Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog

The Mioritic is Romania's shaggy white flock guardian, named for a Romanian folk ballad about shepherds.

History

It has guarded sheep in the Carpathians for centuries against wolves and bears, working loose with the flock in the same tradition as the Tatra and the Šarplaninac. The name comes from Miorița, the ballad at the centre of Romanian pastoral folklore, and Romania recognised the breed formally in the twentieth century.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, devoted and highly protective, gentle with its own household and children and decisive about anything it reads as a threat.

Care and training

It needs space, secure boundaries and early socialising. The long shaggy coat needs regular brushing and sheds heavily.

Health

Known tendencies are those of large breeds: hip dysplasia and bloat. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.