Tornjak Dog Breed - Facts and Information

Appearance
At the first sight, the Tornjak is very large, muscular and powerful dog. It is a well proportioned dog with squared body built. The average height is between 23-27 inches which is 58-69 kg and weight between 60-110 pounds which is 27-50 kg. Females are naturally little bit smaller than males.

The first thing you will most likely notice about the Tornjak is its wooly thick coat. This breed was developed in a mountains, which is why the coat must protect them from the cold and harsh weather. The coat is pretty long, but not on the face and front legs, where it is quite short. Most often, Tornjaks are in white colors with colored markings. You can most commonly find them in white, black, yellow, brown, red and gray colors.

Tornjak has large dark brown eyes, tail is set high and often times curled over the back, large nose with wide black nostrils. They do not have small head, but sometimes it can look like it, because of their heavy coat.


Personality
As i said in the beggining of the video, this is very calm and peaceful animal when they are at home with their family. They are rarely agressive towards other people or animals, but they can be alert and wary around them. Thanks to that, they make great watchdogs and protectors. They are very confident and almost never nervous or shy.

They were bred to guard cattle and there are stories about Tornjaks who scare away wolves. Well there are even stories about group of Tornjak who repell a bear. And they would act the same towards their family and pack. They will not be agressive towards strangers, but when the situation needs it, they will be very decisive and they might protect even much larger rivals.

But when they are not working, Tornjaks will want to be part of the family. This is very social and emotional animal who want to spend every moment with the pack. They create extremely strong bond with the family. This is friendly, loving and pretty gentle breed.

Tornjaks are good at training, they are intelligent, quick to learn and we can say that they like the training sessions. They also have good memory so they do not forget what they learned.


History
The first written records of the breed date back to the 11th and 14th centuries. They were developed in Bosnian and Croatian mountains. largest number of Tornjaks was found in the mountains of Vlasic which is within the center of Bosnia.

We are not sure about its ancestors, but it is believed that dogs similar to Tornjak existed in a region of todays Bosnia and Croatia since the Roman Times and that the Tornajk we know today developed from them. Another theory suggest that they descend from the Tibetan Mastiff.

Tornjaks were used as skilled protector of sheeps, but just like everywhere else in the world, the need for sheepdogs was declining over time, so was the number of Tornjaks. In the 1970s this breed was extremely rare, but than group of cynologist tried to revive the breed. Luckily, they succeeded and today you can find breeding stations in many countries all around the world.


Health and Grooming
This is not a hyperactive breed, but they were bred for work, so they need daily exercise. They prefer long walks, rather than jogs or some vigorous playtime. They are social animal so long walk without a leash with some other dogs will be the best for them.

Great fact is, that this is usually very healthy breed with a lifespan between 12-14 years. Sometimes they can suffer from hip dysplasia, It is also recommended to feed them with low protein food, because high protein diet can cause problems with their coat.

It is recomended to brush their coat weekly, this is a moderate shedder and brushing will help to minimize the shedding. Just like with all the dogs, you should regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.