Mongolian Shepherd Dog: breed description, character and content

Everyone knows about the Mongolian Shepherd Dog in its native land, but few people have heard of this breed outside the homeland. However, it is one of the oldest canine breeds, endowed with many virtues. He is a wonderful shepherd, guard and friend for man. The breed has not yet been recognized by international associations, but thanks to the enthusiasm of the breeders, this does not take long to wait.

Sheepdog from Mongolia is known by different names:

• banhar - "stuffed (rich) with wool", "plump in the cheeks";
• hotosho - "yard wolf", "yard guard";
• Tibet;
• wolfhound;
• Mongol;
• durben nyudetei hara nohoy - four-eyed dog with black eyes;
• bavgar - like a bear;
• dog of the Huns.

The breed has existed for over 14,000 years. It is generally accepted that ancient dog breeds are much healthier physically and are endowed with high intelligence, better adaptability and a wide range of working properties. It is not without reason that the Mongolian dune is considered one of the oldest dog breeds. All of the listed names reflect well the appearance of this shepherd dog.

Mongolian hotosho has been used for centuries in all walks of life. They were grown, selected, screened and trained. Four-legged friends were highly valued, and with the prosperity of Buddhism in Mongolia, shepherd dogs began to be honored as sacred animals. The upbringing of the Banhars was carried out by Mongolian dog handlers - kayuchi, unsurpassed masters of training. During hunt raids, they could control hundreds of dogs at the same time.

In Mongolia, there are four national breeds, in addition to the Banhara: Uzemchi, Borz, Teiga Nokhoi and Sharaid.Any representative of these breeds can be a shepherd, but Banhars are the most independent and reliable. The Mongols continue to develop pastoralism as a valuable agricultural sector of great importance to the local population. Therefore, the original standard of dogs has been preserved.

In ancient times, Mongolian wolfhounds were used for hunting, tracking livestock and guarding housing. This breed has always been considered cult and even sacred in Mongolia. The Mongols believe that the blood of five wolves flows in the veins of the dune, and it is akin to the Tibetan mastiffs.

The local population of Mongolia believes that the Banhars know how to pray for benefits for their masters. The dog is even called a prayer dog.

Unfortunately, in the 80s. of the last century, there were practically no purebred representatives of the Mongolian hotosho. The breed has passed into rare status, and it is likely that it will completely disappear. And if in 1932 the Banhars served with honor in the Siberian NKVD, and in 1937 they won medals and places of honor at the exhibition of dogs of service breeds, then in 1940 the breed was ordered to be exterminated.

The decision to shoot them was made based on the erroneous conclusions of scientists. Scientists spoke about the danger of banhars as carriers of serious diseases for people. When it was possible to prove that this was not true, the Banhars had already been destroyed.

In Buryatia, two breeders became interested in a rare breed - Marika Teregulova and Nikolai Batov. They laid the foundation for pedigree breeding of the breed and gave it the name hotosho. This happened at the end of the 1980s and began with the fact that N. Batov went on an expedition to Mongolia. The breeder collected absolutely all information about the breed, drawing them from legends, excavations and Buddhist documents. Based on the information received, the required breed standard was developed. The dog has become a national treasure of Russia to the delight of breeders.

In March 2000, the Buryat-Mongolian wolfhound was on a page of honor in the herd book of the Russian Federation. Six years later, the dog was registered in the RKF. The Mongolian Shepherd Dog has become very popular as a pet in China, South Korea and Japan. They say that its presence in the house promises well-being.

The dimensions of the Banhara are quite large - the growth is average or above average, the constitution of the dog is very dense and strong, with a well-developed muscular system. The animal reaches a weight of 30 kg or more. The lower parameter in height in males according to the standard is 60 cm, in bitches - 5 cm lower.

In this breed, males are larger and more massive than females. The head of the shepherd dogs is oblong, proportional, wide in the cranial zone. The cheekbones are well developed, and the tubercle on the back of the head is smoothly smoothed.

There is a wide, deep groove on the forehead. The muzzle is actually blunt at the end, symmetrically wide towards the base. From above, its shape resembles a trapezoidal wedge.

The peculiarity of the muzzle is its swelling. Banhar's nose is neat, small, triangular. The lower jaw of the Banhar is massive and wide. Hidden behind dense, dry lips, has a fold in the corner.

The standard assumes the presence of drooping triangular ears, set on the line of the eyes or slightly below their level. The oval eyes are set obliquely and widely. They are expressive, dark, located under dry eyelids. The pupils are so small that in light they shrink to the size of a dot.

Banhars' teeth are white and large in size. The jaw has a straight and very tight bite. The neck is set low, powerful, strong. The chest is expanded, wide. It is finally formed by the age of three.

The belly of the Banhar is tucked up, the back is straight and straight, the loin is slightly arched. The croup is slightly sloping. The front legs are set wide apart, their height is 60% of the total height of the dog.

The hind legs of the Banhar are straight and set slightly wider than the forelegs. The thick tail has a high fit.An excited dog throws it on its back, curling it into a ring, and in a state of calm, its tail is freely lowered.

Standard color descriptions are black and tan, tan and pure black. With any color option a banhar must have a distinct white spot on its chest. The coat of black dogs is characterized by a reddish-brown tint.

This Mongolian breed has a special down. These are hairs of a very delicate and fine structure, light with an ash tint or grayish-beige. During the moult from a banhar, you can comb up to 1 kg of fluff.

Items made from this down are distinguished by good wear and low tendency to roll off. After washing, clothes become even more luxuriant and do not lose their strength. In addition, they have healing properties and can help in the treatment of ailments of the musculoskeletal system.

The coat of such dogs is smooth, with a pleasant shine, almost no smell and fits snugly to the body. The structure of the outer hair is dense, coarse, fine and even. Down hair is thicker and lighter in color. Wool tends to absorb the smell of the place of residence. This camouflage helps the Banhar during the hunt - other animals never smell it.

In puppies, as they grow, the structure of the coat does not actually change. On the neck and shoulders, the cover is longer and similar to a mane. Feathers are also present on the back of the legs. Overgrown shoots are also noticeable on the ears, between the toes, on the lateral lobes of the paws and on the tail.

The length of the coat of Mongolian wolfhounds differs depending on the region. The farther north it is, the longer the coat is in dogs. It is believed that no other breed is endowed with such a cover structure.

By temperament, the Banhar is a rather phlegmatic and balanced dog. Sheepdog is vigilant and not deprived of intelligence. She is friendly to those close to her and expresses suspicion and aggression towards people who are unfriendly.

Banhar always holds confidently... Representatives of the breed are self-sufficient, but do not dominate. They have strong communication skills. These pack dogs perfectly obey the hierarchy and feel comfortable among their fellow tribesmen.

Banhar is always very patient with babies and caring for them. Calmly perceives livestock and domestic animals, protects them, like other members of the owner's family. Problems in mutual understanding arise only when living next to other same-sex dogs.

Dogs of this breed can often be found at the temples in their homeland. Dogs living at Mongolian Buddhist monasteries are distinguished by a contact and kind disposition, and the companions of the arats often show ferocity and unsociable character. Particularly aggressive individuals used to be marked with red neckbands. They signaled to strangers that it was dangerous to approach the dogs.

The Mongolian large shepherd dog has many roles: shepherd protector of the herd, guard of the house and property, tracker and hunter for prey of various sizes, bodyguard. It is also a sled dog, endowed with intelligence. She does not need the help and support of a person to establish order in the flock.

Banhars accompany herd domestic animals to pasture and watering, not allowing mixing with other herds. They can independently determine the territory of protection and the point of observation of livestock. During work, the dogs are confident and calm, rarely arrange "negotiations" with colleagues.

At night, the "Mongols" are mostly awake, and during the day they doze off at their posts, but sensitively, vigilantly guarding their land. Even inexperienced youngsters demonstrate this behavior.Having noticed a stranger, young dogs instantly rush towards him, and the mission of more experienced dogs is to stay close to the object of protection. Only when necessary do they connect to the attackers. Banharas are characterized by such a fighting technique: the capture of the enemy's muzzle in the mouth for suffocation.

Wolfhounds are a completely unsuitable breed for living in an apartment. Dogs are able to adapt to living within a private house with their own courtyard. The best option for this breed is considered to be living on a farm. Most of the day, dogs move around the territory. In Mongolia, it is not customary to plant shepherd dogs in isolated enclosures.

The Banhar booth should be located about 25 cm above the ground. The optimal dimensions of a dog's housing are 100x100x100 cm. The roof must be made flat with a slight slope, for the convenience of observing the dog's surroundings from his home. The booth has an entrance to the south, and its back to the north, where an additional thickening of fiberboard is created.

Inside the booth, it is not customary to underlay any rags such as old wool coats or sheepskin coats. There is no need for them as heating, rather, they contribute to the accumulation of dirt and wool, and therefore parasites. Banhar needs to be given very good physical activity. It is important for them not only to work, but also to go for walks regularly, having the opportunity to frolic with their fellow tribesmen, swim and hunt.

In many photographs, banhars are densely covered with multiple mats: on the ears, in the neck and on the tail. This suggests that the owners are too lazy to comb the pets. But here the point is not at all in the laziness of the owners, it's just that these same mats serve as protection for dogs from predator bites, a kind of dense woolen shield. Mongols never wash their shepherd dogs with special shampoos, it is not customary to take care of dogs.

Digestion of Mongolian Shepherd Dogs is more adapted to the digestion of natural food, but it is permissible to feed the dog with high-quality ready-made dry food. The menu is selected depending on the age, size of the animal, and its physiological state. The main diet of puppies up to 4 months of age is sour milk, cereals, meat products, vegetables and vegetable oils.

In the phase of active growth for dogs you definitely need a vitamin and mineral complex, selected individually by a veterinarian. 11-15 month old banhars are fed twice a day. At night, put meat in the amount of 500 g, twice a week give 200 g of cottage cheese. After a year, there is only one feeding left - in the evening. Periodically, it is useful for shepherd dogs of this breed to spend a fasting day, making sure that there is sufficient clean water in the dog's bowl. In addition to water, dogs are not entitled to anything on this day.

A freedom-loving, proud Banhar must be brought up from the first days of being in the house. It is very important that from the very beginning the dog understands who is the boss in the house and grows obedient to him.

In principle, the owners can start training later, when the puppy grows up and gets used to it a little. It is possible and even recommended to train Banhars using game methods. For this breed, it will not be possible to use the standard OKD scheme for training conditioned reflexes or IPO 1-2-3 of the American standard. This is because wolfhounds think well and are naturally quick-witted, they are able to make a decision and take the right position in a difficult situation.

The four-legged "Mongols" are characterized by a special behavior that the owners must be able to understand and accept. Understanding breeders do not give Banhars into the hands of those people who previously held Caucasians for fear of coaching and psychological pressure on an independent dog. For the good of the dog, participation in different spheres of the life of the owners will go. These are trips to the sea, and shopping trips, and daily jogging. He needs constant communication with people and other animals.

Having familiarized yourself with the basics of education and the details of caring for a Mongolian shepherd dog, it remains to purchase a puppy and name it. If you bought a girl, you can pick up one of the following popular options: Alan, Shoola, Erteki, Salashi, Zhandi, Oila, Pata, Fatiha, Khoin, Zhaldyz, Mapa, Geza, or come up with a name yourself. In any case, only the owners decide.

The little dog will one day become a big, strong, handsome and proud Banhar. That's why even if you really want to, you should not give him cute and funny nicknames. He must respond to some special name. For example, a dog can be called Davlat, Ilkhan, Hal, Ulug, Chikish, Elem, Shamol, Tez, Yakyn, Talap, Sevmok, Batyr, Adyl, Nuker, Ajarkh. Or invent something similar, but certainly sonorous and majestic.

You can learn more about Mongolian Shepherd Dogs in the following video.