The Kuvasz is believed to first have reached Hungary (its country of origin) with the magyars, who reached the area in the 800s. The breed name is said to come from their word for 'horse hound' - 'Ku Assa'. Ancient literal sources speak of these dogs by this name. Another possible name source could be slovakian 'cuvat', which means 'to listen' and a similar turkish word means 'to guard'. Today, the area is inhabited by the southern russian white ovtcharka, and the usually white iranian shepherd dog. Large, white shepherd dogs are known in many parts of Europe, and they are believed to be related with each other. They are impressive guardians, strong enough to take be used to hunt wolves and bear, but mainly used to guard the great herds of sheep.