Andrea and Tobias Krebs
Schlehenweg 3
D-61276 Weilrod

+49 (0) 6109 - 50 35 838
+49 (0) 151 - 22 3 22 777

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Duna - Duna and kids

 

 

Everybody wants to see something different in a Kuvasz:

One sees the inapproachable and steady protector, the second sees the livestock guardian dog protecting the herd, the third a reliable alarm system, being on the chain alerting and others see the pal on the couch warming the feet.

Due to the urbanization the Kuvasz was forced a long time ago to adapt and thanks to his excellent multi-talent he successfully managed to adapt to completely different general living conditions without losing his steady temperament.

Since we are talking about a live stock guardian dog one should not color the characteristics this breed brings along. The Kuvasz has always been used to independent work and making their own decisions. Due to his size and power he therefore even can be a potential danger if he ends up in the wrong hands or gets challenged too little or even not at all.

Even though I grew up with a Kuvasz dog as a small child in the same age my kids are now, we now live in a different country and in a different world, in which there are different rules for dogs.

In the process to decide if we want a Kuvasz or not having two small kids back then, it was hard to find reassurance, since most breeders either had no kids or older kids. I appreciated every picture and every article I found on the net or in the Hungarian Kuvasz forum. With our page and many pictures I would like to encourage families and give tips how the living together with small kids and a dog can be relaxed and in harmony for both sides.

Our kids were included right from the beginning in our preparations, the planning’s, the dog school or the club or later with the breeder.

 

 

On the page of the Verband für Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH) we found a working book especially designed for kids living together with a dog, which can be downloaded free of charge. The so called „12 golden rules“ in everyday situations are discussed to help kids understand the body language and reactions of a dog. They already learned a lot what is important with some Kuvaszok, who have not been growing up with youngsters, it is better to first wait and let the dog approach, it is not good to star directly into the eyes of a dog and to prevent hectic movements.

 

 

In the first year we came back to this working book often and used it as a guide of rules. Especially before shows and Kuvasz meetings or dog tours we visited the “golden rules” were repeated.

 

 

Duna comes from a breeder who performs a tough child test with the puppies, so Gergő and Imrus have made our work easier. The Kovács-kids live in a symbiosis with the kids, it is wonderful. At our place the familiarization with the kids continued. The time of puppyhood for a Kuvasz is quickly over. If you pick up your puppy in the age of 10 weeks, you are carrying 10 kg live weight on your arm and the weight doubles quickly in a very short time. For some kids and even adults this leads to the fact that a Kuvasz puppy is equally regarded as grown up dog of other breeds and even can scare them. They have no freedom to do what they want if they are jumping on you in the age of 4 months weighing heavy 30 kg. They can’t have it only as they are a young dog still and some friendly people say: „Leave him, I am not scared and the dog is still a puppy!” Bad behavior remains and no one is happy anymore about heavy 40-60kg jumping mass with maybe even muddy paws. Therefore it is very important to teach the dog from earliest stage on that it is not allowed to jump on people and not to nibble on kids or any humans. Until the final teeth are there (and even longer) they simply love to chew with their piranha teeth on their beloved owner or his kids. Besides a few holes in a shirt or pants there is no real harm done, but they can be very painful and nasty. The Kuvasz first No was reserved for the nibbling. This way they also learn the inhibition against biting and the game stops immediately with a loud „AUA“. Luckily these times were quickly over.

In the 10th week we started to visit the puppy school where they slowly started to learn the first commands like sit, heel, stay etc. Our kids always came along and had fun continuing to exercise at home. Sara turned out to be a real dog whisperer; Duna often obeyed her immediately and enjoyed the game. Retrieving and searching are still her favorite activities.

 

 

Duna accompanied us every day to the Kindergarten and she was very welcome. Our Kindergarten was very dog friendly and there were always goodies waiting for her. From a certain size on we put her on leash in the front part of the Kindergarten. She lay down and waited for me to return. She learned to wait calm on leash and this way got used to all kind of kids. She got used to and enjoyed the care of the kids.

The bringing and picking up of the kids is still combined with a nice dog round and has become a ritual. The dog and the kids enjoy these walks and have fun to run in the fields or forest together. We hardly ever had children’s illness but since Duna lives with us the kids hardly ever have a cold.

 

 

Most of the time we have taken the kids with us to shows in different cities and spent some time sightseeing. This way we have met many cities and countries we might have never visited.

 

 

Recently Sara had the opportunity to handle a dog during a show herself. She still dreams about this and was so proud of the result. She managed with professional moves the lively puppy and has proven her handling capabilities.  

 

 

If friends have a litter there is no persuasion needed for the kids to come along.

 

 

The friends of our kids also quickly got used to Duna. Kids are magically attracted by the white teddy bear. Meanwhile her fans run to the school fence to see her. All of them were fascinated but it was a matter of time who dared to go near her. We are very proud that we have convinced many kids who even were afraid of small always jumping and barking around. We do not have to lock Duna away when our kids have kids visiting. They can play together in the garden – certainly always supervised by us. Duna often goes away in a corner of our garden or she stays near me and let’s the kids play with the ball. She always joins us if we are going to the fields with the birthday party guests or go on walks with the kids. Duna is extremely careful with kids and small babies and often cleans carefully their face or hands. She also joined us to the Hungarian Kidsdance lessons where mainly the girls always asked for her with glance in their eyes. The Hungarian parents from Frankfurt were shocked at the beginning to see a real Kuvasz in front of the door, but soon we were able to leave a good impression for the breed even with people who used to be quite skeptical.

 

 

Then Duna had her first official assignment: In Sara’s elementary school she and the West Highland Terrier Pit were part of a school project about pets. The school kids were given the mentioned VDH working book (which also has a working book for teachers available) and the kids learned the content during the week. At the end of the week they met the two dogs in their class room. Subjects like feeding, keeping, necessary care, working dogs and many more were discussed and summarized by the working groups and the kids were allowed to ask us questions and pet the dogs.

During the school lesson in this narrow room of approx. 3x3 m Duna has managed her job in an excellent way and obviously enjoyed taking the center stage. At the end of the lesson she has not disappointed me showing small tricks and scent work.

 

 

Duna has enriched our lifes and the lifes of our kids. Because of the dogs they learn natural processes like reproduction, birth, death and rank order which often are kept back from today‘s kids. They are even more outside in the fresh air than before and Duna is solid as a rock on their side, supports them emotionally and comforts them without any words if they ever are sad.

 

 

Duna with the eyes of a kid:

 

 


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