The Armant (also known as the Egyptian Sheepdog or Ermenti) is a
breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
of
herding dog
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a Dog type, type of dog that either has been trained in herding livestock or belongs to one of the dog breed, breeds that were developed for herding. A dog specifically trained to he ...
from
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. The breed is not well known outside of Egypt but is used extensively within Egypt as both a herding dog and a
guard dog
A guard dog or watchdog is a dog used to watch for and guard people or property against unwanted human or animal intruders. A dog trained to attack intruders is known as an attack dog.
History
Dogs have been used as guardians since ancient ...
.
History
There are several conflicting theories regarding the origin of the Armant. One theory is that the Armant descends from
briard
The Briard () or (; plural: ''Bergers de Brie'') is a French breed of large shepherd dog, traditionally used both for herding sheep and to defend them. It was first shown at the first Paris dog show, in 1863; the first Briard to be registered ...
s brought to Egypt by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's armies, these dogs were likely crossed with local dogs to produce the first examples of the breed. Another is that the dogs arrived with Russian travelers in the 1800s. However, Morris suggests in his book that while both theories may be useful in explaining the thick, shaggy coat, these theories lack supporting evidence. Conversely, the Egyptian Kennel Federation believes they are entirely of African origin, with Morris suggesting a relationship to
North African village dogs, a theory that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
The Armant is named after the town of
Armant
Armant (; or ''jwn.w-šmꜥ.w''; Coptic_language#Bohairic, Bohairic: ; Coptic_language#Sahidic, Sahidic: ), also known as Hermonthis (), is a town located about south of Thebes, Egypt, Thebes. It was an important Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Middle ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, the supposed place of origin of the breed. It is also called the Hawara dog, after the
Hawwara
The Hawwara () is a Berber tribal confederation in the Maghreb, primarily in Tripolitania, with descendants in Upper Egypt and Sudan. Hawwara are amongst the most prominent tribes in Upper Egypt, with branches found mainly in Qena. They are al ...
tribal confederation who used them with their livestock.
The breed is now endangered due to crossbreeding with other dog breeds. They are now recognized by the Egyptian Kennel Federation and efforts are underway by the Egyptian Armant Herding Club to find and preserve purebred examples.
Characteristics
The Armant is a medium-sized, rectangular dog, typically weighing between 50 and 65 pounds with females standing tall and males standing . It comes in a variety of colors including black, black and white, grizzled, or light-brown. It has a rough, shaggy coat.
While the breed is never
docked, some dogs are born with a
hereditary bobtail.
Armants are brave and intelligent sheep herding dogs who are loyal to their owners and cautious of strangers.
They are ferocious in defense of their flock, earning them the name Sabe, which means lion in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
.
See also
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Dogs portal
*
List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant and extinct dog breeds, Designer breed, varieties and dog type, types. A research article on dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines modern dog breeds ...
Notes
References
Sources
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Herding dogs
Dog breeds originating in Africa
Animal breeds originating in Egypt
{{Herding dogs