History of Guardian & Working Breeds

01/01/2025

B Thomas-Sportsman’s Companion 1816

01/01/2025

Dr Alfred Edmund Breham, traveled the world with his sketchers, drawing as many animals as possible. Its important to remember the year and look for full health and functional ability changes. One thing we wont see today from my studying, including biology. Is the internal issues. One example, due to the frame of the dog, is the stomach does not have enough room or too much.
1895 - Animals of the world.
THE GREYHOUND. Coming originally from the region of Arabia and Egypt, the beautiful Greyhound is admired wherever beauty, grace and fidelity are appreciated. The slender body, long legs and intelligent head with drooping ears, the long thin tail, the short smooth fur. and the graceful bearing of this noble friend of Man are fully brought out in this illustration. {Canis familiaris grajus.)

01/01/2025

The Yakutian Laika is a newly developed dog breed with an ancient history. This working breed originated in the Yakutia region of the Russian Siberia and, in ancient times, the dogs were employed by the native Yakute people as universal animals. Yakutian Laikas are multipurpose laikas, with many lineages able to herd reindeer, hunt game and/or pull a sled. They are registered with the Russian Kennel Club, the FCI and the AKC's Foundation Stock Service in 2017.
Yakutian Laikas are a breed with ancient origins developed by native Yakuts for hunting mammals and birds, herding livestock and hauling game back to camp. The dogs were indispensable assistants and companions. In the Sakha language, this breed is known as "Sakha yta" meaning "Yakut dog". Evidence of this breed can be found in archaeological remains dating 12,500 years ago. Remnants of dog sleds and harnesses has been found with dog remains in the Sakha republic radiocarbon dated to 7800–8000 years ago.
The earliest known written mention of the Yakutian Laika is the Kungur Chronicle and the Remezov Chronicle, created at the end of the 16th century and 1703 respectively. In these historical records, people are described living along Siberian rivers, whose primary means of transport was either reindeer or dogs. In these documents, the rivers Olenyok, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma were called “dog rivers”, as they were rich in fish for the dogs to eat. Rivers where there is no fish or it is not enough to feed the dogs, reindeer are used for transportation, and such rivers were called deer rivers.
With the increased demand for white polar foxes in the 17th century, Arctic exploration received its spike. Furs and mammoth trade became local nations’ main income. Because of the difficulty accessing Yakutia and extreme natural conditions, Yakutian Laikas continued to live as primitive aboriginal breeds, they were rarely confined and mated freely. Naturally, local type dogs could be preserved only under conditions of complete isolation from dogs of other breeds.
First scientific descriptions of dogs of Yakutia were published in late 18th century, when geographic studies of the north were conducted by Prince Shirinsky-Shikhmatov. He wrote in his monograph about Laikas: “Researchers of the north, of course, could not overlook northern dog; they could not disagree with hard fact that presence of this dog makes life of northern people possible. In 1896, Vlatslav Seroshevsky published the book “Yakuts.” Seroshevsky divides them into two groups, 1) guarding and hunting dogs and 2) maritime sled dogs. He wrote: “even most poor Yakut having no other animals, has at least one dog”.
Russian ethnographer Vladimir Jochelson in his 1898 publication “Hunting Industry in Kolyma Territory of Yakutian Province” described the Laika used for sledding and hunting dogs, saying, There are two breeds of dogs, one is so-called Tungus Laika, a pointed-eared dog of nomadic reindeer herders and polar sled dog. Sled dog is a burden animal not only of nomads living in not forested country, but also of settled near the river Russians and russified minorities and the dog of majority of cattle keeping Yakuts. Except southwestern part of the territory, one can find 5–6 dogs in every yurta, which are used for hauling firewood and other works needed by the household. The polar dog is not big, 50–60 cm at the shoulder… In the appearance, with his prick ears, oblique set eyes, thick coat and broad massive head, pointed muzzle, low carried tail (when the dog is tired, eats or in a bad mood), the dog is very similar to wolf. Among them, there are shaggy dogs, and somewhat blunt muzzle not different from our Spitzes … Generally, type of Kolyma sled dog is diverse and, perhaps, it is a mix between Kamchatka and Eskimo sled dogs with another imported breed.
From the 1940s to the 1990s, Yakutian Laika numbers were in decline. Breed population reached an all-time low of 3000 in 1998 before revival efforts took off., Reasons for their decline include:
• Introduction of mechanization in the Arctic
• Reduced capacity to keep dogs, especially with reduced fish catches and collectivization of farming and reindeer herding.
• Decline of fur hunting.
• Introduction of disease.

01/01/2025

1895 - Animals of the world. THE GERMAN MASTIFF. A famous breed of Dog, popular in Germany, of strong and vigorous build and great sagacity, a kind friend, but powerful antagonist. Perhaps no animal of modern times is more widely known or has been more written about than Prince Bismarcks – Dog of Empire. A fine specimen of this breed (Canis familiars molossus Germanicus)

01/01/2025

BS'65, WS, INT/AM CH Erno von Wellesweiler
SCHH I, GEKORT,
Sire Born: 26. August 1962

31/12/2024

31/12/2024

Belgian Shepherd Dog.

31/12/2024

Belgian Malinois - Named in the article? Year unknown

31/12/2024

Tailteann Games 1924 - Irish Wolfhounds

31/12/2024

Alaskan sled dogs are a mixed breed dog selected strictly for their racing performance. From my research, there seems to be crosses out there claiming to be an Alaskan Husky sled Dogs?

A) Top row: Sprint racing teams of “traditional” Alaskan sled dogs (no purebred crossings in the last 5 generations) and Pointer crossed Alaskan sled dogs. Spandex dog coats (in blue) are commonly used on shorter-haired Pointer × Alaskan sled dogs when temperatures are ≤10’F.
B) Middle row: Sprint sled dogs of 25% or greater Pointer ancestry according to their written pedigree records.
C) Bottom row: “Traditional” Alaskan sled dogs from distance racing teams. All photos were taken between 2006-2009 of dogs competitively racing in high performance kennels.
Aimi & Team Goldrush

31/12/2024

Thank you to my new friend Ami and Team Gold Rush.
The labels used to describe these purpose bred crosses are to help identify the types of breeds, percentages, or physical traits they express. They will never be developed into a purebred registry because they would lose their athletic vigour, and breeding choices would need to be selected largely on phenotype (looks) rather than performance. In Australia, it’s easier to differentiate the breed types because we don’t see or have many. Hopefully this breakdown makes it simpler to understand what people mean when they say they own a certain type of sled dog.
In order-
EUROHOUNDS
Scandanavian Hounds, European Sled Dogs (ESD), Evropsky Sanovy Pes (ESP), Eurohusky, Alaskan Hounds
This breed mix describes the crossing of Alaskan Husky with Hounds and or Pointing breed types. They are arguably the most versatile and popular cross, successful with limited sprint, sprint, and mid distance races. They have no set appearance and can vary greatly in looks depending on the percentage of breeds making them up. The first Australian Eurohound litter was bred by Speedback Kennels in 2008, and again with imported Eurohound semen in 2011.
GREYSTERS
Greyhound + Korthårig vorsteh (Norwegian for German Shorthaired Pointer)By crossing a Greyhound with a German Shorthaired Pointer (or English Pointer), a high drive limited sprint sleddog is born. This style of dog has been used for around 40 years, originating with the likes of Lena Boysen Hillestad and others from Europe. There are no pure Greysters in Australia at this stage, only in the form of stored semen. They excel best at dryland and snow in sprint distances up to about 10km.
With the advent of sled dog sport at the beginning of the 20th century, Alaska began to cross the native dogs (“Indian dogs”, rather wolf-like) with polar dogs like the Siberian Huskies in order to get the optimal sled dog for the races. In the course of time hunting dogs and greyhounds were added to the breeding. They are now a distinct landrace breed with a unique genome sequence identifiable with Embark genetic testing. The first Australian Alaskan Huskies were bred in the 1990’s, but today there are little to no kennels remaining who breed for this type of dog here.
EUROPEAN SLED DOGS
(ESD), also known in Czech as Evropský Saňový Pes (ESP)This terminology originates from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia region. They are the same breeds as Eurohounds but the Alaskan Husky (AH) % is usually very small. The term ESD, ESP, and Greyster are often used on the same type of dog, as they begin to label these mixes on phenotype looks and behaviour – even if there is still a small percentage of AH on paper. Every dog is used mainly for mono sled dog sports or small teams.

31/12/2024

The Patagonian Greyhound hails from Argentina and is also known as the Galgo Patagonico. Used to hunt large game, the breed was created by combining a variety of large sighthounds and working breeds – namely the Scottish Deerhound, Greyhound, Irish Wolfhound, Borzoi, Great Dane and Dogo Argentino. The project has been going on for about 200 years, meaning this is not a brand new dog breed. Dogs needed to be able to handle the harsh conditions of the area and demonstrate a keen ability to hunt, and all decisions have been made by hunters by selecting the best of the best crosses. Patagonians provide their owners safety from wild animals as well as a steady supply of food, making them extremely valued in the region of Patagonia! Although this is a very rare breed in the United States, as well as most of the world, he is recognized by the Argentinian Kennel Club.

The Patagonian is known for his fearless nature, and indeed, he is said to be just as brave as his cousin the Dogo. This is a breed that has been bred solely for working purposes and he takes his hunting and guarding jobs extremely seriously. Charles Darwin himself was said to have come across this breed in his travels and noted how valued they were by the tribespeople in “The Origin of the Species”! While this sighthound is still extremely rare, it will be interesting to see the breed hopefully grow and develop. As of this moment there is very little known about them in most of the world, save for the region of Patanonia in Argentina.
Academichound

31/12/2024

I’ve had a few enquires about this sport. The link is in the comments as there is a fair bit to it.
Dog Dock jumping, also known as dock diving, is a dog sport in which dogs compete in jumping for distance or height from a dock into a body of water.

30/12/2024

The origins of the Sila shepherd dog are attributable to the origin of the animals arrived in ancient times with the migrations of nomadic shepherds from Asia to southern Italy. Sources suggest the close resemblance to the Greek Shepherd Dog.
It is one of the most ancient Italian breeds, it is born from the cross between the shepherd dogs that followed the goat herds of the Greek populations, which in the past centuries fell from Puglia on the Silan Plateau, and the dogs present in the Calabrian Mountain territory brought by the populations of Indo-European hunters dating back to the time of the last glaciation. This dog has preserved its morpho-functional characteristics intact until today.
These nomadic shepherds brought with them the podolic bovine and goats capre from which the three Calabrian native breeds descended, the "rustica di Calabria", the "nicastrese" and "the aspromontana". Always used as a defender of the herds from the Wolf.
Used for centuries for the defence of the flocks, towards the middle of the twentieth century the progressive abandonment of the old methods of pastoralism has almost led to extinction this breed, which has survived the wild in the most inaccessible areas. At the beginning of the eighties of the last century a first intervention of detection and recovery of the breed was undertaken, followed by a second intervention at the beginning of the 21st century, which led in 2012 to the creation of an association of the ONLUS type called Club Italiano Pastore della Sila that has as its purpose the recovery, preservation and dissemination of the breed as well as it is working to obtain its official recognition by the Italian national dog.

30/12/2024

The Lagotto Romagnolo is an Italian breed of dog. It originates in the marshlands of the Delta del Po in the eastern part of the Romagna sub-region of Italy. The name derives probably from the term “lagotto” which is the name of the inhabitants of the local town of Lagosanto. Another theory believes it comes instead from Romagnol can lagòt, meaning water dog. Its traditional function was as a gun dog, specifically a water retriever; since the drainage of large areas of wetland habitat in its area of origin, it is now more often used to hunt for truffles.
The Lagotto originated in the lowlands of Comacchio and marshlands of Ravenna in the Delta del Po, in the eastern part of the Romagna sub-region of Italy. The name derives from Romagnol, meaning water dog. Its traditional function was as a gun dog, specifically a water retriever since the drainage of large areas of wetland habitat in its area of origin, it is now more often used to hunt for truffles. It has been known since the sixteenth century, but did not become widespread until the nineteenth.

30/12/2024

The Karakachan dog is a breed that originated from Bulgaria. Other names are “Bulgarian Shepherd. It is related to the livestock guardian dogs of the surrounding countries. Romania to the north, North Macedonia and Serbia to the west, and Greece, and Turkey to the south. The dog is named after the Karakachans, Greek nomadic shepherds. Due to their conservative stock-breeding traditions, they have preserved some of the oldest breeds of domestic animals in Europe, the Karakachan sheep, Karakachan horse and the Karakachan dog.

Also later used in Bulgaria as a border army watchdog. The breed was almost extinguished, and was only preserved through the fierce protection and dedication of the Bulgarian shepherds in the mountain regions. Nowadays it is used primarily as a livestock guardian dog and property guard dog. Officially recognised as a Bulgarian native breed in 2005. They are part of the origin of the Bulgarian Shepherd.

The Karakachan dog is a typical livestock guardian dog, created for guarding its owner's flock and property; it does not hesitate to fight for the flock, its owner and his family in case of danger. Its ancestors started forming as early as the third millennium BC. The Karakachan dog is a descendant of the dogs of the Thracians, renowned as stock-breeders. The dog is named after the Karakachans. Due to their conservative stock-breeding traditions, they managed to preserve some of the oldest breeds of domestic animals in Europe – the Karakachan sheep, the Karakachan horse, and, of course, the Karakachan dog. It is with this name that the Karakachan dog appears in the works of some of the classics of Bulgarian literature, namely Yordan Yovkov, Georgi Raitchev and Yordan Radichkov. In 1938 H. B. Peters wrote about it in the German cynological magazine, Zeitschrift für Hundeforschung. The first researcher of the breed was Todor Gajtandjiev, who proposed the standardization of the breed in the 1970s.

30/12/2024

Detection Dogs: Learning to Pass the Sniff Test

With drug laws changing, there's a push to retrain and evaluate detection dogs. So how does a dog learn not to detect ma*****na?

29/12/2024

I must admit, I’ve never seen this before…