Contact Us

Follow us

Popular Searches

Quick Links

Mudi.jpg

History:

The breed came into being during the 18th to the 19th century from cross breeding Hungarian herding dogs most probably with various prick eared German herding dogs.

General Appearance:

Medium sized herding dog with a wedge-shaped head. Prick ears. Body topline is distinctly sloping towards the rear. The head and the limbs are covered by short, smooth coat. The other parts of the body have a somewhat longer, very wavy to slightly curly coat. There are different variations of colour.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
• The body length is approximately equal to the height at the withers.
• The depth of the brisket is slightly less than half of the height at the withers.
• The length of the muzzle is slightly less than half of the total length of the head.

Colours

  • Fawn.
    • Black.
    • Blue-merle, i.e. black speckled, estriped, -brindle or -spotted on lighter or darker bluish-grey primary colour.
    • Ash coloured (blue grey).
    • Brown.

    Only slightly extensive white markings are tolerated but not desired. A white patch on the chest, less than 5 cm in diameter, and small white markings on the toes are tolerated but not desired.

    • White

Temperament:

The Mudi is extremely able to learn, of lively temperament, courageous, watchful, keen to work, alert and adaptable

 

Sizes:

Height at withers:

Dogs: 41 – 47 cm; Ideal height 43 – 45 cm
Bitches: 38 – 44 cm; Ideal height 40 – 42 cm.

Weight:
Dogs: 11 – 13 kg.
Bitches: 8 – 11 kg.

 

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Mudi you may have think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Mudi and its needs and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

References

  1. DOGS AUSTRALIA.org.au

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 15 Aug 2023)

Download PDF
Breed Standard - Mudi

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

Medium sized herding dog with a wedge-shaped head. Prick ears. Body topline is distinctly sloping towards the rear. The head and the limbs are covered by short, smooth coat. The other parts of the body have a somewhat longer, very wavy to slightly curly coat. There are different variations of colour.IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:• The body length is approximately equal to the height at the withers.• The depth of the brisket is slightly less than half of the height at the withers.• The length of the muzzle is slightly less than half of the total length of the head.

Temperament

The Mudi is extremely able to learn, of lively temperament, courageous, watchful, keen to work, alert and adaptable.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull HEAD:The most striking part of the Mudi is undoubtedly his head. To the observer it should give the impression of an alert, always energetic, cheerful and intelligent animal without any trace of timidity or aggressiveness. The head is wedge shaped, tapering towards the nose.CRANIAL REGION:Skull: Skull and forehead are slightly domed. Occiput not pronounced. Superciliary ridges only slightly developed.Stop: Barely pronounced.FACIAL REGION:Nose: Narrow, rounded at front with moderately wide nostrils. In the colours black, white, fawn and blue-merle, the nose is always black; in the other colours the nose harmonises with the coat colour; e.g. the nose in a brown dog is brown and blue grey in a blue grey dog. Brown (liver) coloured dogs have brown eyerims. Blue grey dogs have blue grey eyerims.Muzzle: Moderately strong. Bridge of nose straight.Lips: Tight-fitting to the teeth. Corner of mouth slightly jagged. The lip pigment corresponds with the pigment of the noseleather.
Eyes Narrow, slightly pointed at inner and outer corners, set slightly oblique, thus having a “dare devil“expression. The eyes should be as dark as possible. Only in blue-merle dogs, wall (white or blue) eyes are not faulty. Rims of lids are tight, close-fitting to the eyeball and evenly pigmented.
Ears High set prick ears which are of a reverse V-shape and covered with abundant hair reaching beyond the edges of the external ears. The response of the ears to stimulation is very lively. The dog can turn the ears independently of each other like a radar screen. Ears are approximately 10 to 15 % longer than their width at the base.
Mouth Jaws/Teeth: Complete scissor bite according to the dentition formula. Regular teeth of medium size.
Neck The slightly high set neck forms an angle of 50 to 55 degrees to the horizontal. It is of medium length, barely arched and well muscled. Without dewlap or pronounced neck ruff. In male dogs there can be a barely developed mane; this must, however, never be noticeable.
Forequarters Shoulder: The shoulder blade is moderately sloping and well muscled. The forechest is curved, the point of the sternum only slightly protruding.Upper Arm: Of medium length. At 45° with the horizontal.Elbow: Close-fitting to the body.Carpal joint: Firm, dry.Pastern: Steep.
Body Topline: Clearly sloping towards croup.Withers: Pronounced, long and muscular.Back: Straight, short.Loin: Of medium length. Firmly coupled.Croup: Short, very slightly sloping, of medium breadth, muscular.Chest: Forechest slightly curved. Ribs somewhat broad and rather flat.Underline and belly: Sligthly tucked-up.
Hindquarters General appearance: The hind legs are a little overstretched beyond the rear.Upper thigh: Long, well muscled.Metatarsus: Short and steep.
Feet Forefeet: Round with well knit toes. Little hair between and under the toes. Pads springy. Nails slate grey and hard.Hind feet: Like front feet. Dewclaws not desirable.
Tail Set on at medium height. In repose, hanging, with lower third raised almost to horizontal. When alert and during active movement, the tail is carried in sickle shape, higher than the topline. Docking of tail is undesirable but is not regarded as a fault. If the tail is docked, two or three of the tail vertebrae must be visibly left.Dogs born without or with a natural stump tail are rare; this is not regarded as a fault. The tail is abundantly coated; the hair on the underside can even be 10 to 12 cm long.
Gait/Movement The Mudi’s characteristic movement are mincing steps.
Coat Skin: Tight, without wrinkles.Hair: Head and front of limbs are covered by short, straight and smooth hair. On other parts of the body, the coat is uniformly very wavy or slightly curled. It is dense and always shiny, about 3 to 7 cm long.At some spots, cow-licks and ridges are formed. The coat is longest on the back of the forearms and the upper thighs, where it forms pronounced featherings.
Colour • Fawn.• Black.• Blue-merle, i.e. black speckled, estriped, -brindle or -spotted on lighter or darker bluish-grey primary colour.• Ash coloured (blue grey).• Brown.Only slightly extensive white markings are tolerated but not desired. A white patch on the chest, less than 5 cm in diameter, and small white markings on the toes are tolerated but not desired.• White.
Size Height at withers:Dogs: 41 – 47 cm; Ideal height 43 – 45 cmBitches: 38 – 44 cm; Ideal height 40 – 42 cm.Weight:Dogs: 11 – 13 kg.Bitches: 8 – 11 kg.

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points must be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:• Aggressive or overly shy.• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities.• Flesh coloured, liverbrown or spotted nose in black, white, blue-merle, fawn or ash coloured dogs. Flesh coloured or spotted nose in brown dogs.• One or more missing teeth (incisors, canines, premolars 2-4, molars 1-2). More than two missing PM1. The M3 are disregarded.• Over- or undershot mouth, wry mouth. Gap of more than 2 mm between upper and lower incisors.• Yellow eyes in black dogs.• Drop ears.• Short, smooth, flat coat on the whole body; long hair on the head. Coat tending towards matting.• Wolf grey colour, black and tan with yellow to brown markings.• Height at the withers below 38 or over 47 cm.• Albinism.

• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation, should be used for breeding.

History

The breed came into being during the 18th to the 19th century from cross breeding Hungarian herding dogs most probably with various prick eared German herding dogs.

More Breeds You Might Like

Miniature-American-Shepherd - Beverly Hills Kennel Club RESIZE.jpg
Miniature American Shepherd
swedish_vallhund
Swedish Vallhund
australian_cattle_dog
Australian Cattle Dog
Komondor
Komondor
welsh_corgi__cardigan_
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)
maremma_sheepdog
Maremma Sheepdog
belgian_shepherd_dog__groenendael_
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)
bouvier_des_flandres
Bouvier des Flandres
Browse all Breeds