The origins of the Slovak Cuvac breed can be traced back as far as the 17thcentury. In the early years of the breed, the Cuvac was used as a livestock guardian in the mountains of the Soviet Union. As wolves began to slowly disappear from the countryside, however, herding practices changed and the Slovak Cuvac breed nearly went extinct. After World War II, a veterinarian set about to revive the breed and the first written standard was published in 1964.
As a good guard, watch, and companion dog, as well as a guide for the shepherds, the Tatra Chuvach has also proved his worth in the guarding of cattle and driving of poultry and other domestic animals to pasture. Holidaymakers visiting the mountain farmers to buy cheese and other products found pleasure in the thickly-coated puppies and so transferred the breed to the lowlands, where they were not seldom regarded as a luxury breed because of their unusual appearance.
The Stud Book of the Tatra Chuvach in Czechoslovakia was founded in the early 1900s by Professor Anton Hruza of the Brno Veterinary College. Since then, the club for Tatra Chuvach breeders, with its headquarters in Bratislava, has kept exact records and held exhibitions, assessments, competitions, and shows in all regions of the republic.