I've been trying to tease out as much information as I can about the Central Asian Shepherd – information as to whether it could be a livable and good pet for my family. I think my only real hope is that breeder in MI and the fact that they seem to have dogs from lines that are more mellow and perhaps toned down some. Still, I worry that trying to keep one in a small yard, even though I already cannot leave my current dog in the backyard for more than a few minutes because he will bark, would be problematic.This, and the idea that I hear repeated that the CAS will not accept visitors once it is mature, despite your best training.
Keep in mind that the Black Russian Terrier has been bobbling around in my top five. The other night I was at the nearby park at around midnight with Oji so I could do some chinups at my chinup tree. Of course, parks are closed at this hour. We do not have cops that do anything resembling patrolling in this city, nor is there security patrol. So I was not worried about getting flack for being there so late, but I just naturally always do not want to be detected. It's just a thing with me. I want to be incognito there, even from any other visitors that might show up in a car, some 75 - 100 yards away. I just don't want attention or to be noticed or be watched. So, this is an example of why I love dark, preferably black dogs. Did you know that they say the reason the BRT has the fall (the hair that covers its eyes) is so that at night the enemy could not see light shining off the dogs' eyes? That night, there at the chinup tree, I was picturing having a CAS, which would likely be mostly white in color. My mind went to having either a dark Cane Corso or a BRT.
The BRT is going to be more trainable and biddable than the CAS, though it will be less biddable than the Doberman. I feel that I can expect a BRT to accept visitors to the house when I command it to.
No small thing here: I spoke on the phone today with a breeder. I did ask one key question: Whining and barking. I was assured that the BRT was designed to work silently, and they are not whiny or barky.
Yes, the breed has its drawbacks.
Its beard and other hair below its mouth is often wet – not having nasty "slingers" that mastiffs get, but wet with clear, thin saliva.
It does not have cropped ears. I love cropped ears, and have been looking at breeds that have nice short cropped ears that do not require much, if any, posting. Nice thing is the BRT's floppy ears don't look large or stand out much due to the large appearance of the hairy head.
It has a lot of fur on the paws and legs that will attract moisture and mud when wet outside.
IT LOOKS QUITE A BIT LIKE A LARGE BLACK "DOODLE" (Part B to this, is that it isn't that intimidating or at least fearsome looking). That said, there is a large Doodle that lives nearby that is salt and pepper colored and is tall like a BRT. It acts pretty dominant and has a deep bark. I actually would not mess with that dog. At least a BRT has the fall over the eyes, and the beard to set it apart and add substance and perhaps a touch of visual intimidation. Maybe I could frequently have it wear proudly the Russian-harkening red sash:
above photo credit: Guardian Bear Kennel (which has not responded to my inquiries)
Oh, this breeder that called me back today (not the breeder of the dogs pictured above) does
not dock tails. Shoot. The docked tail was one thing that was going to set the dog apart just a bit from a Doodle. On the other hand, I do lend credence to the argument that the tail aids in balance. Truthfully, I see Oji stumble and fall over a very surprising amount when running around. Maybe this is due to him being so narrow and lacking lateral stability owing to that, but I bet he would be aided by a tail. Shoot though. A docked tail takes away that wagging tail that most people interpret as a friendly, happy thing; and of course, an intact tail technically can be grabbed by the bad guys (though it's perhaps more important in Dobes because where Dobes might be 85 lbs., BRTs might be 120 lbs. That's 50% more bodyweight for a bad guy to try to control via a tail).
As usual: Hmmm. Thoughts?
