Introduction

Part I

By Rasaq Qadirie

This website is about an old culture, which exists in Afghanistan and other countries in Middle Asia. It is not my intention to discuss the standards of show dogs or racing dogs.

Throughout this website I talk about Nomad dogs and shepherds, and present pictures of healthy working dogs, without pedigrees, that demonstrate unique qualities and character.
These are dogs, which might not win any prizes in a western dog show, because they wouldn't meet today's judges' expectations. They are however, excellent working dogs and demonstrate tremendous genetic potential for breeding.

Today, it is common for dogs to be bred to meet certain show standards - often with only commercial gain in mind. We see an emphasis placed on size and as a result heavy dogs are bred with very wide chests and proportionately shorter legs.
Unfortunately, the trade-off becomes a loss in agility - something that cannot be adequately tested in a show ring. The questions I have often asked, and which I pose again on this website are: can we imagine these dogs working in their original contexts? Do we have a true understanding of what those contexts are/were? And, if not, what are we trying to breed and why?

The focus of Koocheedog.com, is to bring closer the culture of nomad people in Middle Asia, and how it relates to their dogs.