Sarplaninac Temperament

The temperament of the breed is described as independent, reliable, protective but not snappy, incorruptible and devoted to its master. The breed is aloof with outsiders, and calm until a threat to the flock presents itself. The breed has a extremely protective nature. In the absence of a flock of sheep, the Šarplaninac will often treat its humans as sheep - herding them away from danger or undesirable areas. They are serene and majestic, gentle with children and smaller dogs. They are also highly intelligent and bred to work without human supervision while guarding the flocks in the high pastures. Young pups can kill small animals until trained not to hunt.

The Šarplaninac is a very serious and dedicated guard dog. Due to this, they are naturally suspicious of strangers and will need good socialising at a young age to lessen this innate personality trait. They are calm and gentle with their family but when faced with danger they become a formidable foe, not a suitable breed for all. Consistent and firm training is essential to ensure compliance.

History
The Šarplaninac (pronounced shar-pla-NEE-natz) or Sharplaninac, also known as Yugoslav Shepherd Dog or Illyrian Shepherd Dog, is an ancient livestock guarding dog breed from the Šar Mountains region in the Balkans (in Kosovo[a] and northern Macedonia). The Šarplaninac was first registered by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1939 as the Illyrian Shepherd dog in part because of a Slovenian and Serb led nationalist movement that sought to distance itself from Austria and Germany.


Appearance
The Šarplaninac is a large, muscular, strongly-built dog. The body is slightly longer than the height at the withers, and the front legs account for approximately 55% of the height. The head is large but proportional to the body, with dark eyes.


Grooming
The coat is dense and medium in length, it can be rough or smooth. The coat is also about four inches (10 cm) long. The coat will benefit from occasional brushing. All Šarplaninac types are solid in colour: tan, iron grey, white or almost black. The colour need not be completely uniform, and most Šarplaninac have several different shades of the same colour fading into one another.

Health

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