General characteristic features of the Armenian gampra, what is the uniqueness, the influence of world events on the variety, popularization and the current position of the breed. The Armenian gampr or Armenian gamp is an ancient breed of dogs that originated in the territory of the Armenian Highlands, the Caucasus Mountains and the Armenian Plateau (now the Anatolian Plateau). From the very beginning of development, these dogs were more than domesticated animals serving people. Gampr has served as a constant companion in hunting, farming, construction and recreation.
Modern individuals look and behave unchanged, as they did when they emerged - more than 3,000 years ago. These large dogs are still used today as companions and to guard livestock, farms and families. Most often they are called simply - gampr.
They are large, powerful dogs with muscular bodies and massive heads. Their double "coat" with a well-developed undercoat not only protects them from the cold, but also from the fangs of predators. The outer layer is rough with short hair on the face, ears and forelimbs. The color variations of the coat allow it to blend in with their habitat.
The history of the appearance of the Armenian wolfhound gampra
Evidence for the ancestors of this species can be traced back to at least 7000 and possibly 15,000 BC. Ancient petroglyphs (carved letters or engravings on rocks), especially common in Geghama and the Syunik Mountains, which are now known as the Republic of Armenia, trace the development of the breed over time.
By 1000 BC. NS. the carvings show the predominance of images of gampras compared to other types of dogs. From this information, archaeologists have learned that gampr was fully developed as a species by this time in history and enjoyed a privileged status in ancient culture.
Other traces of gampra are found in cultural references as well as in other archaeological artifacts. Ancient myths and folklore associated with these dogs are well known among the Armenian people and date back to the end of the last ice age. For example, many stories surround the deity Aralez, a gampr-like dog that allegedly licked the wounds of warriors on the battlefield, bringing them back to life.
Pictograms, skeletons and pottery also confirm their early existence and importance in Armenian culture. In the tombs of the Lake Sevan basin dating back to 1000 BC, a preserved skeleton was found in the 1950s, as well as numerous skulls of dogs. Archaeologists have compared them to modern gampras, and found that they are almost identical. In addition, images of dogs similar to the breed can be found on ancient pieces of pottery that were found in the Lori fortress.
The Armenian Gampr is closely related to the Caucasian, Central Asian, Kara, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs and Kangals - they all have similar characteristics. These standardized species may have overlapped with gampras. In fact, the more likely modern version is that about eighty percent of the breed is made up of Caucasian shepherd genes.
However, unlike its typed cousins, gampr retains all the genetic variation that it originated with. Until three hundred years ago, breed individuals continued to sometimes intersect with indigenous wolves. The variety is extremely rare today, in part because it is not stereotyped. Because of this, they do not enjoy the recognition and influence of worldwide dog associations as well-known registered breeds.
What is the uniqueness of the Armenian Gampr breed?
Armenian Gamprs is a kind of Landrace, unlike the more familiar ones. Within each species, such individuals differ in appearance, not in standards. Landrace are made up of local populations that are less influenced by humans and more influenced by natural selection and geography. Types such as Armenian gampr are the result of the interaction of three factors: main effect, isolation and adaptation to the environment. The founders are special lines of animals that ended up in a certain place by some accident of history. They form the entire genetic basis of the Landrace breed.
When groups of the same type of founding animal are isolated from each other, they diverge over time, although they share common ancestral roots. Such specimens develop differently due to natural factors of influence, which together create a genetic consistency, as the breed adapts to its local environment. This also develops resistance to parasites and diseases of the region of residence, as well as longevity and reproductive efficiency. The usual progression for landrace species eventually becomes typed.
Standardized breeds correspond to specific physical characteristics, colors and categories that are determined by humans, set out as specifications and will be used purposefully by breeding methods. The set parameters dictate how dogs of a particular species look and behave. On the contrary, the Armenian gampr has standards that describe the species naturally, and do not determine what it should be.
Impact of world events on the Armenian gampra
While these dogs have been companions and defenders of the Armenian people since ancient times, as well as their primary means of livelihood, animals have experienced natural disasters and invasions. The last hundred years of political upheavals in Armenia threaten the existence of the breed. In addition to the loss of numbers, most of the gampr with known pedigrees have also disappeared.
Three quarters of the Armenian people were killed by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923. The Ottoman Turks pushed the Armenians northward and annexed the Armenian plateau, renaming it Anatolian, while at the same time they co-opted Gampr from the region. Such dogs became the basis for several types of Turkish breeds such as Akbash, Kars, Kangal-Sivas and Anatolian dogs, reducing the number of true Armenian gampras. Despite the fact that much of northeastern Turkey has historically been Armenia, the Turks try to claim gampr as their native variety.
In the wake of the Ottoman invasion, the Soviet Union adopted many of the best remaining Armenian gampras as the foundation for its Red Star breeding program. The Soviets intended to create a police dog more obedient to humans and ready to attack on command.
They crossed the gampr with a variety of canines, including the Rottweiler, St. Bernard, German Shepherd, Newfoundland and Great Dane. From this experiment, the Caucasian Shepherd Dog was obtained. After the collapse of the USSR, the countries that were previously part of it, gave birth to the Caucasian Shepherd Dog as a larger and more aggressive breed, which led to serious genetic flaws for these dogs. These include problems with hip dysplasia and an unstable temperament.
Popularization of the Armenian Gampr
In the 1990s, the Armenian gamp was introduced to the United States through the efforts of two men, Grigor Chatalyan and Tigran Nazaryan, who did not know each other and worked separately, one in the United States and the other in Armenia. Grigor, a California resident, acquired his first gampr puppy named "The King" in 1991. Although the dog was born in America, his parents were imported from Armenia by a man named Pailak.
Several years later, Mr. Chatalyan began importing Armenian gampers into the United States. The first individual was "Fernando", who coincidentally was the offspring of one of Tigran Nazaryan's dogs. He then brought back two copies named "Simba" and "Nala", which now have numerous descendants in Los Angeles and the Southern California area. The hobbyist continues to import the breed to Americans, as well as to people living in Guadalajara, Jalisco and Chihuahua, Mexico, where they are used to guard sheep.
Tigran Nazaryan studied at the University of California at Berkeley before returning to his native lands of Armenia. He became interested in Armenian gampras and was concerned about the decline in good bloodlines in the country. Therefore, Tigran teamed up with a veterinarian named Avetik. Together they found the best examples of the variety and gathered information about them. Also, the searcher wrote a software (database), entered information about gampr into it and in 1998 created a website (gampr.net). On his website, he published one hundred out of three hundred dogs. These canines are the ancestors and relatives of the most worthy armenian gampr.
Tigran Nazaryan also wanted to popularize them in the United States. To this end, he began to personally export selected offspring. During the long transit, the dogs had to be moved to several different locations. One of the puppies made an accidental stop at Rohana Mayer's home. Intrigued by the breed and its history, she did a lot of research and inspired the creation of the Armenian Gampr Club of America (AGCA).
Rohana created a website and began working with Tigran to maintain the safety and integrity of the variety when imported into this country as well as other parts of the world. One of the stated goals of the AGCA is to conserve the gampr in the United States, where today there are over a hundred individuals, most of which are in California.
However, since 2008, norms have been introduced according to which dogs that do not meet certain requirements must be spayed. To avoid this, breeders need to not only register their pets in a recognized club, and actively exhibit them. The first county to adopt such a regulation was the Los Angeles area, which contained most of the Armenian gampers based in the United States.
AGCA opposes breeding canines according to the show dog standard, as this often results in overpricing for individuals with physical features that are considered attractive to the public. Such lucrative situations lead to data-driven breeding due to the utilitarian properties of the breed.
According to the AGCA, "Gampr is uniquely shaped in nature and necessity, and as a tribute to fashion, vanity or paper books, it should remain so." In other words, the AGCA recognizes that members of a species risk losing their most valuable traits if they become standardized rather than remaining natural. Sophisticated, carefully planned breeding methods are needed to protect this rare breed. The aim of the AGCA is to support only healthy breeding, which will in no way compromise the genetic complexity of the Armenian gampra. AGCA is committed to maintaining "the species in its purest, most original form as the ideal livestock guardian and human companion, as physically and mentally advanced as it has been for the past several thousand years."
On his home continent, the continued existence of the Armenian Gampra as a landrace is under threat due to the geographical and cultural coexistence with the Caucasian and Central Asian Shepherd Dogs and their use as the standard for the variety. According to the AGCA website: “Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the trend has been to breed a larger and more protective shepherd.
Despite some differences between local dogs and the modern shepherd dog, the latter is recognized by the Cynological Federation International (FCI), and therefore the native breeds (for example, the Armenian gampr) are not valued as such, but are under pressure to prove that they are shepherds. This poses a threat to the genetic stability of the gampr, as influencing a more widely recognized dog could disrupt the fine tuning of millennial natural development.” To this end, the breed club of America clearly stated that “Gump is not: Alabai, Caucasian, Central Asian or Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Kangal, Akbash, Karakachan, Kochi, Tornyak, Sharplaninats or a cross between them.
AGCA noted that Armenian gampras in the United States make up about 75% of genetically pure animals. The club is busy improving this result. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to create a mobile sperm collection. The procedure involves collecting genes from the best breed males in the Armenian mountainous region, and then importing sperm into the United States to fertilize selected females. The resulting material will increase the genetic purity of the breed in America. This is a long-term project that requires significant research and financial investment for its successful completion.
The current position of the Armenian wolfhound
Between 1991-1993, Armenia experienced a sharp drop in the gampra population due to the country's economic downturn, including an almost complete loss of electricity and gas during two of the coldest winters. The dogs that survived these years were hungry and underdeveloped. In 1994, the economy and living conditions in the Armenian state improved and gampr increased markedly throughout the country. A few seemingly scarce specimens began to give birth to healthy and strong offspring.
This ancient and adaptable Landrace dog could genetically go into a hidden state until the environment improved, preventing the breed from extinction in its homeland. As the situation changed, the robust gene pool reaffirmed itself, once again displaying the amazing traits for which the Armenian gampr is famous. This phenomenon demonstrates the value of protecting and maintaining the hereditary integrity of this breed.
In April 2011, the International Kennel Union (IKU) recognized the Armenian gampr as the official breed and also the national dog of Armenia. Despite the word “international” in its name, IKU is located only in Moscow and consists almost exclusively of Central Asian countries, primarily those that were formerly part of the Soviet Union.
However, the president of the Kennel Union of Armenia, Violetta Gabrielyan, also known as the Kennel Union of Armenia (AKU), considers this recognition "a great victory for Armenia" and the dog breeding community of Armenia. AKU is making ongoing efforts to foil Turkey's 1989 claims to claim that the Armenian Gampr was their national dog breed. The Turks registered the species as "Anatolian Karabash".
According to Ms Gabrielyan, this step by IKU is helping to improve data on dog breeding in countries around the world. Such influence can help in yet another ongoing conflict. Georgians and Azeris, whose countries border Armenia and were once part of this territory, will also try to claim the gampr as their national breed.
Today, about two thousand Armenian gampras live in Armenia. These dogs are used as they have been for thousands of years as guards and herders for livestock and as companion pets for the families in which they live. They are also used in rural and urban areas to protect property. Unfortunately, breed representatives are exhibited for illegal participation in fierce dog fights, usually with other more famous fighting species, such as the American Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or Rottweiler.
More about the breed in the following video:
