ICCF Official Breed Standard
Brief Historical Overview
The Mudi is a Hungarian herding breed that developed through natural selection among working farm dogs. For centuries, it was used to manage various types of livestock, including sheep, cattle, and pigs. The breed evolved naturally without strict selective breeding, which allowed it to retain versatility, adaptability, and a stable temperament. In Hungary, the Mudi became an indispensable helper for farmers, combining courage, agility, sharp turns, quick reactions, and endurance. In the 20th century, the breed underwent formal standardization, while its original working type remained intact. Today, the Mudi is valued for its vibrant temperament, intelligence, and multifunctionality.
General Appearance
The Mudi is a medium-sized dog with a dry, strong, harmonious build and pronounced energy. The body is slightly elongated, with well-developed but not coarse musculature. The head is proportional and wedge-shaped, displaying a lively and attentive expression. The ears are erect, pointed, and characteristic for the breed, giving it an alert and spirited look. The limbs are strong and dry, ensuring agility, lightness, and maneuverability. The coat is dense and wavy or curly on the body, shorter on the head and limbs. The general appearance emphasizes alertness, activity, and the working nature of a herding dog capable of fast responses.
Important Proportions
The proportions of the Mudi create a maneuverable, fast, and enduring working dog. The height at the withers is slightly less than the body length, producing a lightly elongated outline. The chest depth is approximately half the dog’s height, providing good lung capacity. The head is proportional to the body, with a wedge-shaped muzzle and erect ears that enhance expression. The limbs are long, with correct angulation for quick directional changes and stability. The topline is straight and smooth. All proportions support speed, functionality, and precision of movement.
Behavior and Temperament
The Mudi is energetic, courageous, attentive, and highly intelligent, with a pronounced working temperament. It has quick reactions, the ability to make independent decisions, and the skill to control both large and small livestock. The Mudi is devoted to its owner, eager to cooperate, and easy to train while retaining independence and initiative. The breed is exceptionally alert and sensitive, often serving effectively as a watchdog. It is reserved with strangers but not unnecessarily aggressive. In everyday life, the Mudi is active, playful, yet balanced; with proper training it shows a stable, reliable character.
Head
The head is wedge-shaped, proportional to the body, reflecting the breed’s liveliness and alertness. The skull is slightly rounded or flat, of moderate width, with a noticeable but not abrupt stop. The muzzle is long, dry, gradually narrowing toward the dark, fully pigmented nose. The lips are tight and dry. The jaws are strong, with a full set of teeth and a scissor bite. The cheekbones are moderate and highlight the clean lines of the head. The overall expression conveys activity, vigilance, and a working temperament. The head should appear clean, harmonious, and typical for the breed.
Facial Region
The facial region is characterized by a dry, elongated muzzle with a straight or slightly convex nasal bridge. The nose is always dark and fully pigmented, with wide nostrils. The lips are tight, forming a clean outline. The jaws are strong and deep, with large, even teeth and a correct scissor bite. The cheeks are dry, moderately defined, reinforcing the wedge-shaped appearance. The facial region creates an attentive, active expression, highlighting the breed’s working nature. All elements must maintain structural clarity and match the breed’s lively temperament.
Eyes
The eyes are medium-sized, oval, and set slightly obliquely, giving an expression of attentiveness, liveliness, and working concentration. The iris ranges from dark brown to hazel and should harmonize with the coat color. The eyelids are dry, tight, and well pigmented, which is important for protection during active work. The gaze is lively, intelligent, and quick, reflecting the breed’s temperament and readiness to react instantly. Eyes must not be too light, round, or protruding. Correct expression emphasizes alertness and high trainability.
Ears
The ears are one of the breed’s defining features: they are erect, high-set, triangular, with sharp tips. They are mobile and react instantly to sound and environmental changes, emphasizing alertness and working readiness. The ears are of medium length, with firm but not coarse cartilage. Dropped, semi-erect, overly large, or incorrectly shaped ears are faults. The inner surface is covered with short protective hair. Correct ears give the Mudi its characteristic spirited and attentive expression.
Neck
The neck is of medium length, dry, muscular, and proportional, blending into the well-defined withers. It must provide flexibility and strength for a wide range of motion during herding work. The topline of the neck is slightly arched, adding elegance and working expression. The skin is tight, without excessive dewlap. The neck must support stability, maneuverability, and precision of movement. A neck that is too short, too long, or coarse is a fault.
Body
The body is dry, strong, and well-balanced, emphasizing agility and working functionality. The topline is straight and firm, without sagging or excessive arching. The withers are moderately pronounced, transitioning into a short, strong back. The loin is compact and muscular, firmly connected to the croup. The chest is deep, sufficiently wide, oval in shape, and allows ample lung capacity. The ribs are moderately arched, not barrel-shaped. The belly is tucked up, highlighting a dry constitution. The croup is slightly sloping, strong, and contributes to powerful rear drive. The body combines strength, elasticity, and maneuverability.
Tail
The tail is of medium length, high-set, carried energetically, especially in motion. When relaxed, it may hang down, but in working mode it rises and often forms an arc or partial ring. It should be well coated, matching the coat’s general texture. Too short, kinked, excessively high- or low-set tails, or tails disturbing the breed silhouette are faults. A correct tail emphasizes the Mudi’s liveliness, alertness, and working temperament.
Forequarters
The forequarters are straight, dry, strong, and positioned to provide stability and freedom of movement. The shoulder blades are long, well-sloped, and closely attached. The upper arms are muscular, with correct angulation allowing wide forward reach. The forearms are straight and strong. The pasterns are firm and slightly sloped to absorb impact. The feet are compact and rounded with firm pads. Correct forequarters support agility, precision, and energetic movement.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are strong and well-muscled, providing powerful drive, jumping ability, and stability during sharp maneuvers. The thighs are long and broad with dry musculature. The stifles are well-defined and stable. The lower legs are medium in length, strong, and parallel from behind. The hocks are low-set, well-defined, and flexible. The metatarsi are straight and solid. The feet are compact and oval with strong pads. Proper hindquarters ensure speed, maneuverability, and strong propulsion.
Gait and Movement
The gait is light, free, elastic, and coordinated, showing energy and excellent athletic ability. At the trot, the movement is wide, stable, and rhythmic, with good amplitude. The forequarters reach confidently forward, while the hindquarters provide strong drive for balanced action. The Mudi can rapidly change direction, make sharp turns, and accelerate—traits essential for herding. Movement must be straight, without crossing or rolling. Faults include cow hocks, interference, short stride, poor coordination, or instability. Correct gait reflects the breed’s working style and natural agility.
Coat
The coat is dense and protective, adapted for work in various climates. The outer coat is of medium length, wavy or curly, forming a characteristic texture on the body. On the head and forelimbs, the coat is shorter and tighter. The croup, neck, and hindquarters have thicker coat, sometimes forming light furnishings. The undercoat is moderate but effective, providing insulation and weather protection. Excessively soft, sparse, overly curly coat or lack of structure is faulty. The correct coat highlights the working nature and all-weather capability of the breed.
Acceptable Colors
The Mudi exhibits a wide range of acceptable colors, which is a breed hallmark. Allowed colors include black, brown, white, grey, fawn, blue, and merle—including blue and red merle. Spotted, speckled, and mixed patterns are permitted if they remain harmonious. Pigmentation of nose, lips, and eyelids must be dark and appropriate to the coat color. Merles may have lighter areas but not complete depigmentation. Unstable colors, excessive mottling, or weak pigmentation are faults. The coat color contributes to the breed’s expressive and distinctive appearance.
Size
The text section for size in the Russian version was repeated from “Acceptable Colors.” I can translate the correct SIZE section if you resend it.
(If needed, I can reconstruct a standard ICCF-consistent size section myself.)
Faults
Faults include deviations that disrupt breed type, functionality, or overall harmony. These include weak bone, loose musculature, insufficient chest depth, sagging or overly arched topline, disproportionate head, weak pigment, light eyes, dropped or semi-erect ears. Faults also include incorrect bite, missing teeth, excessively long or soft coat, lack of coat structure, or sparse hair. Movement faults include crossing, short stride, weak propulsion, cow hocks, or instability. Faults are assessed according to their impact on working ability.
Disqualifying Faults
Disqualifying faults include unprovoked aggression or pronounced timidity, which impair working function. Atypical or unstable colors, complete depigmentation of nose, lips, or eyelids, and fully blue eyes in non-merle dogs are disqualifying. Incorrect bite, absence of several teeth, severe orthopedic problems, paralysis, major gait defects, kinked tail, or congenital tail absence (when not breed-typical) also disqualify. Any anatomical or behavioral deviation that prevents the dog from functioning as a working breed leads to exclusion.
Important Notes
Evaluation of the Mudi must prioritize working ability, agility, maneuverability, and stable temperament. Minor structural deviations are acceptable if they do not impair livestock-handling capability or responsiveness. Seasonal shedding is not considered a fault. Temperament is crucial: the dog must be alert, energetic, confident, but not aggressive. Pigmentation should preferably be strong and stable. Judges must assess movement style, reaction to stimuli, and overall working attitude. The primary goal is preservation of functionality and the authentic herding type.
Conclusion
The Mudi is a unique Hungarian herding breed combining courage, agility, and high intelligence. It excels at quick decision-making, controlling livestock, responding sharply to commands, and assessing situations independently. Its light build, maneuverability, strong limbs, and characteristic wavy coat highlight its working nature. The Mudi also performs well in other fields—sport, guarding, search work—while remaining loyal and attentive to its owner. This breed is ideal for those who value intelligent, active, and reliable working dogs with a stable temperament.
