The Croatian Sheepdog is the native breed of Croatia that has changed very little since its origination. It is a low to medium high dog with excellent herding skills. The dog has a history that goes back to several centuries. The earliest written document about Croatian Sheepdogs, named 'Canis pastoralis croaticus', found in the archives of diocese of akovo by "father of the breed" – veterinarian Prof Dr Stjepan Romi' – is from 1374. It is written in this document that these dogs were brought in Croatia by Croats from their original native land while migrating in 7th century. Description of the dog in those documents and then documents from later century and years (1719, 1737,1742,1752) depict the dog exactly as we see it today. This dog has undergone very little changes, if any, and is still the same dog that is described in centuries old documents.
The Croatian Sheepdog is an adaptable and weatherproof breed that always come in black base colour. It stands between 16-21 inches and weighs between 29-43 pounds.
The head is wedge-shaped with oval skull. Muzzle is strong and lean with a straight nose bridge and always black nose. Almond shaped eyes with lively expression come in black or brown colour. Medium size ears are pricked or semi-pricked and set slightly to the side. Neck is deep, moderately long and rounded but not too strong. The body is rectangular in shape with deep and broad chest and slightly tucked up belly. Dense and bushy tail is set high. It is carried low when the dog is at rest and carried high above backline when the dog is alert. The movement is trot like with moderate strides. The dog has a curly coat that is always black with hair length between 7-14 cm.
The Croatian Sheepdog is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by UKC and FCI.
