Their white, weather-resistant medium double coat distinguishes them from the predators due to their sparkling white color with gray or light biscuit shadings in the undercoat and around the dog's ears. The coat is almost odorless and doesn't lose its shine, but does require brushing to help with the shedding process.
Their almond-shaped eyes can be golden or dark brown, their ears are curved towards the tips, lying flat, and sitting high on their massive heads. The Akbash dogs' ears are generally trimmed in Turkey even since they are puppies. This is how you can recognize a dog originally from there. The neck is strong and muscular, with powerful jaws.
This breed has a slim body line, weighing from 75 to 140 pounds (34 to 64 kg). They are medium-sized dogs, measuring 28-32 inches (71-81 cm) in height. Their average life expectancy is around 11 years and the females can give birth to 7-9 puppies per litter.
The Akbash dog needs long daily walks and a lot of space to run around, being relatively inactive indoors, and this is an important issue for those who decide to take such a dog home. They are also noisy - barking and patrolling being their method of defense usually over night - in order to keep everything in order, and will turn your garden into a mess of paths from one fence to another. Therefore, they should live in a semi-rural or rural environment. In towns, bustling with sounds and lights, they can easily become frustrated or even aggressive.
These dogs are perfectly comfortable living in the open, the coat being suitable for bad weather, even for wintertime, but they may need quite a large doghouse in order to feel right at home.
The Akbash dog can be extremely good with children, due to their strong maternal instincts. They will usually not think twice before risking their lives to protect their loved ones. The problem appears when friends are coming over and they are not informed of such a dog being around the house.
The Akbash dog is healthy, when compared with other large breeds, being only susceptible to dysplasia, but that is a common problem for all the dogs of a certain size.
In conclusion, the Akbash dog is very loyal and intelligent, able to sacrifice itself in order to protect its family and/or livestock, easily adaptable to any new situation, a perfect and tireless medium-to-large size guardian dog, best suitable for rural residences.
