Type the name of the breed you're looking for below
[wpdreams_ajaxsearchlite] Don't see the breed your're looking for? Click here and let us know!
Breed Characteristics
1 paw - breed exhibits the least amount of this characteristic
5 paws - breed exhibits most amount of this characteristic
[fbcomments]
Croatian Sheepdog
| Other Names | Hrvatski Ovcar |
| Country of Origin | Croatia |
| Weight | 16 - 21 in. (40 - 53 cm) |
| Height (at withers) | 29 - 43 lbs. (13 - 20 kg) |
| Coat | The length of hair on the back is between 7 and 14 cm. The foreface is always shorthaired. The ears are shorthaired on the outside and longhaired on the inside. The backside of the forelegs has longer hairs down to pastern and forms feathering. The hind legs have pronounced feathering from the buttocks to the hocks. The coat is relatively soft, wavy to curly, but must not be woolly. The undercoat must be dense. |
| Colour | The base colour of the coat is black. A few white hairs can be tolerated. White markings on the head, body and tail are not permissible, but small white markings are permissible on the throat and the forechest. White markings on the toes or the legs are permissible but undesirable. White legs up to pasterns lower the dog's marks on shows. |
| Litter Size | 2 - 8 average of 5 |
| Life Span | 13 - 15 years |
| Origin & History | According to written documents, the appearance of this breed has not changed greatly from the 14th century to the present day. Probably because it possesses an excellent hereditary instinct for working sheep and cattle, selection on the basis of usability was being carried out spontaneously, which has resulted also in the balance of its look. The earliest written document about Croatian Sheepdogs, named "Canis pastoralis croaticus", found in the archives of the diocese of Đakovo by the "father of the breed" - veterinarian Prof Dr Stjepan Romić - is from 1374. In this document, Petar, Bishop of Đakovo, says "the dog is about 18 inches high, with medium long black curly coat, the hair on the head is short, ears are pricked or semi-pricked and it is very good for keeping flocks of all farm animals." He also mentions that the Croats brought the dog with them while migrating from their original native land to Croatia in the 7th century. Romić also found in archive of Đakovo's diocese important information from Years 1719, 1737, 1742 and 1752. In all of these documents the description of the Croatian Sheepdog matches entirely its appearance today and in all of them the dog is named Canis pastoralis croaticus or Croatian Sheepdog. A systematic selection breeding program was started by the same Prof Romic in 1935 with dogs in the territory of Đakovo. After 34 years of work, breed was finally recognized by FCI in 1969. |
| Personality | The Croatian Sheepdog is an alert, agile, keen and intelligent dog with enormous energy and a strong need for human leadership. It is healthy, resistant to disease and inexpensive to keep. It possesses a well-developed herding instinct and is an excellent watchdog. An instinctive herder, it is wary of strangers. If socialized early, however, it responds well to obedience training. As a pet without early obedience training and exercise to occupy its athletic body and excellent mind, it can become very noisy, even destructive. |
Care Requirements
| Health | There are no known breed-specific health concerns. |
| Grooming | This breed is easy to groom. An occasional combing and brushing to remove dead hair is all it needs. This breed is an average shedder. |
| Exercise | Needs a lot of exercise, which includes a daily walk, where the dog is made to heel beside or behind the person holding the lead, as in a dog's mind, the leader leads the way and that leader needs to be the humans. The Croatian Sheepdog is a very good breed for dog sports. They can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at non competitive herding tests. Croatian Sheepdogs exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials. |
| Other Considerations | The Croatian Sheepdog will dog okay in an apartment as long as it gets enough exercise. It is a virtually weatherproof canine with a comparably adaptable disposition. |
