| It
is believed that the ancient Central Asian dogs are the
ancestors of all breeds. This is debatable, but it is almost
certain that the Tibetan Mastiff is a descendant of the
Central Asian Shepherd Dog and not its ancestor, as often
thought. There is a strong possibility that these dogs are the
direct descendants of the legendary Armenian Gampr and the
Sage Kooche dogs of Afghanistan, to which they are undeniably
related. Regardless of their heritage, the Volkodavs of
Central Asia are a wonderful reminder of what a natural dog
looks like.
The common misconception is
that the Central Asian Ovcharka is over 4000 years old, when
in fact it is a fairly recent Russian creation. The breeds
that served as its foundation are much older and truly
ancient, but the modern CAO was actually formed in the 20th
century. Prior to 1935, the breed was known as the Turkish
Shepherd, but this was due to the confusion of some Russian,
as well as western authors who failed to differentiate between
Turkmenistan and Turkey.
Since these dogs don't exist in
a single country, but are found all over eastern Europe and
Asia, the breed has officially been known as the Central Asian
Shepherd Dog and shown under that name since 1938. Alongside
the Kavkaz Dog and the Youzhak, the Central Asian Ovcharka is
part of the famous Troika, a trio of recognized Russian
sheepdogs.
The Central Asian Shepherd Dog
is a name used to describe quite a few different breeds,
actually. It should be noted that using the word "Alabai"
to describe the C.A.O. is incorrect, since the breed known as
Alabai is only found in Turkmenistan and is quite different
than its other Asian cousins. Although it's popular to use the
word "ovtcharka" these days, we need to keep in mind
that it is a Russian word, whereas most of these breeds are
indegenous to non-Russian regions of the former USSR. These
dogs come in many different types of varying sizes, coats,
colours and temperaments, depending on their primary use and
region of origin.
The Russian dogs differ from
dogs found in Turkmenistan, both of these types being very
different from those of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which in
turn aren't the same as the dogs of Iran, Kazakstan,
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and so on. But, until these
countries develop strict standards for their dogs and get
recognized as separate breeds, the name Central Asian Shepherd
Dog is being used for all of them. Some consider even the Sage
Koochee and the Sarmatian Mastiff to be nothing more than
types of the Central Asian Ovcharka, but this notion is
understandably disputed by the fanciers of those breeds.
Only the aforementioned Alabai
of Turkmenistan is somewhat standardized and on its way to
possible separate recognition, while these other countries
aren't showing any interest in doing that, due to their
general disregard for the Western ways. Their dogs are bred
for work, not for show and that's the way it has been done for
thousands of years.
It can be argued that the
modern breed known as the Central Asian Shepherd is a result
of crossing all of the working livestock guardian dogs
indegenous to the countries of this vast region, even if they
don't truly belong to the same breed, but are in fact
relatives coming from different backgrounds, only
superficially similar to one another. Establishing a single
and uniformed type of the C.A.O. has been a futile endeavor of
breeders since the 1950's, simply because the differences
between some of the breed variants are so great, that matings
between them will never result in a single breed type.
While the most respected and
valued bloodlines are said to come from Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan, it should be noted that only a small number of
truly pure dogs is found even in those countries, so having a
Turkmen or Uzbek heritage listed in a dog's pedigree doesn't
necessarily mean that the dog is truly an Alabai or a
Sarkangik. Another noteworthy detail is something that has
been a source of frustration for breeders of the Central Asian
Shepherd Dog for a number of years and that is finding out
that the dogs they've acquired in some of these Asian
countries are actually either poor specimens or unpure
examples, due to the common eastern practice of hiding the
best dogs when the foreigners are around and selling them
specimens of no real value to the natives.
These dogs with questionable
backgrounds are often presented in the West as
"aboriginal" and are regularly introduced into the
existing Show bloodlines, while in effect creating even more
diversity within the Central Asian Ovtcharka breed.
Some of the common traits of
all Central Asian Shepherd Dog types are their overall
appearance and the working qualities they posess. In their
native territories, Central Asian Volkodavs are primarily used
in fighting tournaments and for guarding livestock. Only the
dogs that are proven fighting champions are used for breeding,
but this ancient practice isn't as shallow or "morally
despicable" as some might think. In fact, working dogs
are tested this way to ensure that only those specimens
posessing the necessary drive, tenacity and strength needed to
confront and kill a wolf pass their genes on to the next
generation. Unfortunately, some overly zealous
"sport" enthusiasts have been known to periodically
cross European fighting breeds into their Central Asian
Ovcharkas, giving birth to an even wider variety within this
magnificient breed. Depending on the bloodlines and regional
preferences, appearance will differ only slightly, but the
temperament and aggression levels can be significantly varied.
The so-called "Aboriginal" dogs are quite different
than the Show type, just as the Russian military lines are
much more aggressive than those Central Asian Ovtcharkas that
are bred to be family companions.
Although there are a few
different head-types and body-sizes to be found, they are all
closely related, their differences being a result of selective
breeding over the centuries, done for specific working duties
in their respective regions. And that is exactly what Central
Asian Shepherd Dogs are - they're working dogs. Whether their
job is livestock herding, flock guarding, hunting,
animal-baiting, fighting or protecting property, the dogs
under this name are the main progenitors of all working
breeds, either directly, as is the case with the Alaunt, or
through their Greek and Roman descendants, which were
introduced to the West by traders and used to create many
modern European dogs.
Massive, powerful and
dog-aggressive, this breed is best suited for experienced
individuals willing to work on the dog's broad socialization
skills from an early age. The Central Asians make excellent
watchdogs, as well as companions for people living on farms,
but this breed is definetely not a good choice for an
apartment pet. Not as protective and unfriendly towards
strangers as the Caucasian Ovtcharka, the Central Asian
Shepherd Dog is a more relaxed and easy-going breed. Like its
Caucasian cousin, this is a thinking dog, a very calculated
and intuitive worker that rarely acts without carefully
examining the situation first. Usually with docked tails and
cropped ears, the Central Asian Shepherd Dogs come in a
variety of coat types, ranging anywhere from being as short as
1 inch to those that are over 6 inches in length. Coming in
all colours, most dogs are either white-based with darker
markings or lightly coloured with white markings of varying
sizes.
Black-n-tan, tricolour, brindle and even uniform black dogs
can be found in certain regions, but aren't as valued by the
breed's purists. Many Central Asian Ovtcharkas have been
crossed with Caucasians, affecting both the appearance and the
personality of the breed. Unlike the Caucasian Dog, the pure
Central Asians don't have high set ears and aren't as heavily
built. The body is well-boned and muscular, with strong legs
and powerful neck. The head is wide, with a moderately broad
muzzle and strong jaws.
The skin pigment is dark and
the nose, lips and eyerims must be black, although poorly
pigmented examples are becoming more common. This is an
easy-moving breed, valued for its agility and speed, but when
relaxed and not working, most Central Asian Volkodavs aren't
very active. Because there isn't a single standard that fits
all of the breed types listed under the Central Asian Shepherd
Dog name, the height and weight vary considerably. Although
dogs that are 25 inches in height exist, most are taller, some
variants reaching up to 30 and even 35 inches at the withers.
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