There are many breeds of dogs known to help a person in his work. One of them is the Sharplanin sheepdog. This is a shepherd's guard dog, the home of which is Macedonia.
A medium-sized dog (height at the withers is notexceeds 61 cm), with a strong muscular body. She has a fairly deep chest, slightly bulging ribs, a wide back, which gradually decreases from withers to croup, and a developed skeleton. The massive head in the cranial part is more rounded, to the lobe of the nose narrows. Plainly drooping, triangular shaped ears planted high. Around the almond-shaped eyes is a black rim of glasses.
The Sharplanin sheepdog can have a different color- white, black, gray or brown. A thick long coat forms beautiful stripes on the tail and hind limbs. The saber-like tail also has a suspension of long wool. On the head and the outside of the front paws, it is much shorter. The neck and chest are covered with a thick mane.
Like any shepherd dog, the SharplanShepherd was bred to protect cattle and restore order in the herd. Therefore, her character is particularly expressed distrust and aggression to outsiders. From these dogs are obtained excellent guards, not allowing anyone else to touch either to themselves, or to protected property or cattle. Externally calm and balanced, they are prone to pugnaciousness, while showing complete fearlessness. As a family dog, Sharpplan sheepdog will not be the best option. The description of this breed characterizes it as not very tolerant to the caress and tenderness of a domestic animal. Poorly get along these dogs and with other pets in the house.
Deciding to have such a pet, you should beready for the fact that it will take a lot of time to devote lessons to it. Education and training should start from the first days of the appearance of the puppy in the house, it will take a lot of time, patience and strength. It's good to have a large area that allows the pet to run around freely to keep it in good shape. It is undesirable to keep a Sharplan sheep-dog in the apartment conditions. This can cause her all kinds of frustration.
The breed got its name after the mountainsShar-Planin, located in Macedonia. It was there that the Sharplanin sheepdog was bred about two millennia ago in order to protect the sheep from predators. Then it spread first all over the territory of the former Yugoslavia and gradually began to gain popularity in other countries. Quite often today you can meet Sharplanin sheepdog in the US and Canada. However, it took a very long time before the breed was officially registered. It happened only in 1939. Many believe that the distant ancestor of these dogs was the Caucasian Shepherd, since they have a lot in common.
The main thing that representatives of thisbreeds the most, are long active walks. Engage in their walking is best prepared by physically trained people, since animals are very energetic and strong. Suitable for the dog is a large aviary, where it can move freely. It is not recommended to keep Sharplan sheep-dogs in an apartment. In addition to the fact that these dogs require a lot of space, they tolerate loneliness quite badly.
Special care requires wool.It is very thick and warm, the outer cover is long, and the undercoat is very dense and short. Thanks to such a coat, the Sharplanin sheepdog can carry its service in any inclement weather. Photos of these dogs, guarding the owner's property regardless of the weather conditions, can be found very often. Wool must be regularly combed with a special brush, especially during the moult period. Wash dogs should only be in extreme cases, with very severe contamination.
There were no any diseases peculiar to this breed. Under favorable conditions and good care Sharplaninskaya shepherd can live up to 14 years.
