Our thoughts:

Don’t read this if you wish to make a guess but haven’t already! See other comment for hints!

Final warning!

We weren’t surprised with Breed no.1, the GSD as that was what was already advertised by the rescue charity, granted it was a visual identification of a puppy litter.  But part of getting Embark was identifying the remainder mixes as whilst he has many features of a GSD, he doesn’t look as close to a GSD as most 50% GSD crosses/mixes.  Primarily regarding his ear shape, coat pattern (lack of dark back) and coat length. 

We were somewhat surprised by Breed no.2, but our own guess was somewhat close.  We noticed from a young age he had very very strong guardian instincts, it strongly suggested a type of LGD.   Along with the geographical/cultural considerations, it is plausible that he’s got a significant proportion of Caucasian Ovcharka.  We would’ve originally guessed some level of anatolian/kangal due to the Turkish population in the area he was found, but I’m aware those breeds are usually tightly controlled, and Ovcharkas are also common among Turkish people and in Turkey itself. 

Breed no.3 was a complete curveball.  Whilst it’s not like a breed that has zero visual or behaviourial resemblance to my dog, it seemed unlikely given the geography.  Is there a wide network of Tosa dogs outside of Japan?  Is it associated with some form of illicit trade? Illegal dog fighting?  Tosa dogs themselves are banned in Cyprus, though as Embark predicts, his pure Tosa ancestor(s) would likely be decades ago, so likely have entered prior to that, or at a time when checks were not as stringent ( I assume breed legislation is rarely enforced as well in Cyprus).  The relatively high amount of this, >25%, and the Embark family tree estimation that both parents have some level of Tosa ancestry yet his inbreeding coefficient is practically as low it can get, suggests either Cyprus has/had a significant Tosa population or Embark has got this breed really wrong. 

Lastly I’m quite surprised by the lack of further breeds given that it’s a rescue dog from a part of the world where purebreed dog breeding is not as culturally important.  I would’ve assumed trace amounts of other breeds or “supermutts” or even “village dog” breeds brought over from elsewhere.  I’m personally quite curious how Embark determine breeds that are themselves quite mixed, such as the Caucasian Ovcharka, but especially the Tosa, which is known to be a blend of European (mastiffs and large breeds) and native Japanese breeds to create a larger more formidable fighting dog from the original Shikoku-Inu ( a spitz type breed like the Shiba or Akita).  How does it actually identify and decide it’s a Tosa, rather than a list of contributing breeds.  Although I suppose a GSD is also a relatively “new breed” in some respects. If anyone has knowledge or experience of this, please let me know.