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All About Dogs: Toy Spaniels Japanese Spaniel Yorkshire Terrier Italian Greyhound Pomeranian Schipperke Pekingese Burssels Griffon Toy Poodle Maltese Pug Samoyede And Eskimo Dogs Owtchar Or Russian Sheepdog Norwegian Elk Hound Doberman Pinscher Boxer Papillon Chihuahua More Dog Articles: The Mastiff The Pointer The Terrier More Dogs Choosing A Dog Kinds Of Dogs Today About Dog Breeds Dog Training Tips Keeping Your Dog Well Diseases Of Dogs |
( Originally Published 1920 ) This interesting breed of dogs was first brought into England in Baltic trading ships, and were called Russian Terriers, but there is nothing of the terrier about them either in appearance or character. On the contrary, they are sheep and cattle dogs of long descent, and resemble very markedly the familiar English Bobtail Sheepdog. The Owtchar is the largest of all European shepherds, many specimens standing thirty inches or more at the shoulder. They are strongly built, and are capable of defending the flock against wolves and other predatory enemies. They have massive heads, occasionally cropped ears, and the general proportions of the bobtail. That is to say, their length is equal to their height. Their chief characteristic is a long, dense coat, tangled, towsled, and matted like the fleece of a neglected Highland blackface sheep. Their greater size, untidiness, and the fact that they are often seen with a tail of natural length, distinguish them from the old English sheep dog. |