Central Asian Shepherd: photo, description of the breed, description, reviews. Feeding of Central Asian Shepherd puppies

The breed of dogs is Central Asian Shepherd Dog - one of the oldest serving people. What you need to know when buying Alabai, how to feed puppies and adults, how to care for dogs, what their character is, you will learn about all this from this article. So, what is the Central Asian Shepherd?

Description

Alabai is an ancient breed that has reached us in its original form. The Central Asian Shepherd has served people for many centuries, but today it is one of the most popular breeds. Alabai is famous for being an excellent companion, an incorruptible and faithful watchman, a loving family member.

How exactly this breed was formed is not easy to say. Grubby dogs, whose images are similar in type to modern Central Asian sheep-dogs, fought in the arena of amphitheatres. Alexander of Macedon himself used these dogs in battles, causing them to seriously damage the enemy. At the same time, massive dogs were known in Tibet, descendants of the black Tibetan wolf, extremely strong, with a large head and short muzzle, moist lips and coarse thick wool. The descendant of these dogs was the Central Asian Shepherd. The photos show that she did not lose the power of her ancestors.

History of the breed

Let's talk about the formation of a modern Central Asian Shepherd as a breed. In the all-Union reviews of official dog breeding, Central Asian sheep-dogs were described back in 1939 by AP Mazover. These same dogs were mentioned as Turkmen shepherds. Obviously, this is due to the fact that the animals were brought from Turkmenistan. Since 1938 all the representatives of the breed have received the official name - Central Asian Shepherds.

But this solution gives rise to some difficulties. First, it is not recognized by local residents. Secondly, when you enter the international arena, this name is not entirely successful, because there is no such thing as the concept of "Central Asia" abroad. And the word "shepherd" does not apply to these dogs. This concept comes from the words "sheep", "sheep" and means dogs that graze sheep. However, these dogs do not belong to the group of shepherds, since their function is guarding the herd. Turkmens themselves call them Alabai.

And in 1927, Professor Bogolyubsky SN, when describing the dogs of Turkmenistan, which was in the territory from the Caspian Sea to the Amu Darya River, called them wolfhounds.

In 1990, the Turkmen SSR standard approved the standard of Turkmen Alabai, a descendant of ancient dog-shaped. In the appearance of the Central Asian sheep dog, there is much similarity with the Tibetan mastiff.

Alabai is not in vain called one of the oldest rocks. During excavation of the Altyn-Depe settlement in South Turkmenia (2300-1900 BC), bones of large dogs with a powerful jaw and a shortened muzzle were found and a terracotta statuette depicting a dog very similar to Alabai. It is interesting that in these ancient times the tails and ears of the dogs were stopped.

NM Ermolova, a paleontologist, a specialist in the fauna of Altyn-Depe and a breeder of the Central Asian Shepherd Dog, believes that Alabai was already protected from predators by herds belonging to local residents.

Appearance

Alabai is a powerful beautiful dog that attracts attention. The growth of the Central Asian Shepherd should range from 65 to 78 cm for a male and from 60 to 69 cm for a female. Representatives of the breed should be not only high, but also powerful. The weight of the Central Asian Shepherd is in the following range: male - from 55 to 79 kg, female - from 40 to 65 kg.

Alabai can be white, black, black-bodied, gray, brown, red, pale, tiger, piebald, mottled, tricolor. But chocolate, blue and liver are unacceptable. The coat is stiff, rough. Undercoat is thick.

Powerful body, neck short. Wide and deep chest. The head is large, massive, but proportional to the total addition. The forehead is flat, slightly rounded. The muzzle is short and dull. The nose of the nose is black. Bright is allowed in white and pale color. Paws large, tail thick and highly planted. Usually the tails stop, but unopposed also are allowed. Ears are small, hanging, low-set. Most often they are stopped.

Intelligence

How smart is the Central Asian Shepherd? The level of intellectual development of these dogs is comparable to the level of a two-three-year-old child. But in their nature there is a feature that can create the wrong impression of mental abilities - the Alabans are slow and think for a long time.

Despite the first impression, Central Asian sheep-dogs are not stupid. Alabai surpasses many of their closest relatives, in particular Caucasian sheep-dogs, intellectually. They are guided, rather, by reason, than instincts. But this same feature can cause some problems with obedience and submission - the dog is inclined not only to an independent decision, it also ponders the owner's team and can refuse to fulfill stupid and empty demands.

Character

What is the Central Asian Shepherd Dog? Characteristics of the breed says that it is distinguished by a calm and balanced character, unfriendly and reluctant to show aggression, preferring to express its displeasure with a menacing look and warning barking.

Is the Central Asian Shepherd Aggressive? Characteristics of the breed suggests that the "Asian" in general can be called a peace-loving dog, normally it does not show aggression just like that, but if the boundaries of the territory are violated, someone pretends to take its place in the hierarchy, family members are threatened. Another cause of aggression can be pain - Alabai is not well tolerated.

The transformation from a phlegmatic calm animal into an enraged bear occurs instantly. "Asians" can be assertive and dangerous opponents. Such a sharp change often takes the enemy by surprise.

Alabai has a strong defensive instinct, is fearless, confident in his abilities.

Does it matter what gender the Central Asian Shepherd is? Characterization of the breed suggests that sexual dimorphism is expressed in Alabai, not only in appearance. Bitches are usually active and sociable, but the males are calm and even phlegmatic.

Socialization

How sociable is the Central Asian Shepherd? The testimonies indicate that the Alabai are friendly to family members and other pets. They get along well with children, but should immediately explain to the child that if he causes the dog pain, then the friendship will quickly end. Still, Alabai is playful enough and can become a good companion and protector for the baby.

As for extraneous people and animals, Alabai are indifferent to them, but exactly as long as they do not contact and do not violate territorial borders. Alabai is instantly alarmed and may show aggression towards a stranger. They can not stand the drunk on the spirit and can show aggression to other people's dogs.

Social tribal instinct in Central Asian sheep dogs is very developed. They quickly form a flock, take their places on the hierarchical ladder and rarely compete for leadership. Education and socialization must begin at an early age.

Care

What are the characteristics of care for the Central Asian Shepherd? In the room where the dog lives, you need to keep clean. The floor needs to be cleaned daily, the sun lounger is vacuumed and washed weekly. You can not let the dog sleep on upholstered furniture and mattresses. As a litter, you need to use a rug, under which you can put a soft litter, but not a thick mattress.

The place where the dog sleeps should be located away from windows and batteries to avoid drafts, hypothermia, overheating. It is best to pick up a quiet area, not near the doors and aisles, where the dog can calmly rest.

It is not recommended to keep the Central Asian Shepherd in an apartment. However, the recommendation can not be considered a direct ban, but in the case of housing content the dog needs to walk twice a day for at least two hours in total. The animal needs to move a lot, and in an apartment with an abundance of furniture and fragile things will not be able to run.

An important role in caring for a dog is taking care of its fur. It is necessary to clean it daily with a special glove or brush with a coarse bristle.

In addition, it is required daily to examine and clean with the help of cotton swabs the mouth, ears and eyes of the animal. Cotton swabs do not use to care for dogs - they can easily cause trauma, which eventually leads to deafness.

But it is often not necessary to wash an animal. The procedure is made as necessary, preferably not more than once a month, with the use of quality hair care products. After washing, the hair must be dried well to avoid hypothermia, especially during the cold season. You can use a hairdryer.

Food. "Naturalka"

What are the feeding requirements of the breed? The Central Asian Shepherd is a massive animal that consumes a lot of energy and needs to be replenished. Alabai is good at digesting products that are not suitable for other breeds, so the feeding of the Central Asian Sheepdog has its own characteristics.

The adult must be fed twice a day, morning and evening.

At high physical exertion, one more meal is added at lunch. Food should be at room temperature. Feed the animal no earlier than 1.5-2 hours before the walk. After eating, the animal should be at rest.

To properly develop the body, the animal must receive proteins that can not be replaced. The daily requirement for proteins in a dog of this breed is about 100 grams. The most enriched with this component are meat, fish, dairy products, as well as porridge - millet and barley.

The daily need of an adult animal in fats is about 25 grams. Without them, metabolism is impossible, normal digestion. The dog's body is not able to properly process vegetable fats, so it needs to give fats of animal origin.

Carbohydrates are an indispensable source of energy, the average daily requirement for them is 350 grams. A good source of them can be potatoes. Along with food, various microelements, potassium and calcium salts enter the body. But sodium is added in the form of table salt. A day is enough 15-20 mg.

For the convenience of the host and ensuring a balanced diet, it is recommended to make a menu for a week. As the main food for alabai are meat products that have a high calorie content. Use meat of both domestic and wild animals, but the product must undergo veterinary inspection, be benign, fresh, without signs of spoilage.

The meat contains a large amount of fats and proteins, necessary for the organism of the sheepdog. For feeding use lean meat - beef, mutton, horsemeat. As a supplement, you can use dried meat, but replace it with fresh unacceptable.

At least once a week Alabai should be given raw meat in small pieces. As a treat, you can sometimes give the dog a corned beef, but this product should be well washed and boiled.

The lack of microelements and mineral salts can lead to all sorts of diseases, brittle bones, nervous system disorders. Therefore, meat and bone meal is also an important component of the diet. It is absorbed worse than meat. You need to give it 100-200 grams 2-3 times a week, adding to porridge or soup.

Most of the plant foods in the diet are porridges, especially millet and oatmeal. Barley porridge porridge porridge is reluctant to eat, so they are mixed with millet and oatmeal. The daily norm of vegetables does not exceed 200-300 grams, you can offer cabbage, carrots, lettuce, beets, potatoes, spinach, young nettles.

As a source of fats use baked beef or cod liver oil. Meat in the diet is partially replaced by fish without bones. "Asians" are good at absorbing milk. You can give 300 grams of bread daily.

Food. Dry food

Despite the fact that most owners prefer to feed their Central Asian sheep-dogs with natural food, there is a possibility of transferring to a special dry food. Such a decision must be considered and weighed, since frequent transitions from "drying" to "naturalka" will negatively affect the health of the animal. The breed of the Central Asian Shepherd was formed long ago and has certain requirements for nutrition.

The brands "Akana", "Orizhen", "Proplan", "Hills", "Bozita", "Ekanuba" have rulers for dogs of a giant size. It is this food that will suit Alabai. Compared with natural food, the amount of dry food sufficient to meet the daily requirement of the animal is very small. Therefore, to translate the dog to "drying" it is necessary at a young age, in 2-3 months, until the stomach is stretched.

When feeding with dry food, it is necessary to provide additional load on the jaws - to give bones, sticks, special treats. The food can be soaked in water. The transition from "drying" to natural food can also be difficult - the stomach will be difficult to cope with large chunks of food, vomiting, upset stomach may appear.

The amount of food depends largely on the activity of the dog. At physical loads, portions need to be increased. An animal should always have access to clean water.

How to choose a puppy

Alabai, like all large dogs, ripen late, the Central Asian Shepherd dog is bred not earlier than 18 months.

Have you decided to purchase a puppy of the Central Asian Shepherd Dog? In advance, weigh all the pros and cons, because the content of such a serious dog will require a lot of material and time costs. The owner of such a dog must be physically strong and possess a strong-willed character. Do not act impulsively, go to the choice wisely. If you like the Central Asian Shepherd, photos of kids can just melt your heart. Do not forget that out of these cute cubs a fierce beast will grow up.

Breeds of the Central Asian Shepherd are mobile and persevering, they are constantly fighting for leadership, are pugnacious and more cruel. Dogs are balanced, calmly take their place in the pack.

Many cynologists say that first you need to choose a breeder, and then the dog. Puppies of the Central Asian Sheepdog from some couples can have owners already at the birth, since litter from a certain pair people can wait for years. One more thing: do not try to save, because the content of Alabai - the pleasure is not cheap, especially at first.

So, a few rules that you need to follow when buying Alabai:

1. No bird markets. If you need a healthy mentally and physically dog, carefully choose a breeder.
2. Before buying, carefully study the photos of the puppies of this breed, you should well imagine how the puppies of the Central Asian Shepherd look at a young age, how long the six, the large muzzle, the general fatness, etc. If the puppies seem too thin to you, they have a muzzle of a different shape and you Still something is alarming, then refuse to buy.
3. Be sure to look at the parents, they must be healthy, balanced, adequate.
4. The ideal age for buying a puppy is 2 months.
5. Choose a curious, not shy baby.
6. If the puppies have long hair, it is most likely a cross between a Caucasian sheepdog.
7. Puppy should be active, healthy in appearance, with straight paws, clean fur, eyes, ears, moist nose.

Feeding

Puppies can not be overfed, even though they seem very large. This not only threatens excess weight and load on the bone, but also leads to stretching of the stomach.

Puppies until the age of three months are fed 5 times a day, up to five months - 4, and 3 times a day until the age of 8 months. If the dog leads a passive way of life, then it is enough for two meals, for dogs with a large physical load - three meals a day.

Feeding is carried out at the same time in strict portions. Continuously eating in a bowl is not left. The diet consists of meat products, cereals, fresh vegetables and greens. Dry food is not recommended for the puppy. The abundance of too liquid dishes can lead to the curvature of the intestines.

New products are introduced gradually, in small portions. If an allergic reaction is detected, the product is excluded. It is recommended to give the puppy 2 times a week a raw chicken egg. It is also useful to give the shell, previously shredded in a coffee grinder.

Several times a week, meat products are replaced by fish without bones. As a treat, 2 times a week, pig ears, cheeks, hoofs, beef bones are offered.