General Appearance
The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a harmonious built, large, strong dog with plenty of bone and powerful muscular system; of a slight rectangular format.
Males are masculine, with well developed withers and a bigger head in comparison with females. They are also more massive, bigger and often shorter in body than females. In dogs with longer coat-variety males have a distinctly pronounced mane.
The Sharplaninac is a robust, well proportioned dog with plenty of bone, of a size that is well above the average and with a thick, long, rather coarse coat that emphasizes the short coupled appearance.
Of sturdy constitution, even disposition, good temperament, reliable, protective but not snappy; incorruptible and devoted to its master.
Height
Both breeds are large and powerful, but the Caucasian Shepherd (left) is usually a bit bigger than the Sarplaninac (right).
Males: Desirable height 72-75 cms;
Minimum 68 cms;
Females: Desirable height 67-70 cms;
Minimum 64 cms.
Larger stature is accepted, as long as conformation is harmonic.
The body length exceeds the height at withers by 3-8 %.
The length of the forelegs averages 50-52% of the height at the withers.
The length of the skull correlates with the length of the muzzle as 3:2.
Desirable height 70 -73 cm.
The average height at the withers is 62 cm for males and 58 cm for bitches.
Males under 56 cms and bitches under 54 cm are not eligible for breeding.
Higher dogs with the following catches are preferred:
The length of a Sarplaninac’s body accounts for 8-10% in males and 10-12% in females, more than the height at the withers!
The head is proportioned to the body. Its total length measures approximately 25 cm which corresponds to about 40% of the height at the withers.
The girth of the ribcage should exceed the height at the withers by at least 20%.
The skull is slightly longer than the muzzle (the relation being 57:43%). The skull has a slightly convex topline; the nasal bone is straight.
Head
You can see a clear difference in the ear position and the lower jaw, and these are key details to look for.
Ears: Moderate size, thick, triangular shape naturally pendant, high and wide set.
Inner part of ear is close lying to the cheeks. Ears are traditionally cropped in country of origin. Natural ears are of equal value.
Are set on a line running from the tip of the nose through the inner corner of the eye or slightly underneath.
They are V-shaped and dropping, hanging close to the cheeks, and covered with short, dense hair.
The breed standard lists high-set ears in a Sarplaninac as a serious fault that goes against the ideal type.
Lips: Thick, close-fitting, well pigmented.
Moderately thick and tight; the upper lip is only slightly overhanging over the under lip. The corners of the lips are clean without even a hint of a flew.
Having “too much meat” on the muzzle is not desirable in Sarplaninac dogs.
This leaves loose pockets that are not allowed, making it a dangerous weak spot when fighting wolves or other predators.
As for the Caucasian Shepherd Dog, it is hard to tell from the breed standard if this is allowed.
But in my view, you are much more likely to see this in the Caucasian Shepherd Dog because of their massive build.
Molossoid vs lupoid type
Molossoid dogs are larger, heavier, and more robust, while lupoid dogs are leaner, quicker, with better speed and endurance.
The Sarplaninac is the golden mean, combining size, strength, and agility into the ideal working dog and companion.
Our kennel prefers the lupoid type (wolf-like). Molossoids clearly hold the advantage in raw strength, but prime lupoid dogs are tricky opponents. How?
These dogs have incredible stamina and outlast brutal attacks. In the end, it plays out like the Rocky Balboa movie, where the opponent wins the battle but not the war.
The match lasts 90 minutes, not 45 …
Paws
Round and oval paws are not the same. When you first see the dog, looking at the paw shape helps you easily determine the breed, alongside other traits.
Forefeet: Large, rounded in shape, well arched, well-knit.
The feet are firm, oval shaped with well arched and closed toes.
Color
The fact that both breeds exclude solid-black dogs confirms they are genetically related.
Theories about the origin of this breed, from the campaigns of Alexander of Macedonia to migrations from the East, are gaining serious weight.
Colour: Any solid colour, piebald or spotted colour.
Except for solid black; diluted black or black in any combination or genetic blue or liver brown colour.
The Sharplanina is a solid coloured dog. All colours are acceptable from white to dark brown that looks almost black. The preferred shade is a greenish grey (iron grey) and dark grey.
Spotting and white markings are not allowed. Pigmented dogs may show tiny white markings at the chest and toes but they are undesirable.
The upper part of the head, the neck and the body is of a darker hue that fades out into a dirty white or a yellowish grey toward the extremities.
The change must be very gradual and by no means give the impression of a spotted pattern of actually create a spotted coat.
White markings at the chest are allowed in the Sarplaninac, but they must not be bigger than one human hand!
In Caucasian Shepherds, they can be bigger.
I prefer to see white markings on the chest of dogs because they have an excellent character.
Popularity of breeds
Caucasian Shepherd fans and breeders have been successful in promoting their breed, and I respect them for it. Sadly, not much marketing has gone into Sarplaninac.
Balkan dog shows and TV appearances helped, but they are not enough to reach a global audience.
With 8 billion people on the planet, there’s a massive audience we’re not reaching.
Getting there takes a real push, a big project to put this breed very high on the world map of cynology.
I believe it’s possible, but it’ll take the right people with the know-how and funding to make it happen.
Interesting facts
Back in 2010, we showed Krom at a dog show on a hot day, temps over 30 degrees.
I noticed another “Sarplaninac” there, and its owner was holding a towel. As the dog drooled, a sticky, gum-like substance came out of its mouth.
The owner wiped it off with the towel, but the drool never reached the ground. My dog had similar drool, but it ran like water and dripped right onto the ground.
That “Sarplaninac” still won Best of Breed (BOB).
Conclusion
Sarplaninac and Caucasian Shepherd are both big dogs with a long history of guarding flocks, but they’re not the same in every way.
If I lived on a mountain with a herd of sheep, I’d use both for protection. I’d set it up so Caucasian Shepherds stay in the middle and Sarplaninac dogs ring around them.
Thanks for reading.
Hello
So the past few years I have been importing czech shepherds from eurosport k9 for guard dogs my dads gas stations and as livestock guards for our hobby farm. They are good but I think they have too much prey drive. SOon i will be looking into a more suitable type of guard dog. One that can stay outside with our birds all the time. The great Pyrenees of canada are very soft. The giant overchekas have poor health do not last long. This beed seems perfect. We want a breed with lots of courage and good health. We were hoping for a breed that might be okay with dogs that are not dagnerous.
hello Stevie
I see that you have a lot of experience when it comes to shepherd dogs and that’s great. If you decide on a Sarplaninac dog breed, we can help you. Our kennel is located in Serbia and it is possible to transport puppies/dogs all over the world. Alen Stefanovic