Strains of CAO

Hi there

I am have just joined molosserdog.com - Not really sure where to start. I am still devastated as I lost my CAO to bloat a couple of days ago. Tzar was 4 and half years old. He had his dinner about 6:30pm on Saturday night. A couple of hours later I was shocked to realise that he is suffering bloat. We rushed him to emergency at Animal Hospital that belongs to a university, where we decided that the best course of action is to let our beloved Tzar go and rest in peace.

Between my wife and I we had about 20 dogs throughout the years. Tzar was one of a kind. We never ever had any dog like Tzar before. He was unique. He was the joy of my life. I am still devastated. 

We have a 6 months old Tzarina who is also a Central Asian Shepherd. It is clearly that she is a different strain of CAO from Tzar. She is also lovely but nothing like Tzar who was exceptionally patient was her since she arrived 3 months ago. She never let him be. Always picked on him. I wish if I didn't have her so that Tzar may have enjoyed his last 3 months in peace.

I am accepting the fact that Tzar is gone but my chest is exploding with pain. Time heals I am sure. Hopefully, I will recover from my loss soon.

I think Tzar originates from higher grounds than Tzarina. He had a much heavier coat, bigger in bulk and bones. I think she is from the plains, perhaps desert place.

Thank you, apologies that my post is all over the place and appreciate any feedback about the different strains of CAO.

Thank you Gary; I uploaded new photos of our beloved Tzar. As a newbie, I am still struggling as to how to set up my profile. The link you provided takes me to the list of forums' topics. I will try to find Tzar's pedegree and do a search so that I may be able to find out about his origin. Central Asia is vast with mountains, hills and deserts. Tzarina is also a wonderful specimen but my heart goes for Tzar.

There was a lot of IZ KLOVI in Tzar; I searched and found this: http://klovi.ru/

IZ KLOVI is Tzar's father side. I think his father might still be alive but would be 10 years old or more. You can see his photo at https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=23319 - I was told that he is/was 85 kg. I think Tzar might have been as big as his father. When we went to emergency at the Animal Hospital at Murdoch University, there was no muzzle that can fit. Photos of Tzar's mother at https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=45690

No; the breeder who introduced this wonderful breed to Australia has decided to move to a more agile smaller strain of the Central Asian Shepherd. Tzarina is from this strain. I can see the difference in her coat, skeletal structure and traits. I think the origin of Tzarina's strain is somewhere where there is desert. I have noticed this from some traits that she exhibits which are different from Tzar. I would say, Tzar was much more intelligent than Tzarina. He was a thinker. Tzarina is fearless and instinctive rather than the pensive and thinking Tzar. Who was courageous and had no fear in his heart. I would say Tzarina will be tough like a nail but not sure if she would be able to crush a wolf in the wild and survive it due to the lack of coat protection and mass muscles. Not that we have wolfs in the neighbourhood. Tzar was one of a kind.

This is what I suspect. I am still waiting for the pedigree certificate. I almost forgot about it. I hope to be able to get hold of the breeder and have a chat with her soon. She is the busy bee who brought the first CAO with her from Russia to Australia. Although the terms CAS and CAO are used interchangeably. I like to believe that Tzar was a true CAO, whilst Tzarina is a true CAS ...