Hovawart

Devoted to family and guards its territory; slow to mature.
A Hovawart
Photo: Wojciech Pędzich
Adult male
30–40 kg
66–88 lb
Adult female
25–35 kg
55–77 lb
Lifespan
10–14 yrs
Class · Watchdog
also Family

What it's like

In temperament it is devoted to its family, watchful and reserved with strangers. It guards its territory readily but should not be aggressive without cause. It is even-tempered and independent-minded, and it is known for maturing slowly.

Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a long coat. It sheds through the year rather than in big seasonal moults. Plan on daily brushing. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Hovawart is a large dog, about the weight of a grown Labrador. Males end up clearly heavier than females.

The Hovawart is a strong, slightly long-bodied dog with a rounded head and a long, gently wavy coat that lies fairly flat. The coat is longer on the chest, the backs of the legs and the bushy tail. Only three colours are accepted: black, black and gold, and blond. Males and females differ clearly in size and in the shape of the head.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Hovawart puppy is already as heavy as a grown Border Collie. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
12 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0102030402m4m6m9m12m18m
0102030402m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
6.3–8.4 kg 13.9–18.5 lb
5.8–8.1 kg 12.8–17.9 lb
3 months
9.5–12.6 kg 20.9–27.8 lb
8.3–11.6 kg 18.3–25.6 lb
4 months
14.0–18.7 kg 30.9–41.2 lb
12.0–16.9 kg 26.5–37.3 lb
5 months
18.0–24.0 kg 39.7–52.9 lb
15.3–21.5 kg 33.7–47.4 lb
6 months
21.4–28.6 kg 47.2–63.1 lb
18.0–25.2 kg 39.7–55.6 lb
7 months
24.2–32.3 kg 53.4–71.2 lb
20.0–28.0 kg 44.1–61.7 lb
8 months
26.2–35.0 kg 57.8–77.2 lb
21.3–29.9 kg 47.0–65.9 lb
9 months
27.6–36.8 kg 60.8–81.1 lb
22.4–31.3 kg 49.4–69.0 lb
10 months
28.4–37.9 kg 62.6–83.6 lb
23.1–32.3 kg 50.9–71.2 lb
11 months
28.9–38.5 kg 63.7–84.9 lb
23.6–33.0 kg 52.0–72.8 lb
12 months
29.2–39.0 kg 64.4–86.0 lb
23.9–33.5 kg 52.7–73.9 lb
15 months
29.7–39.5 kg 65.5–87.1 lb
24.6–34.5 kg 54.2–76.1 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Hovawarts live yet. The 10–14 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Hovawart's name is Middle High German for farmyard guardian, and German chronicles mention it from the Middle Ages. Almost extinct by the early 20th century, it was rebuilt by Kurt König, who from 1922 bred old-type farm dogs he could still find, bringing in Leonberger, Newfoundland, German Shepherd and other blood. Its FCI standard credits screening for hip dysplasia since the 1960s with making the disease rare4,9.

The Hovawart took shape as a modern breed through Kurt Friedrich König's breeding, presented as a revival of old farm guard dogs, and the German kennel club recognised it in the late nineteen-thirties. The Second World War scattered much of the breeding stock, so enthusiasts rebuilt it after the war, and international recognition from the FCI followed in the nineteen-sixties. German breed clubs have long kept close control over breeding, assessing dogs for character as well as build. It was developed to guard house and yard, a role still central to its nature. It is also trained for tracking, search and rescue and obedience work.

Breed standard

The Hovawart is judged against standard no. 190, in group 2, Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid and Swiss Mountain Dogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Hovawart figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

Golden Retriever
Retrievers & water dogs · Large
Boxer
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium
American Bulldog
Working · Large
Sarplaninac
Pinschers & molossoids · Large
Or compare the Hovawart with any breed you choose
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Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·