Central Asian Shepherd Dog

General Information - Central Asian Shepherd Dog

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History

The Central Asian Ovcharka, known in the USA as the Central Asian Shepherd, and formally known as Middle Asian Ovtcharka, was developed along the vast areas from Siberia to the Central Asian Republics of the Former USSR. They are a mastiff-type dog that developed through the process of natural selection. This breed is over 4,000 years old and was originally used as a powerful and agile flock guardian following its nomadic tribesmen masters. It showed its usefulness when man needed a dog with natural instincts to protect against such predators as bear, tiger, hyena, wolf, and the 2-legged kind of marauders. They make excellent guardians of home, family, flock and estates.

Temperament

The Central Asian Sheepdog is an independent and fearless dog and will show a natural distrust of strangers and be dog dominant. Nocturnal barking and landscape digging are not unusual. This breed is not suited for doggie parks, or for first-time dog owners, since it is very dominant and not highly trainable. It is good with children and other pets only if well socialised at a young age.

Upkeep

The Central Asian Sheepdog needs daily mental and physical exertion. It likes to run, but its exercise needs can also be met with a good jog or a long walk on leash. It can live in all climates. The Central Asian Sheepdog requires a large yard, the larger the better, with a fence. They have a job to do (guarding). Small living conditions can lead to boredom and thus digging and chewing will be a problem. Even with lots of exercise these dogs like to be outdoors watching over their territory. They must have a securely fenced yard or they will expand their territory as far as they can. Its coat needs only occasional brushing to remove dead hair.

Central Asian Shepherd Dog

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions and exaggerations, as well as being mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

Breed Standard - Central Asian Shepherd Dog

Please Note: Words placed in normal brackets (.......) are as in the standard. Words placed in square brackets [......] are explanations or   alternative translations

Brief Historical Summary: The shepherd dogs of Central Asia are dogs of above average height and of great size; of a coarse conformation; strong; bold; distrustful of strangers [must be amenable to handling]; not demanding; who adapt easily to different climatic conditions. All these qualities allow the shepherd dog of Central Asia to be used widely in the different regions of the country. The main regions where the Central Asian Shepherd dogs have penetrated are the republics of Central Asia and the regions surrounding them.

General Appearance: Of a coarse conformation, with massive bone structure and powerful muscles. One often finds dogs of this breed with a tendency to looseness [soft; flabby]. The thick skin, with well developed and sufficiently elastic sub-cutaneous tissue, often forms folds in the region of the neck.

Characteristics: [Not specified: See General Appearance and Temperament]

Temperament: Type of very great activity [industrious; willingness to work], calm and balanced. The predominant reaction is of active defence.

Head and Skull: Massive, broad skull with well developed zygomatic arches. Flat forehead, slight stop. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the length of the skull; wide between the eyes, hardly narrowing at all towards the nose. Seen from the front and from above, the muzzle appears rectangular, whereas in profile it has a truncated [blunt] shape with a heavy [thick] upper lip which hangs at the corners. The nose is strong and black. In light coloured dogs a brown [liver] nose is allowed.

Eyes: Dark, wide apart, round, set straight.

Ears: Small, pendant, set low, triangular’

Mouth: Teeth white, strong, fitting tightly. The incisors are set with their base in a straight line. Scissor bite.

Neck: Short, muscular, carried low, forming an angle of about 30 to 40 degrees with the line of the back.

Forequarters: Seen from the front, straight and parallel. The length of the leg, from the ground up to the elbows is slightly greater than half the height at the withers. The angle formed by the scapula and humerus [shoulder blade and upper arm] is about 100 degrees. The forearm is straight, massive and long. Pasterns short, broad, strong and upright.

Body: Withers: High, well defined especially in the males. The height at the withers is 1 or 2 cm (0.5 or 0.75 in)higher than the height of the croup.

Chest: Wide, deep, with rounded ribs. The lower line of the chest is level with or lower than the elbows.


Feet (Front and Hind): Strong, oval, compact.

Tail: Set high; sickle:shaped; hanging down, reaches to the hock joint. Customarily docked short.

Gait/movement: The heavy, short striding trot and the gallop are the most characteristic gaits of this breed of dog. At the trot, the legs must move in a straight line, with a certain coming together of the forelegs towards a median [centre; tend to single track] line.

Coat: Coarse hair, straight with well developed undercoat. The hair is short and flat against the skin on the head and on the front of the legs. The dogs are described according to the length of their coat:

• Long:haired (7: 8 cm) (2.75: 3 in)on the back and body, particularly on the ears, the neck, the back of the fore and hind legs, and on the tail..
• Short:haired (3: 5 cm) (1.25: 2 in) and smooth.

Colour: White, black, grey, straw coloured, russet (reddish brown), grey/brown, brindle, parti-coloured and flecked.

Size: Height at the withers: Males not less than 65 cm (25.5 in). Females not less than 60 cm (23.5 in)

Faults:

• General Appearance: Obesity.
• Slight deviation from the indicated size.
• Temperament: Lack of courage, nervous.
• Head & Skull: Small head, very prominent zygomatic arches; domed forehead; pronounced stop; prominent eyebrows; short or long muzzle; wrinkled skin on head.
• Ears: High set ears.
• Eyes: Light eyes or set obliquely; lids drooping; white fleck on the eye.
• Mouth: Teeth worn disproportionately to the age of the dog; broken teeth which do not spoil [deform] the bite.
• Missing more than two P1s or one P1 and one P2.
• Slight yellowing of the teeth.
• Neck: Long neck with insufficient muscle. Pronounced dewlap.
• Forequarters: Slight variation of the shoulder angulation.
• Slightly soft pasterns.
• Body: Chest: Flattened, somewhat slight [weedy].
• Abdomen too tucked up (as in a greyhound), or drooping (voluminous).
• Withers: Low, not sufficiently prominent from the backline.
• Back: Soft or arched [roached].
• Loin: Stretched [slightly long], straight or too rounded.
• Croup: slightly sloping.
• Hindquarters: Slight deviation from hip to foot being in a straight line and parallel to each other. Hock joints slightly close. Hind angulation slightly straight.
• Feet: Splayed, long, flat. Toeing slightly in or out.
• Movement: Slight deviation in relation to normal gaits.

• General Appearance: Weak constitution. rickety; muscular weakness. Great deviation from the indicated size. Feminine males. Monorchids; cryptorchids.
• Temperament: Too liable to anger [irritability]; cowardice.
• Head & Skull: Narrow head; weak, snipy [pointed] or turned:up nose.
• Mouth: Small teeth; sparse teeth. Irregularly placed incisors.
• All deviations from the normal scissor bite.
• Missing one incisor or one canine.
• Missing a third or fourth premolar or one molar.
• Teeth with badly damaged enamel.
• Forequarters: Straight shoulders or too closed [forming too small an angle with the upper arm]. Deformed leg bones. Soft pasterns.
• Body: Chest Flat, narrow, small, insufficiently developed. Back Sway back or humped.
• Loin Long, narrow or hollow.
• Croup Narrow, short, steep, very high.
• Hindquarters Definite deviation from hip to foot being in a straight line and parallel to each other. Bowed legs. Hind angulation excessively straight.
• Feet: Badly splayed, very flat. Toeing in or out badly.
• Movement Restricted movement; hobbled.
• Coat Very short coat without undercoat, soft, wavy or curly.

• All deviations from the correct scissor bite.
• Absence of one incisor or one canine,
• a third premolar or a fourth premolar or of one molar.
• Monorchids; cryptorchids. Atrophied testicles.

Note: Males should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
FCI No 355
Copyright Dogs New Zealand
19 Dec 2013

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.