Bergamasco's

puli and komondor?
size and attitude maybe.... i heard the Komondor is a very dominant breed, very territorial, said that you should watch them around children. and they're wary of strangers, not because they are territorial but because their vision is restricted

Puli is supposed to be lively, busy, typical working dog, but should not be nervous, ever, but it should also not be aggressive. it is also wary of strangers until accepted.


http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bergamasco.htm

Both breeds are very independent herding dogs, so all the cautions about independent herders should apply with either breed.  They have to think for themselves, work without human supervision, and be tough enough to care for their charges.  The corded coat can take a couple years to come into full breed standard, and usually, once an animal is retired from showing, most owners cut the cords off.  It is a real art to keep that corded coat clean and in trim, but it provides alot of warmth, and protection.  Visit a dog show in your area, and make it a point to go back to the grooming area and visit with the handlers of these breeds.  They can explain alot of the finer points, and may very well be able to answer your questions about the related breeds

All very good points. the coat is probably best kept short and neat unless you live in an area that warrants such body armor....
also, i dunno... i've been to a few dog shows and i would say "avoid" the grooming area.. maybe it was just my city, or the people that attended, but even when you are respectable and mind your manners, some of the people act put out by you being there.
I spoke to one guy, who was grooming a silver standard poodle. i had never seen that colour on a poodle before, and being an artist.... i said "Wow a grey poodle.." he got snooty and rude that i had gotten the colour wrong.... forget that anyone was interested in the dog, its breeding, history etc.... it's SILVER..... not greeyyy. Then other groomers would just all out ignore, give eye contact and as soon as you opened your mouth they would turn around and leave or tune you out.
 Not everyone was like that, but there were a few that acted offended that "ruffians from the outside" had entered their sanctuary and DONT TOUCH THE HAIR PLEASE!!  it was quite an experience, i got some good pictures, but really.... mind your manners in the grooming area, not that you wouldnt... its just if you've never been to one, it might not be fun.
 the last few times i went to a show i didnt bother going in the groomers area. the lighting isnt very good for pictures, and its just safer to stay out of their way.

I've been told that the best time to approach a handler to talk is after their breed judging is over with. A lot of owners and handlers get a case of the nerves prior to judging and might not feel like chatting until afterwards.

Having said that, I approached a handler of a black & tan after their breed judging and the handler was just total snooty-toot, but I guess you'll have that.

Thanks for the tips. Ill have to check out a dog show. I watch on TV but never been to one.

ORIGINAL: DumDog

All very good points. the coat is probably best kept short and neat unless you live in an area that warrants such body armor....
also, i dunno... i've been to a few dog shows and i would say "avoid" the grooming area.. maybe it was just my city, or the people that attended, but even when you are respectable and mind your manners, some of the people act put out by you being there.
I spoke to one guy, who was grooming a silver standard poodle. i had never seen that colour on a poodle before, and being an artist.... i said "Wow a grey poodle.." he got snooty and rude that i had gotten the colour wrong.... forget that anyone was interested in the dog, its breeding, history etc.... it's SILVER..... not greeyyy. Then other groomers would just all out ignore, give eye contact and as soon as you opened your mouth they would turn around and leave or tune you out.
Not everyone was like that, but there were a few that acted offended that "ruffians from the outside" had entered their sanctuary and DONT TOUCH THE HAIR PLEASE!!  it was quite an experience, i got some good pictures, but really.... mind your manners in the grooming area, not that you wouldnt... its just if you've never been to one, it might not be fun.
the last few times i went to a show i didnt bother going in the groomers area. the lighting isnt very good for pictures, and its just safer to stay out of their way.

 
BTW, if you ever go to a cat show, Persians with one blue eye and one green eye are odd-eyed, not bi-eyed.  Call them bi-eyed and prepare to duck. 
 
Back on topic, it can get pretty charged back in the grooming area.  They're trying to get ready for a show, they're nervous.  As Houndlove said, you want to wait until they're done with their ring, they'll be a lot more relaxed.  I had a wonderful discussion with a Shiba handler by waiting until she was out of the ring and mentioning how nice her dog's gait was. 

lol Fuzz, i didnt even know there was a name for it, thanks for the heads up. i've never been to a cat show, have never heard of them taking place here, but now you have got me interested in finding out if there are any taking place []
and i WILL remember your advice. The only thing worse than dog people is... Cat people.....       *said with much love and affection for both*

And yeah one thing i noticed was the Shiba people were lots more friendly, lots more of them too.... they were all congregating in huge groups, their dogs lying at their feet, yawning, looking bored like this happened waaaaaaay too often for their liking.... but they seemed the most talketive and OMG .. EVERYONE owned a champion.. when i asked about someone's dog they made sure to mention "She's a Champion!" ... and it wasnt just "proud parent" syndrome... or maybe it was lol it was funny none the less.

One thing that disappointed me about the dog shows was that my favourites werent there, or i missed them.... only one Irish Wolfhound-but i missed the showing.. One Neo Mastiff and no others, she won obviously... NO Komondors(i have GOT to see one in person someday!!) and nothing remotely similar to a komondor!

Always good to see an expert weighing in.  Isn't it great that the "expert" knows how to use cut & paste so well?

Pulik are Hungarian all purpose herding dogs. Ie, yard dogs - get the cattle/goats/sheep/geese in, bark when intruders arrive, alert when something's wrong, and drive the animals to market and watch over them when they get there. They are family oriented but not terribly outgoing. They've got a ton of energy, being working dogs and not "improved" [8|] much to make them your standard American yard ornament type dog. The coat is VERY high-maintenence, unless you want a dog that is basically a walking filth mop. I think you can prevent the coat from cording and therefore end up with a very expensive, high energy, not very friendly poodle.

Komondorak are one of the fiercest of the livestock guardian breeds, also originating in Hungary. Like all guardian breeds they are a giant breed and must be socialized absolutely correctly within a short window, and in the case of the Komondor, even then you'll have a dog that is often dangerous to the unwary visitor.

This is not a breed for the faint-hearted and certainly not for someone looking for a low maintenance dog to scare away intruders. They were used over here for a while to increase aggression in some of our more mellow livestock guardian breeds (Pyrs and Maremmas), if that tells you anything. The Spanish Mastiff and Polish Tatra has since become more popular for that purpose, as the crosses produced therefrom are LESS of a liability if your farm has lots of human visitors. Again, if that tells you anything about the personality of the Komondor.

I've "met" a few from a distance and don't wish to get much closer. The corded coat is the same as the Puli - you can put a lot of time into it or keep it cut and end up with a huge, expensive, really people aggressive poodle. I don't know why you'd have a Komondor if you weren't gobsmacked with the breed and showed them or used them for livestock guarding (note, I don't think it's possible in this breed to excel in both, unlike with some other livestock guardian breeds).

The Bergamasco sounds like a neat alternative to these breeds - the temperament sounds similiar to the other Italian livestock guardian breed, the Maremma, my breed of choice here (dog pictured in sig line). And the coat is matted permanently rather than corded - not attractive to me, but they do say it's easy care after some initial setting up. I bet it's a pricey beast, though. []