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| Country of origin | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
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| Breed standards (external links) | ||
| Not recognized by major kennel clubs |
The Bosnian Tornjak is a dog breed native to central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a mountain sheep dog, found specifically in the Travnik region. It is part of the "Tornjak" race of dogs, which is split into the Croatian Tornjak and the Bosnian Tornjak. The Bosnian Tornjak typically has stronger bones, and a better highlighted difference between the sexes.
History
This Bosnian Tornjak has existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the past thousand years, qhich can be proven with written documents. At this time, the tornjak was registered under the name Kanis montanus, which means mountain dog. However, the local people gave it the name tornjak (tor: enclosure for sheep, and cattle). Tornjak was registered as a autochthonous breed on the 9th of May, 1981 with the name "Bosnian-Herzegovinian sheepdog - tornjak."
At that time, Yugoslavian pedigree was opened for the tornjak. A judge commission was formed with the goal to do everything needed for the standard of the breed and it's recognition with the FCI as an autochthonous breed with the above mentioned name. The standard was done on the 5th of October 1990 in Travnik in central Bosnia.
Now, there are not many recognized breeds that have documents this old and precise about their existence, it's shape, height, color and purpose, as it is the case with the tornjak. For a long time, the tornjak resisted to all other dog breeds that it had contact with.
The most likely origin of the tornjak is the following. When the South Slavs came to the Balkans they brought the tornjak with them. According to recent studies the tornjak is most likely the descendant of the Tibetan Mastiff, approximately from the area around nowadays Iran. The environment has created a healthy and strong dog, with modest needs for food and shelter, and a great watchdog.
Appearance
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The Bosnian Tornjaks can be multicolored, tricolored and with two colors. Most favoured dogs are the ones with a lot of colour, especially sharp differences in color. The face should be lighter than the body, preferably having a white line down the middle of the head. Height of the males is 60 cm (23.62 inches) and more, and females are 56 cm (22.04 inches) and more. The length of the body is about 8% the height of the male dogs, and 10% the height of the females. The height of the chest is 45% of the total height, but deeper chest is also allowed.
General Characteristics
Tornjaks are friendly with people, but aggressive towards other animals and dogs that threaten their owner, home, sheep pen or the flock. They like to work and take commands from their owners and they are normally easily trained. The Tornjak is persistent in performing given tasks, with a good understanding of the master’s requests and training requests. It is also an incorruptible dog, with a necessary dose of suspicion toward strangers. Another one of its characteristics is that the tornjak is also quite resistant to illnesses and it has modest requests regarding feeding and breeding. For example, during the snowing winter nights, these dogs lie on the ground so that is often gets covered by snow. Also genetically speaking, this is a very dominant dog. The body of the dog is strong and well built, with harmonious and dignified movements. The look is specified, clear, self-confident, serious and calm. The hair is rich with such configuration that adequately protects the body against bad weather conditions. The tail is shaggy, kept high like a flag.
Morophological Characteristics
The muzzle is dully cuneiform and often diverged but we can come across other types of head. Dogs over four years of age have incomplete teeth, often compared to pliers, which are distinguished from those of younger dogs that have teeth like scissors. The eyes are brown often with a darker shade. The earlaps are very mobile, especially whilst moving, when they are placed at the back of the head. As a result of such placement of earlaps, external auditive aperture is uncovered, which is the authentic mark of the breed. Ears are usually pressed to the head when the dog is relaxed and allowing for an exception to this rule is one centimeter. Ears are of middle length, with a triangular form and covered with coat. The crossing from the neck to the body is almost imperceptible. The body and the back have a regular construction, whilst the rump has a mild oblique position. The chest is broad and strong, and is grown over with a dense coat so tornjak often looks a lot greater than it actually is. The coat at the neck has a form of a mane. Special characteristic of this dog is its tail that is brought over the back line. That position of the tail indicates the position of dog amongst the herd of sheep, and is determined work the dog is performing. That position of tail also indicates the dominant role of this dog in order to distinct itself from the other kinds of dogs surrounding the same herd.
External Characteristics
Average at withers adult male is 65 - 70 cm (25.59 - 27.55 inches), female 58 - 65 cm (22.83 -25.59 inches) , average hearth girth adult male is 88 - 92 cm (34.64 - 36.22 inches), female 73 - 77 cm (28.74 - 30.31 inches), average body length adult male is 72 - 75 cm (28.36 - 29.52 inches), female 63 - 67 cm (24.80 - 26.37 inches), girth left metacarpus adult male 14 - 16 cm (5.51 - 6.29 inches), female 11 - 13 cm (4.33 - 5.11 inches). Average weight adult male is 35 - 50 kg (77 - 110 lbs), female 28 - 40 kg (62 - 88 lbs).
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