Our Kennel

As a natural extension of our connection with Hungary and its traditions (e.g., language, history, music, cuisine, etc.), the adventure of the Altit family and its members, Michael Altit, lawyer in São Paulo, grandson and son of Hungarian immigrants, his wife Monica and their children (Fernando and Carolina), trustees of the Emek Hayarden kennel (Jordan Valley), with the Kuvasz (plural Kuvaszok) breed began in 2015.

Our dogs are part of our family, raised in our home, free, in an 800 m² garden where they can play and exercise. Currently, only our veteran dogs live with us. We also have a spacious area in the city of São Roque.

The dogs’ daily routine and management are organized with the support of caretakers (both permanent and temporary) and include socialization — an essential aspect for the breed — regular walks (both on the street and within the property), proper nutrition, and ongoing veterinary care.

We are not a commercial kennel. This is a hobby that we take very seriously. We have occasional litters, always within our strategy of improving the breed. We carefully select the families who will receive our puppies, ensuring that each one has the right environment and care.

Born in April 2016, Golda Szenes Prince of the Dogs won in that year the title of best Kuvasz puppy of Brazil in the CBKC and Dogshow rankings. In 2017, she received the title of Uruguayan champion.

In 2021, Emek Hayarden Etéd Frosty Lofranco, born on November 16, 2021, became part of our kennel. Frosty is the result of a successful insemination process carried out in the United States, using our champion Nina Prince of the Dogs and the frozen semen of the male Lofranco’s Zar of Gem-Mar, who passed away more than 25 years ago and was owned by Darla Lofranco, curator of the renowned Lofranco kennel in Canada.

Darla, who sadly passed away last year, devoted more than 40 years to the breeding of the Kuvasz. Her absence is still deeply felt. Zar was the son of Kurucz Bátor (male) and Gödöllőkert Avar Tisza (female), both imported by Darla to Canada in the 1990s. Kurucz Bátor and Gödöllőkert Avar Tisza, and consequently Zar, carried the genetic heritage of important Kuvasz bloodlines that no longer exist or have simply been diluted over the years.

We hope that the birth of Emek Hayarden Etéd Frosty Lofranco will allow for the direct recovery of this valuable genetic heritage. (See the section Our Dogs – Males – Emek Hayarden Etéd Frosty Lofranco for further details on this story).

Our kennel pursues the following goals:

treat the act of breeding with love and seriousness and not as a “business” activity;
to improve the breed, through the selection and use of healthy, clinically tested dams and sires that meet the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale - International Federation of Dogs) official breed standard, to which the Hungarian Kennel Club (MEOE Szövetség) is a member.
to breed animals that possess morphological and temperament characteristics considered as relevant for the breed, such as: (i) solid bone structure, strong and powerful muscles capable of enabling the animals to fulfill their original function as a herding dog; and (ii) balance, courage, loyalty and affection towards its owners;
to divulge the Kuvasz breed in Brazil and abroad, including through the participation and organization of "conformation" shows, where dogs are evaluated as to their adherence to the breed's official standard, and other events, local and international, and the publication of specialized articles;
dialog and cooperate with breeders and specialized Kuvasz clubs; and
control the main diseases that affect the breed, which are:

(I) Hip Dysplasia, Hüftgelenksdysplasie or, simply “HD”, a most often hereditary disease that affects the bone and joint connections of animals, particularly large dogs, such as the Kuvasz;

(ii) Osteochondritis dissecans, Osteochondrosis dissecans des Schultergelenks or simply “OCD”, characterized as one of the clinical manifestations of osteochondrosis, representing a pathological condition of the articular cartilage resulting from a disturbance of the endochondral ossification, which affects dogs of rapid growth and especially large dogs; and

(iii) Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Generalisierte Progressive Retina Atrophie or simply “PRA”, characterized as a slow process of degeneration of the retinal tissue. PRA is a genetic disease transmitted by recessive genes.

breed animals that meet the expectations of their owners on the show ring, as companion dogs within a family or in guarding and herding flocks in rural properties. Not every dog needs to participate in dog shows. We believe that only those specimens that show the breed's predicates of excellence should be subjected to the strenuous and financially costly routine that characterizes such events. The fact that healthy and typical dog does not participate in a dog show does not turn him/her into a second-rate "specimen" unable to fill its owners with pride and joy. Quite the contrary.

Our kennel is assisted by competent professionals with many years of experience, such as, for example, the handler Gerson Trani, owner of Gerulani Kennel, Fernando Coelho, who acts as our veterinarian and is an important Sheltie breeder in Brazil and, finally, the animal’s coach Elias Oliveira, founder of “Alternativas”, one of the most traditional companies dedicated to entertainment and marketing with dogs in Brazil.

We at Emek Hayarden are inserted in the global “Kuvasz” universe. We know and understand the breed, its standard and are concerned with its preservation and developmen

We have developed partnerships with relevant breeders and fanciers of the breed in Hungary, Canada, USA and, of course, in Brazil. There are fanciers’ clubs and associations in Argentina, USA (2 clubs!), Canada, Germany (3 clubs!), Scandinavia and, of course, Hungary.

Unfortunately, we have discovered in the last few years that Kuvasz breeders in Brazil, although few, do not collaborate, exchange experiences, but, on the contrary, insult each other. In Hungary itself, homeland of the breed, the level of cooperation and articulation among breeders and associations cannot be classified as “optimal”. We do not agree with this kind of attitude. For us, breeding of purebred dogs is a collective enterprise.

Over the past years, we have become regular participants in the dog show circuit of in Brazil and abroad, entering our dogs in major competitions held, for example, in Argentina and Uruguay, with expressive results. In this process, dogs from our kennel participated in 2021 in specialized and “general” competitions, with sometimes more than 3,000 dogs entered, held in the US, considered the most organized and competitive in the world.