Alaunt

Features

In France, the Alaunt crossbreed came in three varieties: the alant veautre, alant boucherie, and alant gentile. All were large, short-haired dogs with different head shapes. The first two were mastiff-like, with a medium-length skull, similar to a Dogo Argentino or a short-coated Caucasian Shepherd Dog, and were skilled at hunting big game. The gentile was a large sighthound.

History

The Alaunt traces its origins to the Molossus, a dog of the Molossian tribe from Epirus in northern Greece around 1200 BC, which came from the north. These early dogs did not match the Mastiff type, having a long, narrow nose and a long mane. The Roman writer Varro described a herding dog from Epirus that was white, large-headed, and slightly undershot, used to guard sheep and goats. It is thought that the Alaunt gave rise to the fighting dogs of the Molossi, which reached Britain with the Roman invasion in 43 BC.

The Alans, who supplied cavalry to Rome, were stationed at Hadrian's Wall in the second century AD. Hun invasions in the 370s AD split the Alani into Eastern and Western groups. The Eastern Alani merged with the Ossetians and others, introducing their dogs into Balkan breeds like the Šarplaninac, Metchkar, Qen Ghedje, and Hellenikos Poimenikos. White-colored Alaunts may be the direct ancestors of these Balkan dogs.

The Western Alani joined the Vandals on raids across Europe, and by the 410s AD their fierce dogs influenced breeds in France, Spain, Portugal, England, and beyond. The name "Alaunt" came to mean a type of working dog rather than a specific breed. Through crossbreeding with scenthounds and sighthounds, some Alaunts became valued for hunting large game. By AD 1500, Spain was known for breeding the best Alaunts and used them in the conquest of the New World.

In France, Alaunts were divided into three categories based on looks and jobs: the alant gentil, a greyhound-like type; the alant de boucherie, a mastiff variety that may have contributed to French fighting and baiting dogs; and the alant veautre. The French alants de boucherie were called alauntz o bouchery in England, famously mentioned by Chaucer in his "Knight's Tale" as the mythical hounds of Lycurgus, King of Thrace. In Spain and Italy, this type was known as the Alano and considered the original Bulldog, used to control and defend cattle herds.

In Spain, the three categories were Mastins, Alanos, and Lebrels, further split into ayuda (defense types) and presa (offense types), such as the Perro de presa español.

Form

The Alaunt’s long, broad, flat skull is distinct from the short, wide head of brachycephalic breeds. Its preferred bite is a reverse scissor, like the mastiff’s, which may have come from Mongolian dogs long ago. Skull shape and bite type are separate genetic traits. The Alaunt is a modified dolichocephalic breed, since a mesocephalic head balances width and length. In head studies, the Alaunt and mastiff must be kept apart from the Molossoides group, which includes mountain dogs and even the pug.