East European Shepherd

File:VEO Schwarz.jpg

The VEO may be entirely black

The East European Shepherd, also called Vostochno Evropeiskaya Ovcharka or VEO (Template:Langx or ) is a Ukrainian and Russian breed of shepherd dog. It was selectively bred in the Soviet Union from the German Shepherd to create a larger dog with better resistance to cold conditions, and was intended for military and guard work.Template:R

History

The East European Shepherd was bred in the Soviet Union in the early twentieth century. In the 1920s a number of German Shepherds were imported from Germany into the Ukrainian SSR, where a breeding programme was established with the aim of adapting the breed to the harsher Soviet climatic conditions. Over several decades of selective breeding, a distinctly different form of shepherd had been created from that known in the West;Template:R from 1950 this was named the Vostochno Evropeiskaya or East European.Template:R While initially the breed was centred in Ukraine, it soon spread throughout the Soviet Union, although its fortunes suffered at the Eastern Front during the Second World War.Template:R At the end of the War there were substantial imports of German Shepherd dogs from Germany; importation had not been possible before the War.Template:R

The East European Shepherd was used heavily by the military and police within the Soviet Union as a guard and sniffer dog. It was a favourite of the KGB, who only ever kept solid black examples; if a single non-black pup was born in a litter bred by the KGB the entire litter was destroyed and that breeding was not repeated.Template:R A breed standard was approved in 1955 by the Central Committee of the USSR DOSAAF, and in 1964 by the Presidium of the Service Dog Breeding Federation.Template:R The East European Shepherd is now among the most numerous dog breeds in Russia and several former Soviet countries.Template:R

With effect from 1 January 2017 the Vostochno Evropeiskaya Ovcharka was recognised by the Template:Ill, and is thus recognised by the Template:Ill, the Finnish Kennel Club, the Icelandic Kennel Club, the Template:Ill and the Swedish Kennel Club.Template:R

Characteristics

The East European Shepherd is significantly larger than the German Shepherd and shows substantial sexual dimorphism: dogs typically stand at the withers although some can be as tall as ; bitches are typically .Template:R The coat is dense and of medium length, with a well-developed undercoat, and often with longer soft hair on the ears, neck, limbs and tail. It may be black-and-tan, sable or solid black; brindles or whites are rare.Template:R The eyes may be brown, amber or blue; odd-coloured eyes are known. The ears are long and upright, and the paws are large with long toes, giving a snowshoe-like appearance.Template:R

The breed is considered particularly intelligent, courageous, determined and tough, and owners often describe its temperament as similar to that of a Dobermann.Template:R