The Central Asian Shepherd - A Legendary Breed
A Historic Rare Breed Working Dog
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.[1] 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.
Central Asians most likely originated more than four thousand years ago from natural selection[3] in a geographical area between the Ural, Caspian Sea, Asia Minor, and the Northwest border of China.[4] Aboriginal Central Asians as well as mixes still can be found in its countries of origin, such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and surrounding countries.[5] Some serve as livestock guardians, some protect their owners, and some are used for dog fighting, which is a national tradition in many countries of that region. This breed bears a strong genetic similarity to other aboriginal breeds of Livestock Guardian dogs from that region such as Caucasian Shepherd (Nagazi), Kangal dog, and Akbash.[6]
Russian biologists and scientists have studied the local dog population[7] since the 18th century. After the Communist revolution, the Soviet government focused on working dog breeds for the Red Army, and imported the best breed representatives to Russia as per military dogs' and guard dogs' requirements. Over the decades, this practice harmed the local population. The introduction of new breeds to the region led to crossbreeding. Eventually, purebred dogs only remained with herders, breed enthusiasts and farms, with a surfeit of crosses elsewhere.[8] However, the Central Asian Shepherd Dog population is still stable in general, reproducing some true quality dogs praised for working abilities, regardless of country of origin. Trading bloodlines and purchasing unrelated breeding stock between Russia, other "former USSR republics" (such as Ukraine, Belarus etc. ) and countries where CAO (Central Asian Ovtcharka) still at aboriginal stage is a common practice nowadays.
It is always important to distinguish whether a dog will display aggression only toward strange, unfriendly dogs entering their territory, while establishing and maintaining the usual social relationships with other animals on the premises; or will attack regardless of whether the other dog is a member of the same social group. Promiscuity in aggression toward strangers and friends is highly atypical for the breed.
It is unrealistic to expect a Central Asian Shepherd to love and accept all people who enter your home and property, especially if those people are completely new to your dog or a person whom the dog does not see regularly. It should be expected that Central Asians may need to be moved to a private area of your home or a separate kennel while strangers - such as a person performing a service call - are present in your home. While many guardian breeds today have degraded into a softer version of their former selves, the Central Asian is very true to it's historic character.
Central Asian Shepherd dogs are still in demand as livestock guardians, though not nearly as much as they used to be. These dogs, to differing degrees, are protective against human intruders; they are very territorial, safe with children (with responsible supervision); they love and respect elderly people, protect all small animals from predators, and are very gentle with family members.[11]
Dogs for personal protection or working dogs originated from livestock guardian dogs, selectively bred by Russian breed experts for working abilities. As a result, they excel in obedience, territory protection, and personal protection, and are very intelligent. As such, they make perfect house dogs.[12] They do not need any complicated training to learn basic house rules, and treat the owner with the same great respect with which their ancestors treated the herder. These dogs were introduced to the worldwide sheep breeding community with great success.
Guard dogs must be able to work as a team to protect sheep against predators; thus excessively aggressive CAOs, as with any other dogs, cannot be members of the pack, and will not pass this simple test for compliance with the breed origination purpose.
While Central Asians can form a pack with other dogs, it is not reasonable to expect them to tolerate or accept strange dogs - especially on their home territory. Working with flocks since ancient times has ingrained a strong suspicion of strange dogs, as these dogs could be a threat to their flock; just as a wolf or coyote would be. Central Asian Shepherds are not a dog park friendly breed and should not be taken to such places after they have reached maturity.
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.
Neither the longhaired nor shorthaired coat require a lot of grooming, but the thick undercoat results in heavy seasonal shedding twice a year. The Central Asian Shepherd coat is 'wash and wear' but certainly does shed. If shedding is a top concern in your choice of dog breeds, you may wish to look to a different breed than the Central Asian Shepherd.
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.
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.