Alt Names: Afghan Koochee / Coochi Country of Origin: Afghanistan

History: The Central Asian Shepherd Dogs are said to be the oldest known group of dogs in existence today. Dating back over 5,000 years according to Artifacts found in native lands.

Unlike most breeds today they are not man made or created by any specific person or country. They were created by the climate and culture of uncivilized time long forgot. You will find different breed types depending on terrain from the mountains of Mongolia to the deserts of the Kara Kum to the valley of Kandahar. Their history is merged with the civilization of man and their timeline can be found by tracing the history of the ancient silk route. To understand their past history you must understand a time when surviving one day against extreme climates, predators now extinct and invading tribes was a goal not easily achieved.

Today you will find Nomadic tribes using this pedigree group of dogs to guard what they hold sacred, their family and their ancient form of transportation, be it Camels or Horses. Recent History has these dogs improperly classified as Traditional Livestock guardian dogs. They are territorial guardians bred to guard people and their possessions. They seek out human attention, thus bonding with their humans first and the flock second. They guard what ever is placed in their perceived territory.

Present history has a division between breed types and creations of new ones. The Former USSR is credited with standardizing the breed in the 1920's. However, the recent creation of a new Russian standard years after USSR Rule ended in their native lands has resulted in a modern version of the breed in Russia (called the Central Asian Ovcharka). This new versions has separated them from other aboriginal types found in the native countries of Central Asia. We are just now seeing the difference of size, color and temperament between native species and modern Russian cultivated dogs.

The Caucasian Ovcharka is not the same breed as the Central Asian Shepherd Dog. They have different inherited temperaments, abilities, up keep, health issues and history.

Appearance: Depending on their geographic area of origin, three types of koochee dogs can be recognized based on the length of the coat. They are mountain-type, steppe-type, and desert-type (including the half-desert sub-variant). Individual types will be discussed in greater detail further on. All three types have an underwool, but the mountain-type dogs have longer fur than the steppe-type, and the steppe-type have longer hair than the desert-type.

No matter which type these dogs are, they should be agile, fast, and very athletic, with great stamina. In this way, they are much different than most dogs seen at dog shows today. Their development is a result of their working lifestyle, which is the very purpose of their breeding. Appearance, including size and weight, as well as coat color, was never a criteria for breeding these dogs.

All in all, the Afghan Koochee has heavier, longer coat. Stronger bone structure. Medium height, with broader chest. Larger, mastiff-type head (brick-type head).

The AKC has started a foundation stock service for this breed with with recognition for the following colours: Brindle, Fawn, Black, Grey (all with white markings) and White.

Temperament: They have a inborn natural distrust of strangers with no training needed to learn how to protect. Thus they require heavy socialization and basic obedience training as puppies. In addition proper containment is necessity. They are not the breed for a novice dog owner. Quite often used for dog fighting in the regions of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, they are making history as therapy dogs, superior ranch dogs and the job they love the most - naturally protective family dogs.

Health: The Central Asian Shepherd Dog requires very little grooming for their well developed undercoat, but their once a year shedding is appropriately called the "Fur Storm." The Central Asian Shepherd Dog has less inherited genetic diseases than majority of the man-made breeds but still requires clearances of hip dysplasia to take the place of natural selection.