Aidi

The Aidi is a livestock guardian dog from the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, where it protects flocks of sheep and goats. It is most common in Morocco, the country that holds its standard with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, and is also found in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It has a good nose as well, and Moroccan hunters often pair it with the Sloughi: the Aidi finds the game by scent and the Sloughi runs it down.

History

The Aidi has long lived and worked in the Atlas Mountains, guarding its owners and their property against wildcats, other predators and strangers. Among desert nomads, the most alert and aggressive dogs were posted around the edge of the camp at night. The breed is also called the Berber Dog, after the Berber tribes who kept it, and it shows some ancestral resemblance to the pariah dog.

The 1963 standard called it the Atlas Sheepdog, although it has never herded sheep. The mistake was corrected in 1969.

The tribes did not hold the Aidi in the same esteem as the Sloughi, which they regarded as a noble dog. More recently a club was formed in Morocco to keep the breed pure, in recognition of its work as a protector, hunter, police dog and companion. It is still mainly a working dog, but it has also become a household pet in towns and cities.

Appearance

The Aidi stands 52 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) tall and weighs around 25 kg (55 lb). Its body is lean and muscular under a thick, coarse, weather-resistant coat, and the tail is a heavy plume. The head is bear-like and in proportion to the body, with a tapering muzzle, strong jaws and tight lips. The nose and lips are black or brown, usually matching the coat. The ears are of medium size, tipped forward and slightly dropped, and the eyes are medium-sized and dark with dark rims.

Coat colors are white, black, black and white, pale red and tawny. In parts of Morocco the ears are cropped and the tail is docked.

Temperament

The Aidi is known for its courage and its watchfulness. It is a working dog first, and it settles into town life when it has enough to do and enough exercise.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.