The origin and purpose of the Bohemian Shepherd Dog, exterior standard, character, health, care, interesting facts. Bohemian Shepherd puppy cost. The Bohemian Shepherd Dog, also known as the Walking Dog, is the rarest sheepdog in the world, which has a long history of its existence together with humans, but almost disappeared due to the two world wars that swept through its homeland in the Czech Republic in the 20th century. "Bohemian" is the smartest creature with unobtrusive behavior and complaisant character, capable of recklessly falling in love with even the most ardent opponents of dogs in a matter of minutes. And it is also a real pride of Czech dog breeding, which has managed to recreate a unique breed of ancient dogs of the Kingdom of Bohemia over the decades.
The origin story of the Bohemian Shepherd
People who are not very dog-savvy can easily confuse the Bohemian Shepherd with its distant relative, the German Shepherd. Indeed, these animals are very similar to each other, except for the Bohemian Shepherd Dog, the growth is smaller, and the wool is much larger. But the breed history of the Chodsky Pes, as the Czechs themselves often call the Czech or Bohemian Shepherd Dog, has its own history. And it has nothing to do with the history of a similar German Shepherd Dog. Which, however, in the opinion of cynologists and historians, absolutely does not exclude the presence of common ancestors in the pedigrees of these two breeds, most likely leading their ancient line not only from medieval yard dogs, Howarths, but also from prehistoric dogs, at least from the Bronze Age.
Czech historians who studied the roots of the breed's origin, managed to establish that the Chodsky dogs or Bohemian shepherds originate from the mountain-forest region of Šumava (medium-altitude mountain range), remote from the capital of the Czech Republic. For a long time it was also called the Bohemian Forest, located now on the territory of three countries at once: Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. In ancient times, there was also the western border of the Bohemian Kingdom, and the Czechs called the region itself Chodskoy or Chodsko, after the name of the ethnic group inhabiting those dense places (hence the old breed name of the shepherd dog).
The locals - the passages living in this region, have been engaged in sheep breeding since ancient times, and in addition to this they carried the royal service for the protection of trade routes and mountain border roads from the Czech Republic to the Holy Roman Empire, and with its collapse, to Austria-Hungary and Germany. In all their domestic and business affairs, the settlers were assisted by shaggy local dogs called "hodske". Perfectly balanced, with luxurious warm fur, hardy, courageous and disciplined dogs of a very characteristic recognizable type successfully guarded the mountain border roads, herds and property of the owners, diligently helped them in hunting and grazing sheep.
The owners of the dogs interacted so closely with their beautiful dogs that the Czechs often called the moves themselves "psoglavichi" or "psoglavtsy". It is likely that these names were also connected with the fact that on the banners of moves, as the guardian of the clan, the head of a shepherd dog with long hair around the neck was depicted (in particular, the Czech writer and historian I. A.).
The most famous literary work about the moves and the dogs devoted to them is the novel "Psoglavtsy" by the outstanding Czech writer of the 19th and 20th centuries, Alois Jirasek, illustrated by the famous Czech artist Micolas Ales. Thanks to the wonderful illustrations by Alyosha, you can even now personally see the exterior of the old Chod dogs. It must be said that in his sketches, drawings and illustrations, as well as when decorating the graffiti of the walls of Prague mansions, Mikolash Ales has repeatedly used the unique appearance of Bohemian shepherds, clearly having a special love for them.
The most typical representatives of the Chod dogs, according to the priest, historian and prose writer Jindrich Simon Baar, were widespread at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries near the village of Klenci pod Čerchovem. And he already knew what he was writing about, because he himself was a native of those places and spent most of his life among the passages, describing in detail their life and customs in his works.
So the Bohemian Shepherd Dog would have continued to exist in small quantities, known only to a small circle of dog handlers, limited to a small region of the Bohemian Forest, if in the post-war years (starting from 1948) a group of dog handlers-enthusiasts had not decided that it was time to declare the existence of dogs to the whole world. Dog breeders did a lot to revive the breed (after all, a lot of "hodske" died during the Second World War), but they did not succeed in solving the issue of a single standard, as well as reaching the international level in those years.
Only in the mid-80s of the XX century canine handlers Vil Kurtz and Jan Findeys succeeded in re-starting the revival of the Hodsk dogs. To do this, they had to look for suitable and truly thoroughbred animals for breeding literally throughout Czechoslovakia (unfortunately, not a single dog from the tribal Chod region of Šumava was ever found). In 1983 the first breeding nursery "Ma Barance" was created.
Officially, the dogs were registered in the Czech Kennel Association in 1984, and the breeders managed to show the first representatives of the revived Bohemian shepherd dogs only in 1987 at an exhibition in the city of Brno. And by 1992, the kennel had already received 35 litters of puppies with stable breed characteristics.
In 1997, Ian Findeys published a book on the Bohemian Shepherd, where he gave the official breeding standard. By the end of the century in the Studbook of the Czech Republic, 1339 hodske individuals were registered with an excellent pedigree, numbering from 7 to 9 generations of ancestors.
The breed still remains unrecognized by the International Cynological Federation (FCI) and is only gaining popularity in other countries, actively winning the laurels of one of the best working breeds in Europe.
Purpose and use of the Bohemian Shepherd
The Bohemian Shepherd is an excellent dog that is capable of complex and varied training, suitable both for protection and protection, and as a companion dog. She has an excellent instinct, excellent and temperamental work on the trail. The medium size and good controllability of the walking dog allows it to be used as a guide for the blind. Combined with excellent sense of smell, endurance and high performance, all these qualities make the walking shepherd ideal for rescue operations and for finding people in avalanches. Also "bohemian" can be used for protection and work in harness. The shepherd dog is gaining special popularity among lovers of smart and sporting dogs to participate in competitions in agility, dog-frisbee and obedience.
Description of the standard of the exterior of a walking dog
The Bohemian Shepherd Dog (walking dog) is a medium-sized, elongated animal, a typical shepherd. The long coat with a thick undercoat makes it resistant to weather conditions. It has a balanced physique, which makes the appearance of the animal balanced and elegant. A characteristic feature of the breed are small, erect ears, elegant long hair forming a collar on the neck, and long hair on the body.
The maximum height at the withers in a dog reaches 52–55 centimeters (in bitches it is less - up to 49–52 centimeters). Also, the Czech breed standard allows for growth deviations in one direction or the other by 2 centimeters. The optimum body weight for a hodske is between 18 and 25 kg.
- Head. In general, the head should be in proportion to the size of the body, and should not be too massive or shallow. The size, shape, set and overgrowth of the ears contribute to the breed-specific head appearance. The skin on the head is dense without folds, the hair is short and thick. The skull is flat, tapering smoothly towards the eyes. The occipital protuberance is moderately pronounced. The superciliary arches are well developed, but not excessively prominent. The stop is moderately wide and moderately pronounced. The nose is medium in size, wide, black, with open nostrils. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull, wedge-shaped, tapering towards the nose. The bridge of the nose is straight, parallel to the line of the forehead. The lips are tight, dry, without fleece.
- Jaws proportional, strong and long. Teeth healthy, strong, pure white, scissor bite. The dental kit is complete.
- Eyes medium in size, almond-shaped, set slightly obliquely. Should not be prominent or deep-set. The expression of the eyes is bright, energetic, pleasant, the color is dark brown. The eyelids are tight-fitting.
- Ears short, erect, set high and close to each other, distinct triangular in shape with a wider base, the tips of the ears are pointed or slightly rounded. The auricle is covered with long, dense hair, especially at the base and along the edges.
- Neck the Bohemian Shepherd Dog is graceful, beautifully shaped, long, flexible, widening towards the shoulders. The neck is covered with thick long hair.
- The torso. The length of the body should be slightly longer than the height at the withers. The back is straight, strong, not too long, rising slightly towards the withers. The loin is short, flexible, strong, continuing the smooth topline. The croup is slightly sloping and slopes gently towards the root of the tail. The chest is wide, oval in cross-section, lowered to the level of the elbows. The front part of the chest is wide, muscular, protruding beyond the line of the shoulder-shoulder joints. The belly is muscular and tucked up.
- Tail. At rest and in motion - saber-shaped; when excited, it rises to the level of the back line. The tail reaches the length of the hock. Docking the tail is not allowed.
- Extremities. Forelegs straight, parallel, paws of medium size, oval in shape. The pads are firm and elastic. The toes are well arched and strong, with short, powerful claws. Pads and nails are fully pigmented.
- Leather The Walking Shepherd Dog fits snugly all over the body. Pigmentation of skin and nails is black, visible mucous membranes are dark pigmented.
- Wool in the area of the muzzle, tips of the ears and forelimbs, it is short and taut, the rest of the body is covered with glossy, thick hair, 5–12 cm long. It should be straight or slightly wavy, slightly protruding on the neck and chest, lying flat in other places. A well-developed undercoat is shorter and softer than the guard hair. The auricle is abundantly covered with hair. Rich fur collar around the neck. On the back of the thighs, on the lower part of the chest, the fur is slightly wavy. The tail is densely pubescent, with a long, slightly wavy cover on the lower part of the tail.
- Color. The main tone of the coat is black with a cold sheen, with characteristic bright red tan or close to black and tan color. The intensity of the red color, the stronger the better. In addition to the black color scheme, other colors on the body are not allowed.
Yellowish-red markings are located:
- around the edges and inside the ear;
- above the eyes;
- on the cheekbones, where they smoothly pass to the throat, forming a characteristic crescent;
- on the chest (the chest marks do not merge with the marks under the throat);
- on the hindquarters, on the inner and back of the thigh, from the toes to the hocks.
Preference is given to a color with clearly marked standard markings, as well as rich clear tones of color and tan spots.
Bohemian Shepherd personality
The Bohemian is an excellent energetic dog with quick but not violent reactions. Obedient, attentive, easy to train. Unobtrusive and undemanding to the conditions of detention, nutrition. Differs in affection (not so characteristic of shepherd dogs) and friendliness to familiar people. She is absolutely loyal to the owner and his family members. Very friendly to children and steadfastly withstands their pranks. In extreme cases, she is ready to step aside from especially lively naughty people, but she will not bite. This level, conflict-free demeanor makes her an ideal companion.
He treats strangers with caution and attention of a real watchdog. She is fearless, alert, has a strong nervous system and excellent instinct. She is attentive to the behavior of people, and therefore is able to recognize the intentions of people well. Usually reserved with strangers, but when the owners and their property are threatened, it can be tough and aggressive. All this makes her a wonderful guard dog and guard.
The Bohemian Shepherd Dog, having a modest size, compared to the same German one, is ideal for keeping at home, in an apartment. Although, by far, it feels best to be free, somewhere in the countryside. Dislikes chains, preferring to guard the house "according to his plan." The Sheepdog is very smart, quick-witted, with a tenacious memory and is able to master all the necessary commands, tricks and skills in a short time. In combination with a friendly and disciplined character, all this makes the "bohemian" a wonderful, unique, affectionate friend and companion, strong, hardy, energetic and reliable.
Bohemian Shepherd Health
The Hodske is a very robust breed. Probably because during the selective revival of the species, only real aboriginal dogs were used without a rush of blood from other breeds. Against the background of the German shepherd dog, which is quite problematic in relation to genetic diseases, the Bohemian one looks like a healthy man at all, having no hereditary predispositions.
The average lifespan of a hodske reaches 14 years.
Care tips for hodske
Czech "hodske" is well suited for home keeping. She is undemanding in food and care, obedient and small in size. The only thing that somewhat complicates the life of the owner is the need to pay more attention to the care of the coat. But for a true lover of shepherd dogs, this has never been a problem.
For the rest, you can follow the usual standard rules.
Interesting facts about the Walking dog breed
In 2009, one of the few Russian hodogs named Brother (brought from the former Yugoslavia) won the All-Russian dog-frisbee competition (sports in which the animal's task is to catch a thrown special disc), winning the competition in all three types: range, accuracy and freestyle. Bypassing many participating breeds such as poodle, fox terrier, doberman and dalmatian. Which once again proves how intelligent, jumpy, agile and nimble this Czech breed is.
Price when buying a Bohemian Shepherd puppy
In Russia, the Bohemian Shepherd Dog or, as the happy owners themselves call it, the walking dog, is a great rarity. Individual specimens of these dogs began to appear only very recently. Mostly puppies and young dogs are brought from the Czech Republic, the Baltic countries and Slovakia. In Russia, the breed is also still unrecognized, the breeding standard was approved on May 24, 2016 by the Presidium of the Russian Cynological Federation (RKS) and is still under examination, which creates certain difficulties in registering imported animals.
Therefore, those wishing to acquire such a wonderful friend as the Czech Bohemian Shepherd Dog, it is better to turn to European kennels, and even better to kennels on the territory of the Czech Republic itself. The cost of a puppy that is quite suitable for the exterior will cost about 500 euros. A promising show-class puppy will cost much more, but so far it will have to be exhibited only at exhibitions in the Czech Republic itself.
What a Bohemian Shepherd Dog looks like, see this video:
