly evaluating coat quality and texture without mistakenly regarding young or working dogs as flawed due to their coat condition.
   8. Color
   Qualified colors include only red, brown, black, various shades of gray, and white; however, up to 5.1 cm of white spots on the chest are also allowed. If the dog's overall body shape retains consistent color, it is permissible to have other gray, black, or white intermixed within dark gray and black. Regardless of the outer coat color, the skin with pigment deposits is slightly bluish or light gray.
   9. Gait
   The Puli dog is typically lively and skillful. Its gait is light, fast, and capable of instant directional changes. When the dog trots with composure, the gait is most apparent: steps move swiftly and energetically, stride length is moderate, and there is never choppy or unnatural movement. When running at full speed, the Puli dog moves smoothly and efficiently forward, with free extension and drive of steps. As running speed increases, the feet naturally converge toward the mid-line of travel. This unique movement style is a fundamental condition for the Puli dog as a herding dog.
   Overall, the Puli dog is a very good guard dog.