Originating in Morocco more than 3000 years ago, the Aidi was first introduced to North America during the Twentieth Century. It is still relatively rare here.
Other names that it has been called are “Chien de l'Atlas,” “Atlas Shepherd Dog,” “Berber” and “Kabyle Dog.”
The Aidi has a very keen sense of smell and, as a result, it is used to guard livestock by the Berber nomads. It is sometimes used to track game which is then brought down by a Sloughi, a very revered dog in that region of Africa. Because of its superior tracking capabilities, police in some locales use it as a tracking dog and to find missing and lost persons. It is also being used as a watch dog because it is easily trained to do this and many other tasks.
Because it is quite high strung and has a great deal of energy, the Aidi needs a lot of things to keep it occupied. Although it is sometimes used as a companion dog, it is only now being considered as a household pet, but only if it is given enough exercise, tasks to complete and stimulating diversions to keep it happy.
The Aidi stands 21 to 24 inches tall (53-61 cm) and weighs 50 to 55 pounds (23-24 kg). It is relatively lean and well muscled, with a deep chest. It has a strong 2 inch (5 cm) long coat of varying colours which is well suited for the harsh climate of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Libya and Algeria, which is hot during the day and extremely cold at night.
If you need a good guard dog, or a tracking dog that can live in harsh climates, then an Aidi would be a good choice. Just remember that it needs plenty of exercise and stimulating tasks to keep it satisfied.
Until next time,
Teia
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