Scientific name Canis lupus familiaris Rank Breed | Higher classification Dog | |
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Similar Central Asian Sh, Tazy, Kuchi, Taigan, Kangal dog | ||
The Tobet (Kazakh: төбет, []), also known as the Kazakhstan mountain dog, is a molosser-type livestock guardian breed of dog with ancient origins in Kazakhstan. Its main function is to protect livestock from predators. In Russia it has earned the nickname of "Volkodav" which means “wolf crusher”. It can be employed to drive flocks of sheep or goats as well as herds of cattle or horses. It is also used to hunt boar together with tazy hounds (afghan hounds). This is a large molosser athletic enough to keep up with a horse at full gallop. During the era of the Soviet Union, Russian breeders created the so-called "Central Asian Ovcharka" by mixing several ancestral breeds of Asian molossers like the Alabai of Turkmenistan, the Tobet of Kazakhstan and the Torkuz of Uzbekistan. The Tobet is one of the original central Asian molosser breeds.