What Every First-time Hovawart Owner Should Know: Before You Buy

This is the last in a series of blogs about "What Every First-time Hovawart Owner Should Know", in which each subject is selected - and contributed to - by Hovawart owners.

Before You Buy

Now the series comes to an end, you are officially armed to meet some real Hovawarts in real life, although .... be prepared to find out we hardly even scratched the surface! There is so much more to discover.

When you don't know any Hovawarts in your direct vicinity to meet, visiting a Hovawart dog show from your national Hovawart club would be a great place to start.

Hovawart dog shows are nothing fancy like the big shows where all breeds are represented. It is just a group of casually dressed people having a good time with their dogs. They will all be more than happy to let you meet their Hovie and have a talk or give some advice, or assist you in meeting a Hovawart on its own turf.

The better you will get to know them, the more you will also notice their individuality. And although they all share the traits of the breed, they are all different nonetheless:

Evelyn B.: "Look for information, talk with the people who owned one and perhaps visit a show or two. See Hovies in action, see Hovies in contact with their humans and kids. Get as much information as you can get and then ... decide..."

Hester O.: "To read and meet and talk to as many owners is good but particularly owners who live a similar lifestyle. If you live in a city do not just visit Hovawarts who live in the county and visa versa. Dogs react very differently to things according to where and how they live."

Ine C.: "To buy a hovawart book and read it. Speak to as many hovawart owners as possible, stay in touch. And ask experienced hovawart owners for advice before trying things out, when they're having some behavioral problems."

Jan W.: "Whilst Hovawarts are a breed where individuals share certain traits, they are individuals the same as the rest of us - how they turn out is partly breeding, partly their own individuality, upbringing, feeding, training, socializing, exercise, play, other dogs in the household, it is also partly dependent on the character of the owner and the circumstances of the owner."

I hope you found this series with the contributions from other Hovawart owners a useful introduction to the Hovawart. For some more reading and book tips on Hovawarts, check out these Four Books about the Hovawart in Four languages.

When you decide the Hovawart is for you, we would love to hear about your experiences too. Lets stay in touch!

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A big thanks to Africa, Jan Wolfe, Evelyn B., Peggy S., Yvonne B., Anna N., Katja K., Sascha L., Björn S., Loes K., Flora B., Verena S., Heini A., Dave H., Maria E., Judith L., Lone A., Mary A., Hester O., Ine C., Min I., Silvia I., Karina J., Ellen G., for your contributions in selecting and contributing to the subjects.