With “Preston” becoming the first Puli ever to win Best in Show at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin last weekend, we thought you might find something interesting about Puli standards from around the world:
“Both a combed out and a neglected, tousled coat are undesirable” (FCI);
“Coats showing no tendency to form cords” (Canadian Kennel Club);
“A combed coat is as undesirable as a neglected one” (The Kennel Club);
“A combed coat is as undesirable as a neglected one. The coat should be corded, and matting or felting should be avoided” (New Zealand Kennel Club);
“The Puli may be shown either corded or brushed” (AKC)
Notice anything?
The United States is the only country in the world in which a Puli may be shown brushed out. And yes, a Puli can be brushed, but it must be started early in the dog’s life, and maintained daily because a proper Puli coat will want to cord. We have known a few brushed out Pulik, including one who was a ranked winning dog. A brushed coat must show a propensity to cord through its texture, but why was this even part of the breed standard? The decision on this predates us, but it’s possible that because some early Pulik in America lacked the proper texture to cord, this wording was included so as not to encourage early breeders and owners. We defer to any Puli person who was there at the time and has better knowledge of it.
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The very first AKC Puli standard, published in 1936, says this about the coat: “Definitely long, profuse, and of rather fine hair, Coats mats easily, giving a somewhat corded appearance in some dogs. The coat is especially profuse on head and face, stifles and tail. Hair may be straight, wavy or curly, medium length to long. Short hair is a bad fault.” No mention of actual cords on the dog, just a “somewhat corded appearance”, but the inference is that this is a coat to be brushed and combed. Reference to the coat being allowed either brushed or in cords didn’t appear in the standard until the 1960 revision. I was told that when the Puli arrived in the USA in the ’30’s a corded coat was unknown to American owners and breeders, contact with Hungary was minimal due to the Soviet regime, so the dogs were naturally brushed and combed, because that’s what you did with a long-haired dog back then.
Great comment, Stephanie, and one that helps “round out” the brushed/corded question. You always have been a font of knowledge about the breed!