Tornjak ("tor" is Bosnian and
Croatian for corral/sheepfold) is a dog breed native
to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It is a mountain
sheep dog. The Tornjak typically has stronger bones,
and a better highlighted difference between the sexes.
Tornjaks are large dogs with long hair in different
colors; they are dogs with protective instinct, exceptionally
gentle and careful with children. Like all other shepherd
dogs they are devoted to their family (their human pack),
distrustful and reserved towards unfamiliar.
A canon from Ðakovo who was the
manager of the bishop's estate in Ðakovo, Petar
Lukic, wrote in his reports from 1752 about a Croatian
mountain dog 4 to 5 palms tall (60 to 75 cm), with different
colors that could be black, grey, yellow, brown and
red or combined with white. Some have as many as three
colors.
The ears hang down and the tail is cover
with thick hair. The Tornjak is mainly used for defending
livestock (but also people) from wild beasts, particularly
wolves.
This dog is mostly bred in the mountain
parts, which is the reason why they are sometimes called
"Canis montanis", or mountain dog.
On February 24, 2006, this breed was
recognized by the Fédération Cynologique