Alaunt
Dogs
Alaunt
Alaunt |
Country of origin |
India and
Iran |
Classification and breed standards |
Not recognized by any major kennel club |
This breed of dog is
extinct |
The Alaunt is a now
extinct
Molosser
dog breed. A number
of modern breeds are believed directly descended from the Alaunt.
Appearance
The original alaunt is thought to have resembled a Central Asian
Ovcharka. They were large, short coated mountain dogs of varying type.
History of the Breed
The Alaunt was bred and formed by the Alani tribes, the Kavkaz nomads of
Sarmatian Indo-Iranian ancestry, who were known as superb warriors, herdsmen and
breeders of horses and dogs. The Alans bred their dogs for work and had
developed different strains within the breed for specific duties. As far as is
known, the Alaunt's primary ancestors were native dogs such as the Gampr and the
Alabai of the Caucasus and Central Asia,
and the shorthaired hounds of
India and
Persia.
In the 370s, Hun invasions divided the Alani into the Eastern and Western
Alans. The Eastern Alani tribes merged with the Albanians, Ossetians, Serbs and
other nations, introducing their dogs into the bloodlines of many Balkan breeds,
such as the Illyrian Mountain Dog, Metchkar, Qen Ghedje, Hellenikos Poimenikos
and other Molossers of the region. Some believe that the white-coloured Alaunts
were the direct ancestors of Greek and Albanian breeds, which in turn influenced
all other white dogs in the Balkans. The Western Alans joined the Vandals on
their raids through Europe and by the 410s, their fierce dogs were influencing
many breeds in France, Spain, Portugal, England and other
countries, spreading the use of the "alaunt" name, which became synonymous with
a type of a working
dog, rather than a specific breed. Through breeding with various
scenthounds and
sighthounds, the
Alaunt became a valued large game hunting dog, existing in a variety of types,
dictated by regional preferences.
In France, Alaunts were separated into three main categories, based on
physical appearance and the duties they performed. The lightest type was the
Alaunt Gentil, a
greyhound-like dog, which eventually became assimilated into the local
hunting breeds with the Alaunt Veantre. The heavier mastiff variety, known as
the Alaunt de Boucherie, was crucial is the development of the
fighting and
baiting dogs of France. The process was repeated in other countries, such as
England and Spain, where Alaunts crosses produced mastiffs and bulldogs, which
in return influenced nearly every European guarding, baiting and fighting breed.
Modern Relatives
Alaunt fanciers are developing of new breeds based on Alaunt bloodlines, such
as the New Alaunt, Dogo Belgrado, Abraxas bulldog and the
American Alaunt. While its origins are strongly rooted in the ancient
mountain dogs of the East, the Alaunt may be regarded as one of the original
bulldog breeds.
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