Akbash
# Akbash

The Akbash (Turkish: Akbaş), is a traditional Turkish breed or type of flock guardian dog from western Anatolia. The word akbaş means 'white head', and thus distinguishes this dog from the Karabaş, or 'black $head'.^{:33}$ It was recognised by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2006; it is under the tutelage of the Köpek Irkları ve Kinoloji Federasyonu, the Turkish dog breed society, but is not recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

## History

The Akbash is a traditional breed of livestock guardian dog, used to protect flocks from predators in the rugged terrain of western $Anatolia.^{:90}$ It is distributed mainly in the provinces of Afyon, Ankara, Eskişehir and Manisa; some are present in the provinces of Ağrı, Konya, Sivas and $Tunceli.^{:7}^{:5}$

A standard was published by the Turkish Standards Institution in 2002, and in 2006 the Akbash was recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; it was added to the list of recognised native breeds and types, and the breed standard was published in the Resmi Gazete, the official government $gazette.^{:5}^{:8}$

## Characteristics

The Akbash is a flock guardian dog, providing protection from predators to shepherds and to their sheep; it does not have any herding $ability.^{:7}$ It is large and powerful $dog:^{:406}$ mean body weight is approximately 45 kg, and mean height at the withers just over 75 $cm.^{:6}$

The coat may be either long or of medium length; it is always double, and is usually white, though there may be some shading towards a biscuit $colour.^{:70}^{:406}$ As with other white-coated flock guardian dogs, the white coat makes it easy for the shepherd to distinguish between the dog and a predator, even in the $dark.^{:406}$ There is considerable feathering behind the legs, and the tail is heavily $feathered.^{:70}$

