CHANDIGARH: It is now official—the Himalayan "Gaddi" dog has been recognised as a breed by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) in Karnal, Haryana. This recognition will help preserve the purity of the breed.
The Gaddi dog is the fourth indigenous canine breed to be registered, following the Rajapalayam and Chippiparai breeds of Tamil Nadu and the Mudhol Hound of Karnataka.
On 7 January, the Director of NBAGR, Dr B.P. Mishra, informed the Director of Animal Husbandry, Himachal Pradesh, about the development. The letter read: "I am pleased to inform you that the ICAR Breed Registration Committee, in its meeting held on 5 January, has approved the registration of the Gaddi dog as a breed. The accession number of the newly-registered breed is INDIA-DOG-0600_GADDI_19004."
Confirming the development, Dr Pardeep Kumar Sharma, Director of Animal Husbandry, Himachal Pradesh, said: "This dog guards and is very steady, thus kept by the Gaddi community to guard their flocks from theft and wild beasts. It is also suitable for the cold climate as it has good resistance. It weighs about 40 to 45 kilograms and has long hair, mainly in black and brown colours. As it is registered now, in the coming days we expect its numbers to increase, as the demand for this dog is very high. People also want to keep them in their orchards."
Dr Shivani Katoch, Head of the Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding at the College of Veterinary and Animal Science (COVAS), Palampur University, called the recognition a step towards the conservation of indigenous dog breeds.
She remarked: "This is an achievement towards the conservation of indigenous breeds of dogs. It will go a long way in conserving our natural genetic resources of dogs. After this characterisation—both morphological and genomic—we will be able to know the present population of this breed. Also, as the characteristics are now defined and registered, it will make it easier to maintain the breed's purity."
Sources stated that now the Animal Husbandry Department can conduct a census, as the breed has been registered and characterised. Until now, there were no guidelines about the breed.
It is the first Himalayan dog breed to be officially registered. However, there are other dog breeds in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand which also claim to be Gaddi dogs.
The lack of scientific validation previously allowed the breed to be sold by several breeders without regulation. It was in 2019 that a scientific study of the Gaddi dog began.
Specialists at the Conservation-Cum-Propagation Centre for Gaddi dogs, established at COVAS Palampur University, visited interior parts of Himachal Pradesh to collect Gaddi pups for research. After three years of study, the team compiled its findings and sent the data to NBAGR in 2022 for validation.
Due to its ability to fight snow leopards, the Gaddi dog is also known as the "Indian Panther Hound." These dogs are large, aggressive, and incredibly strong, with a deep bark similar to that of the Tibetan Mastiff. However, their tail is less curly and heavily feathered compared to the Tibetan Mastiff. Like many indigenous breeds, the Gaddi dog is on the verge of extinction due to gene pool dilution.
Sources further revealed that these dogs are primarily found in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh. They are also bred in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, and Ropar districts of Punjab, where farmers use them to protect their crops from wild animals. Farmers in Punjab often purchase Gaddi dogs at a premium when Gaddi shepherds migrate to the plains from the hills.