Cao da Serra de Aires Dog

The Cao da Serra de Aires is a recognized breed of dog from Portugal.

The origin of this breed is not clear. One track leads to the Count Castro Guimaraes, who would have developed and implemented the dogs from the Berger de Brie breed. An alternative theory says that their origin is from crossings with Berger de Pyrenees.

Description

This medium dog is up to 45 cm tall and 18 kg in weight. His ape-like appearance and demeanor is reputed to be why he is known in his homeland as the monkey dog. His hair is very long, smooth, wavy, and at times a little reminiscent of goat hair. The ape-like facial expression is characterized by the long hair on the chin, eyebrows and mustache. The fur covers the whole body, even between the toes. This breed does not have an undercoat.

Many colors occur: yellow, brown, gray, tan and wolf-gray, in each case in a bright, normal or darker hue. They can also be black with brown markings, more or less strong, whether with or without markings of white fur, but never with white patches, except for a small white patch. The ears are set high, without buckling, and are flowing, triangular, medium length, thin and smooth. The tail is set high, reaching to the ankle.

Use

In Alentejo, he is used to guard and herd flocks of all kinds. He is appreciated for his clever way of holding herds together in the pasture and bringing back strays.