alaunt

File:National Museum of Iran Darafsh (1037).JPG.]]

In France, the Alaunt as a crossbreed had three distinct types: the alant veautre, alant boucherie and alant gentile.Gaston Phébus Livre de Chasse Tillander, G. Cynegetica XVIII Karlshamn 1971 Ch.17 p125 They all were large, short-coated dogs of varying head-types. The former two resembled the mastiff-type dogs much like the present-day Dogo Argentino or like the Caucasian Shepherd Dog except with short hair and a mesocephalic head which made them excellent large-game hunters, the gentile was a large sighthound type.{{Cite web|url=http://www.comneton.com/alaunt|title=Alaunt|website=www.comneton.com|access-date=2020-02-18}} The Alaunt type may have been originally bred by the Alani tribes, the nomads of Indo-European Sarmatian ancestry who spoke an Iranian language. The Alans were known as superb warriors, herdsmen, and breeders of horses and dogs. The Alans bred their dogs for work and developed different strains within the breed for specific duties. The type was further developed in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, England, and in Italy.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

File:Giardino di boboli, cano molosso in terracotta 02.JPG statue. Boboli Gardens, Italy]]

The Molossus belonged to the tribe of the Molossians, from Epirus in northern Greece in about 1200 BC, coming from the north. However, their artifacts did not resemble the Mastiff prototype, as they had a long nose of a narrow type, and a long mane. Varro, however, described a herding dog of Epirus which was white, large-headed, and slightly undershot, used to defend sheep and goats.Fleig 1996, pp. 18–22 (Varro's description of herding dogs) One group of Alans arrived in what is now Albania in the 5th or 6th centuries BC.Atlas 1995 p. 30 Molossis of Epirus is located in Southern Albania.Fleig 1996, p. 18 "Today Epirus is part of Albania." It is most plausible the Alaunt gave rise to the fighting dogs of the Molossi,{{Cite web|url=http://albanianstudies.weebly.com/molossian-dog.html|title=Molossian Dog|website=My Albanian studies|access-date=2020-02-18}} which were introduced to Britain by Roman invasion in 43 BC. The Alans provided cavalry for Rome, many of whom were deployed to Hadrian's Wall in the second century AD.Hancock p. 28

In the 370s AD, Hun invasions divided the Alani into the Eastern and Western Alans. The Eastern Alani tribes merged with the Ossetians and other nations, introducing their dogs into the bloodlines of many Balkan breeds, such as the Šarplaninac, Metchkar, Qen Ghedje, Hellenikos Poimenikos and other livestock guardian dogs of the region. The white-coloured Alaunts may be the direct ancestors of the Balkan breeds, which in turn influenced all other white dogs in the Balkans.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

File:TUMULO DE DOM PERO AFONSO.jpg. The tomb has a wild boar hunting scene with dogs, possibly the extinct Portuguese Alaunt dog.]]

The Western Alans joined the Vandals on their raids through Europe, and by the 410s AD, their fierce dogs were influencing many breeds in France, Spain, Portugal, England, and other countries. This spread the use of the "Alaunt" name, which became synonymous with a type of a working dog rather than a specific breed. Through breeding with various scenthounds and sighthounds, some Alaunts became valued large game hunting dogs, existing in a variety of types dictated by regional preferences. In AD 1500, Spain was known for breeding the best Alaunts and used them to conquer the New World.Hancock 2000, p. 22

In France, Alaunts were separated into three main categories, based on physical appearance and the duties they performed. The lightest type was the alant gentil, a greyhound-like dog. The original mastiff variety, known as the alant de boucherie, may have contributed to the development of the fighting and baiting dogs of France. The French alants de boucherie were known as alauntz o bouchery in England,James I. McNelis III, The Uncollated Manuscripts of The Master of Game: Towards a New Edition (PhD diss., Univ. of Washington, 1996) p. 222 famously dramatised by Chaucer in his "Knight's Tale" as the mythical hounds of Lycurgus, King of Thrace,{{cite wikisource |first=Geoffrey |last=Chaucer |author-link=Chaucer |wslink=Canterbury Tales (ed. Skeat)/Knight |title=The Knightes Tale |at=1290}} and the Alano in Spain and Italy and were termed the original Bulldogs as they were used to control and defend herds of cattle. In Spain, the three categories were the Mastins, Alanos, and Lebrels, further separated as the ayuda (defense types) and the presa (offense types), such as the Perro de presa español.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

File:Portuguese Alaunt dog Bocanegra. Cão Alão português.jpg

The long, broad, flat head of the Alaunt should never be confused with the modified brachycephalic breeds. The brachycephalic head type is wide in base, but short in length. While the preferred bite is reverse scissor, like the mastiff,{{cite book |author1=Prisco, Andrew de |author2=Johnson, James B. |author3=Johnson, James Burris | title=Canine lexicon | year=1993 | publisher=T.F.H. Publications | isbn=978-0-86622-198-6 | page=121 }} (Mastiff is example of scissors reverse) and may have been a trait introduced by the Mongolian breeds at some remote time in history, skull type and bite type are separate subjects of genetic traits. The dolichocephalic skull is narrow at base yet long in length, so the Alaunt could be referred to as a modified dolichocephalic breed, as mesocephalic is a balance of base to length. Moreover, the Alaunt or mastiff must be separated from the Molossoides in head study, as this term does not separate the Mastiff from the mountain dogs or even the pug.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

• Alano Español
• Bullenbeisser
• Cane Corso
• Dogo
• Great Dane
• Greyhound
• Hound
• List of extinct dog breeds
• Molossus
• Sarabi dog

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book | last=Fleig | first=Dieter | title=Fighting Dog Breeds | date=1996 | publisher=TFH Publications | isbn=0-7938-0499-X }}
• {{Cite book | last=Hancock | first=David | title=The Mastiffs: The Big Game Hunters - Their History, Development and Future | date=2001 | publisher=Charwynne Dog Features | isbn=0-9527801-2-7 }}
• {{Cite book |author1=Jenkins, Robert E. |author2=Mollett, Ken | title=The Story of the Real Bulldog | date=1997 | publisher=TFH Publications | isbn=0-7938-0491-4 }}
• {{Cite book | title=The Lincoln library of essential information | year=1985 | publisher=Frontier Press | location=Columbus, Ohio | isbn=978-0-912168-12-8 }}
• {{Cite book | author=American Kennel Club Staff | title=The complete dog book | year=1998 | publisher=Howell Book House | location=New York | isbn=0-87605-047-X | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/completedogbook100amer }}
• {{Cite book | last=Derr | first=Mark | author-link=Mark Derr | title=A dog's history of America: how our best friend explored, conquered, and settled a continent | year=2004 | publisher=North Point Press | location=New York | isbn=978-0-86547-631-8 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/dogshistoryofame00mark }}
• Couturier, Casey. "The True History of the Spanish Conquest of Americas". American Bulldog Review, Fall 2001.
• {{cite book |author1=Prisco, Andrew de |author2=Johnson, James B. |author3=Johnson, James Burris | title=Canine lexicon | year=1993 | publisher=T.F.H. Publications | isbn=978-0-86622-198-6 }}
• {{cite book | last=Stratton | first=Richard F. | title=This is the American pit bull terrier | year=1976 | publisher=T.F.H. Publications | isbn=978-0-87666-660-9 }}
• {{cite book |author1=Bonnie Wilcox |author2=Chris Walkowicz | title=The Atlas of dog breeds of the world | publisher=TFH Publications | isbn=978-0-7938-1284-4 | year= 1995 }}

{{Extinct breeds of dog}}

Category:Extinct dog breeds

Category:Hunting dogs

Category:Dog breeds originating in Europe