The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is an
ancient breed of dog from the regions of Central Asia. Traditionally, the breed
was used for guarding sheep and goat herds, as well as to protect and for guard
duty.
It
is a large breed of dog recognized by FCI, as a Molossoid type dog breed of
Soviet-era origin under Russian patronage. Numerous breed representatives
reside in Russia, and local kennel club officials refer to Central Asians as
one of the most popular dog breeds in the country, rating them as the #1 breed
in the country around 2000.
General appearance
This
breed presents a robust dog of greater than average size with great strength
and power. They are independent, curious and alert, yet imperturbable. The dog
is as long as it is tall at the withers, or slightly longer than its height.
The hair is short or moderately long with a heavy undercoat. Its ears are, in
practice, cropped very short, and the tail is docked moderately long (except
for dogs from countries where cosmetic surgeries for dogs are illegal). Most
common colors are black/white; fawn of different shades, from almost white to
deep red; brindle. Some have a black mask.
The
head is very solid, without pronounced stop or sculls. The neck is low set,
short, with dewlap. The body is fairly broad, proportionate, muscles rather
flat. The ribcage appears very long because of developed false ribs. The legs
are straight, with heavy boning and moderate yet defined angulation. Leg bones
must be in proportion, and shall never give the impression that any bone is
short. The rump is broad. The typical gait is a gallop; however CAO can trot
for hours without wearing themselves out.
Exercise
The
large Central Asian Shepherd Dog may spend a considerable amount of time moving
around in its native lands, and this kind of slow but steady exercise is what
it likes best. With a job to do and a piece of property to protect, it will
find the highest spot and keep an eye on all that happens.
Grooming
Neither
the longhaired nor shorthaired coat require a lot of grooming, but the thick
undercoat results in heavy seasonal shedding twice a year.
Working requirements and tests
The
Central Asian is a working breed of dog, and different breed fanciers
organizations issue sets or rules and recommendations important to preserve
dogs’ abilities to perform certain duties. This includes special tests to
determine a dog’s inborn qualities, and training degrees or titles aimed to
show what the dog can learn to do.
The
National Breed Club in Russia developed a temperament test to reveal a dog’s
willingness and ability to protect the premises, as well as titles in Obedience
(such as OKD), and in Protection (such as ZKS or KS) for dogs in most pedigrees
from Russia and other countries of that region. There are several other types
of tests and training titles, from simple to extremely complicated.
Breed
Clubs in European countries seldom have requirements, while common dog sports
such as Schutzhund or IPO are not perfectly suitable for a Livestock Guardian
dog. Some European Union Countries developed special tests for large breeds of
dogs aiming to reveal a dog’s overall stability, such as The Mentality
Assessment test in Sweden.
Fight
tests are common in countries where the breed is still in aboriginal stage, or
in the process of formation. Despite adverse reputation of commercial dog
fights, fight tests are aimed to reveal a dog’s willingness and ability to
fight predators. In countries with highly developed open field sheepherding,
major livestock herd losses may be caused by predation from feral dogs and
wolf-dog hybrids, and the livestock guardian dogs must be able to protect the
sheep from those. The fight tests were established to maintain this important
breed trait.
And,
finally, the real life test for the Central Asian is simply to be a farm dog,
or herd protection dog, in any country. Information on Livestock Guardian dogs
behavior and specifics can be found at Livestock Guardian Dog Association.
Classification
The
CAO is a versatile, universal breed, and fits under different descriptions at a
time, what is a reason for different Kennel Clubs to classify Central Asians
under different dog breed groups. RKF, FCI recognized Russian Kennel Club,
classified Central Asians as a working dog breed, reflecting tremendous results
in obedience, protection and military-related training. Modern breeding
requirements by leading Kennel Club in Russia include mandatory temperament
test and training title, besides show rating. UKC fit them together with other
Flock Guardians of similar breeds, matching breed’ natural sheep guarding
abilities, proven by breeders and farmers in USA. FCI classified them as
Molossoid dogs, sometimes described in different languages as Moloss or
Molosser type dogs, likewise, reflecting the match by confirmation and common
ancestry between CAO and related breeds.
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