Breeds As Ingredients
The truth is there are far too many breeds that interest me to limit myself to one or even two, so I have no intention of doing so. But I have, of necessity, spent years narrowing my choices to a manageable number of purebreds; Boerboels, Dogos, Kangals. And and a couple basic long term divisions for crosses; low prey drive ( the Olympic Farm dogs ) and high, ( the Olympic Road dogs ).
Time, or exceptional dogs of other breeds, may dictate new directions. But for the last several years these are the breeds I’ve been focused on, these I breed and sell pure, these breeds have full descriptions of their own in their respective sections from which a person can make reasonable assumptions as to what they might bring in a cross.
But in this section I want to talk a bit about these breeds, and other I use, like Dane and Akita, as components. I want to address their traits, as ingredients, as they relate to each other; as relates to crossing them.
For the naysayers we have already addressed an essay DEFENDING THE CROSS what follows is written more for the open, or even like minded.
And I want to talk about the major divisions, as I see them, in our dogs.
Prey drive
This is the big one for me; it’s the Mason-Dixon line for anyone with livestock really. Dog’s bred to guard and protect vs. dogs bred to hunt, to get after stuff. Dog’s that can be trusted with stock and dog’s that ….. well really can’t. That’s the primary difference between a road dog and farm dog for me. They are all territorial, they will all protect the home turf from unwanted visitors.
Independence
This perhaps the broadest division but the ramifications of it are myriad. The majority of the breeds I work with are not very independent, and as a result are relatively biddable. The Boerboel, Dogo, Dane these are all yes men dogs to one degree or another; relative to a Kangal anyway, who may well obey, may well be quicker to realize what’s wanted even, but definitely thinks for itself. Or say an Akita who is as independent as anything I’ve owned, and high prey drive. So much so that all I can even keep around anymore is a half Akita.
Argentine Dogo: as ingredient
Heart: is the first thing I think when I think Dogo. When you look at their heads you know where the Heart comes from. But in a dogo that heart beats in long, tall, athletic body. These are Hunting dogs with a lot of fight, get after it, stay at it dogs. These are not dogs easily discouraged from a struggle once they engage, many will go to the death. The Dogo is a dog of temperamental extremes; both an incredibly sweet, tolerant, loving family dog and a dog capable of often suicidal tenacity. This paradox is hard to comprehend, hard not to respect, and for me impossible to resist. In a nutshell a Dogo is a dog with balls, in a world where most breeds are born half neutered any more.
Toughness: A delicate distinction I’m making from heart here, the pain tolerance I’ve experienced in these dogs is pretty impressive, they’re scrappers.
Athleticism: Big time, these dogs are extremely athletic for their size
Prey drive: very high, if that might present a problem, you probably don’t want much Dogo in the mix
Dog Aggression: Very high also, despite the ” pack hunter” lip service
Intelligence: I find them to be quite sharp really, if a bit quirky at times
Size: it’s a touchy subject in Dogos, but I like the big ones, the longer taller ones, because otherwise they start looking very much like pit bulls. So I’ve made it a point to have and breed dogs on the high side of the range, and will continue to do so.
Health: The Dogo is quite possibly the canine poster child of inadequate genetic foundation ( too few, too closely related…the opposite of a landrace breed ). This may seem counter intuitive to those who know a little of Dogo history (the breed was created by mixing a variety of breeds ) and it may have been had the Martinez brother’s plans not been impacted by their respective fates. The plans of mice and men often do go astray, and so it was that the Martinez brothers were forced to “reconstruct “ from a far smaller base then they intended. As a result Dogos suffer from a a variety of issues associated with inbreeding. Various auto-immune issues; most often evidenced in skin problems, diminished fertility, and more. Not to mention issues associated with being all white; sunburn, deafness, etc. As such they are prime candidates to benefit from a cross, so long as it’s not to a white dog, and they bring much to the table.
South African Boerboel: 1 to 10
South African Boerboel: as ingredient
Gravity: The Boerboel, first and fore most, is sticky. A family dog, great with kids and will become their new shadow out of the crate and as long as it lives. They will wait outside whatever door you last went in, often sleep there in the rain rather than seek shelter. They will move with you all day long if your work keeps you moving. They are born to stay by your side, like secret service agents.
Biddability: The second thing I think of is biddable, they are by your side they are looking to your eyes to see what you want. Thirdly they bring a moderate amount of
Minimal prey drive: They are manageable around stock, it’s no uphill battle to get them to refrain from killing your other critters.
Protective: This what their supposed to be all about…that’s job one. They should be wary/suspicious of strangers, and confident enough to want to get between them and you.
Coats: Short, and well suited to hot sunny climates, they also do fine outdoors in moderate cold.
Size: everybody lies; I’d say 130 was probably a generous “average size male” probably 100 for a bitch. Although they do vary and it’s not uncommon to get 160 lb males…. and some as large as 180 or more, it does become a challenge to find one that size that still moves well.
A guardian breed; family, farm, livestock. A real boerboel might be the perfect farm dog for me, might be all I needed, might be for a lot of people. The hard part is finding one that lives up to the superbly orchestrated Afrikaner marketing. And then finding two. As a component, one is all we need, and you can see how they might be useful to mix with many a breed.
Kangal as ingredient:
Born and bred to protect livestock. The Kangal is my livestock guardian of choice. Also the only one in the final four that brings extreme cold weather tolerance, without the extreme shaggy often problematic coats of many of the livestock guardians. Or for that matter any degree of independence. I also expect a healthy dose of overall health and heartiness, as the Turks are historically less inclined to baby their dogs. Generally better hips than all the “mastiffs” ( penn hip .45) And excellent vision, for use on the endless vistas of Turkeys rolling sheep country. Little to no prey drive and a strong desire to protect everything in their domain from creatures that don’t belong, two or four legged.
Temperamentally they are possessed of some combination of nurturing or absence of prey drive sufficient that they can be trusted left alone with livestock. They watch, they guard, they protect. They don’t need to be in your lap. They don’t need your approval, and they are not inclined to work to hard to get it.
Intelligence: I find them to be the smartest dogs here, not yes men, but thinking to be sure.
Independence factor is high. A double edged sword to be sure, and perhaps the most significant difference in Dog temperament. It is a thing of pros and cons. Having raised Akitas ( super independent ) and Boerboels ( super biddable to the point of being needy ) I do find both extremes annoying at times, and helpful at others; but as the other three in the the final four are basically biddable, the Kangal will be a much needed infusion of independent thinking and spirit that I look forward to mixing to suit.
Health: To the extant the kangal is a sort of land race breed I hope they will bring a needed helping of overall health, hardiness and temperamental soundness that is often lacking in the breeds composed of more limited foundation stock. They do tend to live a very long time.
Cold weather tolerance: Can not underestimate that. The other three breeds of my choosing, most bully breeds for that matter, tend to be short coated dogs that can only tolerate so much cold. And what good is any form of watch dog if it’s curled up shivering in the bowels of it’s shelter throughout winter ? If I’m on a road trip in winter I want a dog to be comfortable sleeping under the truck, not one whining to be in the back with me. The Sivas region and much of Eastern Turkey is bitter cold, and wicked hot, these dogs, historically, were anything but pampered.
Nurturing: I believe that this is at the heart of a livestock guardian, an instinct to care for and protect, that has been selected for and made prominent over the prey drive that exists to some extent in all dogs. For anyone on a farm ( not to mention mad scientist dog breeders on farms ) this modulation of the prey drive is huge, this is critical. And I believe this basic temperament is easily shifted towards human family, cats; you name it. You raise em with it, they won’t kill it; they will protect it. Having had more than than my share of dogs for whom not killing is not natural, I very much appreciate it.
Eyesight: I can’t prove it, but I spent a month exploring the rolling vistas of Turkey and I’ve got to believe that if ever a breed would evolve good eye sight it would be one expected to guard livestock in that kind of terrain. Mine clearly has amazing vision, I no longer assume him to be barking pointlessly….I just look through a scope. His vision is hands down superior to any other dog on the farm.
Length/scale : These dogs are long and tall, thirty plus inches at the shoulder yet built to cover ground if needed, athletic, not clunky not too heavy.
Great Dane:
The Great Dane is a stretch for me I’ll admit. It’s the bodies though that get me, I like the scale. I like a tall leggy dog, a dog that covers all sorts of ground. Granted the temperaments and smarts that I’ve found, leave a lot to be desired, but I’m going to literally scour the earth for a Dane with enough smarts, nerve, and guts to warrant feeding. I believe there must still be some out there, needle in the haystack of dopey Disney Danes though a good one most certainly is
Good with kids: On thing they have in common with the rest of the final four is they are truly good with children, true family dogs. I am hoping that I can find Danes as close to Danes of old to begin with but with the addition of working molosser lines, I anticipate producing something similar to a Dane of lore, in body and in spirit.
Dog aggression nil: Many people may find a Dogo or a hard Boerboel a little much to handle, more dog aggression than is ideal, or more liability than they want. The Dane cross, at least until I find hard Dane, is a sure way to water that down; without needing the watered down Dogos or Boerboels.
Good Hips: Another point that bears mention regards the contribution I expect the Dane to make is that for all their size they do tend to have good hips, better in fact than any mastiff. (See the pennhip scores) At present I have a gorgeous Dane with better movement than any dog I’ve seen anywhere close to his size with a pennhip .21 .24. …. ah if he only had a brain…. and a heart… he might leave a mark.
Coat: short
Size: 32, 33, 34, 35 inches… at the shoulder, scale baby, scale.
