Sarplaninac
The Sarplaninac, also known as Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog or Mountain Dog, or the Sar Planina and Illyrian Sheepdog. This old breed from the 1200's comes from Illyria, an area better known today as Bosnia and Albania. This ancient breed originally was a shepherd, but in more recent times has been used by border troops. It was introduced to the USA in 1975.
Height: The minimum height for males is 22" (56 cm) with the average being 24.5" (62 cm), and for females it is 21" (54 cm) with the average being 23" (58 cm). There are no upper height restrictions, and a taller dog is desirable assuming good proportions. The dog is longer (by 10%) than it is tall.
Weight: 77 - 99 lbs (34.4 - 34.4 kg) for dogs, 66 - 88 lbs (29.5 - 29.5 kg) for bitches
Coat Type: The coat on the main parts of the body is long, slightly rough and straight. The hair on the face, ears and front of legs is short. There is a thick, short undercoat. The longest hair, along the ridge of the back is about 4-5" (10-12 cm) in length, but never shorter than 3" (7 cm). The coat color is a solid color of white to gray to black, varying in degrees from head to ends of feet, but never multi-colored.
Temperament: The Sarplaninac is a calm, self-confident, reserved and independent dog; it is uncompromisingly devoted to its master. It is a teritorial guard dog, friendly with its owners but wary of strangers; good with kids. This is not an easy dog to train.
Classifications:
AKC: Not recognized
CKC: Not recognized
KC: Not recognized
FCI: Group 2
ANKC: Not recognized
Save to del.icio.us
Save to Digg
