Live Life Team
The Alaunt is believed to be the ancestor of numerous modern breeds of dog. The original Alaunt was a large, short-haired mountain dog. They were widely used by the warrior tribes known as the Alani. The tribal people loved these dogs and bred them to create various types of hard working dogs to assist them in their daily lives. Each kind or category of dog had specific physical qualities and personality traits that were essential for the different tasks.
The Alaunts are believed to have been descended from several different working dogs such as the Sarmation Mastiff and the Armenian Gampr. The Alaunt’s coat had short hair, but nevertheless the coat was thick and protected the dog in cold weather. The dog was prized for its ability to work hard. They were very active, agile and loyal as well as being excellent hunters. The Alaunt was quite a large dog which was an advantage for hunting expeditions and other duties. They were used for fighting, baiting and hunting, amongst other activities.
When the Alani tribe split into two different tribes the Alaunts moved with their respective tribe. The tribes each had their own region in which to expand and this led to them being introduced to other dog breeds. As a result they created more breeds, but as they did so the true Alaunt bloodline was diluted until only two types of these dogs were left: The Alano of Northern Spain and the White English Bulldog (United States). The others are now extinct.
