Alabai  

 

 

 

         

 

 

 
   HISTORY OF THE ALABAI BREED  

The Central Asian Sheep-Dog, Turkmen Wolfhound or Alabai is one of the most ancient breeds of dogs.
Military collisions, necessity of protection of settlements gave a push to usage of dogs for guard and fighting. This fact has started dog's selection by physical data from shepherd's dogs. In this way an early "mastiff similar" dogs were intended not only for persecution of animals and support of herds appeared, but also for protection of the person and protection of dwelling. The term "mastiff similar" unites group of breeds that begin the origin from Tibetan Shepherd's and sentry dogs.
For the first time this dog was described by hunt-writer Yuate in 1845 under the name of Tibetan mastiff. The Tibetan mastiff is large, rough and crude dog, with enormous force, heavy and short head, a wide muzzle and crude lips. Far ancestors of the Tibetan mastiff - large wolf similar dogs. The earliest mention of the Tibetan mastiff was at 1121 B.C. when one of them, training for search of people has been presented to the Chinese emperor. From Tibet these dogs have got to Mongolia, Mesopotamia and Central Asia. Having got mixed up with a local livestock the Tibetan mastiffs have lost long wool and became more homogeneous painting but the main features were kept (large growth, rough combining, massive head with a volumetric rather short muzzle). The closest descendant of the Tibetan mastiff is the Mongolian sheep-dog. It is a large dog: growth of dogs - 75cm, females are lower, powerful skeleton, a wide breast. Mongolian Sheep-Dog is malice, active; with an advanced sentry reflexes. Tibetan mastiff and the Kirghiz sheep-dog have very close descriptions. Journal "Dog's breeding" (1929, #7) in Tkachenko's article: "The Kirghiz sheep-dog is large wolf-similar dog of powerful combining. It is possessing perfectly advanced instinct of protection. It is affectionate to the owner; it perfectly grazes herds of rams and protects them from the steppe wolf. As this description shows the Kirghiz Sheep-Dog is the descendant of the ancient Asian mastiff-similar dogs with the blood of the local dogs". Our Central Asian Sheep-Dogs are also descendants of the ancient mastiff similar dogs. The population of those areas of Central Asia where were engaged in cattle breeding concerned to a dogs very well. In hierarchy the dog was right after the domestic cattle that were their basic riches. Professor, academician of the Kazakh Academy of sciences S.N.Bogolyubsky was one of the first scientists studying the Central Asian sheep-dog. In 1927 he has published in the journal "Dog breeding and training" №15 article "Concerning the shepherd's dogs of Turkmenistan ". The Central Asian sheep-dog or Alabai is the breed developed during the most ancient times in conditions of extensive "subsistence economy" at "unconscious natural selection by methods of national selection". The name Central Asian (Turkmen) Sheep-Dog meets in 1935. In a number of exhibition catalogues this dog refers to as the Turkestani sheep-dog, but probably with abolition of the name Turkestan and introduction of the term Central Asia, the Turkestani sheep-dog is renamed in Central Asian. It has taken place by the end of 40th years, A.P.Mazover thought, that most the best livestock, with the purest and homogeneous type is concentrated in Turkmenistan. The best Turkmen dogs are rough and strong type with short or average length, rough and dense wool. Dogs of Tadjikistan are cruder with a friable folded skin. In Uzbekistan also are numerous livestock of the Central Asian Sheep-Dog. Outside the former USSR the Central Asian sheep-dogs (or as it name in Turkmenistan - Alabai) are distributed in Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan, Northern States of India, East Iran. In each of these regions breed has got the special specific features. To show a special role of Turkmen people in cultivation and selections of Alabai, it is necessary to name a dog Turkmen Alabai.
GENERAL APPEARANCE  The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is a dog of great size with massive bone structure and powerful muscles. The body is slightly longer than tall. The head is massive. Ears are normally cropped close to the head but are naturally small, drop, and set low on the head. The tail is high set and thick at the base, and when undocked, hangs down to the hock with a sickle shape. Two coat lengths are accepted, but all are double-coated and thick. Gender differences are well expressed in this breed. Males are more massive and powerful; females are smaller and lighter in build. Dogs should be presented in hard, muscular condition. The Central Asian Shepherd Dog should be evaluated as a working livestock guardian dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work. Honorable scars resulting from field work are not to be penalized.
Fault: Obesity.  

 

CHARACTERISTICS    For centuries, the Central Asian Shepherd Dog worked alone or together with several other dogs, without much intervention from the herdsmen, relying on its own intelligence and instincts to do its job. While these dogs are very devoted to their family members, they expect to be treated with respect. They are inclined to be suspicious of strange people or dogs. Central Asians are steady, even-tempered dogs who adjust well to change in their environment. When threatened, they react quickly and with complete seriousness. Central Asians are slow to mature and require extensive socialization and patient training techniques. This breed is hardy and able to adapt to a wide range of climates.
Serious faults: Irritable, nervous or fearful dogs are to be severely penalized.



HEAD The head is proportionate to the body. Viewed in profile, the stop is slight and the forehead is flat. The planes of the topskull and the bridge of the muzzle are parallel.

SKULL * The skull is broad and massive with well-developed zygomatic arches. Cheeks are well developed but not prominent. The occiput is smoothed out by well-developed muscle tissue.

Serious fault * Narrow skull.

MUZZLE * Viewed in profile, the muzzle is deep and blunt, slightly shorter than the length of skull, and well filled up under the eyes. Viewed from above, the muzzle is wide at its base and tapers very little toward the nose. The upper lip is thick and hangs over the strong, wide lower jaw.

Serious faults * Snippy muzzle; dish face.


TEETH   The jaw provides ample space for a full complement of large, evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. The line of the incisors is straight and perpendicular to the outside lines of the jaw. Broken teeth should not be penalized provided they do not prevent accurate assessment of the bite. A level bite is acceptable but not preferred.

Faults ** Absence of a single premolar; yellow enamel.

Serious faults ** Narrow jaw causing incisors to be crowded; small, widely spaced teeth.

Disqualifications** Missing teeth other than a single premolar; overshot bite or undershot bite; wry mouth.

NOSE ** Nose is large, broad, and black. Some fading of nose pigment is acceptable in white and light fawn colored dogs.

EYES ** Eyes are dark, oval and of small to medium size. They are set straight, deep and wide apart. The eyelids are fully pigmented.

Faults** Eyerims incompletely pigmented; loose, sagging eyelids; protruding, round or close-set eyes.

EARS ** Ears may be cropped or uncropped. Uncropped, the ears are small, pendent, triangular, and set at or below eye level.

Faults** High set ears.


NECK  The neck is powerful and short, and is carried at an angle of 35 to 40 degrees to the line of the back. The length of the neck, from occiput to withers, should be about equal to the length of the head, from occiput to the tip of the nose. The neck tapers little and is almost round in cross-section. The skin of the neck is thick with well-developed and elastic subcutaneous tissue folds around the neck.

Fault ** Pronounced dewlap.

FOREQUARTERS  ** The shoulder blade is long, well muscled, and moderately laid back, forming, with the upper arm, an angle of about 100 degrees. Viewed from the front, the forelegs are straight, and set parallel and well apart. Leg bones are massive and round in cross-section. Legs are set well under the body. The length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) should equal slightly more than one-half of the dog's height (measured at the withers). The pasterns are short, massive, and, when viewed from the side, slightly sloping.


BODY  The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is slightly longer than tall. The ribs are well sprung and let down to, or slightly below, the elbows. The chest is broad and deep. The line of the back declines very slightly downward from broad, muscular, prominent withers to a strong, broad back with a straight upper line. The loin is short, broad, muscular and slightly arched. The croup is broad, long, muscular, and slightly sloped. Tuck-up is moderate. The skin is thick and elastic.

Faults ** Low withers; shallow or narrow chest; long loin; swayback; roached loin; narrow or steep croup; high in the rear.

HINDQUARTERS ** The rear legs are well boned and moderately angulated at stifle and hock joints. The hocks are strong, broad, and well let down. Viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to each other. from the side, they are perpendicular to the ground. When standing normally, the rear legs are spaced moderately apart and positioned so that a line dropped from the point of buttocks to the ground would fall just behind the point of hock.

Faults **  Hocks turned inward or outward; legs set too closely together or too far apart.

Serious faults: Over angulated stifles or hocks; rear legs extended too far behind the dog.

FEET **  The front feet are large and oval with well arched, firm, and compact toes. Dewclaws may be removed.

Faults **  Splayed or flat feet.


 

 

 

 
TAIL  The tail is set on high and may be docked close to the body or natural. An undocked tail is thick at the base, and tapering to the tip. When the dog is in repose, the tail just reaches to the hock, with the bottom third of the tail forming a hook. When the dog is in action or excited, the tail is carried as a sickle-shaped hook or ring above the level of the back.

COAT ** The Central Asian Shepherd Dog has a double coat consisting of longer, coarse outer guard hairs and dense undercoat made up of soft, fine hair. Coat on the muzzle, forehead, and the front of the legs is short and smooth. Two types of coat lengths are accepted without preference ** 

Long coat **  The hair of the outer coat is 2¾-3 inches in length, with well-developed furnishings on the ears, neck, back of the hind legs and on the tail.

Short coat **  The hair of the outer coat is 1½-2 inches in length, with no furnishings.

Serious fault ** Very short coat without undercoat.

Disqualifications ** Soft, curly or wavy coat.

COLOR ** White, black, gray, straw-colored, reddish brown, gray brown, brindle, parti-colored and ticked.



HEIGHT & WEIGHT Minimum height at maturity, measured at the withers, is (64 cm) 25½ inches or over for males and(60 cm) 23½ inches or over for females. Weight should be in proportion to the height, giving a balanced, imposing appearance.

Fault ** Mature males below (64 cm) 25½ inches, mature females below (60 cm) 23½ inches.

Serious fault: Mature males below (60 cm) 23½ inches, mature females below (58 cm) 23 inches.

GAIT  ** At the trot, the Central Asian moves freely with strides of moderate length, usually unhurried. The back remains level, and the front and rear legs on each side move in a parallel fashion. The front and rear pasterns flex freely. The back and loin are elastic and springy. As speed increases, however, the width between the legs decreases and the tendency to single track increases until the dog breaks into a heavy, lumbering gallop.

DISQUALIFICATIONS ** Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Extreme viciousness or shyness. Missing teeth other than a single premolar. Overshot bite or undershot bite. Wry mouth. Soft, curly or wavy coat. Albinism.

 

 

 

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