Pet Health And Care >> Dog Breed >> Karabash

Karabash Dog Breed, Breeders, Nature, Size and Chracteristics

The Karabash, also known as the Anatolian Karabash dog or the Anatolian shepherd, is a Turkish dog that originated in Anatolia, Turkey.

This dog, though Turkish in its origins, has been reared the most in America and the entire breed was developed in America.

The dog itself is a working dog that has originated as a guarding dog for livestock. The Karabash dog lives among the livestock, becoming an inherent part of the group. It also moves with the herds of sheep, cattle, and other livestock to guard them from predators such as coyotes, jackals, wolves, bears, and cheetahs.

Though their history is not very clear, it is believed that a variety of the Karabash dogs were found about 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. The dogs were then called the shepherd dogs in the local dialect, due to the largely sheep herding and guarding responsibilities.

Many landraces of the dog have developed over the years. They have also been developed extensively in America, due to their increased popularity here.

The dogs have a very muscular and sturdy body with broad heads and thick necks. The males of this dog breed are much larger than the females. These dogs have a thick and wiry double coat. They are available in many different colors, but the cream color of the coat with black ears and a similarly colored mask, is the most common of all.

The dogs have very thick hair on their necks, which protect their throat. The stomach is small, but the ribcage is rather large, giving the dog a particular characteristic appearance. The dog sheds excessively in warm weather and therefore, needs to be groomed rather consistently. Due to the thick coat that they carry, they often appear to be heavier than they really are.
Some Karabash dog breeders may dock the tails of the Karabash, but they are often also seen with intact tails. These shepherd dogs are counted amongst large breed dogs and gain full maturity in size by the time they are about ten months old. These dogs were developed specifically to be independent so that they could guard their flocks without requiring the command or presence of their masters.

Two to three Karabash dogs are able to overcome a single large pack of wolves. This, they do with their sheer power and their tendency to not get deterred. They are easy to socialize, and if they are kept amongst other animals when they are puppies, they tend to be very comfortable with them. They do not have a lot of interest in fetching and may not be very good at games and other activities. They prefer to run and would love outdoor activities that consist of a lot of running.

Submitted on September 5, 2011