Karst Shepherd Information & Dog Breed Facts

Introduction

On a lesser scale, the Karst Shepherd resembles the Caucasian Shepherd. He has a long coat and is a medium-sized sheepdog.

Strangers make the Karst Shepherd wary, and it takes a long time for him to warm up to them, however, because of this personality feature, the breed makes an outstanding guard dog.

The Karst Shepherd is primarily a working dog who requires much training and socialization before settling into home life.

In order for him to properly acclimate to being a family companion, he needs to have a job.

Origins

The Karst Shepherd is called after the Karst Plateau in Slovenia, as well as the Karst scenery that stretches from the Gulf of Trieste to the Dinaric Alps in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The breed was mostly bred in Slovenia and Croatia's Istria region. The modern-day breed's ancestor type traveled through this area with shepherds, and most likely came with ancient nomadic pastoralists.

In Johann Weikhard von Valvasor’s work, ‘The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola’, he highlighted the shepherd dogs of the area in 1689, describing them as strong and fearless canines from the Pivka area.

Furthermore, the Karst Shepherd's forebears were characterized, by renowned explorer Professor Strebel, as a cross between the German Shepherd Dog and the Greek Molos.

According to the Professor, there is a possible Latin origin through the Pompeii Dog. Although other researchers strongly believe that the ancestors of the Karst Shepherd were brought to the Slovenian Karst area by the Illyrians through the Dalmatian Islands and Istra.

Moreover, a widely accepted theory is that the Greek Molos were bred with other sheepdogs such as the Romanian Sheepdog, the Caucasian Shepherd, the Sarplaninec, or the Macedonian Sheepdog.

Further Development / Recognition

In 1939, the Karst Shepherd was renamed the Illyrian Shepherd by the rest of the world. He was included in the same category as the Shepherd of the Sarplaninia Massif. In 1968, he was called the Krasevec.

However, the Central Society of Yugoslavia went on to split the Sarplaninia Massif Shepherd and the Krasevec Shepherd Dog into two different breeds, the Sarplaninac and the Karst Shepherd Dog.

This split took place in 1968. Moreover, when the Karst Shepherd arrived in the United States is uncertain but the breed is believed to have been imported into Canada or Mexico and then transported across the border rather than being flown directly into the United States due to the lack of papers.

Several times during the 20th century, the number of Karst Shepherds was low. In order to avoid inbreeding, a single male Newfoundland was introduced into the group. In 2008, the overall number of Karst Shepherds was believed to be between 600 and 700, including puppies, sterilized dogs, and dogs not suited for reproducing.

In 2009, a breeding program was created to increase the number of dogs, improve their traits, and preserve their genetic diversity.

To avoid the popular sire effect, each sire can father up to three litters, the sire and dam must be unrelated (no shared great grandparents), and the genetic distance between them must be more than 0.45.

Dogs with heritable disorders, as well as those with abnormal physical and behavioral features, are not allowed to participate in the program.

While the American Kennel Club does not recognize the Karst Shepherd, he has been acknowledged by other organizations.

The United Kennel Club recognized the breed in 2006 in the Guardian Dog Group. The breed is also recognized by various minor kennel clubs and internet-based dog registry businesses and is promoted as a rare breed for those seeking a unique pet.