CANIL DA CASA DO SEAREIRO

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CÃO DA SERRA DE AIRES

Portuguese Sheepdog

ORIGINS

The  Portuguese  Sheepdog  finds  its  origines in  the  ancient  sheepdogs  wich  were  spread through all Europe by  the  Roman  Legions  in their  conquests.  This  link  looks quit obvious when  you  compare   the   morfology  of   the continental  european  sheepdogs,  such  as the Bergamasco,  the Briard,  the Gos d'Atura, etc. The breed  is  named after the  Monte da Serra de  Aires,  a  farm  next  to  the  mount (serra) with   the  same  name,  in  Alentejo,  southern Portugal.. The Cão da  Serra de Aires  qualitys as a sheep dog  were  well  known  in Portugal in the XIX Century.  It  is  thought that  the  modern  tipe results from the mix of Briards  with  the origi- nal dogs. This was done by the count  of  Cas-tro Guimarães, who owned the Monte da Serra de Aires, next to 1890.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Ears set high; hanging and without folds. Triangular, medium lenght, fine and smooth.

The head is strong and broad, neither long nor gobular .The skull is almost flat with visible occipital  prominence.

Short and bent loin.

Straight or slightly diving back.

The tail is highly set, pointed, tapering towards the base. In action, spreads out a litle, curved and fans out or rolls up.

Stop well defined.

Almost cilindrical muzzle, straight. Short, measuring about two thirds of the lenght of the skull

Chest well let down; of medium width and depth..

Hindquarters: Strrong, regularly separeted.

Feet are round, not flat with long and strong nails

Hair: The colours are yellow, chestnut, gry, fawn and wolf grey and black, more or less marked with tan. Very long on the head, body and legs, including between the toes. Medium thickness and of goat like texture, there is no undercoat or whool.

TEMPERAMENT

The Portuguese Sheepdog temperament has been molded by the sharpness and the solitude af the alentejan fields. Working sheepdog by excelence, his qualities aloud him to fit to more urban activities such as Obedience or Agility. Because of his distrustful and, some times shy character with strangers, a major socialization work must be done by the breeder, since the very first weeks, as by the new owner, for the first months of life.. A well socialized  Serra de Aires becomes an exceptional playing partner, achieving a strong complicity with the children of the family.

The drawing used in this page are CPC propertie.