Fun Mudi Facts For Kids

Mudi is a medium sized herding dog originally from Hungary. It is related to the other Hungarian dog species like puli and pumi.

All these dogs are known to participate in dog sports. Mudi dogs were discovered as a breed in 1936 by Dr. Dezso Fenyes where they are also known as driver dogs.

Mudi dogs are great exercise partners as they are one breed that must be taken for a brisk walk or a jog daily. It is also beneficial to give them a large fenced area for running around.

The dogs are known to compete in dog agility trials, rally obedience, schutzhund, showmanship, flyball, tracking and herding events. The origins of mudi dogs can be traced back to the 15th to 18th centuries.

Although they became a rare breed during World War II,  in the 1960s the breed was rehabilitated. Mudis are an active breed that love to engage in a variety of dog sports.

Mudi dogs were last breed that were naturally developed for herding. To date, these dogs are still working with the sheepherders and livestock in Hungary.

It is hard to mix dog breeds in order to recreate the mudi dog today. According to the Mudi Club of America, the dog may seem a bit aloof, especially to strangers. Once they have socialized with them, they are easy-going and playful.

After reading about Hungarian mudi, you may also look at miki dog facts and Kunming wolfdog facts.

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Mudi Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a mudi?

Mudi is a type of farm dog that originated from Hungary. They are a known herding dog that is extremely affectionate towards children and other animals. Mudis are one of the few breeds from Hungary that are easy to care for with minimal grooming needs.

What class of animal does a mudi belong to?

Mudi dogs belong to the mammal class of animals. They give birth to offspring like all other mammals.

They are a mid-sized dog that are known for their hunting capabilities and are regarded as an overall healthy breed. Being a farm dog, the energy level of mudi are very high and this is the reason that this breed loves to enjoy dog sports like agility and fly ball.

How many mudis are there in the world?

The mudi breed is still not known across the entire world. Therefore the exact number of their population is difficult to come by. There may be a few thousand mudi dogs around the world. Though, mudi have been recognized as a herding breed and added into the Foundation Stock Service.

Where does a mudi live?

Mudi dogs are most comfortable living in a house with a large fenced yard. It may be difficult for the dog to live in an urban set up like an apartment or small house as they require more than average playtime and exercise.

Mudi dogs are a herding breed and are known to herd over 500 sheep in one go. Therefore, farmlands with other domesticated animals would be an ideal home for this dog. Mudi dogs have a high energy level and are an ideal farm dog.

What is a mudi's habitat?

Mudi are herding dogs that can hunt, be a watchdog and a flock guardian too. Mudi breed dogs are excellent watchdogs due to their active personality and protective nature.

Therefore it may be ideal to keep a mudi at a farmland or with livestock, where they have large open spaces to roam around.

They can also perform their daily exercise routine while doing so. The dog is more suitable to a rural setting in a large, fenced in house where the owner may train them for various dog sports and activities.

Who do mudis live with?

The mudi breed can live with a large family with children once they have been trained in trust-building activities. They can live with other animals or livestock as they are an active herding dog.

How long does a mudi live?

Mudi dog life expectancy is in the range of 12 to 14 years. With the right diet and active exercise routine, the mudi can live a long and healthy life.

How do they reproduce?

Both the male mudi and female mudi should be the right age and size. The female dog should be going through her heat cycle.

The male dog will mount the female dog from behind, and the entire mating process will take 20 to 25 minutes. The gestation period for the pregnancy would be around 50 to 60 days, after which the female dogs will give birth to between five and eight mudi puppies.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status for the mudi breed is of the Least Concern as they are a popular domesticated animal. The population did decline during World War Two, but concentrated efforts to revive the breed were carried out in 1960 and now the population seems to be stable.

They are mostly found in Finland and Hungary, but apart from these two places they are a rarity. Efforts are being made to popularize mudi dogs in other parts of the world too.

Mudi Fun Facts

What do mudis look like?

Mudis are born with different types of tails which could range from bobtail to long full length ones. The dogs born with a short natural bobtail are indicated as pedigrees in Federation Cynologique Internationale.

Mudi dogs have wedge shaped heads with prick ears that can turn. Mudi coat colors can range across white, black, gray, yellow, brown and gray-brown with a merle pattern.

Their coat can also be ash colored, blue-merle which is black speckled, estriped, or brindle and spotted. The head and front limbs are covered in straight short silky hair while the rest of the body has curvy or wavy hair.

How cute are they?

According to the Mudi Club of America, the mudi is an alert, sweet dog with a spitz-like quality of a herding dog. These Hungarian dogs have a compact medium-sized body.

Blue merle mudi dogs are cute agile animals who would be great exercise companions, thanks to the active and caring mudi temperament. After proper training, they get comfortable around children as well.

How do they communicate?

Mudi (pronounced moody) are known to bark in times of danger or intrusion. This breed from Hungary may also bark when they are bored or not allowed to go out.

As mudis are an outdoorsy kind of dog, they will require lots of play time as well as the ability to roam and exercise freely. They are not trusting of strangers and may show their displeasure by barking at them.

How big is a mudi?

Mudi is a medium-size dog with a height of 14-20 in (35-50 cm). Dogs of mudi breed are similar in size to other spitz type dogs.  

How fast can a mudi run?

Mudis run at a decent speed as they are a herding dog and can herd 500 sheep at one time. Dogs of this spitz-type breed are agile and active and require daily brisk walks or jogs.

How much does a mudi weigh?

A black mudi breed dog weighs between 18-29 lb (8-13 kg). With the right diet of healthy fat-free protein and a regular vigorous exercise routine, this Hungarian dog breed can lead a healthy and long life. It mostly manages its weight by running around the yard and enjoying active playtime with children.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male mudi dogs are called dogs, and females are called bitches.

What would you call a baby mudi?

Baby mudi dogs are called a mudi puppy or pup.

What do they eat?

Mudi dogs must be fed dry or wet food from a good quality brand. They are one of the breeds from Hungary that must be fed good quality meat which is low in fat along with some veggies and carbohydrate sources.

Feeding them one and a half bowls of food twice a day should be enough with a water bowl filled at all times. Their dietary needs will change with age so owners must adjust their nutrients intake accordingly.

Are they hypoallergenic?

The mudi dog is not hypoallergenic. The dogs coat may cause an allergic reaction in people. Their shedding is considerate, so they would make adorable pets for anyone who does not suffer from extreme dog allergies. Mudi shedding starts during the spring and the dog does not regain the coat until the end of the summer.

Would they make a good pet?

Mudi dogs are an ideal pet for children if you have a large space around your house, or a farmland with other animals. Mudis are from one of the herding dog breeds, therefore they love the outdoors while actively playing or guarding the livestock.

Mudi dogs may be comfortable in an apartment if you make sure it has its regular dose of physical activity and playtime for ensuring good health.

Did you know...

Mudi is a Hungarian breed of herding dog that are rarely seen outside of their native land. In Hungary, they are still used to herd large herds of sheep and other livestock.

Due to this nature of theirs, mudi dogs participate in a lot of dog spots. They love playing frisbee or fetch. Their herding tendencies are also measured at non competitive events, where they are judged for their basic herding instincts and then trained to perform and compete at herding trials.

Mudis are a breed that enjoys good health, but regular visits to the vet for health checkups are always advised. They may be genetically predisposed to certain health conditions. Mudi dogs are known to suffer from elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, cataracts and epilepsy.

Mudis require only basic grooming like trimming their nails every few weeks and keeping up with dental and oral hygiene by brushing their teeth. Mudi dog ears need to be cleaned and checked for parasites, infection, or debris.

Mudis coats repel and shed dirt and debris and requires very little grooming. Mudis love to swim and being in the water and it would be a good idea to give them a bath after one such adventure.

Mudi dogs shed heavily during spring and a new coat will not grow till the end of summer. Mudis may be aggressive towards other dogs if they are not socialized from an early age. They are not territorial but may turn aggressive if socialization and leash training is not done properly.

To adopt a black mudi in America, you may contact the Mudi Club of America or visit their website regularly as they update a list of dogs available for adoption. The mudi was honored by appearing on a Hungarian postage stamp in 2004 and they are considered a national treasure.

The breed mudi is also recorded in the Foundation Stock Service since 2004.

Mudi dogs have been eligible to compete in the Companion Events since January 1st 2008. The breed mudi is known to be the only breed in the herding dogs category to have merle-colored coats and healthy white-colored coat dog too.

At the October Board Meeting, it was approved to allow the mudi to compete in the Miscellaneous Class from June 27, 2008. The Mudi Club of America serves as the American Kennel Clubs’ Parent Club for the mudi.

1966 saw a new breed standard established that was written for mudi by Dr. Zoltan Balassy to apply for the Federation Cynologique Internationale’s recognition. Dr. Deszo Fenyesi gave the name mudi to this breed.

How much exercise do mudi dogs need?

They are very active dogs who require daily brisk walks or jogs. They also enjoy running freely in a large fenced area on their own. As we know they are an active dog in the dogs' sports circuits, they love to play and participate in these activities if trained well from their puppy days.

Do mudis bark alot?

Mudis are trained to herd and guard livestock, for which they have to bark when they sense an intrusion. They take their job to alert at any disturbance very seriously and, therefore they come across as a dog who barks a lot.

You can train them when to bark and when to be quiet from an early age so that they do not cause any unwanted disturbance. They may react to a slight breeze that stirs up scent molecules and offers them up to the nose, which makes them bark.

But with proper training, they can bring their barking to a minimum.

They may also bark or howl if they are left alone for a long period of time without their owners. They are not trusting of strangers and can bark to alert the owners of them.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including corgi beagle mix, or dachshund beagle mix.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our Mudi Dog coloring pages.