Mioritic Sheepdog

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Mioritic Sheepdog is a giant and furry livestock herder and guardian breed that originated in carpathian mountains of Romania. Also known as Mioritic Shepherd Dog and Romanian Mioritic, it is a large and spectacular dog. This is an ancient breed that naturally spread all over Romania. Its progenitors are thought to be moloss dogs which were brought to this area by the Roman Legions during Roman Empire migration. These legendary courageous, ferocious and strong dogs were used in armies of medieval kings. With its excellent hunting and protecting skills, the dog became a highly valued possession for Romanian shepherds due to the presence of most numbers of wolves, lynxes and other predators than any other European country.

This large and majestic dog stands between 28-33 inches and weighs between 110-140 lbs. It comes with a massive head and broad, slightly doomed skull. Moderate length, well developed muzzle tapers towards wide, well developed black nose. Moderate size eyes with calm and intelligent expression are obliquely set and come in hazel, dark brown or slightly lighter color. V shaped, high set ears hang closely to the cheeks. The moderate length neck is broad and powerful without dewlap. This dog has a rectangular body that is made muscular by straight and solid topline, horizontal, strong and muscled back, moderately long loin and deep, broad chest that come with well sprung ribs. The set on high tail blend with the fur of the body and often gets unnoticed. At rest the tail hangs down reaching the hocks with a lightly curved tip. When the dog is on the move the tail is carried high level with the back but never bent over the top line.

Abundant coat makes this already large dog appear massive. Minimum length of coat hair is 10 cm and it is abundant all over the body. It is harsh and straight and comes in solid white or solid grey or piebald coloring.

This breed is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by FCI.

Color

White is the common color for Mioritic Sheepdog although light cream and pale grey colored dogs are also seen. According to breed standards, solid white, solid grey and piebald coloring is acceptable.

Coat

The dog has abundant double coat. Topcoat is harsh, slightly wavy and long. Undercoat is dense, soft, smooth and waterproof.

Personality

This incorruptible, vigilant and well disciplined breed is noted for its ferociousness and dedication to protect its flock from all sorts of predators. The Mioritic Sheepdog has inherent protective instincts and will make excellent guardian of its flock, family and house. This dog attaches itself strongly to its master and is a very loyal and devoted breed. Excellent with children with its calm and gentle temperament, the dog is very friendly to its family but wary and suspicious of strangers. This is an obedient and docile dog to its master and family but does need a firm and confident owner who can win this dog's confidence and respect and become a true pack leader. Because it attaches itself with its master, training is easy if given in the right way. This energetic and working dog is unsuitable for apartment living as it loves to be outdoors. It is best suited to rural or suburban setting rather than city lifestyle unless provided with large open spaces to run and play.

Care

Grooming needs are high when this dog is a puppy. Coat should be brushed for some 10 minutes to keep it clean and tangle free. As the dog grows, grooming needs decrease and eventually, an adult Mioritic Sheepdog would only need thorough brushing once or twice per week. Bath only when necessary. The coat may not dry for sometime so either a hair dryer be used or the dog should be bathed in hot weather.

Training

This intelligent and obedient breed is easy to train with positive reinforcement training methods. Winning this dog's confidence and respect is key to training. The owner should be consistent and patient with training sessions.

Activity

The Mioritic Sheepdog is a working dog with lots of energy. It is not a laid back dog rather this breed needs to be working to put its high energy levels to work. Fair amount of exercise is necessary for this dog. It should also be provided with large open spaces to run, roam and play.