Hovawart

A Hovawart typically lives 10-14 years, which is solid for a large guardian breed. The breed is genuinely one of the better large breeds for orthopaedic health — hip dysplasia incidence has been kept comparatively low — but that is the result of decades of mandatory club health testing, not inherent immunity. The honest summary: a Hovawart from breed-club-tested parents (hips, thyroid, DM) is a robust dog; an untested one carries the same risks as any large breed plus the breed's DM mutation.

No, and the breed clubs say so directly. The Hovawart is large, slow to mature, independent, stubborn, and equipped with a real guardian instinct. It needs an owner who provides consistent, fair leadership and a job; without that it appoints itself as decision-maker about who is a threat, which in a 35 kg territorial dog is a serious problem. For an experienced owner who wants a thinking guardian it is superb; for a first-time owner it is a setup for failure that is unfair to the dog.

At minimum: hip scoring, elbow evaluation, thyroid function testing, and the DNA test for the SOD1 degenerative myelopathy mutation — these are the tests Hovawart breed clubs require before breeding. Ask to see the actual certificates for both parents, not a verbal assurance. The breed's good orthopaedic record exists precisely because responsible breeders screen; a litter from untested parents forfeits that advantage and reintroduces exactly the risks the breed worked decades to suppress.

Plan on 60-90 minutes of purposeful daily activity plus regular mental work — tracking, obedience, scent games, structured play. This is a guardian, not a sprinter, so it needs engagement and a job more than frantic running. Crucially, training is exercise for this breed: a Hovawart left mentally idle invents work (patrolling, barking, door-guarding). Two years of consistent socialisation and training is the realistic commitment; this is a long, deliberate project, not a weekend of puppy class.

Yes with children raised in the household — they are affectionate, even-tempered, and protective of their family, including its kids. Their guardian nature means early, broad socialisation is essential so they learn to distinguish normal visitors and a child's friends from genuine threats. With other pets they generally do well when raised together; the caution is their territorial streak toward unfamiliar dogs entering 'their' property, which structured socialisation manages but does not erase.

Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive, painless, ultimately untreatable spinal-cord disease causing gradual hind-limb weakness and eventual paralysis in adulthood. The Hovawart carries the SOD1 mutation linked to it, and there is a reliable DNA test. You substantially reduce risk by buying from a breeder who DNA-tests breeding stock and pairs them so no at-risk puppies are produced. Because early signs mimic arthritis but the management is completely different, a painless progressive hind-limb weakness in an adult Hovawart warrants a prompt, neurology-aware vet exam.