Aboriginal Caucasian Shepherd Dogs
The aboriginal dogs of the Caucasus mountains reign from many territories: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Northern Caucasus area, Adygea, Karachay–Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia–Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya, and Republic of Dagestan. Although this is an ancient landrace dog – meaning this breed was formed over thousands of years and shaped by natural selection – subtypes do exist even without selective breeding due to changes made by climate and social conditions of the native people. The dogs in the mountains have a body type and coat adapted to the climate - longer coats, broader skulls, and a heavier build. While in the steppe (plains) regions dogs are often longer legged and shorter coated. Something all of these dogs have in common is the job which they provide for the people; watching over and guarding livestock from threats or use as a general purpose watchdog. Without the Caucasian shepherd dog, there would be a huge financial loss to the people. Economic success for shepherds in these regions rests upon the ability of their dogs.
Although the respective countries of these dogs generally classify them as different breeds, most all register as Caucasian shepherd dog or Caucasian Ovcharka (a Russian term for shepherd dog) in big name registries such as AKC, UKC, FCI etc. and aren’t recognized as separate breeds by major kennel clubs. This would be comparable to German shepherd dog having many different subtypes but all are registered under the same breed. This article in no way is meant to offend anyone due to bad blood between countries, it is merely to illustrate phenotypes of the different region’s aboriginal shepherd dogs.
As a visual comparison, this is the steppe type (long legged, lighter build, shorter coat)
And this is the mountain type (stockier build, thicker coat)
Variations of both types can be found in all countries in the Caucasus Mountain region.
Georgia
Georgia refers to their dogs as “Georgian mountain dogs” or “Nagazi” with some subtypes existing within the country. These might be the most recognizable as Caucasian shepherd dogs as most of us know them. Russia cultivated mostly Georgian mountain dogs for use in the creation of the modern type Caucasian Ovcharka (what we see as the typical show type now), although dogs from other areas of the Caucasus were used. However, due to so many dogs being taken from Georgia, they began to decline in numbers their home country but recent efforts have been made to popularize them again. The Georgian dogs tend to be higher in aggression compared to the southern Caucasus types. The build is generally bigger boned even in the steppe types.
Tusheti type
The white coloration is desired in Georgia, so many of the Georgian mountain dogs you’ll see have this color.
This is the Tusheti district type
And this is the Kazbegi district type
Kazbegi type
Volkodav is a name used in some areas. “Volko” meaning wolf and “dav” meaning strangle. Volkodav name refers to this dog as a protection against wolves and a wolf killer.
“Murtaza II” born in 1946, from Murtaza I and Ashkhany, belongs to the collective farm Podbe, Georgian SSR.
Tusheti type
“Хода“ Kazbegi type
Kazbegi type
ЧИТА, Chita, 9 years
These are the Garbanskogo subtype in Kazbegi district Georgia
Gorgeti subtype, Kazbegi district 1960s
Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani shepherd dog, also known as Qurdbasar, is very closely related to the ancient Armenian Gamprs and generally seen as a variant of the Caucasian Shepherd Dog. It comes in two distinct types. The lighter-built and short haired steppe kanjal dogs are very similar in appearance to certain Central Asian bloodlines, whereas the heavy mountain type is not unlike most typical Caucasus dogs (heavy boned, bigger bodied, often with long coats) although crosses between these types are fairly common as well, creating a third variant. The Azeribaijani shepherd dog shares some ancestry with the Turkish Kangal, the Kars dog, Kurdish Kangals and old mastiffs of Persia.
“Motug II”
The Kanjal variety is one of the progenitors of the modern Kangal breed, but some Turkish fanciers believe that the Azeri dogs are the descendants of the Kangal and not its ancestors.
Some claim that the region has a strong connection to the Balkans due to the tribal migrations and Alexander the Great’s rule in the past. Some Azeri dogs look nearly identical to Balkan breeds such as the Sarplaninec. It would be hard to deny some ancestry to Balkan breeds.
Long coated Azeri dogs (mountain type).
Steppe region Azeri dog (plains type)
There is also a rare black-and-tan variety which is thought to be a remnant of the ancient Sylvan stock, although such dogs aren’t as valued by the herdsmen as they are generally too aggressive to work with sheep and are mostly used as property guardians and fighting dogs.
Azeri dogs are often relatively light in build, not massive, and the skull isn’t as wide or domed. Azeri shepherds often don’t want their dogs to be aggressive toward humans so it’s largely bred away from.
Some recently prefer black dogs, brought from some remote places near the Armenian border, but these are different in type, very aggressive and were originally also used for hunting wild boar.
Armenia
The dogs of Armenia can be distinctly different in temperament from the Georgian dogs. Where the Georgian dogs may be very sharp or aggressive toward strangers, Armenian gamprs are bred away from aggression toward humans. Due to the difference in culture, it is necessary Armenian dogs be more tolerant of humans and focused only on animal predators. This type also tends to bond very closely with their family due to the difference inshepherding culture as well, where the humans are with the sheep around the clock, therefor the people are with the shepherd dogs. Unlike in the norther Caucasus regions where the dogs may be alone with the sheep for days at a time. The Armenian dogs desire to be with people as much as they desire to be with their flock. This not a good dog to leave in a pasture alone with little interaction from the family.
Photo from the 1940s. A train station in Armenia where the dogs were collected, waiting to be taken to Red Star Kennel to be part of the breeding program for the modern type Caucasian Ovcharka.
It should be noted, although the modern Caucasian shepherd has Armenian ancestry, Armenian gampr dogs are considered a breed apart from the Caucasian shepherd. The Armenian gampr dog is a landrace dog, but it is speculated to be the most ancient of all the Caucasus dogs.
Because New Azerbaijan was under Armenian rule not too long ago, most Azerbaijan shepherd dogs are considered Armenian gamprs genetically, given the dogs go much further back than the politics. From Armenian point of view, Azeri dogs are still Armenian gamprs.
Armenian gampr dogs all tend to be the steppe type - very long legged, with a more narrow skull and light frame. The head is less domed than the northern Caucasus dogs and the stop to the muzzle is less abrupt.
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