Admittedly, the dog lacks reach and drive. And then there’s the size issue. Is the dog in the video below a toy sized Puli or a teacup Komondor or Bergamasco?  (note: a teacup anything isn’t in the standard of any AKC breed, and we checked all 197 of them). Still, what the dog lacks in structural deficiencies, s/he makes up in cords you can stretch out – a sort of canine version of the Crissy Growing Hair Doll that came out in 1968. Wisely, Westminster, Inc. (seriously, you can’t make this stuff up) doesn’t define Wiggle Waggle’s breed:

Still, in the spirit of education, we feel should conclude this post with something edifying, so let’s talk about the Komondor‘s coat.

It’s never brushed or combed (unless the owner chooses to brush some cords around the mouth for neatness). Doing either would interfere with the natural process of cording that starts with matting, and is helped along by the owner who splits the mats into “future cords” (as mats grow longer, they become cords). They do this by using their fingers to “tear” the mats down to the skin roughly the diameter one’s thumb. If the Komondor is anything like the Puli (our own breed), there are some dogs who self-cord, but we’ve known very few. Once split, the mats will require particular attention over the next couple of years as the propensity of the coat is to mat. Indeed, we’ve actually heard the mats on our own Pulik fuse together in the night after a morning of splitting them down. Ok, we exaggerate, but how else to explain a coat that was totally split down on Monday only to become a solid “onesie of hair” by Tuesday morning?

In time, the Komondor’s coat will reach to the ground, but failure of the coat to cord by two years of age is a disqualification as stated by the AKC breed standard – and yes, it is a fair amount of work, but oh, look at what awaits the diligent owner:

Photo of “Pooh” (Ch. Nagyalma Apple of My Eye CD) shared with consent by Nancy Liebes

Yes, the coat continues to grow, and most owners trim and “shape” their dogs’ coats.

Yes, some owners clip their adult dogs’ coat quite short, but discover that when the hair starts growing again, it will mat just as it did when the dog was a puppy.

No, it doesn’t hurt the dog to split his or her mats down, and in fact, most dogs fall asleep as their owner fusses over their body. That said, most dogs don’t love having their ears or tails worked on.

Yes, a white corded coat is a challenge, and we are in awe of the owners who keep their white corded dogs brilliant white. Perhaps a white Puli or Komondor owner will share how they do it.

Yes, a corded coat can become “fragrant” if the cords are not tied up out of the way of the dog’s “plumbing.”

Yes, corded dog owners know which end is which. Most of the time.

Yes, the corded coat has a purpose. The Komondor is an LGD, or livestock guardian dog. His coat helps him blend in with his flock and allows the dog to be more readily accepted by the sheep. It can fool predators about whether the flock is guarded or not, but for the predator who makes a bad call and encounters a Komondor, a mouth full of hair is what awaits should he choose to bite. The coat also allowed shepherds to easily distinguish between their Komondorok and the typically gray or black wolf of Hungary should the latter attack a flock at night. And hard as it is to believe, a corded coat shields the skin from extremes of weather.

We came across a fun video worth the watch:

We would be remiss in not including the video in which Nancy Liebes (who taught us how to groom a Puli) shows how to examine a Komondor:

Got a Kom? Share their photograph!

Image: Detail from Wiggle Waggle toy