Puli - Herding

Around the 9th century, the Magyar tribes came from the eastern Urals to occupy the central Danube area, intermingling with Turkish people along the way. They brought with them various Sheepdogs, including the forebear of the modern Puli. The Puli's resemblance in body structure to the Tibetan spaniel has led some to surmise that the latter may have played a role in the Puli's development. Whatever the origin, the small dogs were agile sheep herders, able even to turn a sheep by jumping on its back. The black color was important so that he could be easily spotted by the shepherd among the sheep. Thus, the Magyar's larger dogs were probably used as nighttime guards, and the small black dogs as daytime herders. After the decimation of Hungary by invaders in the 16th century, the country was repopulated by people, sheep and dogs from western Europe. These dogs interbred with the native Pulik to produce the Puli, and then the Puli and Pumi were interbred to such an extent that the original Puli breed was nearly lost. In the early 1900s, an effort began to resurrect the Puli; the first standard was written in 1925. Around that time, Pulik in Hungary varied greatly in height from large 'police' through medium 'working' to small 'dwarf'sizes. The medium-sized dogs were most representative of the traditional herding Puli and were established as the desired size. In 1935, the U.S. Department of Agriculture imported several Pulik in an effort to improve herding dogs in America. This effort was thwarted by war, but the breed's working ability became known in America, and by 1936 the AKC recognized the Puli. The breed's fame spread farther throughout Europe as a result of Hungarians fleeing the war, bringing their dogs with them. The modern Puli remains an adept herder, but he enjoys only modest popularity as a pet or show dog.