click here for a picture of one!

yes, i really am coming back to this forum topic wanting to get yet another rare russian breed added to the game aha :,) 

anyway. here's some info about the breed below! 

i love german shepherds so i love this breed too, and i find it super interesting, especially since I am finishing up a degree in Russian History with an emphasis on Soviet/KGB international relations history. if you don't want to read the little blurb below, essentially this breed is a working class dog primarily used as a military/police or guard dog, and was the breed used by the KGB. it shares many qualities with the german shepherd, however it is larger, and has a bit of a thicker coat which is suited for the severe russian winter temperatures. it is a paler color then the GSD as well. 

DISCLAIMER - - - - i also want to make it perfectly clear just in case that i'm not in any way romanticising the KGB or the USSR. the USSR is responsible for millions of deaths as well as extreme oppression, including a mass genocide in ukraine known as the holodomor. i am by no means a sympathizer or romanticizer at all. i have close family who escaped the communist bloc of eastern europe and its horrific oppression (ranging from religious oppression, oppression of homosexuality, antisemiticism & others). i know many, both family and friends in local russian, ukrainian & polish communities, who are still mourning the loss of loved ones. they have yet to recieve recognition or closure for the deaths of their loved ones at the hands of Stalin, seeing as the Russian Federation still refuses to recognize the mass graves of bodies that were created under his leadership. and it is because of this personal connection & the enduring pain of my loved ones that i developed an interest in this subject in the first place. any references or interest in the subject of the USSR by me is solely an interest borne out of observance of the complexities and horror of its regime, and is also purely of academic nature, as i am a history and a russian foreign policy major. just want to clarify this, because i know that the history of this breed heavily involves the USSR/KGB, and I know that is a sensitive subject to those with personal/familial connections to former Soviet republics!!!

other names for the breed include the byelorusian shepherd, the byelorussian ovcharka, or the vostochno evropeiskaya ovcharka (VEO)

BREED ORIGINS 

"The East European Shepherd breed was developed by selectively breeding from the old-style German Shepherd lines to local dogs, reportedly including Ovcharkas and Laikas, to produce a larger dog that was capable of performing in and withstanding some of the harshest environments of the former USSR. The breeding program was carried out by the Soviet Union in the early 1920s in Byelorussia (Belarus), and for this reason, the dogs are also known as the Byelorussian Ovcharka. The breed type was established and fixed by the 1930s-1950s. These dogs became a fixture of the KGB, particularly those adorned in a jet black coat. Litters bred to KGB kennels that included any coat color other than black were destroyed, and mating between the parent dogs was never repeated. These dogs were used extensively in the military and police work for patrol, apprehension, and detection. 

Eventually, the dogs were released to the public, and restrictions on colors lessened. Today, the breed is seen in a variety of coat colors and patterns. The East European Shepherd remains one of the more popular breeds throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union, but the dogs are still considered quite rare in other countries, including the United States."¹

¹ source: https://ckcusa.com/breeds/east-european-shepherd/

BREED CHARACTERISITICS 

east european shepherds are larger than the average german shepherd. the average male east european shepherd will reach 67-72cm in height (to withers), and the average female will reach an average of 62-68cm in height. males can be between 85-131 pounds and females between 75-110 pounds. 

their coats are considerably thick, and slightly coarse in texture to help them in the winter. their tails are long, and evenly coated with thick fur. they have wolflike facial features, with tapered muzzle and tall, upright ears. their eyes are intelligent and expressive. the accepted coat colors range from full black, pale brown with a black saddle, marking, black and tan, or wolf grey. 

personality wise, these dogs are extremely loyal and are considered to be one-person dogs, meaning that they typically form a very strong bond with one person, and are not as interested in others. because of this, it is near impossible to rehome them. they are extremely trainable and intelligent, with high energy that requires stimulation. these dogs are not the most sociable dogs. they are regarded to be top-class guard or watch dogs because of their fierce loyalty to the protection of their owners. they are naturally suspicious of strangers and other dogs. they are great police, military & working dogs. 

LINKS!! 

RKF document (a GREAT overview of the breed's history & characteristics! my favorite source regarding this breed): http://rkf.org.ru/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vostochnoevropejskaja-ang.pdf

overview of dog by Continential Kennel Club: https://ckcusa.com/breeds/east-european-shepherd/

the Russian east european shepherd/VEO organization/breed standard association: (sorry, it is in Russian! no english version. It is basically listing information about the breed) http://www.veorkf.ru/node/311

RECOGNITION

this is the only thing I am not sure about -- the breed is so exceedingly rare to the west that it is not recognized or even really heard of in the US, so the AKC does not have any information or recognition for it. I could not find anything for the FCI either. However, the Russian equivalent of the AKC (the RKF) recognizes the breed! And a few others do too, listed below:

 Continential Kennel Club: https://ckcusa.com/breeds/east-european-shepherd/

Finnish Kennel Club: (cannot read Finnish so I have no idea how to navigate the site, but the Wikipedia entry on them lists their recognized breeds): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomen_Kennelliitto#cite_note-uusia-4

Swedish Kennel Club (cannot find it on this site, but everywhere I read stated that this one recognized it? not sure what to do about that): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_Kennelklubben

Russian kynological federation: http://rkf.org.ru (there is an english version if you click the button in the top right hand corner I think!) 

Anyone wanna partner on these? I'm going to buy a couple on my spare account, but it would be fun to have a buddy! -nudges kury- ;)

I bought a pair. 

I can partner if someone has an account but I am not interested in getting too many as I focus most of my time and money to this account. 

@goose, I'd partner with you on these too if you want!

I already partner with Lafitte on Mastiffs, sihtric on GSP, and uta and Kury on Orlov-Rostopchin Sporthorses.

I've got a bunch of spare accounts, so if anyone wants to put their dogs on mine to train, just let me know. Happy to share an account and have multiple people do their own lines on there.

I will partner with you jaya or do some on an account with you.

Messaged you the login

Id be interested in training a pair with someone and breed! 

Dakiti, I'll send you a message! Looking to do some paired breedings down the road if you end up adding a pair!

If you need an account to train on, Dakiti, shoot me a message and you can put some on the account Sihtric and I are using!