Genealogical information of interest: (Ver pedigree)

A product of 15 years of selection in “Los Tarantos”’s kennels; 5th generation descendent of our original specimen; 8 generations from the beginning of “Condado de Niebla” and “Los Cuadrejones” and 11 generations from the inaugural population in “Encartaciones” (more than two decades of controlled breeding). The most notable specimens from his family tree are: “Carbonero del Condado de Niebla”; “Romo de los Cuadrejones”; and “Taranto de los Cuadrejones”. Genetic origin: some of the oldest specimens of his breed include Txakur, Godo, Limon, Carpintero, Navarro, Chato el rojo, Niebla, A.Bisco, A.Serio, A.Jhon, A.Yaco, Navarra, etc…
Nemesio is grandson of “Tora” from “la Cañada del Pinillo” (one of our best Alanos) and great-great-grandson by inbreeding of “Carbonero del Condado de Niebla” and “Romo de los Cuadrejones”. The fact that some of the most influential individuals of the
actual Alano’s bloodlines do not appear in the Nemesio’s family tree (such as “Pantera del Condado de Niebla”; “Curro de Tamerán” and some of his outstanding descendents such as “Goiko”; “Zarpas”; “Hispano”; “Camilo”; “Sancho”, etc) confers an added value to Nemesio as he can be worked with selectively in a number of ways:
  1) As a fresh genetic input for the closed bloodlines of the individuals mentioned above;

  2) As a prime candidate for creating a new blood line through inbreeding with himself – if he proves suitable as an adult –
and through other prominent individuals that unfortunately have had little input in to the breed gene pool, as is the case with “Romo de los Cuadrejones” and his parents “Carbonero del Condado de Niebla” and “Zambra de los Cuadrejones”.

  3) As a proposition of an intermediate tendency between morphological extremes, combining structural harmony with a very characteristic expression and that “old-fashioned flavour” that is found in some of his ancestors (see tendencies).

Statistics:

Date of birth: 14 of August 2007
Weight at 4 months: 18 kg
Weight at 4.5 months: 20.2 kg
Weight at 5 months: 22 kg
Weight at 5 months and 3 weeks: 25 kg
Weight at 8 months: 32 kg
Estimated adult weight: 42 kg (ideal weight for work)
Estimated adult size: 62cm

Temperament and Behaviour

It is too soon to draw definite conclusions, but we have observed that he already fits the characteristic profile of his breed remarkably well: he comes across as a serious and mature puppy; calm, self-confident and somewhat “independent”. We have been testing him with pieces of leather and animal fur. A game to simulate hunting – at times even violent – has shown us some interesting features. He responds to motivation with persistence and decisiveness, showing great enthusiasm for searching, following trails, and hunting. He has a powerful bite: he finds his best grip by biting with his mouth open up to his deepest molars and keeps hold of the ‘prey’ for a long time, fighting it intelligently and skilfully and avoiding our attempts to twist him during the ‘combat’. He “dizzies” the prey (1) when he has the advantage and “sleeps” the prey (2) if it proves too strong to be dominated. When he snatches the prey, he carries it off and defends it tenaciously. However, he will abandon his ‘defeated’ prey if the group becomes involved in another “attack”. He shows excellent integration within the group; a strong leadership instinct brings him to dispute hierarchy amongst his peers, whilst respecting leaders and elders with an appropriate degree of submission. He displays tolerance or indifference to those who are weaker. He accepts correction without shyness or fear. Good levels of attachment, obedience and response to positive reinforcement. His character and behaviour allow me to have a lot of fun with him and to undertake a multidisciplinary training programme to achieve his full potential. (1) “To dizzy the prey” This term, when applied to gripping and holding of prey, refers to motions of dragging, shaking and violent struggling. It is common in the Alano who enjoys a physical advantage over his victim. (2) “Sleeping the prey” is a method employed by more specialized individuals. When the dog determines that the hunted animal is the stronger of the two, he seeks advantages so as to avoid injury and not tire himself out in the struggle. Bringing the animal to ground using his own weight or dragging it backwards are the dog’s main weapons against large animals. Only animals with courage and a strong temperament are able to maintain sufficient control in these situations to avoid injury.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ last New about Nemesio's character ! ! ! ! ! !

With only 7 months old, Nemesio have passed his first serious tested with a young but very brave and violent wild boar with the incredible result of holding to this corageus and dangerous animal by it left ear, - like if he would have been doing this all a life !!! - keeping this holding prey strongly for a long time while we tried separete the figthing for avoid damages in both young animals....with such experience, our expectatives have been covered and the hunter mans whose was there looking this test was gratefully surprised about tenacity and depredator instincs of Nemesio !!!!

Morphology

Well within official standards (both the ANCAE standard and the one published in the BOE agree on the essentials of the Alano): a build distinctive of predators that combine strength and resistance; long but not excessively so; fairly angular in front and behind; straight back; front and back legs well-aligned and in parallel; a good length in the legs; bones strong but not too heavy. Large paws. His overall build gives the impression of strength and agility that is characteristic of his breed. His muzzle is perfectly suited to the function of grasping prey: a good length, wide and firm. A moderate-sized lip and the stop (muzzle-forehead divide) is discernible but not exaggerated. A well-adjusted bite and a mouth equipped with an extraordinary set of teeth, large and perfectly aligned. His movement – like that of his grandmother Tora – is feline and his steps are rhythmic; typical of a stalking predator. While walking he extends his paws far in front of him to cover a lot of ground, which is helped by his angular build and the length of his limbs.
The words that would best define his appearance is HARMONY and POWERFULL.

Breeding phylosophy: about look; functionality and tendencies

I will use this section to explain aspects relating to “tipicity” (common traits that define the breed) in relation to functionality and history. Nemesio’s head – with all of its distinguishing characteristics – closely fits the average of what is observed nowadays. (look our personal "tipity opinion") It combines strength and harmony. In contrast to the triangular heads of the lupoid and labroid type (like the Villanos), and to those that are overly braquicephalic, the Nemesio’s head is in the middle of those tendencys. Compared to the average this dog tends more towards harmony than exaggeration. In line with contemporary specimens – such as Rebollito and Pizarro – we see features that faithfully conserve the qualities of their predecessors - such as Belmonte, Carbonero, Txakur, Godo, niebla, etc…. I would like to coin the colloquial term ‘block’ to refer to a head with a very desirable quality – especially in the cinegetic circles – that represents an interesting bid for the future, with both historical and functional arguments in its favour. (1) This head is structured as a sort of compact block where the muzzle and the skull are joined to form a continuous, solid unit without any prominent division between both parts. A muzzle of sufficient length and width (not too short) give way to a straight skull, with a stop that is discernible but not exaggerated, without too many wrinkles or lips. The line of the muzzle is more or less parrallel to that of the skull, or should at least appear so. We refer to a head with these features as “dry” and “block-shaped”.

Types and tendencies: pass; present; evolution and future

This variation in types of dog within the breed and variation in opinions on the breed is not just a modern phenomenon: throughout history there has been a continual oscilation between the aesthetic impulse – a product of man’s desire to over-manipulate (hipertipicity) – and fuctional pragmatism – a genuine “quality control” that seeks to dilute these overwrought features and find a harmony that is essential in a working dog. This “dilution” is not only achieved through cross-breeding with other breeds, but also through a selection that is based on functional criteria, and which is aided by the natural tendency of the species to evolve towards more harmonious features. In some ways, the phrase “man proposes but nature provides” can be applied to the evolution of the Alano. By ‘nature’ we understand the work environment, the function that fine tunes and perfects man’s aims and projects, which are at times motivated by his arrogance and aesthetic sense. Extreme types lose functional versatility but can be useful in two respects: for specialization on the one hand, and to achieve a balance between different tendencies on the other. Regarding specialization, a larger build is associated with a voluminous head and a short, wide muzzle. What these dogs gain in strength they lose in speed and resistance (as well as a tendency towards protruding jaws and structural problems). These dogs specialize in working with livestock due to their strong grip at close quarters. At the other extreme are the “runners”, which are fast and resistant. They are lighter dogs with long pointed muzzles with a scissor bite like reminiscent of the lebrel and lupoid types that converge in the modern Villano ( Villano is named a breed which started as a cross between Alanos and sheepers dogs), with a loss of the “Bull type identity” and biting strength. They are more specialized for long days of extended hunting. But the race reaches its functional climax in the combination of strength and resistance; two qualities by which the Spanish Alano shows its versatility for any type of work. Relying on an “extreme type” imposes severe restrictions upon multifunctionality: what’s the point of exceptional strength if the dog runs out breath and has no resistance? What’s the use of a dog catching up with its prey like a podenco if it’s too weak to detain it [sin fuerza de parada] or gets in to a dangerous predicament miles away from the rider, pointlessly risking his life? History should help us to reach a consensus as it shows how the evolution of the species has involved a continual crossing of complementary types that combines the stamina [vigorosidad] of lighter individuals with the strength of heavier ones. Iconography and literature show that the different types have coexisted and crossbred for centuries. This coexistence and mixing is so prevalent that it characterised the last population group (last inaugural population) [último reducto poblacional] found in “Encartaciones”, where a reduced heterogeneous population of extreme types coexisted with a majority population of intermediate types. This is not only the case within “Encartaciones”, but also of other Alano’s relatives that emigrated and evolved in other continents. The typical head of the intermediate product should be sufficiently heavy to grip and immobilize large animals, yet retain a structural harmony. A well-proportioned head and well-adjusted bite help to protect the jaw and teeth, facilitate oxygenisation and movement and allow for a longer working life. Making a fuss over a couple of millimetres that differentiate a scissor bite from an inverted scissors or pliers bite when the dog is grasping a 150 kilo wild boar is simply an aesthetic triviality. Even if we concede that aesthetics has a part to play in morfophologic selection, we must make it clear that these two millimetres that differentiate one bite from another when the dog’s mouth is closed become meaningless when the dog is biting and a mass of skin a few centimetres thick separates both jaws (up and down jaws). The most important is that the colmillos superiors e inferiors be in contact = closed together as a protection of the jaws. What hunter would judge his Alano according to this millimetre in a mouth with colmillos well entrelazados closed? This is a subject that deserves attention. (3) “Ajuste de llaves” is a term by which we refer to the type of bite that is well-adjusted and crossed over between the bigger canines, regardless of its particular characterisation (scissors or protruding jaw (prognatism)). If we are to be objective and practical, we must admit that isolated details – those couple of millimetres, the eye colour, the length of the tail etc – are totally eclipsed by parameters that are truly important in a working dog, such as the temperament, the heart and entrega en un lance, rusticity as an adaptation to a hostile environment, harmony general structure, etc. It’s about time we returned to hunters and livestock farmers for advice!!! The attempt to find a balance between hunting ability? [apresamiento] and resistance is what has moulded the cranial structures of breeds such as the “Dogo Argentino”; the old “presa canario” and “mallorquin”; certain types of bull terrier used in the USA (pits, staforshires, bulldogs); the old “Dogo Cubano”; the “Villanos of Encartaciones”; and “Cimarrón Uruguayo”, and so on. These groupings along with the Spanish Alano – the direct or indirect ancestor of all of them – form a hybrid between the “extreme molosos” and their lighter ramifications (the running molosoides). These ramifications have often been the product of livelier breeds which have greatly influenced their development. In these breeds as well as in the Alano there is an unquestionable influence of certain breeds such as the terrier; majoreros; villanos; mastines; lebreles and podencos and sheepers. It’s clear that in the past the concept of “purity” was seen as purely functional – within a more or less identifiable type – rather than as a rigorous genetic control or adherence to a meticulous standard. By studying the historical period during which these groupings (which we now know as ‘breeds’) arose, we learn that the evolution of this intermediate functional group had many unstated influences that must be inferred. The oldest known description of the Alano speaks of various different types and the vagueness and imprecision of the period should make us cautious about how we interpret these accounts: we should see them as a general orientation rather than a strict standard. This perspective obliges us to respect the original population and grant it the significance it deserves. A population that has survived and been maintained historically for practical reasons should not renounce those qualities which have made it so successful. Throughout the evolutionary path that has defined the breed, nothing is more ‘authentic’ than those features associated with adaptation to the environment: rusticity, functionality, harmony, etc. These qualities are present in most of the population regardless of their type or tendency. We are justified in improving the average quality of the population; nor is there any fault in homogenising and reducing a certain amount of variation to adapt the grouping to its environment and create a more defined breed. But what we must not allow under any circumstance is for the population to be transformed according to arbitrary models that answer only to a personal or collective taste and pander to a demand that is ill-informed and far from the original type. The Alano of the future must continue to be identified with the recovered population in both form and spirit. Besides conservation, the breeder has a pedagogical responsibility with the lay public. We must rise above purely anecdotal pursuits such as winning titles and disclosing our selective work (not that these aren’t perfectly respectable activities for a breeder) and try to transmit a functional and conservationist philosophy inherited from our predecessors in the recovery process? We must not adapt selection to a non-educated demand with only looks for something spectacular or beautiful, or occasionally refined. I have in mind the type of demand that’s capable of rejecting a magnificent specimen because it has a white paw, a too much long tail or a millimetre of prognatism; those who don’t see beauty in rusticity or in diversity. For these tastes there already exist breeds that have been far more “perfected” by aesthetic selection. The dog of the “Alano type” as it used to be known always included much more than a limited selection of genes in common. Can anyone say how many genes a population must share in order to belong to the same breed? When we have before us fifty magnificent specimens of the same breed, perhaps we can permit ourselves the luxury of honing in on the small details, but until then…. Let’s focus on what’s really important. No one can deny that selection improves the average quality of a population, but improvement does not mean distorting the qualities that distinguish the breed. We must make an effort to conserve this which is hard to define technically and which we refer to with terms such as “old-fashioned flavour; identity; essence; rusticity….” We should note that these qualities are manifest in individuals of different tendencies. So if conserving the “old-fashioned flavour” requires a respect for morphological diversity, it may be compatible with modern cinofilia. And last of all, just as I would not recommend that dog exhibitions be in charge of conserving a functional breed (though they do serve as a magnificent showcase for transmitting knowledge and an excellent meeting point), neither would I advise delegating all the responsibility of conservation to what are now minority rural areas. In these areas there are those who recommend crossbreeding for functional purposes and where the race was on the point of extinction. Neither collective can on its own guarantee an integral selection process that satisfies the qualitative and quantitative demands of the breed. There are countless examples of breeds that were originally intended for work but following decades of purely morphological selection – led by beauty contests – their practical assets regressed until their original functions were invalid. Those who only look for a physical image or a soulless caricature of the breed are not the sort who should own an Alano, or even less so, breed them. The conservation strategy which I believe will avoid this regression, requires a safeguarding of functional alternatives in a context where breeders, exhibiters, sports people, hunters and livestock farmers work together to formulate and promote parameters for the conservation of the Alano – these parameters should take in to account more than just its physical aspect, yet be more consistent than a simple set of aptitudes without a specific build. Each of the above collectives should contribute according to their specialisation. Although it may not appear so, the mere fact of possessing individuals that conform to the typical profile of the breed, and display, say, a healthy hunting instinct, a high level of obedience and an aptitude as guard dogs, would already be a good step forward. Tracking the best dogs that are bred in cinegetic environments and using them for reproduction is an alternative for those who can’t hunt on a regular basis. This has been done for a long time through individual initiative. Any proposal that complements purely morphological considerations and motivates amateurs to work with their dog should be supported by the organisations that support the breed. To allow a group of characteristics forged through centuries of selection to go extinct simply because they are falling in to disuse, would be just as shameful as allowing a Gothic cathedral to be demolished to make way for a skyscraper. The true brilliance and significance of this dog is to be found by combining a certain physique with archaic qualities.

Javier Parra Gordillo
Breeder of Spanish Alanos since 1992
3 Spanish Champions
Near 20 hunters-groups working in the countryside with our gene pool
www.lostarantos.net