Tornjak

The Tornjak is the flock guardian of the Bosnian and Croatian mountains, and it was reconstructed from village dogs in the 1970s.

History

Dogs of this type are mentioned in Bosnian church records from the eleventh century, guarding sheep in the Vlašić and Dinaric ranges. The breed had faded to scattered village dogs by the mid-twentieth century, and cynologists in Bosnia and Croatia went through the mountains gathering surviving specimens to rebuild it from 1972 onwards.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, steady and highly protective, notably gentle with its own household and children while remaining decisive about intruders.

Care and training

It needs space, secure boundaries and early socialising. Exercise needs are steady. The long double coat sheds heavily and is otherwise low-maintenance.

Health

Generally robust from working selection, with hip dysplasia among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.