Buryat-Mongolian Wolfhound

The Buryat-Mongolian Wolfhound — Hotosho, or bankhar — is a giant livestock and camp guardian of Buryatia and Mongolia.

History

It has guarded yurts, herds and monasteries across the steppe and the Baikal region for a very long time, and Mongolian bankhar dogs are among the older recognisable guarding types in Asia. Numbers fell steeply during the twentieth century as nomadic herding was collectivised, and conservation projects on both sides of the border now breed them back into working use against wolves.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, deliberate and highly territorial, devoted to its own household and herd and openly suspicious of everything outside it. Like every flock guardian it acts on its own judgement.

Care and training

It needs space, genuinely secure boundaries and early socialising, and it is unsuited to town life. The heavy double coat suits severe cold and sheds enormously.

Health

Hard selection has kept it robust; giant breeds carry the usual joint concerns. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.