You might never have heard of the East European Shepherd, but the breed created in Russia at the end of WWII has been one of the most popular national breeds in Russia. The creation of this breed was due, in part, to Russian soldiers who had encountered German Shepherd Dogs while fighting against the Germans. The men had been impressed by the dogs in every way but one: German Shepherds couldn’t tolerate the freezing temperatures found in regions like Siberia, Mongolia, or Kamchatka. Many of the dogs simply froze to death, others got so cold, they couldn’t function.
The breed was launched with German Shepherd Dogs captured by the Soviet military as war trophies. In efforts lead by the State and the KGB, those dogs were bred with Central Asian Owtcharkas to give the dogs power, strength, and a heavier coat, and with assorted Laika, notably cold-tolerant dogs who are also silent hunters (the latter an appealing quality to the Soviets who favored quiet guard dogs). Some sources hint that Doberman Pinschers may also have factored into the breed’s development.
The result was an impressive dog. Superb stamina, good speed, and impressive jumping abilities made the breed ideal for guard work, but it proved to be a good companion dog when properly socialized, and handled with fairness. It achieved legendary status among Russians who admired its loyalty and strength.
At first, the new breed was called the Belarusian Shepherd, in part because it was especially popular in Belarus, but also because no one wanted the breed to be associated with the despised Germans. By the end of the 1940’s, the Belarusian Shepherd was breeding true, and soon, one could find the breed all over the Soviet Union. Because it had become more commonplace, its name was changed to Vostochnoevropejskaya Ovcharka, or the East-European Shepherd. In 1964, a breed standard was published, and pedigrees were collected and maintained.
The fall of the Iron Curtain brought greater exposure to the EES, but looser borders that allowed the breed to filter outward also allowed other breeds to come in. Numbers began to fall for the East European Shepherd, and it is now considered to be the most at-risk of the Russian sheepdog breeds. The Russian Kennel Club is the only major club that recognizes the breed, though a few rare breed registries in the US also do. Greater awareness of the breed is probably the only way to save it from vanishing.
Image by Михеева Е.В. at Russian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11902942
omg a german shepherd type with a straight back! looks like it wont have to walk on its back leg hocks—not mutilated into a severe roachback ridiculous-looking embarrassment! hallelujah!!
if you want that, look for the HGH and high level protection lines in the regular GSD. Or those used for guide dogs. It’s not as if these dogs aren’t there.
there’s no reason for this breed to be at risk. The Russian military is alive and well as are the military arms of other countries with cold weather. The breed has to compete with other breeds used for the military (Belgians, for example). It’s doubtful that Dobermans were used in the creation of this breed — there wasn’t much the Doberman could provide that other MWD didn’t have and the coat is wrong for a dog one is trying to create for extreme cold weather.
I got myself a nice Eastern European puppy, a female. It grew up to be a beautiful animal, smart, calm and obedient. She ended by being good with any dog and the strangers are in safety in our yard, with us around, but she is really menacing with every being passing by our porch. So everyone knows that she is there, protecting us. She gets along with everybody and recognise our kin even they come to visit for the first time in her life. She got a small mongrel from the streets as companion and they are now inseparable.