The Hovawart is a working dog that was developed through the hard work and diligence of German dog breeders in the 1920s. They were hoping to recreate the estate-guarding dog of the Middle Ages. Farm dogs were selected form the Black Forest and Hartz mountain regions of Germany to accomplish this task. Today, the Hovawart is an outstanding family companion, a great watchdog, and it also excels at search and rescue, tracking and schutzhund.