Breed History
The Pulis ancient origins are somewhat obscure....
Shepherding dogs resembling the Puli, Kuvasz and Komondor were brought with the Magyar tribes to the Danube area of Hungary during the 9th century, though it is widely believed that these dogs had served the Magyar long before the Common Era, and may have existed as far back as 2000 BC. The Pulis diminutive size, square proportion and carriage have led some to hypothesize that the Tibetan Spaniel may have influenced the development of the breed. The energetic Puli was employed as the Magyars primary shepherding dog, and was renowned for its great skill in this job; Pulik have even been known to jump on a sheeps back in order to make it submit.After Ottoman invasions leveled Hungary during the 16th century, the country was repopulated with dogs from Western Europe. Interbreeding of these dogs with the Puli produced a dog known as the Pumi, and subsequent pairings between Pumi and Puli led to the original Pulis near extinction by the early 20th century. Efforts to resurrect the Puli in its native Hungary led to the first breed standard in 1925. Before then, the Puli had been divided into large police, medium working, and small dwarf variations but the standard established that the medium size was closest to the classic Puli.The US Department of Agriculture began importing Pulik in 1935 in an effort to improve American herding dogs, and the Puli was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. The Puli is rarely seen as a pet outside of its native Hungary, and is often viewed as an exotic oddity by those unfamiliar with the breed.