Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog

The Carpathian Shepherd Dog (Romanian: Ciobănesc Carpatin, French: Chien de berger roumain des Carpathes), is stout, solid, strong and due to its inward nature and temper is similar to a wolf.


Its eyes and attitude, in moments of fury, have something in common with those of a wild beast. But this can be explained because of its way of living, far away from the human society and always fighting with its enemies, the wild animals. Only the shepherd knew its docility, felt its blind devotion and courage. A tireless guardian and protector of the heard, it always show gratitude to its master. A tight connection has been established between master and his servant, a kind of relation that exists between those who live together, on the same fields, sharing both sufferance and happiness and facing the same dangers. The Carpathian Dog can love you for your kind words and affection shown to it but can also, full of anger, attack the enemy, who knows its courage and many times stands aside from its rage.


FCI-Standard N° 350 / 13.07.2005 (Excerpt)
Carpathian Shepherd Dog

ORIGIN : Romania.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 06.07.2005.
UTILIZATION : Herding dog used by Romanian shepherds in the Carpathian mountains for centuries to defend the herds while, at the same time, being an excellent guard dog.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs).
Section 1 Sheepdogs.
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog was selected from an endemic breed present in the Carpatho-Danubian area. For centuries the principle criteria for selection has been utilization, this dog having conserved its character intact to the present day. The first standard was written in 1934 by the National Institute of Zootechny. This standard was modified and updated in 1982, 1999 and 2001 by the Romanian Cynological Association. The Technical Committee of the R.C.A. adapted the standard on 30.03.2002 to conform to the model proposed by the F.C.I.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Relatively large-sized dog, agile, never heavy, the general appearance being that of a vigorous dog. The body is rectangular, the croup is broad, slightly sloping, the chest is large and deep, the shoulder long and slightly sloping. Sexual dimorphism is well defined, the males should be taller and stronger than the females.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : A natural guardian and courageous, he distinguishes himself by his instinctive and unconditional attachment to the herd and his master. He is a dignified, calm and stable dog.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free, long-reaching movement. Vigorous and sustained trot. In action, the limbs are parallel.
SKIN : Ash grey pigmentation. The nose, the eye rims and the lips should be black. Ash grey or black preferred for the nails.
HAIR : The coat is harsh, dense and straight. The undercoat is dense and soft. With the exception of the head and the front part of the limbs where the coat is short and flat, the coat, of moderate length, is abundant all over the body. On the neck, the back of the limbs and the tail, the coat is longer - profuse coat on these parts being typical.
COLOR : Pale fawn overlaid with black (wolf-grey) of different tones, often lighter on lateral parts and darker on the upper part of the body. Pale fawn overlaid with black (wolf-grey) with white marks preferably non predominant.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at withers :
Male : Ideally 65 - 73 cm at the withers.
Female : Ideally 59 - 67 cm at the withers.
However the overall impression is always more important.
Weight : In harmony with the size, giving the impression of a powerful but not heavy dog.