History
The Sarplaninac breed originated in Southwest part of Kosovo and Northwest region of Macedonia. This geographical area was once known as Illyria and was the original name for this breed. These dogs used to work in the Shar Planina mountains in modern Macedonia and thus were named after the mountain ranges. The breed got its first unique status in the year, 1930.
They have a dense coat, evenly distributed throughout its entire body. They are considered to be one of the unique flock guards and come in solid colors, other than whites. These dogs have a medium sized body with feathers on their bellies, and a bushy tail giving them the appearance of a husky dog. The tip of their nose is large, and the tail is slightly curved.
Interesting Facts
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Sarplaninac is pronounced as Shar-pla-nee-natz.
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Built to guard the flocks, and their tribal instincts are incredibly deep-rooted in them. So much so that, a six-year-old Sarplaninac named Bruno from the USA began its journey as a guard dog to protect the sheep, and soon it was noticed that it could not be coaxed away from its barn, even to play.
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Yugoslavian army was the first in the world to employ these dogs in their army.
Temperament & Personality
The Sarplaninac is a working dog and needs to move its body, because of its ancestry constantly. Being livestock dogs, they are also unaffectionate towards their human counterparts, and will instead prefer to flock and guard the sheep. They have an independent strike, typical of the herding dogs. During their guarding duties, they will never hesitate to investigate a possible threat lurking around. Most importantly, they are not brainless creatures and will make friends wisely.
In recent years, the sheep and goat owners are discovering new ways to use these dogs, because of their predatory issues are disappearing slowly from the countryside. These dogs can stay happily with small children if raised with them early in their childhood. This is a tricky breed, and if mistreated, they can show their negative side also. These Illyrian dogs will not be a good fit for apartment life.
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