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Akbash: Temperament, Exercise, Health
About Akbash
Country of Origin, History of Akbashs
The Akbash Dogs are believed to have their origins in the Western Turkey region. Being developed in Turkey these dog breeds spread elsewhere with the exploits of the Ottoman and other earlier empires.
Some believe the Akbash to be an ancient pure breed while others believe that shepherds developed it some 3000 or more years ago by selectively breeding for white-colored guarding sheepdogs. It can be that this dog breed is a relative of some other great white guarders of herds like the Kuvasz, the Tatra Mountain Sheepdog and the Komondor.
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Are you aware dogs also have a learning style that can greatly affect their ability to housetrain as well as be trained correctly. Evaluate your Akbash's learning style and personality using our free Learning Style tool so that you are better able to provide him with the proper Akbash training methods.
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Akbash Calorie Calculator
Do you know how many calories your Akbash needs every day and how many cups of food you should be giving it every day? Click here to use our Akbash Calorie Calculator.
A General Description of the Breed
The dog derives its name from the Abkash region of western Turkey, which is its native place. The word Abkash is derived from the Turkish word for ‘white head’ and indicates the white heads of the dogs belonging to this breed. The dogs are white bodied too.
Over the years these dogs have mainly been used for guarding livestock. These are white headed and white-bodied strong dogs that have a keen sense of hearing. Akbash dogs have coarse and non-matting weather-resistant white colored short to medium length double coats. One will not find too much of doggy odor with them.
The dogs have massive heads and powerful jaws. They have long legs and feathered curved tails that reach to the hocks. They bear characteristics of both mastiffs and sight hounds.
Akbash dogs have v- shaped ears set high. Their eye color varies between different shades of brown- light golden brown to very dark brown. They have a strong and muscular neck of medium length that arches at the crest. The dog’s toes are strong and well arched. The pads are thick and hard, elastic and dark in color and the nails are gray, brown or white and blunt.
Height
Heights of adult dogs range from 28 to 34 inches.
Weight
Weights of adult females average at 90 pounds while those of males average at 130 pounds.
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Akbash Personality Traits
Temperament of the Breed
Abakash Dogs are intelligent, courageous and loyal animals. They have a primitive guarding dog breed temperament. Hence it is important that the owner of Akbash dogs has some prior understanding of canine behavior. While on the one hand they show a 'submissive disposition' towards livestock on the other hand they also display 'dominance aggression' against predators of livestock.
A constant socialization on the part of their owner(s) is what these dogs ask for. It is advisable for first time dog owners or owners of pets who may not have too much time to devote for their dogs to avoid choosing an Akbash as a pet. By becoming the owner of an Akbash one needs to give it a lot of attention.
It must be remembered that Akbash Dogs are serious working breeds. Hence they would always love to be at places where they get some engaged in some work.
Better suited to outdoor or indoor lifestyle?
It may be noted that the Akbash dogs are not recommended as pets to be kept in apartments even though they may get lot of exercise daily. These dogs stay pretty inactive indoors and it is best to set for them a quarter acre plot for them together with a 5 inches tall fence in some semi-rural or rural setting. These are quiet dogs and stay clean at home.
Are they suited to homes with children?
They are well suited for taking care of children over 8 years of age wherein the children can participate in submission exercises holding the dog as an adult. The Akbash has strong maternal instincts and it takes good care of the young of humans and other species of animals that are placed under its supervision. It has also got an independent nature and ability to swiftly respond in case of some emergency. Both the males and the females of the breed are equally good at guarding and caring.
Owners of Abkash dogs need be careful to ensure that someone known to the dogs always accompanies visitors to their homes. The dogs perceive unsupervised new people coming in as suspicious.
Akbash Activity Level
Akbash dogs are very athletic types and a long walk is essential for them everyday. However, their overall activity level is low though it requires a lot of space to run around.
Grooming
As mentioned above the hard coat of the Akbash is pretty clean, non-matting and does not emit any doggy smell. However, it does require brushing so as to facilitate the shedding process.
These dogs rank as above average shedders.
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Stop All Bad Behavior, Excessive Barking and Biting
Health and Care
Being a large and rapidly growing breed of dogs there have been some cases of hip dysplasia and OCD (osteochondritis dissecans) reported with these dogs. However, these are few compared to many other large breeds.
Life Expectancy
The Akbash has a life expectancy of about 10-11 years.
National Breed Clubs
Group: Flock Guard Dogs
AKC Popularity Ranking: Not recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) but is recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC).
Also known as: Coban Kopegi, Akbas
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You'll also learn how to eliminate bad habits like barking, nipping or biting, jumping, or pulling on the leash.Here's just s small fraction of what else you'll learn in the course:
How to lead and think like a pack dog - the new psychology.
3 dangerous mistakes that most Akbash owners make when they are trying to potty train their dogs.
The 2 main reasons why your dog barks excessively and how to control its excessive barking.
How to obedience train your Akbash to permanently end behavioral problems like Jumping, Aggression, Pulling on Leash.
A surprisingly easy way to teach your dog cool new tricks.
How to improve your dog's lifespan and keep it from getting overly heavy with a healthy and nutritious diet.
Getting Pro help fast - how to get access to our expert trainers when you need them most.
One hidden psychological trigger that all Akbashs have... that practically allows you to "analyze" and "control" your dog's every action.
Priority access to the free online seminars conducted by our training experts.
Whereas other dog training related web sites and books offer generic information for dogs in general, ours is the ONLY web site that offers Akbash information specifically, from a renowned panel of experts - because as you probably know, Akbashs have their own special training requirements that other dogs don't have.
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