Morphometric Characteristics of the Central Asian Shepherd Dog Population in Uzbekistan: A Comparative Analysis of Body Conformation Indices Based on Sex, Region, and Type of Use

This article presents the results of a morphometric analysis of the Central Asian Shepherd Dog (Canis familiaris) population in Uzbekistan for the period 2011–2025. The aim of the study was to identify intrabreed phenotypic differences associated with sex, type of economic use (herding and domestic guard dogs), and physical-geographic region of habitat. A total of 232 clinically healthy individuals aged 1 to 9 years were studied. Five main body conformation indices were calculated: elongation, bone density, high-leggedness, massiveness, and long-headedness. The breed was found to be characterized by high morphological homogeneity (CV 4.78–8.99%); however, statistically significant differences were identified in the head length index between sexes (p=0.024), in the elongation and head length indices between herding and domestic dogs (p=0.010 and p=0.028, respectively), and in the leg length index between regions (p=0.027). The data obtained can serve as a basis for monitoring genetic diversity and developing breed identification criteria in the context of anthropogenic range transformation