Gurdbasar

Gurdbasar or Azerbaijani wolfhound is a livestock guardian dog breed of Azerbaijan. It is mainly used in sheep farming for management of the sheep flock.

Spreading
This breed is mainly spread in the territory of Azerbaijan and was formed here. Especially in Karabakh region: Fuzuli, Gubadli, Lachin, Kalbajar districts, as well as Guba, Khizi, Shamakhi, Ismayilli, Gadabey, Lerik and Gazakh districts are used more in the farms. They are mainly kept in pastures and wintering areas. They are suitable for both mountainous and plain conditions.

Service area
At first, Gurdbasars were used to protect Azerbaijani caravans, flocks of sheep, houses and plots of land. They are distinguished by their loyalty to their owner and his family. He is very cruel to strangers. Their high physical performance and loyalty lead to their involvement in protection. Currently, it is mainly used to protect herds from wild animals.

Features
They have a medium and large body structure. The flesh and supple skin form a knot at the nape of his neck. It matures at the age of 3. Dogs that live 15 years or more are considered long-lived.

They have a muscular head. Lower jaws can be opened wide and are well developed. Their noses are large, mostly black. The ears are in direct proportion to the eyes. The teeth are well developed. They have white teeth. They have a strong neck.

Males have a height of 72 cm, and females 66 cm. The first ones have a weight of 52 kg, and the second ones have a weight of 42 kg.

Fur
Basically, they have dense hair. Dogs are divided into 2 types due to the difference in fur:


 * Sparse type — the length of the hair is 5–8 cm, and in occasional cases, the tail area is thick and densely hairy.
 * Short-haired type - they have dense hair, the hair is short. The skin under the fur is well developed. There is no luscious fur on the neck.

Characteristics of self-behavior
It is strong, compact body. They have protection in active form.

Actions
It is free, does not allow haste. Front and rear limbs are free during movement.

Recognition
Its standards were approved by protocol No. 01-0208 at the February 7, 2008 meeting of the "Caucasian Dog Breeds" public association.

Dog fights
The history of dog fighting in the territory of Azerbaijan goes back to ancient times. Battles were organized especially on holidays. Dogs are specially fed for this purpose. In order to minimize the weak points of dogs in fights, the ear and tail areas are clipped. This operation is usually performed when the dogs are still small. Even today these battles exist. Fans of dog fights can be found in almost every region of Azerbaijan.

Interesting fact
Studies have shown that already b.e. 3,000 years ago, locally domesticated dogs in Azerbaijan helped people in hunting and protecting yards and animals.