I can’t elaborate it personally every time this question is popped, here it goes once and for all. Indian culture has given ayurveda, yoga, mathematics, economics, social science and much more. Back then in the primitive time, there were no testing aid and hence scientifically proven facts. One had to depend on the observation for results. So after a solution has worked for the expected result, the researcher may get close to state the reason for the result but he is not going to prove it with a proper scientific analysis. So now, when with the advancement we can give the reasoning for a result but the working biology remains the same primitive.
There were no vaccinations or antibiotics available in the natives easily back then. So when a dog is sick, they will try many native remedies including a rather infamous one, BRANDING. They take a bicycle wheel spoke, heat it up and just pull it over animals’ skin gently. Scientifically the blood supply is pumped up by this practice which is slow due to the inactivity and illness. This catalyzes the immune system to work out against the pathogens. Not every native would understand this logic so the learned bluntly put forth this practice before the native as ‘ to avoid the” evil eye” or bad omen’. I am not promoting this practice but it is not a bad practice as well since it has a scientific logic and above all, it works! Now the vaccines and other drugs are accessible by most natives but since the branding practice was put forth as to avoid the evil eye, many still follow it and many don’t. A branded dog does look rustic and odd, does not mean it is more perfect to a non branded one. , Working skills and visual confirmation of the Pedigree primarily, working ability and the visual breed confirmation of that specific specimen secondly is how the dog is judged in the natives.
Nothing spiritual about the pattern of branding. Generally the body parts which are vulnerable are branded. A standard branding pattern is 2 ear to ear parallel lines with one intersection line following Nose Bridge, a big cross on chest, two parallel lines on all four upper limbs, a cross on the croup and the last one on the keel. The head, legs chest and croup are considered important and functional for the hunting hound, hence branded.
There were people claiming that these dogs are branded as for proving ownership .That is not true as all the dogs are branded in a similar pattern.
There was someone claiming these dogs were branded as a proof that they are castrated. Not true again, as females are branded too plus why would one need to declare on the dogs’ body that it is a geld? Plus castration is very rare in the natives.
Some think it is very very CRUEL, There are many cruel things most of us learned modern crowd unknowingly do to our animals like confining them to a cage, having limited space to run and dig. Many of you experts can’t unleash your dogs; there can’t be a more cruel thing to an animal engineered to bolt through to follow a leader on a leash for life. Not letting a chase, etc. A good caravan is precious and prized possession of the parent. A branded living dog is way better than a dead caravan to his parent. Being a PARENT, he will try everything he has been taught by his seniors to keep it fit and breathing.
I appeal to think logically and practically to all such comments, there will be more to come from the many brilliant minds who have not yet seen a Caravan.