You HERD Me

There is a serious misunderstanding being presented as fact that the selected purpose and function of the Mudi breed is that of an all-purpose farm dog. This misrepresentation has even inserted itself into official documents, which is likely one of the places it is shared from.

The AKC Mudi breed standard states: The Mudi is an …. all-purpose Hungarian farm dog. The AKC standard does not even mention herding as a purpose anywhere! How is that even possible?

What is an all-purpose farm dog anyway?  Even Google is not overly helpful and forget Wikipedia.  There is no FCI or AKC  ‘farm dog’  group either.  The only specific farm dog is the Danish-Swedish Farm Dog (DSFD) and they are in the working group in AKC, not the herding group.  Their AKC standard does not even list a purpose:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn-origin-etr.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/14075247/Official-Standard-Danish-Swedish-Farmdog.pdf

In FCI the DSFD breed is in Group 2: Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs (they are considered a pinscher, not a terrier)

https://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/356g02-en.pdf

In the FCI Mudi standard #238:

UTILIZATION: Herding dogs.

FCI-CLASSIFICATION: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)

Section 1 Sheepdogs

I Am What I Am

The Mudi is a landrace developed through selection by shepherds to herd livestock – it was not selected by farmers!  And yes there is a difference between a farmer and a shepherd – they are two very different professions.

The Mudi is not an all-purpose farm dog and we DO NOT want it to become one! 

Why? 

Because the Mudi is historically and biologically a cooperative herding breed.

Because the Mudi was never selected for general or specialized farm dog duties/tasks such as:

1) pulling carts, carrying tools/equipment, or moving equipment: the Mudi never had the size, structure or need to perform these tasks; cart pulling also requires a certain temperament which the Mudi was not selected for; donkeys and much larger, calmer dogs were used for these tasks

2) ratting/mousing: the Mudi is a cooperative herding dog – while a ratter/mouser (typically a terrier or pinscher) is an independent working dog; not all Mudis are mousers and no one would consider not breeding a Mudi because it wasn’t a good mouser – meaning vermin extermination is not important – it is just incidental

3) property or livestock guarding: the Mudi is not large enough to guard and defend, but they are very good watchdogs because they are observant and alert, which is one task they do on their own without us (independently) and in some cases they overachieve and become nuisance barkers, which results from this one independent behavior – do we want more of that?  They should also remain near to us, not off patrolling the ‘hood – which leads to nothing but trouble and vet bills from meeting  with cars, fights with other dogs and wild animals, unhappy neighbors and hunters, etc.;  this independent behavior we must keep in check and continually select against - not develop further

4) wild boar hunting was not a practice of farmers or shepherds (especially when the Mudi was mainly being developed) and it was not done with a valuable herding dog that would be useless if it got hurt by a boar, not one of the professional shepherds we talked to said they also used their Mudi to hunt wild boar; hunting of this type is best accomplished with hounds – which are independent working breeds – which is not what we want our Mudis to be!  There is a Hungarian hound that is made for this exact task – the Erdélyi kopó (Transylvanian Hound).  We do not want our Mudis running off after wildlife while they are working livestock or taking a walk off leash with us.  In Hungary dogs that chase game are allowed to be terminated by hunters and game wardens.

Partners, Not Solopreneurs

The Mudi was selected by shepherds to be their ever present livestock handling partner, anything else a Mudi can do is of far less importance and would not be a determining factor for breeding.

Being a cooperative herding breed is why the Mudi has super sports ability and is also a loyal companion - because it is a cooperative breed – they were made to work with you, not on their own, which is why they excel as sport partners. Think about how many hounds and terriers appear on the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place sport podiums.  The vast majority of winning placements consist of cooperative breeds which include the herding and gundog breeds.

Cooperation or Independence

Science has also shown that Cooperative and Independent dog breeds have very different behavior (links below).

Cooperative working (herding) behavior is what makes the Mudi able to perform so many sports with us – if you want to keep this high level sport performance, then you have to select Mudis that work with us, not for performing tasks alone. 

What are the differences between cooperative and independent dogs?

1) Cooperative dogs watch us, they listen to us – even when we are not talking to them, they check in with us frequently to make sure they are doing what we want or to take further directions – this is exactly what is needed for herding livestock and also high level sports performance.

2) Cooperative dogs are not “set and forget” task dogs, which is what independent breeds are: hook up the sled to the husky, put the terrier in the barn, let the beagles loose in the field, turn out the hounds to the woodlands, place the LGD with the flock, and they do what they were selected to do without anyone directing them.  Yes we may have to steer or stop them, but that does not deter them from their purpose when they are set to it. 

3) Cooperative dogs rely on humans to direct them, independent dogs don’t – they rely on themselves or others in their pack to carry out their task, this is why our Mudis look at us so much, they wait for us to show them or tell them what we want them to do.  This human focus is what makes them so good for herding and sports.

Make It Right

The Mudi is a herding dog first and last.  If you want an all-purpose farm dog find a breed that was made for that purpose.  

If you think that changing the purpose away from herding to all-purpose farm dog, makes the Mudi more marketable, then you don’t have the best interest of the Mudi breed as your first responsibility, you are serving other selfish goals. 

The Mudi breed should always be our top priority!  Keeping the purpose the Mudi was created to do should be the number one goal on everyone’s list.

I expect the Mudi Club of America to correct their standard in 4 years’ time to reflect the true and only purpose of the Mudi – herding, because there is not one mention of herding in the current AKC standard, which is not understandable for a breed selected specifically for one task - herding.

 

Making a mistake is not what defines us, how we correct it is.

AKC Mudi Breed Standard

https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/Mudi.pdf

 

FCI Mudi Breed Standard

https://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/238g01-en.pdf

 

Published Scientific Studies

You talkin’ to me? Functional breed selection may have fundamentally influenced dogs’ sensitivity to human verbal communicative cues

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12915-024-01983-1

 

Natural Born Detourers Modern Utility Dog Breeds Show Ancestry-Based Superiority in Social Learning Capacity in a Detour Task

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eva.70151

 

Independent, but still observant—dog breeds selected for functional independence learn better from a conspecific demonstrator than cooperative breeds in a detour task

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12915-024-02046-1?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20241023&utm_content=10.1186%2Fs12915-024-02046-1

 

Cooperative but Dependent–Functional Breed Selection in Dogs Influences Human-Directed Gazing in a Difficult Object-Manipulation Task

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11350734/

 

The relationship between functional breed selection and attachment pattern in family dogs (Canis familiaris)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159121000186

 

Would You Detour with Me? Association between Functional Breed Selection and Social Learning in Dogs Sheds Light on Elements of Dog–Human Cooperation

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/12/2001

 

Effects of selection for cooperation and attention in dogs

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1744-9081-5-31

 

Dogs’ (Canis familiaris) attention to human perception: Influence of breed groups and life experiences.

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fcom0000050

Breed Preservation or Crossbred Dog Laundering?

 

In March of 2025, a Polish Mudi breeder brought a mixed breed dog to a breeding exam in Hungary to obtain a B/R pedigree.  What is a B/R pedigree?  In Hungary, the stud book for the Mudi is open, which means that if a dog has Mudi-like characteristics, the owner can bring said dog before an approved (to judge the Mudi) Hungarian Kennel Klub conformation judge and acquire an empty pedigree that now proclaims the unknown origin dog to be a Mudi!  If there are two judges present at the breeding exam, this dog can not only get the official Mudi B/R pedigree prize, but it can also apply for breeding privileges at the same time – and that is what this mixed breed dog named Smok did!  I confirmed this with one of the judges present at this breeding exam – they clearly remembered the dog, however these judges were among the few people around the world that did not know the parentage of Smok at the time of the breeding exam.  Had these judges known then, what they know now, they may have denied the pedigree application, or at least not given the additional breeding permission.  

Smok is introduced on the breeders website as a Mudi x Border Collie
mix that came from the USA,the photo is from the breeder/owner’s
public social media 

Over the last many years, Mudi-like dogs have come to breeding exams to get a pedigree so they can compete in sports, however it was an ‘unwritten’ requirement that they were to be spayed/neutered. With the unusual chest markings on Smok being anything but Mudi breed characteristic, he should not have been given breeding rights. However, if the chest spots were dyed before he was shown to the judges….. Photos of such a thing happening at the World Dog Show recently made the rounds on social media, with a canine participant being ‘touched up’ just prior to ring entry, yes it is possible to do such things. Is it allowed, NO – but that will not stop some people from doing it anyway, because rules are meant for others right? Or even worse, rules are made to be broken right? This post is a classic case in point for that exact rotten attitude.

The horizontal white stripe across the chest of Smok is very
uncharacteristic for a Mudi, the photo is from the
breeder/owners public social media 

Why do these owners want a Mudi pedigree, why not get a pedigree for the other breeds the dog is made from – why not get Smok a Border Collie pedigree?

Laundering?

What is laundering? The term is most commonly used in connection with money, but in this particular case it is making a known parentage mix into a pedigreed Mudi. Basically, laundering is the practice of funneling illegal "dirty" money through legitimate businesses or complex financial systems, so the funds appear "clean" and authentic. In this case, a known parentage mix was brought to Hungary with the intention of acquiring a pedigree so it could be bred further as a Mudi and the puppies from this mixed breed would also get Mudi pedigrees – and YES this has already happened with Smok!

After the breeding exam, the owner of Smok (Wartownik Wiatru / The Windwakers kennel in Poland), wasted little time in breeding him with a female from the same kennel Smok’s mother came from (Királytanyai kennel, Hungary). Smok’s puppies were born November 15, 2025, in the Királytanyai kennel in Hungary, the mother is Királytanyai Gumicukor. The Hungarian breeder of this 2025 litter, is well aware of who Smok is as his mother came from their kennel and the Polish breeder is very much connected to Királytanyai Mudis/breeding since 2010. The Polish Mudi breeder owns at least 11 Mudis from that kennel, for sport and breeding. She has visited their kennel numerous times, and all of her dogs usually travel with her, meaning, the Hungarian breeders were well acquainted with Smok and who his parents are since he was born.

In May of 2026, at least two of Smok’s newly pedigreed pups were sold and transported to an American Mudi breeder (Luminary kennel, USA) – this American breeder knew full well who and what Smok was and they have not been silent about that since the pups arrival. These two pups were quickly registered with AKC and possibly placed with co-owners. There is little doubt they were imported to be future breeding stock in the USA. The Luminary breeder visited the Polish breeder in the summer of 2020, they are not strangers to one another.

AKC registration in the USA for two of Smok's pups 

Is your head spinning yet? 

Let’s start from the beginning.

Smok was born in Florida, USA, July 29, 2021, into a litter of five puppies. His pedigreed Mudi mother was imported to the USA from Hungary in 2014, along with three of her littermates.  Smok’s Border Collie father was called Jungle, his AKC pedigree name is Jungle Warfare.  This litter of mixed breed ‘Budi’ pups Smok was born into were called the Jungle Budi’s, after the Border Collie father.  ‘Budi’ is the nickname created for the Mudi x Border Collie cross pups by their breeder in Florida. Another breeder in the USA called their Mudi x BC crosses ‘MudiCollies’ and a breeder in Canada that is also currently producing a similar cross calls their pups ‘Mudicollies’ as well. 

AKC registration for Smok's Border Collie father - Jungle 

Smok’s mother, Királytanyai Búza, has had three litters of ‘Budi’s’, with Smok’s litter being the third, and Smok’s litter had a different Border Collie father than the first two litters of ‘Budi’s’.

Birthday wishes from a littermate owner for the Jungle Budi litter pups,
which includes Smok, photo is from Smok’s breeders public media page

The Polish breeder (Wartownik Wiatru/The Windwakers) imported Smok in the fall of 2021 from the ‘Budi’ breeder in Florida.  It was told from the very beginning and for several years after his arrival in Poland, what his parentage was.  His owner mentioned to me (and surely others) that it was her wish to one day breed Smok.  I certainly did not think it would happen like this.  I thought she would make other sport-cross non-pedigreed litters like Smok himself came from, not seek to make pedigreed Mudi litters with him!  The concept to make him a real Mudi and breed him as such became her wish come true in March 2025 in Hungary. His breeding career began, at the latest, in September 2025.  How many puppies and litters, and where he has already produced them and where they have been distributed to, I do not know.  But what I do know is that it should never have happened – this is not how the open stud book registration/pedigree system for the Mudi was meant to be used – this is bold mockery and blatant deceit committed by several long time Mudi breeders that obviously lack any care or responsibility for the Mudi breed.  These are not newcomers to the breed that did not know better, Királytanyai has been breeding Mudis since 2002, producing more than 115 litters thus far.  Wartownik Wiatru/The Windwakers obtained their first Mudi in 2010 (from the Királytanyai kennel) and created their first litter in 2012, and they have produced 5 litters to date.  

The owner of Smok writing on a public social media
blog post about the parentage of Smok 

The B/R pedigree system is meant to bring into registration Mudis that fell out of the pedigree system or were never given a pedigree, that were born and live within the borders of Hungary, or even former parts of Hungary – NOT FLORIDA!  Florida was never a colony of Hungary either.  There is nothing that can excuse this fraudulent use of the open pedigree system by these two breeders!  And the importation of Smok’s pups to the USA for expanding the Mudi gene pool there is no less fraudulent as the American breeder is fully aware of who and what Smok is. 

 

Why is crossing out to a BC a very bad idea?

While I do not like cross-breeding of the Mudi with other breeds, there is no rule or law against it, although most Mudi clubs do not permit their members to do it intentionally (although claimed-accidental cross bred litters have occurred many times).  There are cases where the level of inbreeding, disease occurrence and the detrimental effects of inbreeding depression have left some breeds with no other choice than to outcross to another breed, such as the Norwegian Lundehund has been doing recently to save their breed from the brink of extinction.  The Mudi however is no where near to needing such measures as the Lundehund must now fulfill, as the GCOI (Genetic Coefficient of Inbreeding) average for the Mudi breed is approximately 11% by Embark measurement, this is among the lowest GCOI’s for any purebred breed in existence today!  While the incidence of health issues is climbing in the Mudi breed, only a highly regulated, organized and monitored breeding program could help to lower that - individual haphazard crossbreeding to whatever wins in agility is NOT the solution – this will only bring more problems to the Mudi breed.

Embark GCOI average for the Mudi breed,
spring 2026

The breeds chosen for an outcrossing project need to be very carefully selected and the Border Collie is definitely not a breed I would ever consider wise to cross into the Mudi breed.  First the BC does not herd like the Mudi does!  The Mudi is an upright herder, it does not give eye, stalk, or constantly want to herd the sheep like the BC does, actually, this was one of the main reasons why the professional shepherds in Hungary quickly rid off the BC’s they were convinced by BC fanciers they should be using to herd with some years ago.  The flocking sheep type kept in Hungary need to settle amongst their herd mates so they can graze for long periods of time, not be constantly stalked and eyed by a BC.  The herding behavior of the BC was very disturbing for the sheep and the shepherd, so the BC’s were quickly given away, and this failed experiment is not likely to be tried in Hungary again.

The Border Collie breed is also known to be afflicted with many health issues, most of which the Mudi thankfully does not have.  Some of these health issues have DNA testing available (such as CEA, IDS, TNS, ICL and MDR1, which the Mudi breed is currently free from carrying, links below) and some BC health issues don’t have DNA testing, for example, there is no DNA test for OCD, epilepsy, Border Collie Collapse, CDA, hip dysplasia, spinal anomalies (which are already a serious problem in the Mudi), and early onset adult deafness – which typically occurs between 2-6 years of age.  No Mudi owner or breeder needs these health issues to deal with in addition to, or in higher occurrence rates, then what we already have!  Throw in the BC hyperactivity and this out-cross breed choice is cat herding that ends with a goat rodeo.

Budapest Zoo 'Goat Rodeo'

What should be done now?

I have reported this issue to the Hungarian Mudi Klub officers (Fényes Mudi Klub-FMK).  I have given them the supporting data that shows the parentage of Smok.  What they can or will do with this new information, I do not know at this point.  Ideally, the pedigrees should all be revoked from Smok and his offspring. If that is not possible now, what should be done – at a minimum – is Smok should not be allowed to sire any more pedigreed Mudi litters anywhere.  The puppies he has already created should also be banned from further breeding – wherever they are located.  The FMK/MEOESz have the ability to contact whatever kennel clubs need to be informed about this issue and ask them to block further breeding due to the information about the parentage of Smok that has been brought to their attention.

The three breeders involved in this fraudulent activity should be penalized, with their ability to breed further Mudi litters prohibited.  This will send a clear message that this type of behavior will not be permitted.  Because let’s face it, if they get away with this scot-free, what is to stop others from doing it?  There is a Mudicollie litter in Canada right now ready for the pups to go home, will these be the next new Mudis in the gene pool?  If you can import a Mudi-mix to Hungary from Florida - Canada is not further away.  Will the Mudi x Poodle and Mudi x Vizsla crosses that happened this winter in Hungary jump into the Mudi gene pool too?  While it is thought they might have hanging ears, it is not impossible for them to have erect ears and most other Mudi traits.  The multitude of diseases that occur in the Poodle and Vizsla are certainly not wanted in the Mudi breed!  No punishment for the breeders involved means this deceitful practice is allowed and will continue to degrade the breed further.

Mudicollies born in Canada ready to go, June 2026, from a public sales site

If nothing is possible or wanted to be done about this case, then the B/R pedigree system for the Mudi in Hungary should be abolished.  It is not by accident that the Mudi is often thought of as a mongrel breed by some Hungarians, two MEOE judges mentioned this to us many years ago based on the open stud book that was abused in earlier times as well.  The system abuse has certainly not gotten better and if there is no punishment for this case, it will only get worse.  The gene pool will start to fill with characteristics and diseases that don’t belong to the Mudi and it will once again become the mongrel breed many still consider it to be, not respected for what it is today – a land race that became a recognized breed around the world. The Border Collie was never part of the land race mixture that created the Mudi – and it should never be part of the Mudi today or tomorrow either.

Is this the future the Mudi deserves?  Is the future the Mudi needs?   Is this the future you want for the Mudi breed?  

What can you do?  Write to the MEOESz and the Fényes Mudi Klub about this case.  Cut your current ties and make no future connections with these three kennel owners, if they can do something this deceitful, how can you trust them in any capacity?  Ask the FMK and MME for stricter rules and complete transparency regarding the open pedigree system in Hungary.  The Mudi clubs in every country need to make sure the pups from Smok, as well as Smok himself, are not allowed to be used for breeding in their country. Also, consider how unfair it is for Smok and his BC/Mudi cross pups to compete against purebred Mudis now that they have Mudi pedigrees, perhaps their ability to compete in purebred sports should also be prohibited.  Start public online requests for these things that Mudi people can openly support! 

It is not time to look the other way, or think this is of no concern for you, because it is!  It is time to hold people accountable and for you to take responsibility for this breed that you have made a part of your life and family or be complicit in what lies ahead.  I have given you the details of the case and the proof, now it’s your turn to do the right thing.  I cannot prevent the future that lies ahead for this breed alone and I should not have to. 

You can train me to herd like a Border Collie, but I am still a Mudi!

Reference links for further information:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8775414/

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0170039

https://abct.es/en/border-collie-genetic-diseases

https://bordercolliefoundation.org/health-and-education/genetic-diseases/

https://classifieds.castanet.net/details/mudicollies/5253086/?__cf_chl_tk=.9YbhH0jbOStgswN1Yi7l0Zg6AIfwymUuImoVRyo1yc-1781595894-1.0.1.1-gRtMizJ7My31IZGXl.cemgFKNgovMDf9Vd4w0qShJn8

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