The Mudi - a summary
The Mudi is an uncommon to rare breed outside of his native Hungary. They were present in the 18-19th century, bred for herding Racka (an equally rare and native sheep to Hungary) as well as a general purpose farm dog capable of ratting, guarding their home, but equally as capable as a scent discrimination dog or hunting wild boar.
The breed is high spirited, active and intelligent with a very strong need to work. They are incredibly attached to their owner/family - and are often called "velcro dogs" for that reason.
Males stand 16-18 in (41-47 cm) and weigh 24-29 lbs (11-13 kg). Females are 15-17 in (38-44 cm) and 18-24 lbs (8-11 kg).
The Mudi's coat is short, straight and smooth on the head and front of the limbs. Elsewhere, it is uniformly wavy or slightly curled, dense and always shiny.
The Mudi comes in fawn, black, blue-merle, ash (blue-grey), brown or white.
The tail may be anything from a full tail to a natural bobtail (NBT) - all lengths are acceptable as they are naturally occurring within the breed (they are not a breed which is docked).
Grooming is minimal - spraying down the coat with water or a watered down leave in conditioner and a solid combing should be sufficient, along with regular nail trims.
This breed is exceptionally talented for sports such as agility, dock diving, scent discrimination work, fly ball, disc dog and ratting. Some make excellent herding dogs and others work hard with a variety of other pursuits such as rally. Many in the breed can be quite vocal - so a home which requires a quiet pet likely will not enjoy their exuberant discussions.
Mudi can be easily stimulated and some can be somewhat reactive in unfamiliar situations or around unfamiliar people or dogs....*when not socialized appropriately*. As a result, active sport homes and athletic/active owners who are experienced with dogs that have intense drive are best for this breed. They are generally an open, happy dog but may be reserved when uncertain.
This is not a breed for a person who is new to owning dogs. They require a great deal of early work to ensure a solid happy temperament, and need a great deal of time invested for activities to keep them fulfilled. For the right home though, a Mudi is an exceptionally talented & athletic working partner who will be devoutly loyal to pleasing "their person" and will entertain and delight them unendingly with their quirky, chatty but incredibly loving and humorous personality.
Many who own a Mudi state they are hard to describe - but for those who own them, the vast majority state no dog on earth can compare to them either.
More information below:
Health
The Mudi is a relatively healthy but rare breed, so there is always higher risk as a result of having limited individuals to work with. Due to hard work by many breeders thankfully most of this risk has been mediated through well planned breeding with healthy, DNA tested dogs.
The recommended health checks below are expected for any Mudi being considered for breeding - though this list is not comprehensive.
OFA Hips and Elbows (or alternatively PennHip for hip evaluation) should be evaluated at minimum after 2 years of age, and ideally repeated at least once in later years.
Epilepsy is present in the breed. Though no health testing is available for the specific genes which contribute to the disorder, ethical breeding is completed with the lowest risk dogs possible (to try to eliminate having puppies develop idiopathic epilepsy whenever possible). Most affected individuals present early (prior to 3 years of age) with symptoms - and it appears after ~5 years of age most dogs will not develop epilepsy.
Eyes (Cataracts/PPM/Distichia) - an ACVO or CAER eye examination should be run yearly by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist for breeding dogs. PPM and distichia are considered "breeder option" presently.
Patellas - A veterinarian should clear breeding dogs and puppies of the presence of patellar luxation. Results registered with OFA.
Some optional other testing which may be competed includes: autoimmune thyroiditis, MDR1 (now renamed ABCB1), an advanced, standard or basic cardiac exam with a board certified cardiologist, and Color Dilution Alopecia (CDA).
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