Good Mudi Information Center

What to consider when searching for your new Mudi companion

What information is listed in advertisements for every available Mudi

Verification of information: how and why

Resources and links for more Mudi breed information

What to consider when searching for your new Mudi companion – quick list

All Mudi puppies are not created and sold equally.

Think about what you would like to do with your Mudi, because the questions you ask and answers you get, need to fit the plans you have for the Mudi companion you want to make part of your life.

Make a priority list of what is important to you BEFORE you look for a Mudi puppy!

If you do not see the information you are looking for listed in the advertisement placed on this site, ask the breeder about it – trust, but verify!  And don’t be shy!

Below is a list of things you should consider when seeking your next Mudi companion. Please exchange puppy with juvenile or adult where applicable.

Expanded details for the items on this list are provided in further sections below:

Parents have been health tested, results are public, or willingly shared

Parents have conformation, sport, or other titles, or tests

Litter/Puppy/Juvenile/Adult qualifications

Puppy raising and socialization

Sales contract

Puppy placement procedure

Breeder questions and support

Red Flags – things to be concerned about

Health Testing of Parents

Health testing of Mudis that produce puppies is the most important thing to consider when searching for your next Mudi companion. Some tests are considered mandatory for the Mudi breed, these are: hips, elbows, patellas and eyes. DNA full panel testing is also very important, although not mandatory at this time. Mandatory testing does not apply to each country equally – meaning, some countries have mandatory testing requirements and others don’t.

Health testing should be completed before the parents are bred, in some countries, official health testing cannot be made before 2 years of age. It is also important that the parents are mature before having a litter, for the Mudi breed, this is 2 years of age as well. These are the tests and data that are most commonly investigated:

  • Official orthopedic testing: results are publicly available or willingly shared by the breeder; mandatory ortho tests include: hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patella luxation; of great importance is spine – LTV, VA, spondylosis, it is very likely that spine will become mandatory (OFA prelims are not official results)
  • Valid eye exam results are publicly available or willingly shared by the breeder (CAER or ECVO testing); eye exams are valid for one year from date of exam and are best when performed from 2 years of age onwards
  • DNA testing results are public or willingly shared (please be aware that older versions of panel tests may not have tested for some of these genes):
    • hidden merle in white or yellow parents
    • full panel testing for deleterious genes and beneficial data
      • Embark results to look for: ALT, CT, DINGS2, DM, GCOI, MDR1, PLL, PRA-RPGRIP1 (can be tested for Mudis living in all countries), Tail length and Merle
      • Wisdom/My Dog/Optimal Select: DINGS2, DM, HCOU type 1, Heterozygosity, MDR1, PLL, PRA-RPGRIP1 – may only be tested in USA currently, Tail length and Merle
  • COI – Coefficient of Inbreeding, which is the level of inbreeding for the litter (if it was not posted in the advertisement, you can email Mudi Directions to ask for it, it is a free service: MudiDirections@gmail.com)? Mudi Directions also gives information about the importance of COI and the correct COI calculation.
  • Other health test results which may be publicly available, or willing shared include:
    • heart
    • thyroid
    • dentition (is complete and correct)
    • testicles (two are confirmed on males)
    • shoulder (also known as OCD)
  • Has the breeder discussed health problems in the Mudi breed, and in their lines? (For more information about health issues in the Mudi breed please consult the Mudi Directions website )?
  • What is the life span of the close relatives and what were causes of death?
  • Do the parents have any health issues?

Titles and Tests for Parents

As the Mudi is a very lively and capable breed, it is important to do activities with your Mudi that they enjoy doing. Although it is not mandatory to earn titles and complete testing, it can indicate that the puppies came from parents that were able to join with their owner in whatever activities they chose to pursue, however it is not a guarantee any puppy will be as capable as its parents.

Titles are not a clear indication of correct temperament. Just because a dog has earned a title or is accomplished in any sport, it doesn’t automatically mean their temperament is stable. Look for evidence that parents and other puppies the breeder has produced have stable temperaments in real world situations.

None of the listed activities below are more or less important than another, with the exception of herding instinct testing (HIT) and temperament testing – which are the most important and valuable tests to complete.

  • Herding instinct test passed; documents are sometimes publicly available, but should be shared upon request. The HIT has many different names, in Hungary it is most often called NHAT.
  • Temperament testing has many different names and types of tests, however all provide documents and results should be available publicly, or supplied upon request. Some examples are: ATT, CGC, CGCA, CGCU, SPOT, VT, etc.
  • Breeding dogs reflect Mudi standard characteristics are most often seen in conformation show results, or breeding exams performed in Hungary and some other countries. Documents should be available or supplied upon request.
  • Sport performance and activity participation results should be available upon request. The most popular activities include: agility, obedience, flyball, herding, puller, barn hunt, dock diving, tracking, and many more, there is practically no activity you can’t do with your Mudi.

Litter, Puppy, Juvenile, Adult Qualifications

These items concern the registration, pedigree, identification and other similarly important things you may want to ask about, for any Mudi puppy, juvenile, or adult.

  • Will the puppy be officially registered with a recognized kennel club (AKC, UKC, FCI – MEOESz, FKK etc.)? Without registration, it’s not a Mudi, it’s just a dog.
  • What do you have to do to complete the registration process for the puppy?
  • Will the puppy get an official pedigree and how many complete/full generations will be listed on the pedigree (can be 1, 2, 3 or more)?
  • How long will it take to get the pedigree, or complete the registration process?
  • Why is it important how many generations will be on a pedigree, what does it mean for you? This mostly concerns the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK.
  • Will the puppy be microchipped?
  • Will the puppy receive any vaccinations?
  • Will the puppy be wormed, which wormer, and how many times?
  • Will the puppy be given a health booklet or EU Passport?
  • Will the puppy be given a health check by a veterinarian before you take it home? Will you get health documentation for just your puppy?
  • Are any of the puppies in the litter a non-standard pattern (not solid or merle), or have excessive white markings that are beyond the limits the breed standard allows? (If you want to breed, or go to conformation shows, these are not things you would want your Mudi to have.)

Puppy Raising and Socialization

It is important to ask where the puppies are born and grow up. Are they in the house, a kennel, barn, or? The Mudi is not a breed that does well in a kennel keeping situation, as the Mudi needs to be near its owner or family (however most do well with proper crate training). Many Mudis do not like being kept within a large pack of dogs either, they were not historically selected to be. Please keep these things in mind when choosing a Mudi puppy, juvenile, or adult to be part of your life.

Most breeders know how important early socialization is for developing proper behavior and temperament as an adult. Please be sure you also are aware of the socialization needs that must continue after you bring your Mudi puppy home.

These are some of the early socialization programs and protocols your breeder may mention when you ask them what they do with their pups from birth till they go home:

  • Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)
  • Early Scent Introduction (ESI)
  • Puppy Culture, Avidog, or other puppy raising program
  • What type of food, treats, or supplements are provided to the puppies and parents?
  • Puppies are exposed to noises, sounds, music, etc. at the proper age?
  • Puppies are exposed to 7+ different surfaces – indoors and outdoors?
  • Puppies are exposed to cats, other animals, children, men and women, etc.?
  • Puppies are exposed to many toys, objects, obstacles, activities?
  • Puppies are collar and leash trained?
  • Puppies have gone for rides in the car and been crate trained?
  • Will the breeder keep the puppy for you past 8 weeks of age if the shipping/transportation/importation rules require this, if so how much will it cost; or do they have an alternate place where the puppy can be kept until it can travel and how much would that cost?

Sales Contract

As with most important purchases made in life, you should get a sales contract with your Mudi puppy, juvenile, or adult. There are various options on most contracts and these are some of the ones you should ask about before you decide to purchase any puppy or adult. Most breeders will give you a copy of their contract before you agree to buy. Be absolutely sure you are comfortable with the contract before you take the puppy or older Mudi home.

  • Does the breeder require a deposit? Is the deposit refundable?
  • Is there a health guarantee? What does it cover? What are the conditions?
  • Do they co-own the puppy – forever or until certain conditions are met?
  • Do they give limited registration, for how long?
  • Is there a buy back option? For how long?
  • Do you want to be able to breed your puppy, juvenile, or adult? Are their any limitations with that? (For example breeding/litter requirements: puppies have to be given back to the breeder from the first litter, they get to choose the other parent of the litter, etc.)?
  • Are there requirements you have to fulfill before you can breed the puppy, juvenile, or adult?
  • Is spaying and neutering mandatory and at what age (spaying and neutering before maturation can cause negative health issues is a popular topic in recent scientific studies)?
  • Are you required to feed a particular food? Or forbidden to feed certain foods?
  • Do they offer rebate incentives for doing sports or health testing?
  • Does the breeder require you to participate in conformation shows, sports or events?
  • Does the breeder require you to do health testing when the puppy reaches a certain age?
  • Is there a return policy: do they take the puppy/adult back, for any reason, at any time, during the lifetime of the puppy, or help with rehoming?
  • Must you return the puppy-adult to the breeder if you cannot keep it further (at any age)?
  • Is there a silence/gag clause – you are not permitted to disclose/discuss any problems that occur with the puppy/adult at anytime, with anyone, except a veterinarian and the breeder (such as issues with: health, behavior, temperament, etc.); (make sure you understand the implications of such a clause and the negative effects it can have)?

Puppy Placement Procedure

How does the breeder decide which puppy in the litter goes to which owner? Were you properly interviewed regarding your requirements, limitations and desires for particular features?

  • Do they do puppy testing before they decide where to place the puppy?
  • Do they do a puppy personality evaluation profile before placement: are they bold, confident, shy, reserved, cautious?
  • Are the pups reflective of the breed standard in reference to coat color, pattern and markings?
  • How do they interact with their siblings, other dogs, children, or other types of pets the breeder may have?
  • What toys do they like to play with? Do they show signs of wanting to retrieve or play tug with people?
  • Is puppy placement matched with the owners requirements – that is, will the puppy be likely to fulfill the owners purpose for the puppy (for example, the quiet puppy in the litter may not be the best choice for loud sport training or very active noisy homes; is the puppy destined for the show ring of solid color or merle pattern, with no excessive markings)?
  • Does the breeder require personal pick-up of the puppy, or will they allow the puppy to be shipped? Will they help with the shipping process?

Breeder Questions and Support

Besides the above list of things to ask and think about, there are a few more questions you might want to ask the breeder about their litter, or the person that is placing a juvenile/adult Mudi (if it is not the breeder). The information gathered from these questions is especially important if this will be your first Mudi.

You should be satisfied with the amount of support you get before you take home the puppy and also with the support the breeder agrees to give after the puppy goes home, because bringing the puppy home is just the beginning of a possibly 14 or more year adventure, and there will surely be questions and problems throughout those years that you need to ask or consult the breeder about.

The breeder should be a valuable source of support as you go through the process of raising your puppy. They should be there to help you work through problems, not just celebrate the wins. Therefore it is important to choose a breeder you can trust will be there for you long after the puppy goes home. If you are not pleased with the level of support you are getting before you pick up your puppy, it is not likely to get better later on.

  • If this will be your first Mudi, what can the breeder tell you about owning a Mudi?
  • What are the good things, and not so good things, about the Mudi breed? (The Mudi is not a perfect breed and certainly not a perfect fit for everyone, make sure the not so good things are things you can live with for 14 or more years.)
  • What is the breeder’s preferred/ideal home for one of their Mudi puppies (sport, conformation, active companion home, etc.)?
  • What are the health problems most commonly seen in the Mudi?
  • What are the most common behavior and temperament problems in the breed?
  • Where do the parents come from (country)? Was the breeder able to meet their parents (grandparents) and if so what can they tell you about them?
  • What does the breeder like and dislike about each of the parents?
  • Does the breeder belong to the national Mudi club, or are they active in other dog clubs? How do they feel about the national Mudi clubs and what is their advice on joining them? (A breeder does not have to be a member of a national Mudi club to be considered a good breeder. However, being a member of the national Mudi club can be beneficial to the breeder, as well as the Mudi breed. Being a member in other clubs can also be beneficial.)
  • How long has the breeder been involved with the Mudi breed? What made them choose the Mudi?

Red Flags – things to be concerned about

Hopefully most answers to your questions will be just what you were hoping to hear, however, there can be some that leave you scratching your head. If a breeder does not have an answer, that’s probably ok, especially if they tell you where to find the answer, or agree to find out and report back to you. However, there are some answers that are clearly an indicator that something’s not right (red flags). These are some of the red flag answers or comments, you want to be aware of and proceed with caution, before committing to a Mudi puppy from them:

  • The breeder says they health test, but they don’t share the documents or links to official websites that prove it. Any breeder that has done a test which gave an acceptable result, is happy to share that result. No documentation means no test was done or the results were below acceptable limits.
  • My dogs are healthy there is no need to test them. Mudis are healthy, they don’t get sick. The vet says they are healthy. There should be documents that prove whatever good health the parents or pups are claimed to have. There aren’t any vets or owners that have x-ray vision or medical scanners.
  • Parents are under the age of 2 and health testing has not been completed. If the litter was an accident/unplanned, then the puppies should be placed for a nominal fee, with a not for breeding contract and with limited registration. Breeders should not ask for the full cost of puppies that are the result of an unplanned breeding. Breeders should not expect reward for irresponsibility. Many litters are claimed to be accidents that would likely be subject to criticism from the community.
  • The breeder does not have knowledge about health issues in the breed, or claims their line is completely healthy without any problems. Every Mudi alive today has a small chance to have or produce epilepsy, while it is rare, it is not a zero chance. Any breeder that tells you their line is free from epilepsy is not being honest, or is not aware of the incidence of it in the breed, or their lines. This applies to all of the most commonly seen health issues in the Mudi breed. If they are unaware, then they are not taking precautions to avoid creating high risk litters.
  • Puppies are allowed to be taken home before 8 weeks of age. In some countries this is against animal welfare laws.
  • Other red flags to be aware of: No contract, no testing, no pedigree, offers two puppies for a discounted price, breeds parents that are non-standard colors/patterns, charges more for ‘rare’ colors, breeds parents that are not fit or suitable for breeding, places puppies with anyone – does not ask about your plans for the puppy, or is not interested in matching you with the right puppy for your needs.
  • Yellow flags: COI – inbreeding level based on pedigree is high on planned or unplanned litters (20% or higher), has many breeds they are actively breeding, has high numbers of dogs at home, always has puppies available.

Each breeder or owner decides what information they want to make available in their advertisements. We provide a uniform list of items they can include, which supplies the information we place to their ad. Most information is mandatory, however any information that is not mandatory, is still highly recommended to include.

This is the basic list of information we ask the breeder or owner to provide for their planned litter, available puppies, juveniles, or adults, the mandatory information is in bold (please exchange puppy/litter with juvenile or adult where applicable):

  • Which type of ad requested: planned litter, available puppies, available juvenile or adult
  • Date of birth, or expected time range of birth for planned litter
  • Sex (of each available puppy)
  • For older Mudis: intact, spayed or neutered
  • Color/pattern (of each available puppy)
  • Colors expected (for planned litters)
  • Tail length (of each available puppy)
  • Tail length possibility (for planned litters)
  • Registration with which kennel club
  • Number of generations on the pedigree of the available puppy, litter, juvenile, or adult
  • Location of litter, juvenile, adult (country and state where applicable)
  • Name of kennel (however not all kennels have official names)
  • Name of father of litter (official name)
  • Name of mother of litter (official name)
  • Fathers health test scores and date where applicable
  • Mothers health test scores and date where applicable
  • Fathers titles and non-health test results, sports, activities
  • Mothers titles and non-health test results, sports, activities
  • Pedigree based COI (provided by Mudi Directions free )
  • Pedigree of litter/puppy/juvenile/adult (computer generated)
  • Litter comments
  • Contact email address

Additional Puppy/Juvenile/Adult Advertisement Requirements

All Mudis advertised must have official registration/pedigree, or the available puppies must be in the process of being officially registered by the breeder. Planned litter advertisers must agree that their litter will also undergo official registration once born.

We will not accept advertisements for any puppy or adult that will not be given, or does not have, an official registration/pedigree. We will not accept advertisements for litters that do not have two Mudi parents with official registration/pedigrees. Both parents must be standard allowed color and pattern – solid and merle only.

We will not accept advertisements for Mudis in rescue, or foster care, that do not have official registration/pedigrees.

‘Merch’andise and Service Advertisements

As ‘merch’andise and services can be quite unique, we cannot make a uniform list to cover them. We will of course be sure to include the important details you need to know in the advertisement.

Verification of Information: how and why

The main purpose of Good Mudi is to make connections between genuine Mudi breeders and Mudi puppy seekers easy and secure. In order to do this, we will verify that every advertisement placed on Good Mudi comes from legitimate breeders, owners, ‘merch’andise and service sellers ONLY!

If we cannot verify anyone that wants to place an ad is a genuine seller, we will not accept the ad. It’s that simple, because it’s not a big loss of income to do that, since we charge a very small fee to begin with. The security of those looking for a puppy depends on this critical task and decision.

We will also verify the data provided to us about the available Mudis, planned litter, ‘merch’andise and services, for accuracy and validity as much as possible. If we cannot verify any data, we will not include it to the advertisement. If information is missing, you will need to ask the breeder about it. While some breeders may not want to share data that is not mandatory with Good Mudi, breeders should share it with potential buyers!

Unfortunately we cannot verify buyers are real, the advertisers on this site will have to do that themselves. But they have to do that no matter where they advertise their puppies, ‘merch’andise and services.

If we have any doubts about the seller, we will contact them personally, and ask to see the puppies or ‘merch’andise, in real time, through their phone, and we will interview them at the same time. We will also check their social media accounts and ask other Mudi people about them. If anyone does not want to participate with this verification process, then we will deny their advertisement. It’s a very easy choice to make and one we promise to do! Anyone that has real puppies, ‘merch’andise or services for sale, will not say no to this process.

We will go to great lengths to make sure sellers are genuine, and the information they have provided is accurate and valid, however, if at any time you think something is ‘off’, please email us and we will look into it immediately. Also, if at anytime we cannot maintain contact with a seller while they have an ad on Good Mudi, we will remove their advertisement from our site and place a notice in its place, explaining why it was removed.

Unfortunately dishonest people are always finding new ways to take your money, however working together will make our Mudi community a much safer place.

Resources and Links for More Mudi Breed Information

If you would like to place a link to your Mudi related information website here, please contact us at: GoodMudi.com@gmail.com

Email Us

FCI Standard for the Mudi breed can be accessed by clicking on the FCI logo above, this is the standard created by the Mudis country of origin – Hungary

Link to IMuDI website

For more information please visit the Education and Glossary pages on this website!

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