Central Asian Shepherd 350

The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is a large dog breed that originated from a large territory in what is now Central Asia. Although this dog breed may have some specific human guidance now, they didn’t originate that way. One of the facts about Central Asian Shepherds is that they are not a man-made breed.

This dog breed is one of the oldest known breeds. It developed on its own through natural selection over more than 5,000 years. Central Asian Shepherds originated and developed over the territory that now ranges from Southern Ural to Afghanistan and from China to the Caspian Sea. These dogs are known historically as a livestock guardian breed. They were commonly used to guard herds of sheep and goats, but they were also used for general guard duty against people and especially wild predator animals.

Although they are not quite fully recognized by the AKC yet, Central Asian Shepherd Dogs have been assigned to the Working Group and have been recorded in the Foundation Stock Service since 1996. As of 2010, this breed has also been approved to compete in AKC Companion Events.