The emergence of the Gampr breed, the external criteria of the Armenian wolfhound, behavior and health, advice on caring for a dog, interesting facts. Buying a puppy. These dogs are among the most ancient on earth. The breed has existed since time immemorial, and has always been the pearl of the highlands. They helped people by accompanying them everywhere. Universal dogs can: herd a flock of sheep, protect property, and protect the owner. The area where they originated consists of mountain ranges, deep gorges, mountain rivers, plains and alpine meadows. This relatively small area has virtually all climatic zones and varies with altitude. Such dogs, with their typical fidelity and good endurance, tolerate all natural changes perfectly. Having passed a unique natural selection in isolation from the outside world, they are perfect and indefatigable.
The emergence of the Gampr breed
Today, there are not so many indigenous canines left in the world, wolfhounds are one of them. Gampras have their roots in the many-sided country of Armenia. These dogs are also multifaceted and they have a lot of names. The first of them is "gampr" - a strong man, and they are also called "gel hechtl", "gel" - a wolf, "hechtl" - to choke, "Artie shun" - a bear dog, "Potorca shun" - a snow dog. They, just like the Swiss St. Bernards, searched for people trapped in snow heaps.
It was in this country that people first began to breed dogs. It happened in the 7th century BC. Then a state called Urartu arose on the territory of modern Armenia. The tribes inhabiting the country were herders, which means that they needed protection from wild animals. And they did it with the help of their wolfhounds. In the middle of the last century, the inscriptions made on clay tablets, which were found in the Armenian highlands, were translated. So, one of these documents certified the ownership of a large dog, which was used to protect against wolves.
Armenians consider these animals their oil, gold and just a miracle. This aborigine is the progenitor and king of all dogs. Today it has remained in its original form. The Armenian wolfhound is a unique dog. First, they tend to make independent decisions, even in the most serious situations, and as a rule, it turns out to be the only right one.
These strong dogs are attached to a person and the owner must reciprocate them. Because if he does not do this, the pet will ignore him. What is called - not every void is transparent. For all their aggressiveness towards the wolf, they are very open and kind-hearted towards people. A vice for the breed is unreasonable aggression towards humans and equates to cowardice.
In the USSR, gampras were practically unknown due to their small number. And the Soviet Union did not like to encourage the breeding of national dog breeds. But today there is a real revival of the species. In 2009, the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia recognized the gampra as a national treasure of the republic and announced that they were protected by the state. Only one thousand three hundred and fifty individuals are officially registered in the country. Dog handlers strictly monitor the preservation of the standard.
The purpose of these criteria is to provide general information about the history and characteristics of the dog, as well as to help those who breed them, participate in exhibitions, competitions, live and work side by side with these animals. The standard describes behavior, appearance, and general guidelines for training and selection.
Wolfhound is not a breed, but a vocation of a dog. Not every dog can muster up the courage to confront the "gray predator". When newborn puppies reach two months of age, a wolf skin is thrown at them. And then watch the reaction of the dogs. Who is more active and aggressive - shakes her, while others can simply move away. Experts say that a real wolfhound can be seen from an early age. According to the testimony of the 5th century historian Movses Khorenatsi, the Armenian king Sanatruk was saved by a dog in infancy. Legend has it that the baby was guarded by a new white animal sent by the gods. Local mythical folklore embodies them with courage, wisdom, strength, beauty, honesty and loyalty. Armenians are so attached to the gampr that they consider their dog a divine creature, capable of licking wounds and reviving people. The people have an ancient history and culture, and the wolfhound plays an important role in it.
Amazingly, they say that children can do whatever they want with this dog. Earlier, in ancient times, when a man went to the field or to hunt, women with children were left in the care of these dogs.
There were times when this breed was nearly lost. It happened during the genocide - the massacre of Armenians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the territories controlled by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire. The Gampras defended their masters to the last drop of their blood. Knowing this, the attackers killed the dogs first. I would like to bow my head before these animals in memory of these terrible events. Looking at them, it immediately becomes clear that their homeland is Armenia. They are very similar to the mountains, grasses, expanses and people of the country. Truly happy will be the person who will have such a friend and you can sympathize with the one who tries to be at enmity with the gampr.
In 1954, when the waters of the shallow Lake Sevan receded, tombs of the era of the kingdom of Urartu (I millennium BC) were discovered. In one of them, they found a well-preserved skull of a dog, which, in terms of its criteria and characteristics, resembles the outline of a gampra. Also, images of such dogs are found on many ceramic products. The development of sheep breeding in the highlands has created a need for the formation of a breed of large hardy and strong dogs that can protect the shepherd and his herd from predators. Numerous studies indicate that this canine species was formed in its current state about five millennia ago.
External criteria of the Armenian wolfhound
A powerful, hardy dog that practically does not need to be specially trained, its functional features are inherent in it by nature. The wolfhound can be used as: hunter, rescuer, fighter, protector, watchman.
The appearance of the present aboriginal gampra has practically remained pristine for the entire history of its existence. A large, strong dog of powerful bones, with an impressive head. Persistent, tolerates any temperature changes well and is adapted to different local reliefs: both mountainous and flat, it is not picky about food.
He does not show aggression towards people for no reason, respects the owner and all household members. Independent, self-reliant and calm dog with excellent nervous organization. Moves straight, free and fast.
The ideal height at the withers in males is from 68 cm, in females from 64 cm. With a harmonious constitution, the height is allowed in males up to 77 cm, in females up to 71 cm. Weight reaches from 45 to 70 kg.
- Head voluminous, massive, impressive, with well-defined lines. The top of the skull is broad. The forehead is fairly flat with a not very prominent furrow. The cheekbones are well filled. The occipital protuberance and superciliary arches are smoothed.
- Muzzle large, slightly shorter than the skull. The foot lines are smooth. The jaws are very powerful. I flew slightly overlapping the lower jaw. Lips with black pigmentation, tight-fitting, dryish. The teeth have a full row - large and white. The bite should be in the form of scissors.
- Nose voluminous, large, stands out on the face. Should be black.
- Eyes medium rise, not large. The eyelids are dry, well-fitting, black-pigmented. They are: brown, dark brown or honey shade - depending on the color of the dog. The expression of the eyes is meaningful, expertly evaluating everything around.
- Ears gampra are triangular with thick cartilage. Placed slightly below eye level. They must be cut short.
- Neck monumental, medium-sized. The withers are pronounced.
- Frame in length, medium, powerful, rough with an impressive bone and a very developed muscular system. The rib cage is wide, deep, and rather spacious, elongated, reaching the elbow line. The belly is slightly tucked up. Its line merges smoothly into the continuation of the chest. The back is extended, powerful, and even. The loin is short, broad and muscular. When judging the dog from the side, it appears that the croup is slightly higher.
- Tail high landing. At the base it is thick, towards the end it is narrower and slightly curved. It reaches the length of the hock. At rest, the gampr keeps it down. In working condition or when the dog is running, he raises his tail above the line of the spine in the form of a sickle or half ring.
- Front limbs - muscular, erect, parallel to each other, their bones are strong. The elbows are well attached to the body. The forearms are straight, full, seen from the side, set at an oblique angle. The hind ones are straight, parallel to each other. The hocks are slightly erect and strong. The thighs and tibiae are elongated. The knee joints are well formed. The hocks are impressive, the heels are well developed.
- Paws voluminous, rounded, with arched, tightly spaced toes. The nails are strong, the pads are dense and large. Such a structure of the paws provides the dog with the opportunity to perfectly move both on flat terrain and along mountain slopes and stones.
- Coat double, densely growing with a dense undercoat. Allows you to adapt well to various weather extremes. It is not smooth - slightly raised, matte. It is the shortest in the head region on the muzzle, ears and forelegs. The body is covered with guard hairs from two to six centimeters long, depending on which climatic zone the gampr lives in. The dog's skin is thick.
- Color - all kinds, except for brown shades. A dog of any color must have a dark-colored mask on the muzzle.
Gampra behavior
The dog is an excellent watchdog, but at the same time it is a multifunctional dog that can be a bodyguard and assistant to a shepherd, warrior or hunter. The strongest animal - there are not many such breeds. The Armenian wolfhound is unique in character. Not all large species behave adequately in the first minutes of communication with anyone. The dog has no "hard" thoughts, is very balanced, always able to take adequate measures to make hasty actions.
They adore the family they live in. Serious dog with a good-natured disposition. Strongly attached to the owner and to the children. Any little stranger child can come up and hug her. They are very friendly to the guest, adore women and their children, but this is still a dog of the same owner.
The owners of these dogs breed gampers every season. One bitch gives birth to seven to nine puppies. Thus, they try to keep a good breed line and, in fact, pass on the dogs by genus. Family members need to know how to handle these animals. Even children, from an early age playing with puppies, learn to contact with the breed and will know what to do to preserve it.
Despite the exhausting alpine conditions, the dogs continue to carry out their service. They are very hardy and not capricious. Whenever possible, shepherd dogs prefer to lie down for several hours to save energy. It may seem as if they have forgotten where they are and why, but they are sitting in such a place from which you can see everything around. The females are especially unique in this breed. The farmer can keep five, six males and a bitch. The female is twenty-four hours in motion, always watching what is happening. This behavior of the dog is explained by the fact that it manifests a maternal instinct, regardless of whether it has puppies or not. A bitch raises the males of the gampr to fight the wolf. Until a certain point, she runs ahead of everyone else, but when it comes to fighting, the female moves away, leaving the males.
Health of the Armenian wolfhound, rules of care
Such dogs are aboriginal, which means that their genotype has been formed over many centuries with the help of Mother Nature. Such dogs are endowed with a good immune system and good health, but in order not to spoil the excellent data, all that is required of you is to raise the dog correctly: feed it well and take care of it.
- Wool in wolfhounds it is tough and considered self-cleaning. Therefore, they are very rarely bathed. Combed out during molting more often, with a slicker or furminator. Of course, before the show, the pet must go through all the necessary hairdressing tricks.
- Ears which are docked, ventilated and rarely cleaned.
- Eyes wipe if necessary.
- Teeth try to brush your pet regularly. If you have not taught your pet or you do not have time for this, then use preventive measures. For example, let your pet chew on hard cartilage and pressed bones from pet stores.
- Claws when regrowing, cut with claws.
- Feeding large, working dogs should always be complete. Wolfhounds that perform their functions in the mountains or in pastures are fed exclusively with meat. In this case, you need to add some cereals and eggs to the diet, as well as fortified and mineral supplements. If the pet is a show pet, then of course breeders prefer a diet of super-premium food, which has everything that is needed for the normal functioning of the dog's body.
- Walking long, three times a day, but in general the gampras are not for an apartment. They should be able to walk freely. Also, the owner is obliged to provide his pet with the opportunity to show all his working qualities.
Gampra training
The Armenian wolfhound is a serious, but at the same time balanced and good-natured dog. All his qualities are inherent in him at the genetic level. Therefore, it is quite easy to train them. Gumpers are very smart and grasp everything on the fly. Never physically punish an animal. It can be traumatized for life. Train him firmly, but at the same time loyally. Apply methods of reward. Some dogs love praise, others something delicious. If you find an approach to your dog, you will earn her trust, and at the same time she will do her best to please you, following any of your commands.
Interesting facts about the Armenian wolfhound
Previously, the people of the Armenian highlands preferred not gold and silver for trade exchange, but livestock or products of farm labor. The price of the Armenian wolfhound was determined depending on its qualities and in what conditions it was grown. Since people fed and survived at the expense of livestock and its waste products, and there were many wolves in the mountains, the animals had to be protected. Therefore, gampras were highly prized. In the highlands, one pedigree dog was given: six hundred and forty kilograms of grain, one horse, a cow with a calf, or ten sheep. Also, for a thoroughbred individual, you could pay eighty kilograms of honey, the same amount of fat, or a lot of sheared sheep's wool.
Buying a Gampra puppy
The best individuals of this breed are in the nurseries of the Armenian Republic, but before buying such a serious dog, decide what you need it for. Never mindlessly start a single animal. First of all, the dog will have to pay for your mistake. When purchasing a wolfhound puppy, you must evaluate your strengths and means. After all, he needs good nutrition and your time for education. The cost of the gampr can vary from $ 500 to $ 1000.
More about the Gampr breed in the following video:
