General statistics
First hovawarts were imported from Germany (DDR) to Poland in year 1985. First litter was born in year 1987 out of german-austrian combination.
Until 31.12.2022 was born in Poland 3094 hovawarts in 416 litters (this is the exact number of puppies with documents). From what living is about 2000 or more. Part of them was sold abroad. We also had so far about 159 imports (it is not known the actual amount of imported hovis, because not all are registered in the Polish Kennel Club). Only in the 2001 year we got more than 100 puppies, in 2002 - 108 + imports, in 2003 - 104 + imports, in 2004 - 172 + imports, in 2005 - 258 + imports, in 2006 - 156 + imports, in 2007 - 99 + imports, in 2008 - 190 + imports in 2009 - 130 + imports, in 2010 - 158 + imports, 2011 - 142 + imports, 2012 - 127 + imports, 2013 - 122 + imports, 2014 - 102 + imports, 2015 - 94 + imports, 2016 - 87 + imports, 2017 - 97 + imports, 2018 - 101 + imports, 2019 - 135 + imports, 2020 - 73 + imports, 2021 - 134 + imports, 2022 - 98 + imports.
There are in Poland already registered more than 156 hovawarts kennels (as of 31.12.2022; kennels that had litter or had / have a brud-female), of which about 35 are active, although litters regularly (at least once a year at the moment) have about 15 kennels, the rest from time to time, had one litter and ceased operations or just starting.
At the moment we have about 2000 hovawarts, of still mostly Czech origin, but already with a large admixture of German blood, thanks to new imports and foreign matings in breed homeland. Until now, e.i. in the years 1985-2022 we had:
- 86 imports from Czech (35 males and 51 females),
- 23 imports from Germany: 14 from RZV (5 males and 9 females), 7 from HZD (2 males and 5 females) and 2 from DDR (male and female),
- 17 from Slovakia (7 males and 10 females),
- 11 from Hungary (4 males and 7 females),
- 9 from France (2 males and 7 females),
- 3 from Holland (3 females),
- 4 from Austria (2 males and 2 females),
- 1 from England (male),
- 1 from Finnland (male),
- 1 from Sweden (male),
- 1 from Norway (female),
- 2 from Italy (male and female).
For breeding were used 56 (18 males and 38 females) imports.
For now, it was already born ca 20 hovawart litters without pedigree, although such puppies happened before (had visible defects and did not receive pedigrees, although the whole litter was with papers), however, they were not used for planned breeding.
In the years 1988-2022 there were born in Poland 416 hovawarts litters from 190 females and 248 sires. 212 litters were from foreign males, 204 litters born from sires living in Poland.
Number of hovawarts litters per year.
Year |
Number of litters |
Number of pups |
1988 |
1 |
10 |
1989 |
1 |
5 |
1990 |
1 |
12 |
1991 |
1 |
8 |
1992 |
2 |
18 |
1993 |
0 |
0 |
1994 |
3 |
19 |
1995 |
3 |
17 |
1996 |
4 |
21 |
1997 |
4 |
29 |
1998 |
5 |
35 |
1999 |
7 |
53 |
2000 |
10 |
76 |
2001 |
15 |
103 |
2002 |
13 |
108 |
2003 |
12 |
104 |
2004 |
21 |
172 |
2005 |
33 |
259 |
2006 |
20 |
156 |
2007 |
14 |
99 |
2008 |
25 |
190 |
2009 |
18 |
130 |
2010 |
20 |
158 |
2011 |
17 |
142 |
2012 |
18 |
127 |
2013 |
17 |
122 |
2014 |
14 |
102 |
2015 |
12 |
94 |
2016 |
15 |
87 |
2017 |
13 |
97 |
2018 |
14 |
101 |
2019 |
18 |
135 |
2020 |
11 |
73 |
2021 |
20 |
134 |
2022 |
14 |
98 |
Total |
4162 |
3094 |
Average number of raised puppies in the litter:
- average for all years : 7,45
- year 2000 : 7,6
- year 2001 : 6,87
- year 2002 : 8,31
- year 2003 : 8,67
- year 2004 : 8,19
- year 2005 : 7,85
- year 2006 : 7,8
- year 2007 : 7,07
- year 2008 : 7,6
- year 2009 : 7,22
- year 2010 : 7,9
- year 2011 : 8,35
- year 2012 : 7,06
- year 2013 : 7,18
- year 2014 : 7,29
- year 2015 : 7,83
- year 2016 : 5,8
- year 2017 : 7,46
- year 2018 : 7,21
- year 2019 : 7,5
- year 2020 : 6,6
- year 2021 : 6,7
- year 2022 : 7,0
In year 2002 there were born in Poland 108 hovawart puppies in 13 litters, in color:
- 50 black and gold (21 males and 29 females), which represents 46,3 % of the pups born in 2002 y.
- 50 blond (25 males and 25 females), which represents 46,3 % of the pups born in 2002 y.
- 8 black (5 males and 3 females), which represents 7,4 % of the pups born in 2002 y.
In year 2003 there were born in Poland 104 hovawart puppies in 12 litters, in color:
- 43 black and gold (22 males and 21 females), which represents 41 % of the pups born in 2003 y.
- 44 blond (21 males and 23 females), which represents 43 % of the pups born in 2003 y.
- 17 black (10 males and 7 females), which represents 16 % of the pups born in 2003 y.
In year 2004 there were born in Poland 172 hovawart puppies in 21 litters, in color:
- 63 blond (39 males and 24 females), which represents 36,6 % of the pups born in 2004 y.
- 78 black and gold (43 males and 35 females), which represents 45,35 % of the pups born in 2004y.
- 31 black (20 males and 11 females), which represents 18,05 % of the pups born in 2004 y.
In year 2005 there were born in Poland 259 hovawart puppies in 33 litters, in color:
- 123 black and gold (57 males and 66 females), which represents 47,5 % of the pups born in 2005 y.
- 94 blond (41 males and 53 females), which represents 36,3 % of the pups born in 2005 y.
- 42 black (13 males and 29 females), which represents 16,2 % of the pups born in 2005 y.
In year 2006 there were born in Poland 156 hovawart puppies in 20 litters, in color:
- 85 black and gold (41 males and 44 females), which represents 54,5 % of the pups born in 2006 y.
- 55 blond (29 males and 26 females), which represents 35,25 % of the pups born in 2006 y.
- 16 black (9 males and 7 females), which represents 10,25 % of the pups born in 2006 y.
In year 2007 there were born in Poland 99 hovawart puppies in 14 litters, in color:
- 44 black and gold (25 males and 19 females), which represents 44,4 % of the pups born in 2007 y.
- 40 blond (22 males and 18 females), which represents 40,4 % of the pups born in 2007 y.
- 15 black (9 males and 6 females), which represents 15,2 % of the pups born in 2007 y.
In year 2008 there were born in Poland 190 hovawart puppies in 25 litters, in color:
- 78 black and gold (42 males and 36 females), which represents 40,5 % of the pups born in 2008 y.
- 90 blond (46 males and 44 females), which represents 47,5 % of the pups born in 2008 y.
- 22 black (10 males and 12 females), which represents 12 % of the pups born in 2008 y.
In year 2009 there were born in Poland 130 hovawart puppies in 18 litters, in color:
- 77 black and gold (37 males and 40 females), which represents 59,2 % of the pups born in 2009 y.
- 41 blond (21 males and 20 females), which represents 31,5 % of the pups born in 2009 y.
- 12 black (6 males and 6 females), which represents 9,3 % of the pups born in 2009 y.
In year 2010 there were born in Poland 158 hovawart puppies in 20 litters, in color:
- 91 black and gold (47 males and 44 females), which represents 57,6 % of the pups born in 2010 y.
- 54 blond (31 males and 23 females), which represents 34,2 % of the pups born in 2010 y.
- 13 black (8 males and 5 females), which represents 8,2 % of the pups born in 2010 y.
In year 2011 there were born in Poland 142 hovawart puppies in 17 litters, in color:
- 70 black and gold (36 males and 34 females), which represents 49,3 % of the pups born in 2011 y.
- 49 blond (24 males and 25 females), which represents 34,5 % of the pups born in 2011 y.
- 23 black (8 males and 15 females), which represents 16,2 % of the pups born in 2011 y.
In year 2012 there were born in Poland 127 hovawart puppies in 18 litters, in color:
- 63 black and gold (35 males and 28 females), which represents 49,6 % of the pups born in 2012 y.
- 51 blond (23 males and 28 females), which represents 40,15 % of the pups born in 2012 y.
- 13 black (8 males and 5 females), which represents 10,25 % of the pups born in 2012 y.
In year 2013 there were born in Poland 122 hovawart puppies in 17 litters, in color:
- 64 black and gold (36 males and 28 females), which represents 50,4 % of the pups born in 2012 y.
- 50 blond (22 males and 28 females), which represents 39,4 % of the pups born in 2012 y.
- 13 black (8 males and 5 females), which represents 10,2 % of the pups born in 2012 y.
In year 2014 there were born in Poland 102 hovawart puppies in 14 litters, in color:
- 61 black and gold (30 males and 31 females), which represents 59,8 % of the pups born in 2014 y.
- 34 blond (19 males and 15 females), which represents 33,3 % of the pups born in 2014 y.
- 7 black (3 males and 4 females), which represents 6,9 % of the pups born in 2014 y.
In year 2015 there were born in Poland 94 hovawart puppies in 12 litters, in color:
- 54 black and gold (28 males and 26 females), which represents 57,4 % of the pups born in 2015 y.
- 33 blond (19 males and 14 females), which represents 35,1 % of the pups born in 2015 y.
- 7 black (4 males and 3 females), which represents 7,5 % of the pups born in 2015 y.
In year 2016 there were born in Poland 87 hovawart puppies in 15 litters, in color:
- 44 black and gold (23 males and 21 females), which represents 50,6 % of the pups born in 2016 y.
- 19 blond (12 males and 7 females), which represents 21,8 % of the pups born in 2016 y.
- 24 black (13 males and 11 females), which represents 27,6 % of the pups born in 2016 y.
In year 2017 there were born in Poland 97 hovawart puppies in 13 litters, in color:
- 50 black and gold (21 males and 29 females), which represents 51,5 % of the pups born in 2017 y.
- 38 blond (16 males and 22 females), which represents 39,2 % of the pups born in 2017 y.
- 9 black (6 males and 3 females), which represents 9,3 % of the pups born in 2017 y.
In year 2018 there were born in Poland 101 hovawart puppies in 14 litters, in color:
- 55 black and gold (26 males and 29 females), which represents 54,5 % of the pups born in 2018 y.
- 31 blond (17 males and 14 females), which represents 30,7 % of the pups born in 2018 y.
- 15 black (7 males and 8 females), which represents 14,8 % of the pups born in 2018 y.
In year 2019 there were born in Poland 135 hovawart puppies in 84 litters, in color:
- 55 black and gold (26 males and 29 females), which represents 54,5 % of the pups born in 2018 y.
- 31 blond (17 males and 14 females), which represents 30,7 % of the pups born in 2018 y.
- 15 black (7 males and 8 females), which represents 14,8 % of the pups born in 2018 y.
In year 2020 there were born in Poland 73 hovawart puppies in 11 litters, in color:
- 36 black and gold (19 males and 17 females), which represents 49,3 % of the pups born in 2020 y.
- 24 blond (12 males and 12 females), which represents 32,9 % of the pups born in 2020 y.
- 13 black (5 males and 8 females), which represents 17,8 % of the pups born in 2020 y.
In year 2022 there were born in Poland 134 hovawart puppies in 20 litters, in colors:
- 82 black and gold (47 males and 35 females), which represents 61,2 % of the pups born in 2022 y.
- 29 blond (14 males and 15 females), which represents 21,6 % of the pups born in 2022 y.
- 23 black (10 males and 13 females), which represents 17,2 % of the pups born in 2022 y.
In year 2022 there were born in Poland 98 hovawart puppies in 14 litters, in colors:
- 47 black and gold (17 males and 30 females), which represents 48 % of the pups born in 2022 y.
- 34 blond (16 males and 18 females), which represents 34,7 % of the pups born in 2022 y.
- 17 black (8 males and 9 females), which represents 17,3 % of the pups born in 2022 y.
According to the guidelines of the International Hovawart Federation IHF we have strongly disturbing inequality in colors. IHF guidelines state that the desired arrangement of colors in the population percentage should be: 30% blond, 60% black and gold and 10% black.
The year 2004 is the first year in which there were born less blond than dark puppies, especially black and gold. Still, the percentage of blond pups is too big. The year 2009 is the first year in which polish puppies have the correct percentage level of colour (especially due to homozygous parents and matings dark on dark)! In year 2006 for the first time in the history there were born more black than blond puppies!
General hovawarts percentage of the given color in Poland at the end of 2022 is as follows:
50,35 % black and gold, 36,8 % are blond hovawarts, and 12,85 % black. That is the exact opposite, only black colour, introduced in Poland only in year 2000, has the correct percentage. Such a large number of blond hovawarts is very dangerous, because blond hovawarts are always homozygous. The percentage is so high because of the popularity of this colour in the past. We hope that this will soon change and that we will not have any more so many litters only blond (with breeding of both blond colour parents).
Here are some figures that reflect the colour problem:
Until 31.12.2022 in Poland were born 416 hovawarts litters in 125 kennels from 190 females and 248 sires.
Colours of used so far brud-females:
- 78 blond (representing 41 % of all females) born 173 litters (representing 41,6 % of all litters),
- 87 black and gold (representing 45,8 % of all females) born 184 litters (representing 44,2 % of all litters),
- 25 black (representing 13,2 % of all females) born 59 litters (representing 14,2 % of all litters).
Colours of used so far stud-males:
- 62 blond (representing 25 % of all sires) gave 104 litters (representing 25 % of all litters),
- 151 black and gold (representing 60,9 % of all sires) gave 259 litters (representing 62,25 % of all litters),
- 35 black (representing 14,1 % of all sires) gave 53 litters (representing 12,75 % of all litters).
416 litters, parents colour relation:
- 16 litters out of blond x blond,
- 63 litters out of blond x black and gold,
- 25 litters out of blond x black,
- 94 litters out of black and gold x black and gold,
- 134 litters out of black and gold x blond,
- 31 litters out of black and gold x black,
- 3 litters out of black x black,
- 23 litters out of black x blond,
- 27 litters out of black x black and gold.
It follows that up to 261 litters (it is up to 62,7 %) of 416 was out of at least one blond colour parent! So litters without at least one parent with a blond coat was only 155. Other data are: 349 litters were out of at least one parent with a black and gold coat and 109 out of with at least one black parent.
In addition, we only had 102 litters (it is only 24,5 %) without blond colour puppies (mainly due to homozygosity of one of the dark parents), 45 litters with no black and gold puppies and 296 litters of without blacks.
Approximate number of brud-females (up to 8 years of age, free of dysplasia, passed mentality tests) in terms of colour (as of 31.12.2022):
- 12 blond females,
- 22 black and gold,
- 7 black.
Since year 2005, the colours relation of brud-females slowly improved. However, we still see significant advantage of brud-females and often used in breeding of blond colour.
Aware breeders should therefor mate blond females as often as with dark (black or black and gold) homozygous males so there were coming as many as dark puppies, especially black and gold, by that disturbed colour percentage ratio of the polish hovawarts slowly equalize.