Kavkasiuri Nagazi in Georgia shares this photo.
Various names for this breed:
Georgian Mountain Dog
Georgian Caucasian Sheepdog
Kavkasiuri.nagazi
Tushetian Nagazi
Georgian Mountain Dog, Kazbek type
and probably more
Georgian dogs are tall, heavier and wide-headed as usual. Georgian dogs are divided in two types: white short haired dogs (Kazbek types) and long haired dogs.
Georgian mountain dog is an ancient aboriginal dog breed that was bred by shepherds of Georgia. Physically, these dogs are strongly – boned, muscular and athletic, with a large head and powerful legs. These dogs have been bred to guard sheep flocks and shepherd’s shelters.
In 1999 Kynological Federation of Georgia decided to take this breed under control by starting the controlled breeding. By this time the population of breed was on the edge of extinction. The standard “Georgian Mountain Dog” has been agreed and signed up the same year.
In order to save this unique aboriginal breed Kynological Federation of Georgia decided to undertake the expedition to Kazbegi region in 2002.
From Kavkasiuri.nagazi Facebook page and Georgian_mountain_dog Facebook page.
Considered to be the real Caucasian Ovcharka or at least its key progenitor by its fanciers, the Tushetian Nagazi is an ancient working breed from Georgia. Although the best representatives of the Caucasian Shepherd are said to come from Georgia, there is a difference between the Nagazi type and the Nagazi breed.
This breed served as the foundation block for the establishment of the Russian Kavkaskaya Ovtcharka after the 2nd World War, but has remained both unchanged in its home region and unknown outside Georgia.
The Tushetian Nagazi is related to the dogs of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as to other types native to the Caucasian region, such as the Severno-Kavkaski Volkodav, but is believed to be a completely natural breed and an ancestor of many other Molossers.
There are local varieties of the breed in Georgia, but the greatest value is placed on dogs from the Tusheti region.
The Georgian Caucasian Sheepdog is now fully standardized and rightfully recognized as a separate breed in its native land, but generally ignored in Russia and other countries.
The Cynological Federation of Georgia has had a strict battle with the Russian federation of Cynologs about Caucasian Shepherd dog.
In 2012, the International Cynological Federation was to have decided which national breed would be the Caucasian Shepherd Dog as a result of this heated discussion.
After the removal of most of the Georgian Nagazi from Georgia, Georgian enthusiasts with support from the Ministry of Environment began expeditions to the regions of Georgia to describe and take photos of the remaining Georgian shepherds. Georgia started advertising the breed using television broadcasting and printing articles about Georgian shepherds in order to popularize the breed.
Following the Soviet collapse, Georgia began to popularise this dog. Today [when?], the goal is to breed another rare Georgian shepherd, Georgia's ancient white shepherd.*
"The Georgian Shepherd (Georgian: qartuli nagazi) is an Aboriginal dog from the Georgian mountains in the Caucasus. It is an ancient working breed from Georgia. The Georgian shepherd is related to the Caucasian Shepherd Dog and the Russian "Caucasian Ovcharka". There are two kinds of Georgian mountain dog: short haired kazbegian dog called "Nagazi"; long haired Georgian mountain dog. The shorter coated Georgian Mountain Dog is an ancient working breed from Georgia.
"Georgians were calling this dog 'Nagazi'. It has been used as a sheep guard dog for centuries. The breed is extremely popular in Georgia.
"After the soviet collapse, Georgia began once more to popularize this dog. Today the Georgian main goal is to breed Georgia's ancient white shepherds (also other Georgian shepherds) which are rare."
"The most valued colouring is uniform white, from pearl white to ivory shades, but many other colours can be encountered in the breed, such as fawn, brown, red, grey and various bicolours. Average height is around 24 inches, although slightly taller specimens exist as well." From Georgian-Caucasian-Sheepdog - Nagazi
For more information, go to wiki/Georgian_Shepherd** or other sites for Georgian Shepherds or Caucasian dogs.
"To this day flocks are guarded in the hills of Asia, Europe and Africa* by powerful, robust dogs that are neither clumsy nor pacific. Despite the distances that separate them these breeds have much in common, and the Kuvasz is a member of this extended sheepdog family."
From: Dr. Tibor Buzády, Dogs of Hungary, trans. Bernard Adams, Budapest, Hungary: Nóra Kiadó, 2002, p. 90
*(and today also in North America, South America and Australia)
**The information is from Wikipedia.