Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog

These dogs are seen of iron grey, fawn or black.

A thick, coarse and long top coat lies above a dense and fine undercoat. 

Dark or light brown.

The Sarplaninac is a well-built, muscular and sturdy dog. The ears are not set too high on the skull and hang close to the dogs cheeks. The tail is long and abundantly feathered. 

The Šarplaninac is an affectionate, even-tempered and well-mannered dog. 

This dog is generally happy and playful. It enjoys playtime but will try to dominate playmates whenever it sees the chance to do so.   

This is a calm dog; one that is not quick to anger. 

The Šarplaninac is a quick learner. It is a very smart dog that prefers to make decisions by itself rather than obey the orders of its handler. 

Although they are bred to herd, Šarplaninac Sheepdogs are instinctive hunters. They are also exceptionally territorial. 

The Šarplaninac tends to be painfully shy around strangers. It takes one of these dogs quite a while to trust people who aren’t already in their ‘circle’. 

This is a wilful dog that will test the boundaries of the household’s hierarchy whenever it can. Its independence cannot be stamped on. It must be harvested and used as a training aid. 

The Šarplaninac tolerates a degree of solitude.  

Training of this dog must be done right. Šarplaninacs will try to dominate proceedings. They are not the easiest of dogs to train. 

This is a dog that enjoys barking but it will be quiet when told to be. The bark is heavy and loud. 

A Šarplaninac will not respond to your recall command unless you have trained this dog exceedingly well.  

If it is unhappy or stressed the Šarplaninac will be destructive.

This dog is not known to be greedy. 

The Šarplaninac is an exceptionally alert and territorial dog. It makes an excellent watchdog. 

A Šarplaninac must be exercised well and trained cleverly in order to stay out of trouble. It is unlikely that a first-time owner would successfully manage such a dog. 

Bred to roam vast swathes of open countryside this dog will not be happy to live in a flat or to only have access to a small walled garden. 

An energetic dog is the Šarplaninac. It is far better suited to country living than it is urban living. 

Once trained, a Šarplaninac is comfortable travelling. 

This dog will tolerate a cat that it is familiar with but it may not be so tolerant of other cats. 

Due to its territorial nature, the Šarplaninac does not appreciate the company of other dogs. 

The Šarplaninac is careful and gentle around children but it can be boisterous and will try to assert its dominance. 

Because of its sheer size and need for lots of exercise, the Šarplaninac may not be the perfect choice of dog for some of senior years.

The Šarplaninac sheds steadily throughout the year. 

Having been successfully bred for centuries, the Šarplaninac is generally healthy and robust. It suffers only from ailments associated with large dogs. Its life expectancy is 10 to 12 years.

The Šarplaninac is strong and agile. It does not readily suffer with ailments. 

The Šarplaninac tolerates hot weather reasonably well. 

The double coat of the Šarplaninac keeps the dog warm in cold weather. 

Weight gain is seen of any dog that is not exercised as regularly as it should be and is fed too much human or substandard food. 

• Hip dysplasia

This dog has been bred for centuries by farmers of land in the Yugoslavian mountains. Some experts of the breed suggest that it arrived in Europe during ancient societal migrations from Asia. The breed is named after the Šarplaninac mountain range, and dogs of the breed are still widely used here for guarding and herding cattle and sheep.