The origin of the Mongolian Shepherd Dog, the standard of the exterior, the nature of the Banhar, a description of health, advice on care and training, interesting facts. Banhar puppy price. Banhar - this is exactly the sonorous guttural word that the Mongols call the most ancient Mongolian shepherd-wolfhound, the main friend and helper in their difficult nomadic life. For the Mongol, the Banhar is not only a dog capable of fearlessly guarding a camp from wolves and grazing livestock. This is a devoted friend, comrade and indispensable companion of the nomad in all his deeds and undertakings. Banhar is a member of a family of steppe dwellers, together with him experiencing joys and sorrows, prosperity and need.
The history of the origin of the Banhar breed
The history of this shepherd is so ancient that it simply has no analogues in the world, stretching literally into prehistoric times (some researchers believe that the history of the Banhar is at least 15,000 years old).
It is this dog that is depicted on ancient rock paintings and on later canvases by Chinese and Mongolian artists.
According to legend, such shepherd dogs participated in the raids of Genghis Khan and other conquerors. And at all times they guarded the herds, hunted and protected. The famous Mongol hunter Luvsan, with the help of the Mongolian Shepherd, managed to get 22,000 marmots, 200 lynxes, 900 wolves and 40 bears. And how many wolves these dogs exterminated, protecting the flocks - do not count.
And although the breed is still not recognized internationally, the future is definitely with the Banhar.
Exterior Mongolian Shepherd Dogs
The Banhar is a dog of sturdy build and somewhat square format, in its overgrown (winter) version resembles a shaggy bear in its appearance. No wonder the Mongols have another name for this breed - "Bavgar", which means shaggy, shaggy, bear-like.
A bear, not a bear, but a banhar is a rather large dog. Males usually reach a height of 60–70 centimeters at the withers, and females - 55–60 centimeters. The body weight of the representatives of the breed reaches 55-60 kg. However, there are also larger individuals.
Despite the fact that the breed is about 15,000 years old, there is no such standard for a shepherd dog. These aboriginal dogs of Mongolia are still not recognized by the FCI, although Mongolian enthusiasts and breeders are now working hard on this. Therefore, the descriptions of the exteriors below are from the descriptions published by the breeders.
- Head oblong, wide and domed in the skull, the occipital protuberance is somewhat smoothed. The stop is smooth, smoothed. The profile of the forehead is shallow. The bridge of the nose is wide. The nose is small, triangular-oval in shape. A characteristic feature is the general swelling of the muzzle, due to the increased fat layer (hence the name "banhar", which in Mongolian means "chubby in the cheeks"). The lips are dry, firm, covering the lower jaw, but not forming a wing. The jaws are powerful and wide. Teeth white and large, standard set (42 pcs.). Straight or scissor bite.
- Eyes oval or almond-shaped, medium-sized, with small pupils, obliquely set, expressive, framed by light yellow "glasses" (a unique feature of the breed). The pupils of shepherd dogs have a unique feature - in the dark they shine in red (which allows the Mongols to easily distinguish them from the eyes of wolves at night).
- Ears in the Banhar they are not very large, close to triangular in shape, low set, drooping, covered with soft, rather short hair. The ears should fit snugly against the head and be thick. In the old days, the Mongols even specially smeared the ears of puppies with fat to grow fleshy. Thick ears are a guarantee that the dog can easily endure the summer heat and winter cold.
- Neck of medium length, powerful, somewhat curved, with a pronounced nape, without dermal dewlap. It is framed with a rich long mane, reminiscent of a lion's (often the mane forms dreadlocks that well protect the dog from wolf teeth).
- Torso monolithic square type (a characteristic feature of an aboriginal dog), with a wide powerful chest. The back is very strong, elongated and wide. The back line is straight. The croup is wide, muscular, moderately sloping. The belly is well tucked up. In general, the body of the animal looks like a single whole.
- Tail Banhara set high, thick, overgrown with fluffy hair, reaching the length of the hock. In a calm state, the tail is lowered like a wolf with a "log", in an excited state, it is thrown over its back and twisted into a ring, forming a characteristic "furry nest" due to the fur. In especially pedigree dogs, the tip of the tail is decorated with a unique "bunchuk" (the length of a separate tuft of guard hair is one and a half to two times longer than the rest of the tail hair). To acquire a special splendor of the tail, old Mongolians smear their tails with ghee for puppies.
- Limbs straight, very strong, well boned, set wide apart and parallel. Feet are surprisingly small and compact with tight toes. Due to the rich pubescence of fur, they can look large.
- Wool velvety to the touch, smooth, shiny, reminiscent of a bear, up to 15 centimeters long. Wool is believed to be odorless. The guard hair is hard, elastic, straight, not close to the body. The undercoat is very thick and dense, the quality is higher than cashmere (the composition of the down in the undercoat is almost 75%, up to 1.5 kg of down is collected from the dog in one molt).
The neck is framed by a rich mane, often forming into dreadlocks. A working, not a show Mongolian shepherd dog sometimes does not look very presentable due to matted hair and dirty dreadlocks around the head and neck. But it is precisely this wool knocked down into dense dreadlocks that turns into impenetrable armor, reliably protecting the dog from wolf bites. By the way, not all banhars are able to have such dreadlocks, and therefore they are much more expensive among the Mongols.
The most common color among Mongolian Shepherd Dogs is black or black and tan (fell golden, reddish and brown). There are also black banhars with white breasts and white slipper paws (such dogs in Mongolia are called "Zurkh tsaagan" - "White hearts"). Very rarely there are dogs of red color (all shades of clarified red and fawn color), and the rarest ones are red and white (milky white and ivory). Characterized by a reddish-brown (speckled) tint of the coat in dogs of black or black and tan type. The color must have yellow or light yellow glasses around the eyes. Possible white color "bunchuk-sultan" on the tail (they say that it looks very impressive, although there is a belief that such shepherd dogs are "thieving"). Black and tan dogs may have yellow-golden patches of fur on the sides of the neck and croup. Real dogs-banhars do not have black-and-back colors (it is possible only in mestizos).
In Mongolia, for a long time, dogs of bright red, fiery red and white color were considered the most expensive. Dogs with white hair, personified the wealth and dignity of their master. Only very wealthy people could afford to have such shepherd dogs, as well as noyons - the Mongol nobility, simple nomads could not afford such animals. Ordinary nomads were content with dogs of black and black and tan color (the most working dogs of Mongolia, helping to graze livestock and protect themselves from wolves). Banhars "White hearts" were more often used for hunting. Well, to have dogs with a red color was the privilege of Mongolian clergy, hermit lamas and monasteries. Red and red dogs were used in a Buddhist rite called "Shar nohoin tayllaga" (literally - "an offering of a yellow dog").
The character of the Mongolian Banhar
Mongolian Shepherd Dogs are distinguished by a rather phlegmatic and balanced disposition. But this is only in appearance. In fact, they are quite ferocious and vigilant. They clearly know who is their own and who is a stranger.
Protecting a nomad's herd or camp from wolves, Mongolian banhars always form a kind of circle, surrounding the protected area and constantly and very consistently patrolling their areas, not giving wolves a single chance to penetrate the protected area. And so it can last all night, or day and night, depending on the need.
"Mongols" are exceptionally smart and quick-witted. That is why they themselves, without human participation, lead flocks of sheep to graze and drink, drive them to new territories in a timely manner, keep order in the flock, and do not allow the flock to creep across the plain. And all the time they are guarded, guarded and guarded. Predators have practically no chance as long as the banhara dogs are close to the herd. Moreover, they behave at the same time quite freely. They themselves determine the perimeter of the guard and the place for their observation, only occasionally dividing among themselves.
Shepherd dogs almost never sleep at night. In the daytime they sleep lightly, setting up a "sentry" for observation. Moreover, this obligatory watch "watch" is typical even for young animals - one of the puppies in the litter is always vigilantly on guard, guarding the sleep of the rest.
Finding a stranger, in a second the pack of dogs from the camp is on its feet. Several dogs from the younger generation are sent to intercept at once, experienced dogs remain in place, guarding the owner's yurt and only joining the attack if necessary. Of the skills that a working Mongolian shepherd dog must master perfectly, the following can be listed:
- the ability to lead livestock to succulent pastures;
- make sure that sheep or other animals do not break their legs on the way to the pasture;
- take the flock to a watering place in time;
- do not allow sheep to mix with another flock at a watering hole or on a haul;
- in no case expose the flock to danger and always protect livestock from any predators (and so that any desire will disappear forever);
- bring the flock home in a timely manner.
I must say that not every person is able to perform all these functions exactly, given the complexity of the terrain and difficult climatic conditions. And the Banhars are doing it. And that is why these shepherd dogs are very highly valued among the nomads, being truly full members of the Mongolian family clans.
Mongolian Shepherd Health
Over the millennia, the centuries-old natural selection of the Mongolian Shepherd has carried out such significant work that at the moment the Banhar is almost the only breed that does not suffer from genetic breed diseases. As noted by the Mongolian breeders, neither dysplasia, nor cryptorchidism, nor missing teeth or any other characteristic sores were noted for the "Mongols". The breed is exceptionally healthy, perfectly adapted to cold and heat, copes well with infections and does not require any special difficulties in keeping.
In modern Mongolian nurseries, rigid inbreeding (closely related crossing) is also not used, since the number of existing individuals makes it possible to do without it. This means that no special health problems for Mongolian Shepherd Dogs are expected in the future.
The life expectancy of the "Mongols" is 20-25 years. And this is a very, very long time.
Banhar care tips
Aboriginal Mongolian Shepherd Dogs are so unpretentious in their care that they almost do not require any effort from the owner. The Mongols almost never comb or bathe banhars, allowing the wool to bunch up in protective dreadlocks. And if they are combed out, then only to obtain dog fluff, which is necessary for warming clothes.
Moreover, these dogs do not know enclosures, chains and shackles. They are freedom-loving and independent, and therefore keeping them in the cramped city apartment is absolutely unacceptable.
The diet of the "Mongols" in Mongolian nurseries consists mainly of raw or semi-raw meat. Moreover, there are no problems with meat in Mongolia (an average of 8 million head of cattle are slaughtered a year). And also the Mongolian breeders give the banhars the large tibia of cattle from the age of 8-10 months, believing that this gives them excellent teeth.
You can treat the Mongolian traditions in the selection of the diet in different ways, but it seems that all this is easily fixable and regulated in modern conditions. The presence of vitamin complexes and perfectly balanced dry food of industrial production can easily solve the problem of keeping banhars outside Mongolia.
The nuances of training and interesting facts about Banhar
Banhar is the smartest dog, excellently trained. It is recommended to start training at an early age, but the load should be planned and uniform.
Since ancient times, there has been a very reverent, almost mystical attitude towards shepherd dogs in Mongolia. A dog in Mongolia can not only be killed, but even hit. And the word "nohoy" ("dog" in Mongolian) itself has 142 meanings. No other nation in the world has such a thing, as well as such a long-standing culture of raising dogs. Even Marco Polo wrote about the Mongolian specialists "moaning", capable of simultaneously controlling hundreds and thousands of dogs during round-up hunts. Unfortunately, with the disappearance of round-up hunting into the past, the highest art of synchronized dog control was also lost.
The very process of acquiring a dog by the Mongols is interesting. If a nomad decides to have a dog-banhara (and this always happens in winter, banhars are born only in winter, in the most severe frosts), then he goes not at all to the bird market and not to the nursery (as we do), but to the shaman. The shaman, having studied the question, shows him the direction in which to go in order to find a worthy puppy.
Yes, and the very choice of a puppy in Mongolia is not an easy matter, almost a ritual. Initially, the Mongols lift the puppy by the scruff or tail to test how strong and tough it is. If a puppy actively resists - to be a strong and sensible dog for him, if he hangs in a sack or whines desperately, then he is too weak to become a real help and friend of a nomad.
Having thus selected a strong puppy, he is given another test - the boy is obliged to go through the horse's stirrup. It is worth noting that adult barhars are literally able, like cats, to go through any gap, despite their considerable size.
Having chosen a strong and dexterous puppy, the Mongol will certainly examine its mouth. If that one has more than 9 ribs-stripes in the sky, then the puppy is promising, courageous, with a good grip. The presence of a white mark on the chin of the cub also bodes well for its future owner. The legs and tail were always examined. The presence of dewclaws on the paws of a puppy was considered a good sign (the working qualities of such a dog, according to the Mongols, are much higher). The thick tail of the puppy indicated that it would grow large, and the thin tail indicated that it would grow slender. In conclusion, the steppe nomad will definitely look the chosen puppy in the eyes to make sure there is a spiritual connection between them. Only then does the puppy acquire an owner.
Price when buying a Banhara puppy
Until recently, in Russia, they had never heard of Mongolian shepherd dogs. But now the situation has changed significantly. Banhars are becoming quite popular among Russian dog lovers. True, there are very few kennels for these dogs in Russia. So far, they are located only in Buryatia, Kalmykia and St. Petersburg. It is also possible to deliver a puppy to order directly from Mongolia. True, there is a risk of confusing the "Mongol" with a Tibetan mastiff or a Buryat shepherd dog. Therefore, be careful.
The cost of puppies ranges from 25,000 to 50,000 rubles in Transbaikalia and Siberia, and in the range of 65,000 to 130,000 rubles in the part of Russia close to the capital.
Learn more about the Banhar dog breed from this video:
