Comparison of the Bergamasco to the Komondor

We got "Cato" the last weekend in August '98. He was one of the eight born in Fauno and Gae's first American litter. His official name is Clemente Catone del Albera, which loosely translates to "the gentle nobleman from Albera". The name does fit his personality, but anyone that has met Gae and Fauno will be able to that that he's most like his mom -- very happy and outgoing with people to the point of always needing to be around someone, which was apparent at birth. We were told that he was the one from the litter that would climb out of the pen and climb into bed with Donna and Stephen. That's our boy, a people dog. He was born jet black with a white smudge on his chest and a beautiful head just like Fauno. To our surprise he has remained almost entirely black with the exception of some gray goat hairs here and there. If anyone has seen a picture of Borio, his grandfather, he looks very similar, with a much shorter coat of course. He'll be two in June, and his coat is all formed and separated. I know there is a lot of concern about the coat from those who have not seen or worked on one before, but honestly it is pretty easy if you stay on top of things. My best advice is to go see someone in person who has worked on a corded or flocked coat before and get a hands-on demonstration. Our other dog is a six year old Komondor. We got her when she was six months old, and we knew nothing about the coat at the time. We researched as much as we could, but everything that we found said, "Go talk to someone who has one." which we finally did. About 45 minutes of questions and answers, and we were on our way. The hands-on process (you really only need your hands, no tools) is great for bonding with your dog as well. All total, about 6-20 hours of separating the coat over a 2 month time, and most of the headaches are over until the coat is long (about 4-5 years of age) and can drag and get dirty. The Bergamasco has been easier for us to take care of because his coat is thicker than our Komondor's. The heavier the coat and thicker the cords, the easier it seems to be to take care of. It also doesn't hurt that he's black and not all white like the Komondor.

We took Cato to basic obedience to learn some manners and socialize with some other dogs when he was about 7 months old. The class was taught by a K-9 training officer in the local police department, and Cato really stood out. He and the German Shepherd puppy in the class were far and away the best students. He amazed the teacher with his eye contact during the class and how fast he picked up commands. Always the first to learn, he was used as the example dog quite often. I must say that there was a big difference in what worked in training our Komondor and our Bergamasco. The Komondor did very well with positive reinforcement and the occasional leash correction. She would learn the command quickly and then decide there was no need to continue the mindless repetition and stop. The Bergamasco was best with eye contact and positive reinforcement. Any corrections were best made verbally or very lightly with a leash. He needed to know we expected him to do the commands. If we overcorrected him, it would hurt his feelings in a sense, and we would not get very far. It's absolutely amazing the differences in the two breeds and the instinctive knowledge they possess. Komondors, being 'independent decision makers, worked alone much of the time, and Bergamascos worked with a shepherd and relied on eye contact and verbal signals. Neither dog makes a great obedience trial dog, which makes sense. If they mindlessly followed orders and had to be told what to do constantly, then they would not be the prized working breeds they are today. They are more their master's equals than they are employees. Respect them and they'll do anything for you. Don't respect them and you'll be very frustrated.

The Bergamasco has been an amazing animal to live with. Our Cato will "herd" the cat from room to room occasionally, as if to say, "I know how to do this, Dad." He is in 90% of our pictures and home videos, which is a testament to how good a family dog this breed can be. He loves our 10 month old baby and is ever the "gentle nobleman" we had hoped for. He has the ability to go all day working herds but is also very happy just being near our family. He is the kind of dog you take with you everywhere, not because you have to, but because this is where he is supposed to be.

Scott Amtsberg

© Copyright 2000 Scott Amtsberg