August 31 (1964)

The Mucuchíes breed was declared the National Typical Dog of Venezuela

The mucuchíes dog is quite unknown in Europe and Asia, but truly iconic in certain places. Such is the case of Venezuela, where it is the most emblematic canine breed and is considered the national dog breed. And this is not by chance, since there are historical reasons for this consideration.

The mucuchíes is an affectionate and very attentive dog. It lives for and by its family, since it is extremely protective, something that is given by the long tradition of the mucuchíes as a guard dog.

Origin of the mucuchíes dog The mucuchíes dog is originally from Venezuela and the authorship of the crosses that gave rise to the first litter of mucuchíes is attributed to the veterinarian Wilender Ferrari. This breed has a renowned ancestry, with breeds such as the Spanish mastiff, the Pyrenean mastiff or the aïdi in its genealogical line. And it is not surprising, since it is said that the mucuchíes arises from the crosses between dogs brought to Venezuela by the settlers to act as guard and shepherd dogs in the 15th-16th century.

However, it is not its genetics that make the mucuchíes dog famous, and it is that one of these dogs accompanied Simón Bolívar, after being given to him as a gift, in his campaigns, even saving his life. This caused the breed to be proclaimed as the breed of the nation, expanding by leaps and bounds throughout Venezuela. In 1961 an official club for the breed was created, which was declared the official breed of Venezuela in 1964.

Characteristics of the Mucuchíes dog The Mucuchíes dog is large, with a height at the withers of between 55 and 71 centimetres and a weight of between 33 and 50 kilograms in male specimens and between 30 and 37 in females.

These dogs have a strong and robust body, with an athletic build, so they are truly imposing. They are of balanced proportions, with solid but agile limbs, normally they have a double dewclaw on the hind legs and a single one on the front ones, as well as a long tail that is covered by a dense and abundant fur. The fur is woolly, with two varieties: smooth and wavy, although it is always a hard, long and very dense hair.

The head is elongated, of a generous size and with a pronounced snout that ends in a black nose. The medium-sized ears usually fall to the sides of the head. They have a triangular shape, but with rounded tips, maintaining soft, rounded lines throughout their build. Their eyes, slanted and very expressive, have a brown color and a tremendously sweet look.

Colours of the Mucuchíes dog The registered colours for the Mucuchíes breed are:

-solid pure white, one colour -white with honey-coloured spots in different shades -white with black spots

However, colours such as black with white spots, grey or red spots are considered undesirable, being classified as a defect when evaluating the breed standard of each specimen.

The Mucuchíes puppy The Mucuchíes dog is calm by nature from its puppy stage. Thus, although it likes to play and receive attention, it is not at all restless, it is obedient and very sleepy, not very nervous in its first months. However, from a young age its deep-rooted guardian instinct begins to be noticeable, reacting with distrust and even aggression to contact with strangers.

Therefore, in breeds such as the Mucuchíes, traditionally dedicated to guarding, it is recommended to carry out exhaustive socialization when they are still puppies. This prevents them from being excessively distrustful and from reacting aggressively to those they consider as strangers, when perhaps they are visitors such as friends or family.

Character of the mucuchíes dog The temperament of a mucuchíes dog is characterized by being strong but balanced. That is, these dogs usually have a determined character and lack fear or cowardice, but at the same time they are very intelligent, active, noble and docile.

Although they are very distrustful of strangers, they are extremely loving and affectionate with their family and loved ones. They act as protectors of all of them, so they do not mind risking their lives in order to save those they love. Likewise, their skills as a nanny dog ​​have been highlighted, since with children they are attentive and very patient.

Despite the benefits of the breed, it should be noted that this is a dog that needs space, both indoors and outdoors, so it is not advisable to keep it in a small flat or apartment. It needs to do a lot of daily activity, since it becomes very restless and nervous if it leads a sedentary life.