Colours of the sarplaninac

 With the litter we have at the moment,
 I am getting a few questions about colour and particularly what colour these pups will be.
It is really difficult to say exactly what colour they will be
(except when they are born white, they stay white...).

How grey they will end up is hard to say,

when the pups are born,
they are dark,

they then lighten up (even the dark ones) to  blond,

and then after that get darker again.

The United Kennel Club has the following to state about the colour of the coat:

All solid colors are acceptable from white to a very dark brown that is nearly black. The most common color is an iron gray. The color may vary from a darker shade on the top of the head, neck, and body, to a lighter shade toward the extremities, but the change must be very gradual so as not to give the impression of spots or patches of color. The hairs of the outer coat may be tipped in black resulting in a sable color pattern. Tiny white markings on the chest and toes are allowed but not desirable.

Here are some examples of the various colours:

Traditional colour is the iron grey or otherwise called Murdjo:

Katcha, Vuk and  Alaska are examples of the darker grey colour.



Alaska





Vuk

Some sarplaninac's end up a lighter shade of grey.
These are very blended in colour.
Our Fena and Lucy are good examples of the lighter shades of grey.
 

Lucy

Fena

Going from this lighter shade, we get into the Karabash colours.
Some of the end  hairs are black tipped giving a sabled appearance.
These are dogs generally have a blond body and a black (ish) mask,
but here too some can be more blond than others.
Tosoxs is a karabash.

Tosoxs

The completely white sarplaninac is fairly rare, these are referred to as Merdjan

Beli, Snowy and Molly are Merdjan. 

 

Molly

Beli

There are other colours that are not as well known,

some breeders regard them as unacceptable or inferior.

I do not have these concerns.

This dog is not mine,

he is Vuk from Parker Adams,

this colour is referred to as

Sari or ridji which means rusty.



Vuk ~ Parker Adams, USA

Some sarplaninac are completely black, but I do not have a photo of one.

Too me, the colour is not really of importance,

a good horse or dog does not have a bad colour.

What I regard the most important qualities are

is  what the breed standard states here:

The Sarplaninac should be evaluated as a working livestock guardian capable of protecting stock in mountainous terrain, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog’s ability to work.

Despite being slightly smaller than many other livestock guarding breeds, the Sarplaninac is characterized by extraordinary strength and large teeth, making it a formidable adversary of predatory animals. This breed has a typical livestock guarding temperament: highly intelligent and independent; devoted to family members and wary of strangers; calm and steady but fearless and quick to react to perceived threats.