|
|
The Alaunt |
||
|
"It is not historically correct to breed bulldogs, and certainly not mastiffs or bullmastiffs, with the truncated muzzle which has long been a feature of the Pug." Mastiffs, the Big Game Hunters
The alaunt type is a very old type that predates and is the predecessor of mastiffs and bull breeds. The history of the alaunt 'is a remarkable story of how a functional type can survive non-pedigree breeding for centuries to emerge as a distinct type which breeds true.' Col. David Hancock "Even today, dogs of this old type may be found here and there, some recognized as distinct breeds and others lost in the obscurity of unorthodoxy. ' The Book of the Dog The alaunt type was first employed in central Asia, along the fertile crescent region and north to the great steppes, as war dogs and protectors of livestock and caravans. This use and type, (form and function), can be traced back to this region over 5000 years. From this area, the type can be traced north into Russia, east into Mongolia, Tibet, and China, south into India and Egypt, and west into Europe. Finally arriving in Spain and France nearly 2000 years ago.
From this type, new breeds emerged, the alaunt type having been crossed with various local types for various alternate functions, primarily hunting, and thus establishing new form as well. However, the function of the alaunt, as war dogs and protectors of livestock and family, remained. So too did the type. Form always follows function. If a type is bred and used for an alternate function, then that type becomes modified, emerging into a new type in it's own right. "So, the original war dog was turned into the essential brave hunting dog." Dr. Dieter Fleig Please note that we do not say 'breed', rather we say 'type', as that is what we are discussing..."how a functional type can survive non-pedigree breeding for centuries to emerge as a distinct type which breeds true." Col. David Hancock The alaunt was never a breed, and certainly not in the modern sense of the word. It was a type of dog, a 'functional type' that HAS survived "non-pedigree breeding for centuries to emerge as a distinct type which breeds true." In medieval Europe, the alaunt was classified into three distinct types; The alaunt gentil, a light greyhound type; the alaunt de bucherie, the traditional alaunt type used with livestock; and the alaunt vautre (veantre), an aggressive hunting type, and also called the running mastiffs. The alaunt de bucherie was the progenitor of the mastiff and bull breeds, though the modern mastiffs and bull breeds no longer resemble the alaunt. 'The former, alaunt vautre, were par force hounds, used in the chase...In France, the word 'vuatre' was eventually used exclusively for boarhounds. Cotgrave defines the 'vaultre' as a 'mogrell betweene a hound and a mastiffe...fit for the chase or hunting of wild Bears and Boares.' " Col. David Hancock Ironically, modern bull breeds such as the American Bulldog are today no longer being bred true to the form or function of their predecessors; the alaunt of the butchers that worked and protected livestock. They are now being bred as 'hog-dogs' for the hunt, taking on the role and overall character of the alaunt veantre, following the same separation of type of medieval Europe. The tragic consequence to this is the ultimate loss of form and function of the alaunt de bucherie, the modern bull-breed's predecessor. The modern 'bull' breed bred and used for hog hunting is no longer really even a bulldog; a name given to describe it's use. Rather they are hog dogs or boar hounds, (alaunt vautre), and should be classified as such. 'It is extremely unwise to group types of dog together merely because of a breed title bestowed by a kennel club without any real research and without a legitimate reason.' Col. David Hancock We do not claim the CWE to be THE ALAUNT, rather of the traditional alaunt type, in both form and function. Something only one other breed today can claim...the Rustic Alanos of Northern Spain as bred and registered by SEFCA. The images above are all TRUE MASTIFF / alaunt types and why the AB is classified as a mastiff though being a bull-breed. They simply DESCEND from the old mastiff types, which includes the WEB, as is clearly shown below to be a true mastiff type and NOT a 'bulldog' in the modern sense of the word. We've had a hard time calling the CWE a 'bulldog' because of this and hopefully this explains why we consider the CWE to be a completely separate breed of the true mastiff type from even the WEB in general. The true mastiff type is the alaunt!!!! Not the 'mastiff' as we know it today. The true bulldog, as defined by function, is in fact the alaunt. The alaunt de bucherie begat the mastiff, which in turn begat the bulldog. 'By crossing, then, the bulldog with the mastiff, we merely combine two breeds which a century ago were identical.' Stonehenge 1878 'The term, mastiff,...had been used in earlier writings, often in conjunction with alaunt to describe the same dog.' The Story of the Real Bulldog Again, this is why modern 'bull' breeds are classified as mastiffs. There is a direct lineage of the bull-breeds to the old mastiff type, which have direct lineage to the alaunt de bucherie, i.e. the traditional alaunt type used with livestock and for protection. This is why the mastiff type was the choice for the estate guard and for the night dog protecting the stock. These old mastiff / alaunt types were serious cattle / property / family protection dogs that served as superior war dogs throughout Europe and middle Asia for thousands of years. This type was first brought to America by the Spanish for use as war dogs and for defense and protection. They served the Conquistadores, cattlemen and settlers families. They still serve cattlemen and families in middle Georgia as superior protection and defense dogs in the CWE.
CWE Zues @ 9 months We DID NOT cross breed or even back breed for this type. We simply bred two CWE. Here we see the the same functional type from above that has indeed survived and continues to breed true. The CWE have never been registered and pedigrees never kept. For the past 90 years, the originator of the CWE bred DOGS true to type, he never considered breeding pedigrees. This thinking is validated by the photo of Zeus above, as are the two statements; 'how a functional type can survive non-pedigree breeding for centuries to emerge as a distinct type which breeds true.' Col. David Hancock "Even today, dogs of this old type may be found here and there, some recognized as distinct breeds and others lost in the obscurity of unorthodoxy. ' The Book of the Dog The CWE is in fact a bulldog. A bulldog in the oldest and truest sense of the word, as defined by the original function of the alaunt as a cattle and family guardian.
© copyright |
