"I heard that you breed for color!/You are a color breeder!"
All dogs have color, we have yet to breed with or produce an invisible one. We like all the accepted and naturally occurring colors in the Mudi breed and we do not breed for just one color. Those breeders who breed for ‘only black’ also breed according to color. Breeding only for black which is also a color, is actually the true definition of a ‘color only’ breeder. The difference is that we pick the best male in any color that is qualified and black only breeders pick from only black males - this is a very limiting choice both in quality and inbreeding. The original founder of the breed described the colors in the Mudi as any solid or merled color being found to naturally occur. He was a man not bound by the little known genetic details of his time nor by a breeder that today does not understand genetic appearance of colors. We pedigree every puppy that is born, not just the black ones. We have bred 78 puppies, 36 were other than solid black, therefore black is still the predominant color in our kennel. We breed for quality first, color is a bonus. Compare the qualities of the bitches and studs we breed with to those breeders that only breed for one color, ask for proof of health test results (4 different health tests are recommended for the Mudi breed and official scores are recommended, not private vet checks), herding instinct test results, temperament test results, etc., I think you will quickly spot our priorities.
"I was told that you breed your bitches on every heat cycle!"
We breed according to time, not heat cycles. We breed each bitch we own only once in a calendar year. That is, a bitch will produce only one litter in 2004, 2005, 2006, etc., with very rare exception. In the Mudi breed, many bitches cycle regularly every 6 months whether they whelped a litter from the previous heat cycle or not. These bitches can produce two litters in one calendar year. There are also bitches that cycle on a much longer time period and these bitches cannot produce more than one litter in a year usually. Ask yourself this question, is it the heat cycle skipping that keeps the bitch in good general and reproductive health or is it the time between litters? If you skip a season with a 6 month cycle bitch, you will produce one litter of puppies in a calendar year. If you breed every cycle in a long cycling bitch, you will produce one litter in a year. There is no difference. What is important is the health condition of the bitch at the time of her heat cycle, not whether it was the next or fifth cycle since her last litter. Another consideration is what age was the bitch first bred, we do not breed any bitch before 2 years of age, compare this also to other breeders habits.
"I was told you feed the raw diet and it’s not good for dogs!"
We feed what we have investigated well and I researched this method of feeding for more than a year, it was not a quick decision. Feeding the raw diet is not as hard as it seems and this is the main reason dog chows are so popular - they are convenient and fast. Look at the condition of our dogs and puppies and judge for yourself. Their eyes and coats are shiny, clean and odor free, they are not fat or thin, they are full of energy, they do not get sick, and they are still as smart as ever. We realize feeding the raw diet is not for everyone. But we also know all chows are not equal. We advise our puppy buyers that if you feed chow, buy the best chow you can with no preservatives, artificial ingredients or dyes. Do the research on what is in your chow and switch to another brand, or type within the same brand, if your dog does not perform well on it. Not every chow, even the quality ones, work for every dog, every dog is unique, as is every human. Ask yourself the following:
- Is your puppy in good weight, and not fat or thin? (be honest)
- Does he have tight feet and straight legs?
- Is his coat shiny, soft and full? (no bare spots, not oily/dry, the hairs do not break off)
- Are the eyes clear, clean and shiny? (not dull or oozing)
- Is the skin of your dog clean, not dry or flaky and is he odorless? (or after you pet him do you need to always wash your hands to remove the grease and smell)
- Are there no signs of inflamed/irritated gums, ears, eyes, feet or skin?
- Does your dog have a firm stool?
- Are frequent bouts with gas not a common complaint?
- Is your dog active and alert and ready to go or follow when you pick up the leash or just walk into the next room?
If you cannot answer these questions with a yes, then maybe you need to think about your dog’s food if the vet says he is in otherwise healthy condition. The raw diet is as good or better than manufactured chows in our opinion and just as easy to feed. Do the research yourself and then make up your own mind and do what is best for your own dogs rather than listening to those biased by commercial dog food marketing advertisements.
"I see that you breed out of standard sized dogs!"
One of our bitches is several centimeters above the standard size and two are 1 centimeter above and we publish this information on our website, it is not a hidden fact. Our other bitch is at the uppermost limit and our youngest bitch is well below the limit. The majority of Mudi’s are in the top half of the size range, not the lower half. Size is not a feature that is easily predictable or controllable in the Mudi breed. Two within standard range parents can produce above and below standard sized puppies in the same litter. Breeding for any one feature at the expense of others is not good for any breed, but even less so for a rare breed. Size variability in the Mudi breed does not affect health, herding instinct, working ability or temperament. Breeding is a process of correction, conservation and improvement and has to be carefully balanced and weighed based on many factors. Every person that breeds even one litter should breed with the intention of improving the next generation, not for power, fame or money. All breeders breed less than perfect dogs because there is no perfect dog. We refuse to ‘fix type’ at the expense of health, instinct and temperament. Another fact for you to consider is that the shepherds we have spoken with that use Mudi’s to herd, all have larger sized dogs and tell us they are the size they prefer to do the job, who are we to argue with the experts that use the breed for the very purpose it was intended? Most people that want puppies from us ask for larger sized puppies, not smaller ones. We also prefer the larger sized Mudi’s. No one is forced to buy a puppy from us. When you see a Mudi in a picture, can you tell how big it is? We are always amused when people see our dogs in person for the first time and tell us how small they are.
"I heard that your dogs temperaments are unstable
and temperamentally challenged!"
Our dogs have taken many temperament tests and passed them all. Angel was a registered and licensed Therapy Dog in the USA. She passed two tests for achieving this honor (CGC and TDI). Angel has also taken temperament tests in Hungary twice and passed with high scores. Fecske has taken 3 temperament tests in Hungary and one in the USA and passed all with very high scores. Chili has passed the CGC in the USA and the MMK temperament test in Hungary. Jóság has passed the MMK temperament test in Hungary. Remy will be tested when she is of age. All of our dogs have perfect ring behavior in all the sports we compete in. Judges can touch and examine them on every occasion without any problems. The Mudi is not a breed that has a temperament like a Golden Retriever and it should not be bred to have this type either, it is not correct for the breed regardless of what some owners today want it to be.
We ask anyone to visit our dogs and see for themselves how they act. Come to a dog event and watch our dogs and compare them to the other Mudi’s that are there, I think you will easily be able to spot whose dogs are the better temperamented dogs. Dog events tend to bring out the worst in many dogs as we have seen for ourselves, you should watch and judge for yourselves. Seeing is believing.
"I heard that your dogs had puppies with unstable temperaments!"
Selling puppies to anyone but family members and friends is always a risk. People are not always honest with what they plan to do with the puppy, what their dog experience level is and what kind of care and home environment they will really give the puppy. Anytime you sell anything to someone you do not know, there is a risk the buyer is not a good one. Selling puppies long distance is an especially risky situation, there is no way to visit or audit every buyer and their home to see if they will be good owners and assure their home is safe. We do the best we can as do most breeders that really care about their puppies. We do not breed for money, we breed to place quality puppies with good owners around the world. We have denied puppies to people we think will not be good owners and we do not recommend them to another breeder either. Some owners that get Mudi puppies are not prepared to do the proper socialization the breed needs and others are negligent in the care of the dog. Some people think the breed should be like other herding breeds and this thinking is far from correct. The Mudi is not like other herding breeds in more aspects than it is similar to them. The Mudi was not selected to be deaf to gun shots. Shepherds did not use guns 100 years ago and they still do not today. The Mudi was needed to be alert and react to every noise, not sleep through them. This breed is also very slow to mature and some lines are excessively slow. This means the puppy does not have the confidence and stability of a mature dog for many years, for some dogs this does not develop till 3 or 4 years old. It is much easier to say the dog is genetically unsound than it is to take responsibility onto yourself since it cannot be proven that genes are not the cause. Owners need to give the proper time a dog requires before making a decision as to the abilities of the puppy they have and many are just impatient. Not all puppies in every litter have the same life after they leave our kennel. What actually happens from that point on only the owner knows for sure and some are not honest about what they have done with the puppy to that point in its life. Some owners prefer to consult chat groups and let online members diagnose what is wrong with their puppy, rather than keeping in contact with the breeder and dog care professionals. No one can determine what is going on with any dog from the other side of a computer. Most owners are not experienced enough even with their own dogs to try and help someone else with a dog they have never even seen. It is highly unethical for anyone to diagnose or to place blame in this manner. Doctors do not diagnose over the phone or internet and neither should dog owners. In today’s world no one wants to take responsibility for not taking the proper care of the puppy in its training and care or to admit the challenge of a Mudi was more than they were prepared for. Environment is the greater factor in determining a puppy’s behavior more than its genes. You cannot go beyond what the genes will allow, but with proper (or improper) training even the genetic disposition can be pushed to the limits. Pushing a dog before it is ready is more than most can handle which then causes stress. Stress is not good for people or dogs and can make us all act out of character. Do not ask what genes made the dog act this way, ask what you did or didn’t do to make it do what it just did. Take responsibility for your dog, do not place the blame on something or someone else to take the load off of where it belongs - you. It is of course much easier for most people to use the ‘Twinkie defense’ to avoid responsibility for their actions and choices. Ask any lawyer.
"One of your dogs has a mongrel in its pedigree!"
Fecske’s father is a B dog, that is his parents are not listed on his pedigree as they were not pedigreed dogs. This is not uncommon in the breed (the stud book is not closed in Hungary) so many Mudi’s have B/R dogs on their pedigrees. Dogs with known pedigreed parents which were not given pedigrees at birth by irresponsible breeders and which have all the exterior features of a Mudi, can get B/R pedigrees today. It should be known that this dog in question has received not only a B pedigree, but also the titles of Champion in MEOE and MKSZ and Show Champion in MEOE. This last title was obtained after the owner told this “story” about this dog on an internet chat group, the owner told the groups members that the dog did not have Mudi like parents (which were never actually seen by the dogs owner, even in a picture). If this owner really believes the dog is not a Mudi, then they should not have applied for the last title as this is fraud and they should give back his pedigree, titles and every other award he has won as a pedigreed Mudi. It should be known that the two litters of puppies this male produced have puppies that looked like Mudi’s only. Two puppy’s ears did not stand erect and one has fur which is less than fully correct, unfortunately this happens even in fully pedigreed Mudi litters. All breeds of dogs produce puppies that are less than perfect matches to their breed type, no matter how old the breed is.
If you hear these comments and any others, please write to us and ask about them. We are open and honest people, we will tell you the truth behind the tale. Dog breeding and dog shows are very competitive for some people. For us the sports are fun, not about competition. With breeding we feel the need to be responsible about what we breed and what lays ahead future wise for the Mudi. Competition with other breeders is not what we ever think about. We go above and beyond what most other breeders take into consideration when they produce a litter, check the facts of our dogs qualifications against other kennels breeding dogs. These facts are on our website, compare the kennels, it is obvious where our priorities are, health, instinct, temperament, conformation and low inbreeding. What facts do you see on other kennels websites? What does this tell you about them?
We met, fell in love and married because of the Mudi, we take our involvement very seriously as a result. We know that the Mudi breed is one of the last naturally gifted and generally healthy breeds alive today and we focus our attention on keeping it that way. As a result we are the targets of those that feel differently and have other intentions. Make up your own mind what to think and do, you can make your own path or you can follow others. We choose to make our own and not follow anyone.
“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinions….They are accomplished by individuals who take untraveled roads.” Charles Kuralt