CAO is one of the oldest types of dog. He is a real archaical curiosity, from the times when humans and dogs were dependent on each other. For life and death.

However, he is unique taking his extensive place of origin into account. It is also the most exciting, complex and diverse type. Maybe it seems a little exaggerating for amateurs, but it is easy to prove that it is all true.

CAO is a dog of contrasts.

He is able to follow the flock even when the temperature is 30 C /in times of draught the flock may go as far as 10 kms in search of food/, and is also able to bring up his puppies in a hole dug by himself, when the temperature is far below zero and cutting wind blows.

He is big and strong and can live on little food, what’s more, he is even able to survive long periods when he does not get any food at all. And it will not cause any shock to him. By the way, he will always do his job just as intensely.

He is distrustful and suspicious to strangers. And he can be wild and cruel if there’s a need for that. On the other hand, he is extremely tolerant with all members of the family including the youngest, as well.

When accompanying the flock he is steady as a long-distance runner, and when fighting with predators he is tough as a prizefighter.

He is a frightful fighter of the dog fights in Central-Asia where these fights have certain breeding purposes and they are also  traditions. On the other hand, he needs to be a team player and live together with his peers when accompanying a flock. That’s why he hasn’t developed instincts and behaviour patterns for giving in and accept giving in, and this way he couldn’t become a ’killing machine’. Still, with proper training, he is able to stop a ’killing machine’.

Any type of dog would be destroyed by the tension of many different requirements, but it is exactly what made CAO similar to a pulled up bow. It is a wonderful experience to take a bow like that into our hands, just because the process of its perfection took thousands of years. It is great responsibility at the same time.

Tarnóci Zoltán 

About myself Thank you for visiting my kennel; I really appreciate it. I have been fond of animals, especially dogs in my whole life. I have been dealing with dogs actively since I was 16 years old / I mean shows, training and breeding/. I have a special interest in so-called ’tough’ dogs; that’s why I have bred, reared and taken to shows several breeds of that kind: Bordeaux dog /HCH Jin-Szui Fifi/, Naple mastiff /Venezia Albert/, Giant schnauzer /Vicsorgó Boros, Bocskaszörnye Ada/, Caucasian sheepdog, Moscow guarding dog, Argentine dog, American bulldog, boxer, dobermann, rotweiler, German dog, pitbull terrier,komondor, kuvasz /there were also a few litters under the name of ’Beauty of Szirma’/. Some of them were HCH, as well. I found all of these breeds special in a way, though I still missed something.Then I purchased my first CAO in 1998. He was a puppy of a Dzsambo father. Rearing HCH Ákos definitely captivated me, as I realized it is an amazingly intelligent breed that is hard as stone and tender-hearted at the same time. So I sold and gave away all of my other dogs, breeding couples and trios /for one or two puppies in return/.

Unfortunately Ákos perished in 2003, but by that time I had already owned a ’stock’ very precious for me - though it took me 2 years and several thousand kilometers to get them -  that I could start breeding with. The first litter was born in January,2003. Four of the seven puppies have already fulfilled my hopes and achieved HJCH, CAC, CACIB,HFGY and Dog of The Year titles at different  shows. At the moment, most dogs in my kennel are of imported CH lines, too, and they come from top and elite lines of the breed. Those who are interested in this breed are welcome to visit me in person, and I just can repeat and confirm what other breeders of CAO point out: ’If you rear a CAO, you’ll become addicted to the breed.’ That’s exactly what happened to me, as well.  Tarnóci Zoltán