Frequently Asked Questions

The Central Asian Shepherd, also referred to as the Central Asian Ovcharka, existed 5000 years ago and is known to be the oldest breed in the world. The breed originated in the center of Asia between the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, Asia Minor, and the Northwest border of China. Places like  Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and neighboring countries. Their development is independent of human intervention, meaning their environment molded them into the dogs they are today and not humans or selective breeding. As there is a wide range of environments in Central Asia,  some CAS from different areas may slightly vary in size, color, head types, bone, and coat type depending on the climate they originated from. For example, some of the dogs from warmer climates in Central Asia will sometimes be taller and have thinner or shorter coat types while other dogs that come from mountainous areas will be shorter and have longer and/or fuller coat types. Because of this, it is very difficult to establish an official standard of the breed. 

The breed is recognized by the UKC in the United States and our imported dogs originally have FCI registration that has been transferred to the UKC. The AKC does not official recognize the breed yet but you can register the CAS under their FSS registry (Foundation Stock), however,  they are only able to compete in FSS AKC shows until officially recognized by AKC. Present history has a division between breed types and creations of new ones. The former USSR is credited with standardizing the breed in the 1920s, however, the recent creation of a new Russian standard years after USSR rule ended in their native lands has resulted in a modern version of the breed in Russia called the Central Asian Ovcharka. This new version has separated them from other indigenous types found in the native countries of Central Asia. We are just now seeing the difference of size, color and temperament between the native species and the modern, Russian-cultivated dogs.

Thousands of years ago, the Central Asian Shepherd adapted to the extreme climates and terrains of Central Asia, from frigid mountain peaks to sweltering deserts. Their natural instincts drew them to humans for attention and bonding, which led to them guarding their human companions and their possessions. Today, these dogs are still used as guard dogs by nomadic tribes in their countries of origin, as they are incredibly territorial and possessive of their people and area. Often here in the US they are used as livestock guardians and for protection as well. 

The Central Asian Shepherd is an umbrella term for several types of dogs in the Central Asian region. All of which have different names in different areas but are still classified as Central Asian Shepherds. For example: in Russia they are called Alabai. In Kyrgyzstan they are Tobet and so one depending on the area. The CAS was developed in these areas over time and used for three main reasons, livestock guardian, watchdog, and unfortunately, have been used in some lines for dog fighting.

The lifespan of this breed is not common for the average giant breed dog. They actually live between 12-15 years and have even been known in some rare cases to make it until 17 years. old. They are quite a healthy breed as well, however, as a all giant breeds, they still can have the risk of hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. 

The Central Asian Shepherd does well in extreme cold but doesn't do as well in extreme heat. Our dogs do live outside with our livestock in North Carolina heat but have shelter from the sun and pools of water to cool off in. Being that they basically have built in insulation in their coat, they can do well in the cold and rain here without getting a chill, however, we do supply our dogs with calf hutches to go in and get out of the wind and elements if they prefer to do so. I have seen owners keep their dogs inside with them as well. I personally have one that lives mainly inside with me, HOWEVER, these dogs get bored and most of the time, prefer to be outdoors. They are large dogs so if you have an indoor dog and an "accident" happens, it's a BIG accident. When they chew on something, major things can get damaged in a split second. If they don't have enough stimulation, they can get agitated, destructive, aggressive and so on. This is the case with all dogs but when you have a 100+ lb. puppy not getting enough stimulation, there can be disasters. As a whole, they usually do much better outdoors and thrive outside. They also need proper fencing if living indoors as well. Our CAS that come in our home have access to a 5' chain link fence that is electrified both at the top and bottom. As they are a giant breed, they can scale a fence or go under in the blink of an eye. 

The height and weight range can vary as there are several body types. I have personally seen a range of 130 lbs. to 200 lbs. with a height at the withers of 26" to 36" depending if the dog is male, female, and what lines they come from. Many breeders and owners want to focus mainly on the size and height of their dogs when in actuality, the entire breed is pretty large no matter what end of the spectrum the dog is on. We chart our dogs height and weight but more so gauge the correct weight by their body score rather than a number.  For example, I hear people say their dog  weighs "x" number of pounds but what does that mean? Someone can say a 5' person weighs 200 lbs. and a doctor would think this is too much but 200 lbs. on a 6' person would be fine. So saying a dog should be a certain weight at a certain age is impossible. We look more at the dog's body score and keep our dogs a bit leaner so as to not put too much weight on their bones and joints. ESPECIALLY during growth and senior years. 

The Central Asian Shepherd is a strong, independent, and loyal breed. They love the whole family but tend to gravitate toward one owner. They are especially good with children as well. They are very sensitive and intelligent but require an owner with a strong personality and leadership abilities to inspire loyalty. Heavy-handed training is not advised as it creates distrust within the relationship, however, there needs to be a steady and stern mentality when training a CAS. The breed can be very stubborn and headstrong, often testing how much they can get away with. This breed is not for the faint of heart. The CAS needs a fairly decent amount of exercise and stimulation. Without this, they can get themselves into trouble, be destructive, and so on. Being experienced and knowledgeable in dog training, especially with dominant breeds, is a MUST with this breed. They are not an easy breed but with the proper training and handling, they can make a great addition to your farm or family. The Central Asian Shepherd does very well guarding livestock as well as your home so they will be wonderful with other animals they are guarding, however,  dog on dog aggression is common and they do not tend to tolerate each other very well when the other dog is the same sex. There are always exceptions to the rule but on a general note, keeping a CAS with the opposite sex dog is best. 

This breed is a wonderful breed but NOT recommended at all for first time owners or owners with little experience handling  potentially aggressive dogs. If you enjoy a very large and challenging dog with loads of loyalty and love to give, then this is your breed. 

This is really a question that is situational. What is good for one person may not be the best for someone else. My main reasons for import all my dogs is to help infuse new and fresh lines into the gene pool we currently have in the United States. My personal opinion is that a lot of breeds in the US become popular and get overbred creating several kinds of genetic illnesses as well as personality flaws within the breed. I do not want this to happen to the CAS where they become very popular and we do not have a large enough gene pool to pull from, so I prefer to bring new blood from properly bred dogs into the US to make sure the gene pool we have here is not limited. For many, importing is a lot of work, money, and risk for a pet that will be spayed or neutered and not used for breeding purposes. 

The importing process can be daunting at times. You first have to find a breeder that you know and trust as you are transferring the funds to them in another country and those funds are not protected as they would be when using Paypal per say on other non-pet transactions. Once you find a breeder you can trust and have transferred the funds, you need to have a transporter. Be sure to verify that the country you are exporting your pup from is NOT on the banned country list. Currently there are 100 countries on the banned list. However, I have heard several horror stories regarding transporters and missing pups where the owner is out several thousand dollars. You would need to have a broker on the US side to help process all the documents and you would also need to sign a power of attorney. You will also need a broker in the pup's country of origin to arrange all the documents and the flights to the United States. Keep in mind that there are risks of the pup not being healthy and it can be hard to resolve the issue when you have a breeder in another country. The pup can also get sick or hurt in transit, pick up some sort of virus while traveling....the list goes on an on. 

For some people, these logistical  concerns, financial issues, and risks aren't a problem at all. I have personally had good experiences with this but it's certainly not a choice for everyone. Most people who just want a pet would much rather choose a pup in the US that they can pick up at the breeder's kennel, or have the pup flown to them. Neither is right or wrong and an imported pup isn't better than one bought a few hours drive from your home either. It's simply what suits you best.

All of our dogs are DNA tested for any genetic diseases  and once our dogs reach the appropriate age in maturity, they are OFA certified. 

Yes, we do have a waitlist for our pups. A person can be added to the list with requests of gender, color, personality type (livestock, protection, family pet) and so on but not just anyone who wants a pup can be permitted to buy one. We are very careful as to where our pups go. Someone can have very good intentions of raising a pup and still not be the right person to own a CAS. We prefer to speak with each person who would like to be on the waitlist to be sure they are a good fit for a pup. Once the pups are born and their personalities can be assessed, we reach out to the potential owners on the waitlist where they would then sign a contract and be asked for a non-refundable deposit with the balance being due when the pup is ready to go to it's new home. 

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A lot of people ask why I have chosen to import all of our dogs rather than purchase stateside. Dogs imported from Europe and Asia have been bred for good health, conformation, temperament, and ability to do the job intended just as in the United States, although there is a newer preferred standard in Europe than in the Untied States. Both are correct, it’s simply a matter of preference. I have noticed in some countries there are limits on the gene pool in the area. Genetic variances and variety are massively important in breeding as it makes it possible to dip into, not necessarily a larger gene pool, but a gene pool with more variety. Central Asian Shepherds are not very common in the United States or the world for that matter. Because of this, dogs are often bred to related dogs, whether distant or closely related. In some ways, this can help strengthening the good traits but also can make a greater risk of issues down the road genetically. The parents of a less broadened gene pool can be very healthy, however, some unhealthy traits or undesirable traits can still show in their offspring. The gene pool cannot get “bigger” because it is based on a small number of dogs, however, the gene pool can get SMALLER because of the same lines being bred to each other and because no new lines are being introduced to the gene pool. So to answer the question, we have been very selective in the lines we have imported to be sure to lower the potential of genetic risks of poor traits and health risks. We have imported dogs not related to lines within the United States to hopefully increase the variety in the local gene pool. We want to protect this amazing breed in every way possible. 

We have been asked frequently to see the pedigree of our dogs and as time permits, we will be adding information to our website so that OFA certification and pedigrees can be seen. In the mean time, the main questions we are being asked  are if our dogs are related to MaxoMagic lines from Daniel Nash in New York, Katarina with Guardian Dog in Michigan, and Central Asian Shepherd USA / AlabaiValley in Oregon. As to our knowledge, none of our dogs are currently related to any of the kennels listed above. We have imported all of our dogs with different lines to eventually add diversity to the gene pool that we currently have here in the North America as it is genting less and less diverse as there are not many repiutable, responsible, and quality breeders here in the North America.