Gampr dog

History of origin

Sometimes you want to imagine what our ancestors were thousands of years ago, how they lived, how they thought. Unfortunately, only the ruins of ancient cities and chronicles heavily distorted by historians of different times have survived to this day. And only aboriginal breeds of dogs, which miraculously survived in some places on earth, are living relics of that ancient era that have survived millennia and retained their original appearance. One of these dogs is the Gampr or Caucasian Shepherd Dog of the Armenian Highlands.

The first genuine references to these dogs that have come down to us date back to the XNUMXst millennium BC. These are rock carvings depicting hunting with large dogs. Actually, this is not surprising, because it is Armenia that is the cradle of civilization – one of the world’s first centralized states, Urartu, arose right here. Moreover, due to its geographical position, the country was able to preserve its originality, carrying through the millennia the language, culture and … dogs.

Judging by the bone finds, the gampr is a hybrid of a dog and a wolf, but initially it was smaller, while possessing stronger teeth. Subsequently, apparently as a result of mutations, the dogs became more powerful, their ears turned from erect to hanging, and their muzzle was shortened.

In ancient times, there was no specialization of breeds for service, shepherd or hunting, so the gampra can be called a universal dog: it can graze flocks of sheep, guard the house, and drive the beast. But most often they were engaged in protecting herds from the attack of wolves.

For centuries, gamprs have happily escaped selection and the influx of other bloodlines. These dogs first left their country in the XNUMXth century, when, pressed by the Seljuk Turks, the Armenians were forced to leave their native lands and move to other places, in particular, to the Crimea.

Today gamprs are much less known outside of Armenia than their close relatives Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, Alabai and Anatolian Karabash. At the same time, in 2011, the International Cynological Federation recognized the Gamprov as an aboriginal Armenian breed.

Breed description

Large, powerful, but not flabby dog, giving the impression of calm strength. A massive head with a wide forehead, small eyes with a fixed and calm expression. The ears are hanging, but most often they are cropped at an early age. The back is straight, the tail is saber-shaped, more often it is kept down, but in a good mood the dog can throw it on its back. Paws are high, powerful, but not thick. The chest is wide. With large sizes, the dogs do not give the impression of massive, rather they are the embodiment of speed, agility and noble strength.

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Character

Gampr is, first of all, a person worthy of respect. He is a leader by nature, a reliable protector of the weak, a conscientious guard and a devoted friend to his two-legged partner. It is a partner, not an owner, because these dogs prefer to maintain friendly relations with people. The “servant-master” model does not work for them. Gampr will never bring slippers, but his heart will always beat in unison with the heart of the only person whom the dog has chosen as his leader. And being a direct descendant of the wolf, he respects the pack hierarchy very much, so you need to be prepared for the fact that at the age of about 4 months the puppy will begin to “pump rights”, trying to establish leadership in the pack, which considers the family in which he lives. He will stop obeying, maybe even show aggression. And, if a person has enough endurance, love and wisdom not to respond to this with cruelty, but to calmly insist on his own, he will receive the most devoted friend that one can dream of.

Gampras are incredibly smart and able to make independent decisions, so they should be trusted. They are kind to the weak, they can be happy to babysit children or kittens, while skillfully proportioning their strength and never harm the kids.

Historically, gamprs were not so much pets as they simply coexisted with humans and almost took care of themselves on their own. Leaving with the flocks in the mountains for many days, these dogs themselves obtained water and food. They are not afraid of either cold or heat and rarely get sick.

Of course, they are not suitable for an apartment, and not so much even because of their size, but because they need physical activity. But it is absolutely impossible to keep them on a chain, otherwise the gampr will turn into an embittered and uncontrollable creature. If you are waiting for guests and want to isolate it for this time, it is better to just close it in the aviary. By putting the dog on a chain, you forever betray his trust and friendship.

Their thick coat needs to be combed out, but it is not prone to matting. In food, gamprs are unpretentious and will be happy with both natural food and dry food. The main thing is that fresh water is always available.

Education and training

There is an opinion that gamprs cannot be trained, so it is better not to start. This is the grossest delusion of people who either simply do not know the breed, or at one time failed to achieve the respect of the dog. These dogs are incredibly smart, but only those who are recognized as their leader will obey. And, if you have been awarded this honor, training a gampr will be a real pleasure, because he understands what they want from him, literally from the second time. Moreover, it works equally well both for the word and for the gesture.

As a matter of fact, in the upbringing of the Gampr, the main stage is his “transitional age”, when he determines his place in the pack. You will be able to show patience, you will have enough endurance and love – you will get an absolutely adequate and controllable dog.

Another very important point of education is socialization. Gampras, who have been kept on a chain or an aviary since childhood and are not allowed to communicate with people and other animals, grow up unsure of themselves, and therefore aggressive. Therefore, a puppy needs to be introduced to the world from a very young age. Let him play with children, other dogs, cats – the main thing is that he understands that the world around him does not pose a threat. You should not artificially instill aggression in him, because this is mainly done by people who themselves are nothing of themselves and are trying to assert themselves at the expense of an innocent dog.

Health and disease

Gampras are very unpretentious and healthy dogs. They are not afraid of the influence of the external environment and are not subject to any breed diseases. All their ailments can be purely individual, and they can be avoided if you do not forget to do all vaccinations on time. Moreover, vaccination is also needed if the dog does not live in the city, but somewhere in the village. Since gamprs spend most of their lives in nature, do not forget about the treatment of dogs from parasites – both external (fleas and ticks) and internal.

Also, in order for the dog to live a long healthy life, you need to monitor his nutrition. Yes, gamprs are very unpretentious in food, but dogs should not be underfed or given tubular chicken bones or pork. However, this rule works absolutely for all breeds.

Word to the breeder

Violetta Yurievna Gabrielyan – President of the Kennel Union of Armenia: “The Armenian wolfhound gampr is the king among dogs for us, the oldest, oldest aborigine on earth, spread from the Armenian highlands and gave life to all molossian dogs, given the geographical position of Armenia! He is our brother, our apricot, our Armenian carpet, our majestic biblical rock Ararat, the brand of Armenia, strong, beautiful, intelligent and most importantly with an iron, balanced mentality, a multifunctional dog who has served and is ready to continue serving people, no matter what territory he lives in !”

Gagik Rubikovich from Moscow, owner of an Armenian gampr kennel called “Armenian Lion from Urartu”: “Gampr is the king of all dogs. I love all my dogs endlessly, regardless of titles. This unconditional love was taught to me by a dog whose name was Aslan, the founder of my kennel. His lessons of wisdom and unconditional love live in my heart, in every dog ​​born in my kennel, and are the driving force behind all my work with animals.

Let’s learn to love our “children” the way they do – absolutely!

Rodionova Valentina, Gamprom breeder from Moscow: “You can talk a lot about gamprs. I am , but I just admire the Armenian wolfhound. The breed is unique and versatile.

These are dogs with intelligence and an iron psyche. Infinitely devoted to their family, they are ready to fight to the death for its members. With children – nannies. They let you do absolutely everything. This is not just a dog – it is a full-fledged family member, companion, devoted friend and protector. With the right upbringing, they understand perfectly. Looking into their devoted and intelligent eyes, you will surely fall in love.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the content of gampres with zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.