It is now! I adopted a dog from the shelter thinking he was a Newfie mix, only to find out later that he’s a Karakachan! He’s the sweetest, gentlest giant…and yet he’s needed a LOT of training and discipline because of his protective instincts. It’s been a great learning curve for me because he doesn’t respond to training the way all my other dogs have in past, so I’m challenged to meet his needs a different way. I wouldn’t trade him for another dog on earth! We’ll celebrate our 1st anniversary in October 2022. 🥰
Me and my Karakachan share lives for over 12 years now. I owned and train dogs for over 50 years. Never had a dog so unconditional serving, Never had a dog so difficult to socialise, never had a safer guarding dog, never had a dog refusing to take a walk or even to eat without me being around. Never ever had, seen or heard about a breed so hard to deal with, being so unconditional guarding and foremost so loving. On day one he will choose his boss and after that he will accept the family. But he will only answer to one and only one master, guarding and defending the family and cattle to the death. When ever you consider a Karakachan, be prepared to be straight, consistent and honourable. You will be facing a life where you have to earn the unconditional serving of your companion.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and expertise. It is so important for people to research thoroughly the temperament,care and necessary amenities needed before choosing any breed to ensure happy and stress-free(as much as realistically possible) life for both human and its canine companion/working partner.
I have a goat farm and could not do it without my Karakachan, Fred. He is the most brilliant dog. He sounds for all issues that he cannot handle. He is an employee more than a pet, a friend more than anything... he is brilliant, really brilliant. He is 125 lbs and loves his baby goats.
A year ago, we moved from the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia, to a house high in the mountains. Not long after, a baby dog, a Karakachan Shepherd, appeared in front of our door. Apparently, the mother had decided to leave him as a gift :) Now he is a part of our family and he turned out to be the most amazing dog in the world. A gentle giant, almost 60 kg though less than a year old. Extremely insightful, intelligent, chivalrous, and protective. In these dogs, the sense of good and evil seems innate, knowing when and how to behave, when to attack and when to hold back. They are simply born with this quality. I would add one more interesting fact. Our dog turned out to be a guzhuk - a variety of the breed without a tail. We met a person who knows the breed well and he told us that this means "good blood". Guzhuk dogs are specially bred and have certain structural differences - their hindquarters are much more massive and wider. This breed is definitely wonderful, but it requires constant presence and care.
My parents have one She is crazy. They have always owned big dogs but this one has the biggest love hate relationship. She is almost bipolar, soft as a brush and friendly to deciding to guard (anything) to the point of biting. This happens at a flip of a switch. So big and powerful. She makes the akitas they had before seem easy. They have never given up on a dog but have come Close a couple Of time with this one. They have young grand children and we felt she was unsafe to be in the same building which was very hard. They have spent countless thousands on training and changing the house/cars to facilitate her. If you have lots of land and space to roam/guard/bark to their heart’s content, probably a great dog. If you want an in and around the house dog, probably not so much
These dogs have been selected for centuries to be guradian dogs in the wild with herds of nomadic people, their somewhat semi-wild and not completly domesticated so that they are calm enough to be handled by the master but wild enough to protect the stock from wild predators such as wolfs and bears. They are not pets to play with. My grandfather never let me play with the dogs we had when he was breeding livestock
Currently have a Karakachan, he's a little goofy and we've had to take him to the vet multiple times for getting into stuff while we're sleeping but he's gotten a lot better as he's grown up, him and my husky are best friends during the day and will jump around and play but at night he's a solid watchdog.
Our dad's friend owns what is likely the largest Karakachan dog breeder in Bulgaria. My dad has been fascinated with the breed ever since before I was even born. So you could probably guess what little pup showed up in our house a bit after Christmas, maybe 2 years ago now. She's now kept in my grandpa's yard, it's well fenced off but really spacious, so she has a nice playground to run about and all. She has the essential chew toys, an always full bowl of food and bucket of water, all the essential stuff. Her name is Aya and she is the best goddamned dog I could wish for. She's playful but relatively respectful, she may not be very well trained and is a bit of a trouble maker (not everything that finds its way into the yard comes back intact) but I love her dearly. Definitely the best Christmas gift I could ask for.
@Batko Gele Well it IS definitely a shepherd dog, but not treating a dog as a pet and a companion frankly ruins its life, they need compassion, companionship and personal care to lead a full and healthy life.
Thank you so much for making this video! I have a dog who is crossed with a border collie, but we didn’t know anything else about his background and he grew to be over 80lbs! I have been looking for information about the Karakachan because at least visually, he has a lot of similar traits! I still can’t say for sure if he is part Karakachan, and I’ll probably never know for sure, but it definitely sounds like it could fit! Thank you!!
i am from bulgaria and have had a karakachan, and lived among them for a bid, so i can confirm what you're saying, great job,i enjoy your videos, keep going!
My daughter just got one of these she is 9 weeks old. They bought a house with alot of lands and plan to get chickens,goats and sheep. Trying to learn a bit about this breed
Not a Greek breed! You are sorely mistaken. This breed was brought with the proto-Bulgarians to Bulgaria 1400 years ago! There is a region in Bulgaria with the same name as the dog, and the people who live there are called Karakachans. They are not even exactly Bulgarians, but perhaps an idea a little more closed society. The breed is entirely and only Bulgarian, as I said, it came to the Bulgarian lands with the proto-Bulgarians 1400 years ago. There were crosses after that with various other breeds, of course. Now there is a new breed, a purebred, that looks very much like the Karakachan and is called the Bulgarian Shepherd. I have such a dog, terribly intelligent, big, calm, loving to acquaintances and suspicious of strangers, hates cats, and a great guard.
@@Rocadog The name Thracian dog refers to the ancient dogs depicted in the art of the Thracian people, and they were neither Greeks, nor Turkish. Culturally this means nowadays Bulgaria and Romania.
Not a Greek breed! You are sorely mistaken. This breed was brought with the proto-Bulgarians to Bulgaria 1400 years ago! There is a region in Bulgaria with the same name as the dog, and the people who live there are called Karakachans. They are not even exactly Bulgarians, but perhaps an idea a little more closed society. The breed is entirely and only Bulgarian, as I said, it came to the Bulgarian lands with the proto-Bulgarians 1400 years ago. There were crosses after that with various other breeds, of course. Now there is a new breed, a purebred, that looks very much like the Karakachan and is called the Bulgarian Shepherd. I have such a dog, terribly intelligent, big, calm, loving to acquaintances and suspicious of strangers, hates cats, and a great guard.
