skunkstripe
07-07-2007, 06:43 PM
aka the "Caucasian Mountain Dog" ever hear of them?
I ran across this on the internet and was startled-this is one huge working dog! They can weigh up to 160 lbs! And they look like bears! I find it interesting because there was one site that said that these may be the first domesticated dogs.
Encompassing the territories of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Daghestan, Ossetia, Turkey, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Iran, the Caucasus mountains are also home to one of the oldest living Molossers, the magnificent Caucasian Mountain Dog. In reality the term "Caucasian Dog" should stand for a group of breeds and not for a single breed or a favoured variant. There is a great variety of types among the Caucasian dogs depending on their home region, but due to the ignorance of many Westerners and strong national appetite of Russian and pro-Russian dog fanciers worldwide, a single type bearing a misleading name is being favored in the show rings and literature, at the expense of truth and other breed variants. The exotic-sounding misnomer Ovcharka is very popular in the West, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Kennel Club, even though it simply translates to "Sheepdog, Shepherd or Shepherd Dog", making it very unpopular and often insulting among the non-Russian nationals of Caucasian and dog enthusiasts. Considered a Russian breed, the Caucasian Ovcharka is a part of the Troika, a threesome of recognized Russian sheepdogs, the other two being the bearded South-Russian Sheepdog and the controversial Central Asian Shepherd Dog.
In order to understand the issues concerning the Caucasian Mountain Dog, a short historic overview is in order. Although its first official Western Show-Ring appearance was in the 1930s in Germany, the Caucasian Mountain Dog has existed since ancient times and, like many Eastern Molossers, was introduced to the bloodlines of many of today's World breeds throughout history. The Armenian Plateau was one of the earliest cradles of civilization and the first appearance of dogs of this type is closely linked to that area. The Armenian Gamprs are seen as a variant of the Caucasian Mountain Dog, and while that may be the case, it is also important to note that the Gampr comes in two distinct varieties, both of which are believed to be much older than the modern Caucasian and Central-Asian Sheepdogs. Some believe that the Caucasian Mountain Dog was a result of crossing the mountain Gampyrs with the spitz-type dogs in ancient times, but this theory, although not without merit, is understandably not very popular.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Shepherd_Dog
Great pictures on this site!
http://www.kofoto.org/photopost/index.php
I ran across this on the internet and was startled-this is one huge working dog! They can weigh up to 160 lbs! And they look like bears! I find it interesting because there was one site that said that these may be the first domesticated dogs.
Encompassing the territories of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Daghestan, Ossetia, Turkey, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Iran, the Caucasus mountains are also home to one of the oldest living Molossers, the magnificent Caucasian Mountain Dog. In reality the term "Caucasian Dog" should stand for a group of breeds and not for a single breed or a favoured variant. There is a great variety of types among the Caucasian dogs depending on their home region, but due to the ignorance of many Westerners and strong national appetite of Russian and pro-Russian dog fanciers worldwide, a single type bearing a misleading name is being favored in the show rings and literature, at the expense of truth and other breed variants. The exotic-sounding misnomer Ovcharka is very popular in the West, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Kennel Club, even though it simply translates to "Sheepdog, Shepherd or Shepherd Dog", making it very unpopular and often insulting among the non-Russian nationals of Caucasian and dog enthusiasts. Considered a Russian breed, the Caucasian Ovcharka is a part of the Troika, a threesome of recognized Russian sheepdogs, the other two being the bearded South-Russian Sheepdog and the controversial Central Asian Shepherd Dog.
In order to understand the issues concerning the Caucasian Mountain Dog, a short historic overview is in order. Although its first official Western Show-Ring appearance was in the 1930s in Germany, the Caucasian Mountain Dog has existed since ancient times and, like many Eastern Molossers, was introduced to the bloodlines of many of today's World breeds throughout history. The Armenian Plateau was one of the earliest cradles of civilization and the first appearance of dogs of this type is closely linked to that area. The Armenian Gamprs are seen as a variant of the Caucasian Mountain Dog, and while that may be the case, it is also important to note that the Gampr comes in two distinct varieties, both of which are believed to be much older than the modern Caucasian and Central-Asian Sheepdogs. Some believe that the Caucasian Mountain Dog was a result of crossing the mountain Gampyrs with the spitz-type dogs in ancient times, but this theory, although not without merit, is understandably not very popular.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Shepherd_Dog
Great pictures on this site!
http://www.kofoto.org/photopost/index.php