SMALL MEĐIMURJE DOG – MEĐI
Origin: Croatia
FCI Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)
Section 1 / Sheepdogs
-without working trial
Utilization:
Guard dog, companion and farm dog
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
According to word of mouth, Mali medimurski pas is being bred over a hundred years in northwestern Croatia, in Međimurje area mostly.
Found in rural yards as a guard dog and hunter for harmful rodents.
Because of these characteristics, the owners of mills on the Mura and Drava rivers, as well as nowadays stock breeders, were glad to have them.
Because of its size and character it is very suitable for breeding in the urban environment.
GENERAL APPEARANCE:
Međi is small, very harmoniously built dog, a rectangular shape with short legs.
Length of body can exceed for one third height at the withers.
Medium body structure, not too heavy bones, lively, agile, intelligent and very obedient dog.
According to the morphological system it belongs to the lupoid type of dog with wedge-shaped head and triangular erect ears.
Coat is short, rather hard and flat, somewhat longer on the upper part of the neck (mane) and on the lower inner side of tail (fringes).
Tail reaches to the hock.
When alert and happy carried in slight curve above the back.
The most commonly colored specimens are bicolored with various forms and patterns, as well as the tricolored.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
The preferred height at the withers for males and females is between 28 – 33 cm.
The length of the body can exceed for 33% the height at the withers.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT:
The dog is showing the qualities of a good guard, but not aggressive towards people and other dogs not to domestic animals.
It is very persistent and diligent in their work, especially to catch rodents.
Restrained by a foreign people, incorruptible, and loud barking to announce the arrival of a stranger.
To the owner and family is very loyal and affectionate and playful in contact with children. Intelligent, impeccably performing verbal commands.
HEAD:
Wedge shaped, elongated, in proportion to the size of the dog.
Skull is the widest among the ears, narrowing slightly towards the muzzle.
Slightly longer than wide.
Seen from the profile, the skull is straight, the outer edges are slightly rounded, cheeks are not rough or prominent.
The ratio of skull and muzzle is 10: 9. Occipital protuberance not pronounced.
Stop
The transition from the forehead to the nasal part of the head is very mild, not sharp or deep.
Nose
Muzzle is straight, a bit shorter than the length of skull.
Nose bridge slightly pronounced. Parallel to the line of the skull.
Nostrils well open and developed.
The nose and the inside of the nostrils have to be black or brown pigmented (in lighter colored dogs).
Lack of pigmentation due to injuries should not be penalized.
Cheeks
Not too pronounced with skin close fitting to the cheekbones.
Lips
The upper lip covers the lower. Lips are not too thick nor pendulous, pigmented black or brown.
Close fitting to the jaw, with no pronounced or open corner of the mouth.
Teeth / Bite
Scissor bite. Level bite can be tolerated, but it is not desirable.
The missing of premolars PM1 and molars M3 is not taken into consideration.
Eyes
Almond shaped, dark in accordance with the hair color. Eyelids dark pigmented.
Ears
Medium sized, triangular, about 8 cm long.
Carried erect, forward-looking, set quite high.
Distance between the ears is about the same as their height.
Covered with short hair.
NECK:
Medium length, strong and well connected with the body.
Carried high, not straight, with a longer hair on the upper part (mane).
Without excess skin on the throat.
BODY:
Elongated, rectangular form.
Length is 1/3 greater than the height at the withers.
Withers
Pronounced.
Back
Back is straight.
Loins
Of medium length not long.
Well muscled.
Croup
Wide and slightly sloping.
Chest
Broad with pronounced chest bone.
Shoulder blade and upper arms are slightly bent aside, shoulders are bit wide.
Ribcage is reaching down to the elbows with well-sprung ribs, preferably as long as possible.
Chest circumference is about 44-52cm.
Underline and belly
Slightly tucked up, not so rich in coat.
Tail
Set moderately high, reaching to the hock.
Straight or sabre shaped.
At rest it is carried below the topline. When the dog is alert the tail is carried above the topline, but never ring shaped or lean on back.
It is profusely covered with hair.
There are also dogs, which are born with a short tail, which is permitted.
LEGS:
Front legs
Preferably as straight as possible, parallel.
Medium bones, not heavy or light.
Pasterns and feets slightly turned out are permissible.
Pasterns flexible, slightly sloping.
Slightly out of elbows are tolerated but undesirable.
Shoulder
Well connected with the chest, quite wide.
Forearm / elbows
Parallel and straight.
Well angulated.
Not too heavy bones, covered with short hair.
Slightly out of elbows are tolerated but not desirable.
Metacarpus (Pastern)
Slightly sloping, wide and firm, not soft.
Pasterns allow feet to turn slightly outwards, are tolerated but not desirable.
Forefeet / Toes
Round with tight, well-arched fingers, pigmented nails and pads.
Hind legs
Parallel.
Broad thigh, not too narrow in stand.
Thigh / Lower thigh
Medium muscular.
Hind leg angulations not too open.
Correct stand.
Metatarsus (Rear pastern)
Strong, elastic, not completely round feet.
Bit more inclined than the front feet, with no dewclaws.
GAIT / MOVEMENT:
Full of reach and lively, free and parallel.
SKIN:
Close fitting to the body, elastic and free from wrinkle.
Visible mucous membranes are dark pigmented.
COAT:
Coarse hair thick, hard, straight, not wooly or thin.
Short hair on head, ears and legs.
Longer and dense hair on the upper side of neck (mane) and tail.
Length of hair is 3 – 5 cm.
Undercoat soft and wooly.
COLOR:
1 Single-color – black, different shades of brown, yellow and gray.
2. Two-color – two-color is a combination of two basic colors or one basic color with white markings.
3. Tri-color – a combination of three basic colors or two basic colors with white markings. Larger or smaller white markings can be found throughout the body and head and must have clear edges or contours.
White color is not desirable to more than 1/3 of the body.
HEIGHT:
Height at the withers for males and females is 28 – 33 cm.
FAULTS:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:
• Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• Undershot or overshot mouth, wry mouth.
• Monohride, cryptohydride
• Lack of teeth (except all P1, M3 and P2)
• Eyes of different colors
• Signs of ectropia or entropya
• Completely white colored dogs
• Unpigmented mucous membrane
• Height at the withers outside the standard for +/- 4 cm.
HISTORY OF THE BREED
Mali međimurski pas or međi is a Croatian dog breed.
The letter đ appearing in the name of the breed should be pronounced as if it were replaced by the letter combination dj.
The breed has been bred for over 100 years in the Međimurje region and other parts of northwestern Croatia. It has traditionally been kept in the countryside, where it is used as a yard guard and pest repeller. However, nowadays it is also kept in the city, and thanks to its small size, it is well suited to urban conditions.
EARLY DAYS
The breed has been bred in the Medimurje region for hundreds of years.
There isn't a single rat that can get away from the medi, say the breeders of the medi murje dog. The dog was called "rat death" because it specializes in hunting rats and other small rodents and has been man's best friend in hunting them for years.
The breed was well known in the Medimurje region generations ago. In order to be accepted as a pest control dog, it first had to pass a practical test, which meant being able to react quickly and catch an escaping rat after it had been chased out of the basement, barn, attic or pantries. As society developed, the pest effect of rats decreased, so the role of the medimurje dog as a pest fighter is no longer so important. The little dog was popular in the yards of Međimurje, and stories circulated that it was very clever and cunning. It buried its treasures, mostly lost knives and forks, and only at the owner's request was the hiding place found.
In order to protect and save the original breeds of the Medimurje area from extinction, i.e. from merging with another breed, a group of enthusiasts started standardizing the breeds at the beginning of this millennium. The Association of Small Animal Breeders Međimurska Lastavica was born in 1987.
Medi's initial efforts towards the officialization of the breed began in 2000 when Vladimir Čižmešija started walking around the Medimurje area looking for small wolf-like dogs. The selection really started from the beginning. He looked for dogs that had the most characteristics of the original medimurje dog, and these dogs were entered into the registry. After visiting the villages and finding suitable types of dogs for breeding, the foundation work of the breed began. According to the area and the size of the dog, the name was small dog from Medimurje - Mali medimurski pas. Breeding tried to preserve certain good qualities, and bad qualities were improved or tried to be bred away.
The idea of developing the breed was also accepted by two experienced cynologists, Dragutin Matulic and Branko Horvat, and together these three began to achieve good results.
Finally, 12.2. In 2003, the breeding of medimurje dogs was transferred to the Međimurska Lastavica small animal breeding association. In 2004, the umbrella organization of medimurje dog breeders was born.
The breed recognition procedure is very long, only after six generations of controlled breeding does so-called homozygosity occur, when the breed type is established.
Because the breeding work was of high quality, in July 2009 the breeding of the medimurjenkoira was transferred under Kennel Club Čakovec as its own club. Contacts with the Croatian Kennel Association were established. Pedigrees were collected, the origin of the breed was determined and all information was submitted to the Kennel Club.
When there were about 800 representatives of the breed in the studbook and breeding progressed, finally on 30.12.2010 the Croatian Kennel Club - Hrvatski Kinoloski Savez accepted the Mali Međimurje pas as an official breed and recognized it as the 7th national breed at the same time. The breed was presented publicly for the first time in the "small Međimurje dog" show at the Zagreb International Dog Show in the same year. The breed officially became a native breed and had the opportunity to participate in all shows in Croatia.
Medis are registered in the Croatian Kennel Club's "conditional" HUR register (the same as Finland's ER register, because the breed is not yet approved by the FCI). 30 breeding inspections have been organized for the breed and 9 special shows have been held, all in Donja Dubrava. More than thirty of the dogs have been used at least once for breeding. There are as many as 13 different lines, with at least six generations of known individuals.
Approximately 50-70 Medis are registered in Croatia per year, of which approximately 2-3 are taken into the breed.
Medis have been taken to e.g. To Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Finland and the United States. Individual dogs to other countries. Finland has the largest non-domestic population of the breed. At the end of 2022, there were 100 medis in Finland. In addition to Finland, there are dogs in Sweden (the first came in 2022), 1 each in Holland and the USA, 5 in Germany, 4 in Austria, 8 in Slovenia and 6 dogs in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 2 dogs immigrated to the Czech Republic in 2023. In total, over 1058 Medimurje dogs are registered in the breed.
The aim is to get FCI approval for the breed, and for that, work is being done to increase the awareness of the breed. Awareness of the breed among the general public is still low. The basic characteristics of the breed: appearance, likeability, liveliness and cheerfulness, make the med very suitable for the urban environment. Medis are friendly towards all family members, especially children, while towards strangers, a Medi may show a certain caution and suspicion at first, which usually does not develop into aggression. Dogs are tenacious by nature, very obedient and eager to learn, so they are well suited for work and sports activities. That is why individuals of the breed are ideal dogs for urban conditions, both as pets and as hobby dogs.
ORIGINAL USE
Medis have been used as yard guards on farms and as hunters of harmful rodents. Because of these characteristics, not only the millers of the Myri and Drava rivers, but also current cattle breeders wanted to breed the breed. Due to its size and character, the breed is also well suited to urban environments.
BREEDING MEDI IN CROATIA AND FINLAND
The goal of breeding Medi is to preserve the character and diversity of the breed. Inbreeding is not recommended. However, due to the small number of registered dogs, the inbreeding COE% limit is considered to be 0% in three generations.
In Croatia, an important part of the breed is the breeding inspection for breeding individuals, which can be performed after the dog reaches 1 year of age. The breeding permit is valid until the dog turns 8 years old, after which a new inspection must be performed.
In Croatia, puppies undergo two puppy inspections before registration and after that each breeding dogs must pass a breeding inspection with approval.
In Croatia, the breed association directs the breeding by looking for males that are compatible with the bitches. When the owner of a bitch wants to breed his dog, he asks the association for suitable males. Usually the association suggests 2-3 suitable males and you can then choose the suitable one.
In Finland, the PEVISA program (= breed-specific program to combat hereditary defects and diseases. It contains conditions affecting the registration of puppies, for example health examinations. Other breed-specific special conditions include information on, for example, cross-breeding and breeding of breed variants.) has been assigned to the breed, and each breeding individual must meet the health requirements according to it.
The board of the Finnish Kennel Club approved the following breed-specific PEVISA program for the medimurje dog for the period 1 January 2021–31 December 2025:
The parents of the puppies must have a valid knee examination and eye examination statement at the time of breeding. The eye examination report is valid for 24 months.
The following are added to the special breed-specific conditions of the breed:
Töpö-töpö (natural bob tail = töpö) combinations are prohibited. There is a DNA test for bob-tailedness for the breed. (Bob tail in medi is T-Box mutation)
Since the medimurje dog has only few registered dogs worldwide, genetic diversity is important. For this reason, the association maintains a pedigree database, and if you are about to breed your female, you can ask the association if the male you have chosen complies with the association's breeding recommendations.
