Gampr: What do dogs look like and how can they be kept?

Gampr (Armenian wolfhound) is a very interesting breed, not very famous on the territory of Russia. These dogs are quite large and their main task for many decades has been to protect the owners, their property and housing. The dog is characterized by excellent physical condition, intelligence, calm disposition and ingenuity.

Gampr, he is an Armenian wolfhound, originally from Armenia. There are documents containing information about military campaigns dating back to the 1st century BC, in which similarly looking dogs took part. In addition, at one time the dog accompanied the nomads, guarding livestock, houses and property owners. The times of war shocks led to a significant reduction in breed numbers.

Currently, about 2,000 purebred dogs are registered in Armenia, and the club of Armenian Gamprovs operates in America.whose job is to preserve the breed. The breed is recognized as a national treasure of Armenia.

Even by the name of the breed, translated from Armenian meaning “strong, large,” you can guess what its representatives look like. These big and brave dogs do an excellent job with their main task - to protect people, herds and shelter. In many ways, the current dogs retain in appearance the features of their ancient ancestors. Their size at the withers ranges from 63 to 70 centimeters. The weight of the dog is in the range from 45 to 90 kilograms.

The dog is quite large and heavy, but it moves very easily and harmoniously, without creating the effect of gravity and clumsiness. According to the standard, there are several characteristics inherent in the Armenian wolfhound. The skull of the dog is massive, and its length varies from 170 to 173 millimeters. A rather voluminous cranium, occupying more than half of the entire skull, has a wide flat forehead with a width in the range from 63 to 65 millimeters. The bow lobe is colored black.

Strong jaws consist of a dense row of teeth. Scissor bite ensures a firm grip. Small and deep-set eyes are colored in a brown tint. Kaemka century is covered with black pigment. Even puppies look smart and strong. Freely hanging ears have a rounded tip. Often their owners stop. The neck is shaped like a cone and has rather strong muscles.

The paws of the gampra are strong, and the hind legs, in addition, are slightly raised in the joints. The fat tail is lowered when the dog is calm, but rises when moving or changing mood. In the standard, only short-haired dogs are indicated, but there are long-haired varieties. In addition to regular hair, they also have a thick undercoat, which additionally protects in cold weather. It is not exposed to water, and therefore does not reach the body and does not contribute to its freezing. Armenian wolfhound lives from 10 to 12 years.

Representatives of this breed are quite expensive. For a purebred puppy purchased in the nursery, you will have to pay from 200 to 1000 dollars. Currently, there are proven gamprov breeders in both Russia and Ukraine, although earlier it was possible to buy such a dog only in Armenia and in the United States.

When purchasing a puppy, the buyer must carefully examine the baby.If the animal is active, friendly, easy to contact and enjoy life, then everything is fine with it. In appearance it is worth assessing the condition of the eyes, which should be shiny and clean, as well as the softness of the fur. In addition, you can not do without checking the pedigree, or at least parents gampra. Ideally, of course, they are worth seeing live, but if it is impossible, it will be enough to examine the available information. Among the characteristics of the parents of the dog should appear balanced psyche, as well as agreement to the subordination of its owner.

By the nature of gampr calm and independent. He is devoted to the owner and is ready to defend him to the last. Armenian wolfhound is very clever, he even to some extent realizes his strength. The dog will not bark without any reason, especially if there are children nearby. In addition, the animal decides on its own how to protect the territory and how to protect its owners.

Between humans and animals form a smooth, friendly relationship. At the same time, in a critical situation, the dog in any case decides on its own whether the owner needs protection and whether to attack an outsider. It is important to gain the confidence of the gampra, and then he will become a true friend. In the case when people show indifference and indifference to him, the animal responds in the same way. The dog belongs to other pets without much interest. He initially considers them weak and defenseless, and therefore protects and patronizes.

Armenian wolfhound is very smart. He will never bark, lash out or show aggression for no particular reason. Nevertheless, the owner of such a dog can only be a person with strength and character. Gampra is not suitable for nervous and insecure individuals who are unable to communicate with him on an equal footing. It is important that the owner establishes his position from the very beginning, because improper upbringing of the puppy leads to the fact that the adult dog is uncontrollable.

The animal feels good emotions of others, both negative and positive. Therefore, the dog will not frighten those who fear him, but will boldly enter the battle if he feels anger directed at him or his masters. Naturally, if a person treats a gampra with sympathy, respect, or at least neutral, the dog will respond to him with the same coin.

The characteristics of the wolfhound and include such an interesting feature as emotional stability. An animal can not be intimidated, because it understands and correctly evaluates its capabilities. In a calm situation, the dog looks relaxed and even uninterested, but it is worth the slightest danger, and the dog's mood will change immediately.

The advantages of the Armenian wolfhound primarily include his intelligence and ingenuity. If you start training in time, you will be able to achieve very successful results. Gampr is the perfect advocate who clearly understands who is in front of him: good or bad. They quickly understand the situation and immediately begin to act. The calm and even nature of the dog makes it absolutely safe for children and other animals.

Other positive qualities of the breed include loyalty to the animal. In addition, the need for complex care or the creation of unusual conditions of detention for it is absent. The disadvantages of the Armenian wolfhound are in many respects characteristic of all large dogs, whose main function is protection. Their character is rather independent, and therefore, in most cases, they prefer to make their own decisions rather than listen to the owner.

The Central Asian Shepherd Dog (Alabai) is very similar to the Armenian Wolfhound.The main differences are in shades of wool, the shape of the mask. Gampr reaches 70 kilograms in weight, and its height at the withers is 90 centimeters. Alabai, being the same large dog, still does not catch up with him a little by physical means. His weight corresponds to the figure of 50 kilograms, and the height at the withers does not exceed 70 centimeters. Health problems in both breeds are the same.

Best of all, if the Armenian wolfhound will get fresh and natural food. Such fairly simple foods like raw meat, eggs, dairy products and vegetables give the dog all the necessary vitamins and useful elements and allow the little puppy to grow into a strong dog. In addition, sea fish, offal, such as hearts and liver, as well as a variety of cereals are added to the diet. Fish, by the way, is allowed to be consumed only once in 7 days. It must be pre-boned and boiled. Meat is better to take low-fat varieties. When preparing cereals, which are a source of carbohydrates, it is recommended to add a small amount of vegetable oil, broth, and vegetables - raw, boiled or even stewed.

Until the puppy is 5 months old, he should be fed four times a day., and the volume of a single portion fluctuates from 700 grams to kilogram. At the age of six months to a year, the frequency of feeding is reduced to 3 times a day. The volume of the portion in this case increases to 1.5 liters. When a little gampra is a year old, it will be enough to feed him twice a day. The amount of food consumed by an adult dog is again reduced to 700-800 grams.

To prevent the development of diseases it is recommended to enrich the dog's menu with tendons and cartilage. To do this, periodically enough to give the puppy Mosley. The course of vitamins is recommended for the Armenian wolfhound to drink twice a year.

In principle, it is not forbidden to feed the dog only with dry feed. Be sure to purchase a mixture of premium, as well as those that are designed specifically for large breeds. Drinking vitamin complexes in this case makes no sense, since the combinations developed by veterinarians already contain all the necessary components. In general, gampr is ready to eat anything, even from the master's table. But, of course, it is better to formulate its diet thoughtfully, making it balanced and containing a large amount of proteins with carbohydrates. Protein should be 40% of each meal.

The nutrition of the Armenian wolfhound may differ depending on the purpose for which the puppy is raised. A dog that has to work actively, that is, to herd or guard the herd, it is important to get a balanced, but nutritious diet. The main part of it is meat, eggs and cereals, cooked in meat broth. In that case, when gampra is grown for performance at exhibitions, it is better to bet on premium class feed. Such mixtures are characterized by the presence of all the components necessary for health, high protein content and vitamins.

Do not forget that the lack of proteins leads to health problems, and a small amount of minerals in addition contributes to the thinning of the teeth and bones in the animal.

Gamprov is not recommended to settle in city apartments. Most of all this breed is suitable enclosure, the walls and floor of which are additionally insulated, or else an open canopy under which to rest. Armenian wolfhound is not cold outside even at sub-zero temperatures, since the presence of the undercoat creates the necessary protection from frost.But it is important for him to have access to a free and extensive open-air space, and therefore he will feel best of all just outside.

An ideal habitat for the gampra is a country house with a large territory, fenced and accessible for dog guard. A shelter equipped for a dog should not interfere with the view, otherwise the dog will get nervous.

Water procedures are not often required for dogs, as a rule, once or twice a year. The frequency is determined depending on the situation - of course, the dog, which is imbued with fuel oil, will have to be washed unscheduled. The weight of the dog reaches 80 kilograms, and therefore you cannot place a gampra in an ordinary bath. It is much more convenient to carry out swimming in the street using a conventional hose. It is believed that simple water perfectly cope with the task, and some shampoos to use it makes sense only with heavy pollution.

Eyes, ears and teeth are recommended to inspect once a week. The ears of the Armenian wolfhound are not particularly polluted, but insects, especially mites, crawl in there. It is necessary to clean this part of the body every 3-4 months There is no sense in checking the teeth until the dog is 3-4 years old, except for the period from birth to 7 months. Further routine inspection is required.

Full teeth cleaning is carried out once a month or more often if the main diet is a dry food. If the dog eats natural products, often gnaws mosly and bones, then most of the plaque can be cleaned off by itself. Eyes are checked every week, if there is a dog discharge, they are taken to the vet. There is no need to take special care of the claws, as they are ground when there is adequate physical activity. If this effect does not occur, then it is worth cutting the claws when the need arises.

In addition, the paws should also be regularly inspected for cracks, delamination and injuries pads. The underfur gampra is required to be periodically combed out, and the frequency of the procedure should increase during the molt period. It is important that the pet get used to it from the very first days of life, so at first they should be carried out in a game format.

An important component of animal care is to ensure its health. In most cases, innate immunity provides protection against allergies, as well as the ability to defend against parasites. However, quite often the pet suffers from problems with the musculoskeletal system. The dog is very common dysplasia of the hip joints and numerous dislocations. In addition, the cases of plague and rabies are quite frequent. Preventing the problem is possible if you vaccinate in time.

In many ways, the health of the gampra is provided by sufficient physical activity, and she, in turn, is perfectly performed by the animals themselves. Up to old age, the dog prefers to be in constant motion, and therefore its owner only needs to provide the walking mode prescribed by the breeder. Until the dog is one year old, it is extremely important to provide him with the necessary amount of movement and proper nutrition. Errors made during this period will lead to future health problems.

The common mistakes in raising and maintaining an animal include an excess or lack of nutrition, its imbalance and the wrong mode of consumption of vitamins. In addition, non-timely vaccinations and either short walking or improperly organized exercise are considered to be decisive.

At the age of 2 or 3 months, the puppies are given the first combined vaccination. It prevents the development of plague, hepatitis and other common diseases. Sometimes, however, the first vaccination occurs at 3 or 4 weeks of age.Such action must be approved by a veterinarian. Most often, early vaccination is recommended if the Armenian wolfhound lives next to other animals or adult gampras.

The next vaccination occurs at 11 or 13 weeks of the dog's life. The animal is vaccinated against rabies at the age of 6 to 9 months. The exact period is determined depending on the teeth - while they change, vaccinations are prohibited. Further vaccination occurs once a year.

In general, gampras are amenable to training, but most of the teams for them are simply meaningless, since the task of protection and protection is performed by them at the genetic level. Therefore, the main purpose of education is the creation of good relations between an animal and a man, in which a wayward wolfhound listens to its owner and does not try to dominate it. A dog should understand its owner not just from half a word, but from half a glanceOnly in this way can a person establish a harmonious relationship with his pet. Educational activities should begin as early as possible, as the loss of time at an early age will lead to uncontrollable behavior of the dog in maturity.

For more information about the features of the breed, see the following video.