What is the origin of the European long-haired
sheepdogs? They are monophyletic? Kennel Club books usually consider their as
brought by Phoenician traders.
Pyrenean Sheepdog, French Briard, Spanish Gos
d'Atura, Portuguese Cao da Serra d'Aires, English Sheepdog (Bobtail), Bearded
Collie, Polish Owczarek, Russian Ovtcharka, Italian Bergamasco, Hungarian
Komondor, Pumi and Puli.
I've read in books about them being descendants of
a kind of long-haired Persian Sheepdog, who influenced also Afghanhound and
Russian Borzoi.
Joao SL