meet the...Alano
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 3: Molossoids and Mastiffs Breeds
Sub-group :
Origin Country Spain
Weight Males: 92-110 pounds. Females: 84-99 pounds.
Height Males: 23-26 inches. Females: 21-25 inches.
Other Name(s) Alano Espanol, Spanish Alano, Spanish Bulldog
Breed Type Pure
click here for FULL BREED STANDARD
Origins
The Alano is not as well-known outside of their home country of Spain as their cousins, the Presa Canario and Spanish Mastiff. However, the Alano has a very rich and deep history. The Alani people were an ancient nomadic group of Indo-Iranians. They traveled throughout Europe and Africa from the North Caucasus region, bringing their vast herds of sheep and goats.
To protect themselves and their livestock, as well as to assist in hunts, were the Alan dogs. These dogs were notoriously large, powerful, and fierce. The Alani traded these dogs to locals throughout their travels, where they quickly rose in popularity due to their unwavering loyalty and tenacity. In the region of modern-day France, the dogs were called Alaunt dogs. In Spain, they were called the Alano, where they were used to guard and hold cattle and eventually incorporated into the bloody sport of bullfighting.
However, as the cattle industry progressed and modernized, and bull-baiting was banned at the turn of the 19th century, the Alano’s popularity began to decrease. Eventually, like the Alaunts, it was believed that the Alano had become extinct. However, in the 1970s, a small number of the dogs were found to be still working wild cattle and hunting boar in the Basque Mountain regions. From there, organizers and breed aficionados have worked diligently to increase the breed’s numbers and popularity once again. Since then, the breed has had a slow but steady increase in popularity.Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat brachycephalic skull type, substantial, yet proportionate to the body in size. The head appears somewhat square. It should never look narrow or rectangular. The skull is slightly arched when viewed from the front or back. The zygomatic arches are pronounced with powerful masseter (cheek) muscles. The topskull is broad, as wide (measured in front of the ears) as long (from occiput to stop). The occiput is concealed by surrounding muscle tissue. A median furrow begins at the stop and runs toward the occiput, emphasized by strongly developed temporalis muscles. The head is fairly clean-cut and without excess wrinkles; slight wrinkling is permissible when the ears are alert.
Eyes: Medium to large in size, oval, almond, or lemon-shaped. The eye color may range from hazel, amber, or medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium in size and set well apart, neither too high nor too low on the skull, but slightly above the level of the eye. They may be dropped or rose in shape. Ears may be natural (preferred) or surgically cropped short. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Muzzle: The muzzle is powerful, full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. The base is broad and narrows only slightly toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipy or weak. The chin is strong, easily seen from the front, and never obstructed by lips or flews.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened. The line of the nose sits parallel with the line of the end of the muzzle, never pushed in or protruding beyond.
Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage. It is powerfully muscled with a good arch. The neck is broad throughout, appearing truncated or cylindrical, without much taper from shoulder to head. The neck is somewhat clean but may have slightly loose skin around the throat, forming a slight dewlap. It should be without excess skin, throatiness, or an overly pendulous dewlap.
Chest: Deep, broad, and capacious, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Substantial, solid, powerful, and deep. The body is never racy or refined. It is of a good proportionate length, never appearing short or square in proportions. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapers toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked. The tail is to be left natural and never docked short. The tail is of a moderately long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or with a curve toward the tip when resting in a neutral position but may rise to form a sickle or saber. It should never appear curled or held over the back.
Movement: Powerful, agile, effortless, and efficient, the characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: Unlike many of the other bull-baiting dogs and hunting dogs, Alanos were historically kept in packs and hunted in packs. For this reason, dogs that did not get along with other dogs were not kept. The Alanos have a long history of being friendly with other dogs. However, they are still known today for their strong guarding instincts, loyalty, and desire to bond strongly with family. Well-socialized and well-adjusted individuals grow to become confident and regal. Most retain an aloof nature toward strangers. Due to the size, power, strong desire to protect, and natural aloofness, stringent socialization and obedience are musts for this breed. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 3: Molossoids and Mastiffs Breeds
Proportions: Somewhat off-square with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal length-to-height ratio is approximately 9:10. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well-put-together, with sturdy substance and solid bone. Males should appear masculine, being more substantial in size and mass, while females should appear more feminine and slightly less substantial. Neither should lack overall type. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat brachycephalic skull type, substantial, yet proportionate to the body in size. The head appears somewhat square. It should never look narrow or rectangular. The skull is slightly arched when viewed from the front or back. The zygomatic arches are pronounced with powerful masseter (cheek) muscles. The topskull is broad, as wide (measured in front of the ears) as long (from occiput to stop). The occiput is concealed by surrounding muscle tissue. A median furrow begins at the stop and runs toward the occiput, emphasized by strongly developed temporalis muscles. The head is fairly clean-cut and without excess wrinkles; slight wrinkling is permissible when the ears are alert.
Expression: Serious, regal, noble, self-composed, and watchful.
Stop: The stop is abrupt.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 5:3, with the topskull being longer than the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is powerful, full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. The base is broad and narrows only slightly toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipy or weak. The chin is strong, easily seen from the front, and never obstructed by lips or flews.
Lips or Flews: The lips are thick, fairly clean, and fit rather well over the teeth and jaws. They are just loose enough to add depth to the muzzle and head profile and to produce the elongated, blocked appearance of the head. They are tight and close fitting, hanging just over the lower jaw, but never pendulous and fluttering.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened. The line of the nose sits parallel with the line of the end of the muzzle, never pushed in or protruding beyond.
Cheeks: The cheeks are well-developed and well-muscled but never bulging. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, reverse-scissor (preferred), or slightly undershot (less desired), with less than 1/8 of an inch of space between upper and lower incisors being permissible. Contact preferred between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine dental work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Medium to large in size, oval, almond, or lemon-shaped. The eye color may range from hazel, amber, or medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium in size and set well apart, neither too high nor too low on the skull, but slightly above the level of the eye. They may be dropped or rose in shape. Ears may be natural (preferred) or surgically cropped short. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Body and Tail
General Description: Substantial, solid, powerful, and deep. The body is never racy or refined. It is of a good proportionate length, never appearing short or square in proportions. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage. It is powerfully muscled with a good arch. The neck is broad throughout, appearing truncated or cylindrical, without much taper from shoulder to head. The neck is somewhat clean but may have slightly loose skin around the throat, forming a slight dewlap. It should be without excess skin, throatiness, or an overly pendulous dewlap.
Chest: Deep, broad, and capacious, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: The topline may be level or slightly sloped from well-defined withers to the croup or gently rise toward the croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut and may be flat, level, or slightly arched yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
Croup: Broad, of a moderate length, and gently sloped.
Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapers toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked. The tail is to be left natural and never docked short. The tail is of a moderately long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or with a curve toward the tip when resting in a neutral position but may rise to form a sickle or saber. It should never appear curled or held over the back.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are fairly long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers, but in females, the distance from the withers to the brisket may be just greater than the distance from the elbows to the ground.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of solid bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are fairly long, equal in length, strong, sturdy, of solid bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Thick, yet well-fitted and supple. It may be slightly looser around the throat and neck. However, it should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The coat is short, smooth, coarse, flat, and close to the body throughout. The texture is coarse to the touch. The hair on the ears is even shorter and finer. It may appear with or without an undercoat. If an undercoat is present, the coat will be slightly longer on the tail, back of the thighs, withers, and neck, forming a very light ruff. No fringe or feather is permissible.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Alano breed: the standard and the nonstandard.
Standard coat color variety: All shades of fawn or brindle, including black, gray, silver, brown, liver, Isabella, gold, and tiger. Black with brindle points. All with or without a well-developed melanistic mask that extends no further than the brows.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Solid black, white extending beyond 20% of the dog, any color or pattern other than listed above.
Movement
Powerful, agile, effortless, and efficient, the characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
Unlike many of the other bull-baiting dogs and hunting dogs, Alanos were historically kept in packs and hunted in packs. For this reason, dogs that did not get along with other dogs were not kept. The Alanos have a long history of being friendly with other dogs. However, they are still known today for their strong guarding instincts, loyalty, and desire to bond strongly with family. Well-socialized and well-adjusted individuals grow to become confident and regal. Most retain an aloof nature toward strangers. Due to the size, power, strong desire to protect, and natural aloofness, stringent socialization and obedience are musts for this breed. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
