Santal Hound vs Hovawart - Breed Comparison | PetzLover

The Hovawart, is a German Black Forest breed developed as a guard dog for large estates in the medieval era. They first appeared in history in the early 13th century as heroes who saved the German son of a castle lord, despite being injured themselves. The boy they saved grew up to be a German legend. He wrote the oldest German code of law that remained from medieval times. In it he names the Hovawarts as a dog that if you are responsible for hurting, stealing or killing it, you must pay for it or replace it. No other dog had this protection.

In the late fifteenth century Hovawarts were featured in Heinrich Mynsinger’s “The Five Noble Breeds”. This guard dog breed was esteemed on a level with the hunting dogs – their health a question of life or death for their owner. In the 1500’s the popularity of the breed began to fade. The GSD or German Shepard Dog began to replace the Hovawarts as the preferred guard dog.

By the early 20th century the breed had almost disappeared but were saved by breed enthusiasts in the early 1900’s. Zoologist Kurt Konig was prominent in this effort and went looking in the Black Forest area for dogs working on farms. Using the dogs, he found on these farms, Konig began a breeding program crossing the them with Newfoundland’s, Kuvazoks, Leonbergers, GSD, an African hunting dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.

By 1922 the first litter of these pups was entered officially into the German Breeding Registry. In 1937 the Hovawart was recognized by the German Kennel Club. However, many members of the breed died in World War II as they were used widely by the military and not many were left by 1945. Once again breed enthusiasts came to the rescue forming a Coburg Hovawart club. This club still exists and in 1964, for the second time, the breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club. Other countries also began to take notice of this working breed.

The Hovawart has many skills in addition hunting and guarding. The Hovawart does not work for people, he works with them as he is a very independent thinker. He is also good at search and rescue and tracking. An owner of this breed must be stronger, smarter, more alert, intentional and consistent than his Hovawart. These are not dogs for the faint of heart or first-timers.

The Santal Hound has always been used for hunting and these Indian pariah dogs haven’t changed much over the years.

It is a small red Indian indigenous dog. It is named after the Santal tribe who used the dog for hunting. They sometimes refer to the dog as Seuta and Kukur.

When you do research on the Santal Hound, you will mostly find it among indigenous peoples. It isn’t only found in India but in Africa, being found among the different nomadic  hunting tribes in East Africa.

The Hovawart is a proud and majestic dog and his looks match his character. He looks a bit like the Golden Retriever with a powerful and broad forehead. His skull and muzzle are the same length and his nose is black. His oval eyes are a medium to dark brown and his ears are high set and triangular.

Their chests are strong, broad and deep. The breed has strong legs straight in front with round, strong and compact feet. They are heavy boned with dense, long coats that lie flat and have a slight wave to them. The coat can be black and gold, blond or black.

The Santal is considered a small to medium sized dog standing at between 40 and 45cm in height and weighing between 9 and 12 kilograms.

It is also slightly built with fine bones. The coat of the dog is reddish brown or yellow-brown, the eyes are almond shaped and brown and the muzzle is pointed. The ears of the dog are erect and point forward. The tail of this dog is usually curled over the dog’s back. The dog doesn’t really bark as such but howls instead. It has small paws and walks with a high-stepping style like a prancing horse.

Temperament:

These dogs are calm, independent, loving and loyal and also affectionate with their human family. He is cool with strangers.

They are alert, intelligent dogs and you certainly won’t have any trouble teaching him a few simple commands. He cleans himself like a cat. He seems to understand what you say as he always cocks his head to one side when you talk to him. He is a playful dog and will love to be involved with games with the children.

He can also get on well with other dogs in the family. He is capable of adapting to life in the city or the countryside just so long as his exercise needs are met.

1.Children friendliness yes, they are good with children.

Special talents

They have a great sense of smell and a well-balanced personality.

Adaptability

They are not indoor dogs and should have a yard to run in. They do not tolerate hot weather well. They do great out in the country.

Learning ability

They are intelligent independent thinkers. They lengths well with positive reinforcement.

The Santal dog is an unusual dog with some unique characteristics. He hasn’t got any particularly exceptional characteristics either, but he promises to make you a good pet.

He is capable of providing you with lots of love, and on top of that he is a low maintenance dog too.

When you bring him into your home, you’re going to get yourself a loyal, loving pet and companion.

Though their isolation protected them from genetic health issues for centuries, once they were being rejuvenated and mixed with other breeds some common issues began to show up. These include:

• Underactive thyroid
• Hip Dysplasia – can cause arthritis or lameness
• Osteochondritis – causes joint pain in shoulders mostly
• Liver Shunts

Dogs stand a better chance of avoiding sickness if they are fed well and they get a fair amount of exercise. But our fur kids can get sick anytime really, and it pays to know about some of the dangerous diseases they can succumb to -

Canine parvovirus:

Your dog will have a fever, he will be lethargic and have diarrhea with vomiting. It is a contagious virus affecting dogs that come into contact with the feces of an ill dog. It attacks a dog’s internal organs, and although the vet will do everything possible to help your dog, parvo is often fatal.

There are vaccines to prevent your dog getting this terrible disease.

Heartworm:

Your dog will be coughing, have respiratory problems, lethargy and weight loss. These parasites are found in your dog’s heart and are spread by mosquitoes. Check with your vet about treatments to prevent this horrible illness.

Rabies:

Have your pet vaccinated against rabies, a deadly diseases spread by saliva and a bite from an infected animal. It is fatal and once your dog has this disease, there is no treatment.

Feeding the puppy

Feed breed specific high quality dry food for puppies. Feed 1-2 cups in 3-4 meals per day

Feeding the adult

Again Feed breed specific high quality dry food for adults. Feed 2-3 cups per day in 1-2 meals per day.

Points for Good Health

Points for Good Health – Stamina

Games and Exercises

The Hovawart needs plenty of exercise. Remember this is a mountain farm dog used to working all the time. Walk or jog with them daily. They can excel at field trials, obedience, search and rescue, agility, flyball, therapy dog, and service dog.

Diet:

Provide your Santal Hound with top quality food to ensure his health. While there are some excellent commercially manufactured foods on the market, it is important to choose the high quality ones that have natural, good ingredients in them.

Try to include some home-made food for him which can be simply mixed into the dry kibble twice a week. Boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots are super tasty and nutritious. Your dog will love such simple, good food as it doesn’t upset his stomach.

If you can, try and include a little bit of raw meat to his diet occasionally as this can go towards ensuring he doesn’t get skin diseases.

Trim your dogs nails, check his eyes and ears for infection and check his teeth too.

Provide your dog with a warm, dry place to sleep.

Don’t allow your Santal Hound to have puppies. There are so many unwanted puppies all over the world. Rather have him or her spayed or neutered to avoid puppies that nobody wants. It is beneficial for his health too.