'A longhaired cavy in the peruvian model (having a frontal, chops and two hip rosettes), but differing in coat texture,which should be as harsh as possible. The coat is curly in a ringletted fashion, giving a corkscrew effect that needs to be present from the base of the coat tothe ends. The hair on the frontal and chop furnishings is rexoid but not ringletted, like the coat on the belly. A young Lunkarya may have a softer coat than an adult and this should be taken into account. The Lunkarya should be presented in show condition on a board. Due to the random corkscrew effect of the coat the Lunkarya cannot be presented with a parting. The Lunkarya must be shown free of knots and tangles, but should not be brushed out in the manner of the other longhaired breeds. Judges should be able to run their fingers through the coat to check for coat quality and presentation. Brushes and combs must not be taken to the judging table.'
Please ask permission before copying anything from this page!
I have researched and written this from my own experience - so please dont nick it!
Background:
Monica and Annica Lundqvist were sisters who ran a petshop in Kungsholmen, Stockholm. They bred dogs and rex cavies. In 1986, a litter of guineapig were brought in which included a longhaired curly male. He was named Prince Adam and was of common guinea pig ancestors. They kept him and mated him, it showed that would produce curly offspring when crossed with longhairs. He was the result of a mutation and is the origin of the breed.
Initially it was described as a dominant rex Peruvian, but later was named Lunkarya through a combination of ‘Lundqvist’ and ‘rya’ meaning ‘sheep’ in Swedish. At that time the texel had been bred in England and they did not wish for this to become too similar, so they chose to develop the coat towards the rough, un-brushed coat. It has been said that after a few years interest dropped and the lunkarya breed was almost abandoned. Then luckily an enormous interest restarted the breed and the lunkarya is now one of Sweden’s major breeds.
The lunkarya gene is dominant and cannot be carried. All lunkarya are the Peruvian variant and any other type, sheltie or coronet must have the lunkarya prefix attached. The main characteristic of the lunkarya is the dense, harsh coat and this can be in any mixture of colours. Sweden and Germany both have their breed standards for the lunkarya and some champions already!
It is a unique gene for several reasons:
• It is the first time a ‘curly’ gene has risen in a long-haired cavy – previous 3 as cited above were all short haired (or semi-longhaired hair for CH teddy).
• It is also the first dominant gene for ‘curly’ hair. The ‘curly’ is a short-haired Lunkarya! The Lunkarya refers to the Peruvian combination.
• The skin is very harsh, which helps result in the ‘high-standing’ of hair.
• A pup is easily recognisable after birth due to ‘hard curls’ and often the hair shaft will break off due to the harshness. As time progresses, the hair becomes rougher, thicker and stands.
• It is possible to brush out the curls, however they will return – unlike an alpaca.
• The strength and elasticity of the hair differs from Alpaca’s, Texel’s and Merino’s. The hair is comparable to sheep!
The Lunkarya is pronounced ‘lunka-ree-a’.
They do not cope well in hot weather and are advised to have AIR-CONDITIONING!
Due to this it is best not to breed them during the summer months.
It is possible to cross-breed the Lunkarya gene with other long-hairs (Sheltie, Coronet). Obviously, the offspring will not be true 'Lunkarya's' as the skin will be much softer and not maintain the harsh coat. The coat is not the same and they cannot be classed as a pure bred Lunkarya. It should never be crossed with an Alpaca, Texel, Merino or Rex!
At this stage, it is important not to mix Perivians and Lunkarya together as there is currently enough peruvian within the pedigree. Each Peruvian mating reduces the harshness by generations and makes further progress unattainable, unless you have at least 4-5 pure-bred generation lunkaryas to mate them back to.
DO NOT BREED LUNKARYA TO PERUVIAN UNLESS YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND LUNKARYA TO BREED BACK TO!!!
Lunkarya buying at this stage of the breed’s development is perilous! As a new breeder you have only two options – buy the ones you can get hold of and expect to work jolly hard to improve them. Or to wait and carefully choose what is on offer.
The main issue with the lunkarya's is that they have not been the country long. I have had mine 1 1/2 years and have only had a handful of litters. I breed slowly and spend literally hours planning each mating and subsequent offspring. I am now on my second generation so my pedigrees are constantly improving by adding lunkys to it, so any peruvians are more distant. It takes time - something new people to the breed don't have.
NOTE: The most successful breeders in the world (Carmen & Iris 'Von den Knopfaugen') only imported their lunkarya from Sweden in 2004 - so there has only been a handful of generations to establish their line
The breed has been developed to the point where there is now a widening genetic pool, but this is still small. Each individual should have a pedigree sheet detailing their parentage. At this point in time, the pedigree is likely to contain other breeds, such as Curly's and peruvians - in order to broaden the pool or improve chops. Try to find babies with as much Lunkarya x Lunkarya breeding in the pedigree as possible.
Whilst every effort should be made to buy lunkarya's with great pedigree's, sometimes breeding a 'not so great' pedigree is not so bad. Two mediocre lunkarya's can produce a very good one! As long as the coat is harsh and has good density it cannot be a bad thing. It is all about following a long-term breeding programme to improve.
As you have seen from the basic genetics tables I drew up (on the lunkarya Forum under 'Lunkarya Guides') many Lunkarya will be Lulu. It is a matter of working out, genetically, what your lunkarya are.
My advice would be to see the pedigree first and scrutinise every detail on it. I have researched all my lunky’s ancestors to get photos or further information so I have a good understanding of that lunkaryas history and potential. Ask how much facial hair was dropped (indicator of adult coat harshness) and if they have a photo. I take photos at birth and of the facial drop as a future record.
Once you become more familiar with the breed and the stages of baby growth, you will start to recognise a good lunkarya from birth. As a summary: well defined, hard curls shortly after birth. Facial loss. Thick coat = good density.
LUNKARYA (Proposed Guide Standard)
Frontal, Chops, Head, Eyes & Ears
of which Frontal and Chops: The hair constituting the frontal should originate from the
shoulders and be of good length, in keeping with the cavy's age and in harmony
with the shoulders and chops.
The chops should be strong, with hair of one length and no gaps.
and Head to be short & broad, Muzzle of good width & rounded at the nostrils.
Eyes to be large, bright and bold and set with good width between.
Ears to be large and drooping, and set with good width between.
Coat Appearance (Shoulders, Sides, Sweep)
Coat should consist of hair forming natural, regular 'corkscrews'. It should not lie
flat against the body, but should be even in length all over, to give a generally oval
appearance when the cavy is viewed from above.
Shoulders and Sides should continue evenly from the frontal and chops of the cavy,
with good length in keeping with the cavy's age.
Sweep should cover the hindquarters, with good length in keeping with age.
Coat Feel (Texture & Density)
of which Coat Texture to be harsh and thick.
and Coat Density to be full and dense, with a thick undercoat.
Belly to be curly, woolly and dense.
Presentation
To be presented clean, free of grease and unmatted, with the waviness/corkscrew
pattern of the coat left in its natural state but tangle free.
Due to the density of the rough coat, the cavy cannot be combed out.
Body To have short, cobby body; thick-set, with good width across shoulders.
To be fit and of good substance, with plenty of firm flesh.
To have good size appropriate to age.
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
The cavy must be shown with no central parting, on a board of appropriate size.
This should be large enough to give an outline of coat shape, maximum 20 x 20",
and covered in natural-coloured hessian. The coat must not be cut.
GUIDANCE NOTES
The Lunkarya is a long-coated cavy with a coarse, rough hair structure that
distinguishes it from all other breeds.
It has two rosettes on the rump, being the curly-coated equivalent of the Peruvian.
It can also appear in a Coronet and Sheltie version and should be judged accordingly.
The placement of rosettes is important in producing density in the sweep.
The coat should have a tendency to fall into natural corkscrews, and be dense and
rough, with a particularly dense undercoat.
The coat cannot be combed out, and it should not lie flat.
However, it should be even in length all over so that the overall appearance,
looking down onto the top of the cavy, should approximate to an oval shape.
There should be no central parting.
Lunkaryas may be shown in any colour, or mixture of colours.
The coat grows at the same speed and length as other standardised longhairs, approximately 1 inch per month.
SPECIFIC DISQUALIFICATIONS
Crests. Missing rosettes.
SPECIFIC FAULTS
Additional rosettes, causing a visible impact on the coat, to be penalised according to severity of this impact.
