Page 22 - ShowSight Presents - The Pumi

Figure 3: Locks of hair Figure 4: Some of the curls from a single Pumi
forms into locks of hair which is a distin- guishing characteristic of the breed. The hair must never be blown dry and fluffed because it obscures the characteristic coat. The coat is wet down prior to being shown in order to form the curls and locks of hair.
These locks of hair vary in type and shape over the body, from curls on the back to corkscrews on the legs. A judge must check for this type of coat, and for the 50-50 proportion of hard and soft hair. The locks of hair do not cord as in the Puli, but can easily be combed out, which they need to have done about once every 2-3 weeks. The hair is surprisingly resilient to dirt and twigs, and what doesn’t fall out, the Pumi will pull out themselves.
Color
The Pumi can be almost any solid color, but always with a black nose and black pigment. The accepted coat colors are black, white, fawn, and any shade of gray. Fawn should preferably have some gray shading in it (i.e. it was also born black and faded to fawn). Gray puppies are born black and fade to gray, the same as the Kerry Blue Terrier and silver Poo- dle. Because of the graying process, the coat may be a number of shades of gray on the body, typically a bit lighter gray on the legs and muzzle. This shading is not the same as a black and tan pattern which is a disqualification (similar to the phantom Poodle).
Tail
The tail forms a full circle on top of the back of the Pumi, unlike the Puli which blends into the backline, or the sickle of the Mudi. A judge should be able to see daylight in the inside circle of the tail. This type of tail may hang straight when at rest (which is not often), but should always be in a full circle on the move.
What Judges Are Missing
We understand that many times in the Miscellaneous Class, the judge may never have seen the breed before, and it’s the exhibitor’s chance to educate the judges on their breed. I have found that there is a tendency to look for the “generic dog” and
Figure 5: Black and Tan Patterned Pumi (DQ)
208 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2014
Figure 6: Szürkebarát Vadóc of Abiqua