Šarplaninac
| Ilyrian Shepherd or Šarplaninac | |||||||||
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| File:Deltari ilir dhe delet.jpg Sharr Mountain Dog | |||||||||
| Other names | Charplaninatz Illyrian Sheepdog Ilyrian Shepherd | ||||||||
| Common nicknames | Shar | ||||||||
| Origin | Kosova & Macedonia (Sharr Mountains) | ||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||
The Šarplaninac or Sharplaninec (Albanian: Qen i Sharrit; Macedonian: ???????????; pronounced "shar-pla-NEE-natz") is a large-sized shepherd dog breed of the Balkan region.
Appearance
General appearance
The Ilyrian Shepherd 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 and a kind expression.
Size
The show-bred "Sar" stands between 68-80 cm at the withers and weighs 70-80 kg.
Coat and colour
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 Sarplaninac types are always solid in colour: tan, iron grey, white or almost black. The solid colour need not be completely uniform, and most Sars have several different shades of the same colour fading gradually into one another. There are no bicolours and no uniformly black-coated dogs among purebreds, but oddly-coloured specimens do exist.
Temperament
Ilyrian Shepherds are powerfull, strong, aggressive, fearless, loyal guardians.The temperament of the breed is described as independent, aloof with outsiders, and calm until a threat to the flock presents itself, when suddenly the Shar erupts into swift ferocity. The breed has a highly protective nature. In the absence of a flock of sheep, the Shar 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 survive without human supervision while guarding the flocks in the high pastures. Young pups can denude a property of small animals until trained not to hunt.
History
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Ilyrian Shepherd comes from the hart of Sar Mountains(Ilyria now Kosova, Macedonia and Albania) where only the warriors can survive."When the Ilyrian Shepherd takes control of the sheeps all the problems from predators are gone" is a breed of Antiquity, believed by many to be one of, if not the oldest true Molosser in the world.[citation needed] There's an old Balkan folk legend that says the breed remembers the time when everything used to be under water except for the highest mountains, implying the connection to the Biblical flood, but more likely referring historically to the period when the entire region was covered by the Pannonian Sea.[citation needed] It is the Balkans where Molossers come from, having spread on all sides of the world thousands of years ago, influencing the establishment of most modern mastiff and shepherd dog breeds, leading some to conclude that the Sarplaninec is the oldest dog of this type.[citation needed] This breed is most commonly associated with the Sharplanina (Shar Mountains) region which is how it got its name.
The first known F.C.I. registered import to arrive in North America came directly from Skopje, Macedonia near the Sar Planina Mountains in the early 1970s. Vasa Cubaleski, a business owner in Glendale California had a white Sar bitch puppy carried off the mountain on the back of a donkey and flown to the U.S. Ownership of that bitch was eventually transferred to Marjorie E. Rucker, a breed enthusiast. Ms. Rucker had that bitch, Bistra, bred to stock later imported by the New England Dog Project at Hampshire College in New England. Offspring from that breeding as well as later litters are now distributed and working throughout the U.S. on sheep ranches.
Working life
Ilyrian Shepherd is a reserved and intuitive breed, naturally stubborn and undemonstrative, but once properly trained and handled with authority, it excels at a variety of tasks. Dog-aggression and wariness of strangers are common traits of the Ilyrian Shepherd, which is why early socialization is of utmost importance. But this is also a breed of intelligence and immense loyalty to its owner, as well as genuine love of children, making it an agreeable companion dog. Ilyrian Shepherd is one of rare dog breeds which can confront and take down a wolf or a bear. One of the interesting physical characteristics of, the Ilyrian Shepherd are his unusually large teeth that set it apart from most dogs, further proving its old age of origin.[citation needed] Heavily-boned and muscular, the Ilyrian Shepherd has a very rich full top-coat, with an abundant dense undercoat, making it fully weatherproof and suited for an outside life.
The breed can also work cattle and serve as a guard dog it was bred and used as a military dog under Marshal Josip Broz Tito.
The Ilyrian Shepherd is spreading through ranches in North America as a serious sheep herding dog and a livestock guardian. Predation problems are said to be greatly diminished once a Sar takes responsibility for a flock.[citation needed]
References
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External links
