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Bucovina shepherd dog

The Bucovina Shepherd is a Romanian livestock guardian from the Carpathian mountains of Bucovina, bred to protect flocks from wolves and bears in remote high country.

It is one of several Romanian guardian breeds and remains rare outside the region.

It stands 64 to 78 centimetres, weighs 50 to 90 kilograms and lives ten to twelve years, with a thick double coat, usually white with grey or black patches. Like other guardians it is independent, territorial and slow to mature, and it works at night — barking is the primary tool of the job. It is not a suburban dog by any reasonable reading of what it was bred to do.

Origin
Bucovina, Carpathian mountains, Romania
Size
64–78 cm; 50–90 kg
Lifespan
10–12 years
Coat
Thick double coat, usually white with darker patches
Temperament
Independent territorial guardian; barks at night by design
Health
Hip and elbow dysplasia, bloat

Related: Anatolian shepherd dog · Australian shepherd · Bohemian shepherd · Caucasian shepherd dog · Central Asian shepherd dog

2 bucovina shepherd dog photos, newest first

  • Nectarine III, a bucovina shepherd dog

    Nectarine III

    Nectarine III was promoted to weather forecaster surprised by its own forecast; unfortunately, a model sailboat becomes stranded in a teacup.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Nectarine III, a bucovina shepherd dog

    Nectarine III

    Nectarine III has opinions about the weather.

    SunnyHeron · 2 weeks ago

Living with a bucovina shepherd dog

This is a working livestock guardian and it needs that context. Placed as a pet it barks through the night, patrols and defends a territory it defines for itself, and does not perform obedience for its own sake.

Socialise heavily and early if the dog will meet people. An unsocialised guardian of eighty kilograms is a serious liability.

Fencing must be high, secure and beyond argument.

They mature slowly — often three years — and puppies must be grown slowly on a large-breed diet to protect the joints.

Deep chest means bloat risk. Ask for hip and elbow scores, and expect a heavy seasonal moult from the thick double coat.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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