Qurdbasar - TOP 10 Interesting Facts - The Fierce Azerbaijani Wolfhound

1) History
The Qurdbasar – also known as the Azerbaijani Wolfhound – is an ancient livestock guardian dog from Azerbaijan.
Its exact origin is unknown, but it’s an extremely old breed that has existed in the region for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
It is believed to be closely related to other Central Asian LGDs, such as the Alabai, Caucasian Shepherd, or Georgian Shepherd.
However, due to isolation, unique climate, and – most importantly – selective breeding by Azerbaijani herders, the Qurdbasar has evolved into a distinct and pure breed of its own.

​2) Protector
The Qurdbasar is typically kept in Azerbaijani rural areas, where it is traditionally used for guarding the livestock – especially sheep and goats. They typically work in mountainous landscape and they protect the livestock from very strong predators such as wolf.
More recently, they’re also used as property or personal guardians.
Thanks to their sheer strength, deep loyalty, and fearless nature, they’re incredibly effective at protecting what matters.

3) Wolf crusher
The dogs name Qurdbasar has a very cool meaning as it can be translated to english as something like „a dog crushing a wolf“ or simply as a wolf crusher. And indeed, the Qurdbasar can easily deter a strong wolf from the livestock. No wonder they’re also called the Azerbaijani Wolfhound.

4) Dog fights
Sadly, due to their natural aggression and extreme power, Qurdbasars have historically been – and sometimes still are – used in dog fights.
In these cruel situations, their ears are often cropped and tails docked to reduce weekneses.
Of course, this doesn’t define the breed. The vast majority of Qurdbasars live as working livestock guardians, not fighters.

5) Companions
The Qurdbasar is not your typical family companion dog and most of them are not living the spoiled life of a family pet. But they still make good companions for their owners. When they are not working and protecting, they are extremely loyal to its owner, they are quite affectionate and even gentle with their loved ones, wheter it is their family or a flock. On the other hand, these dogs are very independent, aloof of strangers and very territorial.

6) Size
The Qurdbasar is a massive and strong dog with average height around 75 cm (30 inches) and they ususally weigh around 60 kg (130 lbs). But there might be even much bigger individuals.

7) Coat and color
The coat of Qurdbasar is very practical for the harsh mountainous weather – they can work outside when it is hot, when it rains, when it is chilly, nothing is problem for these dogs. Especially the winters in mountains can be extreme. The length of the coat wary from very short coat to longer coat up to 10, or 11 cm long. All coats are very dense double-coats. The longer coats have feathering on hind legs and tail. The typical colors are shades of red, black, gray, chestnut, brown, brindle or white. Some dogs have black mask, but some dont.

8) Maintenance
Speaking of a coat, lets mention the maintenance as well and luckily it is extremely easy with this dog. They do not need almost any bathing, but they do shed, so you can minimize the shedding by regular brushing, but thats about it. This dog can take care of themselves. It is benefitial for the dog to clean their ears regularly to prevent any problems.

9) Health
The Qurdbasar is generally very healthy and hardy dog breed with average lifespan around 11 or 12 years, which is actually quite good for dog of this size. They are not heavily inbred, which is helping their health as well. Just like majority of giant dogs, they might suffer from some joint problems like hip dysplasia or bloating, but it is not extremely common.

10) National heritage
The Qurdbasar is not recognized by any major kennel club and it is practically unknown outside Azerbaijan. But in the Azerbaijan, they are viewed as national heritage and in recent years efforts have increased within Azerbaijan to preserve and formalize the breed.