From International Search and Rescue Dog Day and National Police Dog Day to K9 Veterans Day, we as dog lovers show our admiration for the labor and sacrifice of working dogs with pet holidays throughout the year, and one special day is set aside to honor the efforts of dogs who diligently protect flocks in the field: National Livestock Guardian Dog Appreciation and Awareness Day!
When is National Livestock Guardian Dog Appreciation and Awareness Day?
This annual pet holiday is observed each October 26th.
Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds
While the Great Pyrenees and the Tibetan Mastiff are fairly familiar breeds, even the most ardent dog devotee may not recognize the names of most livestock guardian dog breeds, which include:
- Aidi from Morocco. A protector of sheep and goats, the breed is also known as the Berber Dog in honor of the Berber people, with whom they live.
- Akbash dog from Turkey.
- Aksaray Malaklisi from Turkey. It has been stated that two dogs of this breed can guard between 700-800 sheep. (On average the skills of five dogs are usually utilized to guard over a flock consisting of 350 animals.)
- Armenian Gampr from Armenia. A beloved breed in their home country, the flock guard dog was honored on an Armenian stamp in 1999.
- Ashayeri dog from Iran.
- Azawakh from West Africa. Although this breed has a seemingly fragile frame, the Azawakh are able to capture wild boar and antelope with help from pack mates.
- Azerbaijani Shepherd Dog from Azerbaijan.
- Bakharwal Dog from India. This ancient breed is on the edge of extinction, as their protective nature has prompted militant separatists to shoot the dogs.
- Bucovina Shepherd from Romania and Serbia. The dogs’ name derives from the Romanian region of the breed’s origin.
- Buryat-Mongolian Wolfhound from Russia. It is believed that this breed may be the forefather of all Livestock Guardian dogs.
- Cane di Mannara from Italy.
- Cao de Castro Laboreiro from Portugal. In the present day this breed is more likely to be a companion dog rather than a working livestock guard dog.
- Cao de Gado Transmontano from Portugal. A breed that is rarely seen outside of the region of its origin.
- Carpathian Shepherd Dog from Romania.
- Caucasian Shepherd Dog from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Today the skills of this breed are often utilized to aid Russian prison guards.
- Estrela Mountain Dog from Portugal. This livestock guard dog is one of its country’s oldest breeds.
- Georgian Shepherd from Georgia. Also called Nagazi, this type of guard dog was close to extinction until devotees of the Georgian Shepherd stepped in in 2000.
- Ghadrejani Dog from Iran.
- Great Pyrenees from France and Spain. Did you know that this breed has an extra set of claws, known as dewclaws?
- Greek Shepherd from Greece.
- Gurdbasar from Azurbaijan. Sadly, this breed is also often used for dog fighting.
- Himalayan Sheepdog from China, India and Nepal. This breed can be confused with the Tibetan Mastiff.
- Kurdish Mastiff from Kurdistan.
- Kangal from Turkey. The breed’s name commemorates a Turkish town.
- Karakachan from Bulgaria. This breed was named in honor of Greek nomadic shepherds.
- Kars from Turkey.
- Karst Shepherd from Slovenia. Philatelists with a love for our four-legged friends might want to search for a 2005 stamp featuring this breed.
- Komondor from Hungary. Affectionately called “mop dogs” because of their coat, the Komondor was officially declared one of their native country’s national treasures.
- Kuchi from Afghanistan. This breed, whose name derives from the Kuchi people, is also referred to as “Dog of the Nomads.”
- Kuvasz from Hungary. This breed protected not only flocks, but royalty. The Kuvasz came close to extinction in World War II.
- Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog from Italy. This breed’s ancestors were immortalized in medieval frescoes.
- Mazandrani Dog from Iran.
- Mioritic Shepherd from Romania. The breed’s name is Romanian for “young sheep.”
- Mongolian Banhar from Mongolia.
- Mucuchies from Venezuela.
- Persian Mastiff from Iran.
- Polish Tatra Sheepdog from Poland.
- Pshdar Dog from Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan.
- Pyrenean Mastiff from Spain. This breed originated in the Kingdom of Aragon.
- Rafeiro do Alentejo from Portugal. The breed’s name derives from a region of southern Portugal.
- Rize Koyun from Turkey. The breed was named in honor of the Turkish town of Rize.
- Romanian Raven Shepherd Dog from Romania. The breed has often been referred to as “corbi” (ravens) due to their black coat.
- Sardinian Shepherd Dog from the Italian island of Sardinia.
- Sarplaninac from North Macedonia and Serbia. Coin collectors may be lucky enough to find a one Macedonian denar coin, which features an image of this breed.
- Shirak Sheepdog from Iran.
- Slovak Cuvac from Slovakia.
- Spanish Mastiff from Spain.
- Tibetan kyi apso from Tibet. This breed is related to the Tibetan Mastiff.
- Tibetan Mastiff from Tibet. Along with guarding flocks, this breed’s resume also includes protecting monks and Buddhists monasteries.
- Tobet from Kazakhstan.
- Torkuz from Uzbekistan.
- Tornjak from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. This breed’s history dates back to the 11th century.
- Vikhan Sheepdog from Pakistan and India. The breed’s name derives from the Sanskrit word for “broken.”
Livestock Guardian Dog Trivia
Now extinct, the Alpine Mastiff is believed to have been the progenitor of the English Mastiff and the St. Bernard. Never officially classified as a breed, the Alpine Mastiff was thought to have been bred by William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House.
Livestock Guardian dogs are barely over a month old when they begin living with the flock they will protect. This early introduction helps the pup imprint on the flock.
Thanks to their size, Livestock Guardian dogs are less likely to sustain injuries or contract an illness on the job. Many of the breeds have additional body fat, which means that they can go longer without eating, and thick coats to protect them against the elements.