Lurcher vs Bulgarian Shepherd - Breed Comparison | Petzlover

The Bulgarian Shepard Dog comes from the ancient line of Molossers of Central Asia and Tibet, and the shepherds of the Balkans, Turkey and Caucasus. Among the oldest and most valued of the working dogs of Europe, the Bulgarian Shepherd breed was created by mixing the Balkan breeds with the dogs from Central Asia by the proto-Bulgarians around the 7th century. The Karakachanskoto Kuche was introduced to Bulgaria and accepted by the sheep herders. Mixing this breed in with the Balkan and Central Asian mix developed the Bulgarian Shepherd we know today. In the long run the original Karakachanskoto Kuche became extinct, replaced entirely by the Bulgarian Shepherd even in places where the new breed is still called by the Kuche name. Although the breeds are not the same, most of the dog world does not know the difference.

In Bulgaria however the Karakachan is a national treasure and the history of the breed runs deep. One Kuche could run up to 1200 animals and hundreds were used by the herdsmen in the mountains of Bulgaria. There were many regional types of Bulgarian Shepherds with very little difference between those types. These dogs were so prized by the shepherds that the dogs ate first before the people. The dogs however ate a vegetarian diet of milk, wheat, water and oats. The Bulgarian Shepherd lives a long life of often over 20 years. The Bulgarian Army made good use of these dogs early in the 20th century.

Following World War II, the wolves were close to extinction and property in Bulgaria was nationalized. There was no longer a need for a large force of working dogs. The Communist government exterminated large numbers of sheep dogs including the Bulgarian Shepherd. Only those species on government owned farms and in remote regions survived. When the government farms were disbanded in the early 20th century, these dogs were exterminated as well. Only those in the mountains survived. Commercial breeding of the Bulgarian Shepherd in the end of the century has resulted in controversy as other breeds came into the breeding program.

Use of breeds such as Sarplaninacs, Caucasian Ovcharkas, St. Bernards, Central Asian Ovcharkas and Bosnian Tornjaks in these programs resulted in Bulgarian Shepherd or Karakachans that were a lot different from the original breed. There is therefore some concern about the future of the breed in Bulgaria, yet they received official Bulgarian national recognition in 2000. Today’s Bulgarian Shepherd is a guard dog for both property and livestock.

The official standard for the breed came about in 1991 and in 2005 it was recognized by the Bulgarian State Commission for Animal Breeds. Only those dogs that meet this standard are considered “true” Karakachans. The Bulgarian Shepherds are willing to fight bears and wolves in defense of its family and flock. The dog is brave and loyal, dignified and powerful. They are recognized by both the Dog Registry of America, Inc. (DRA) and the Bulgarian Republican Federation of Cynology (BRFC) a member of the FCI.

The Lurcher is a crossbreed dog that doesn’t seem to have too much certainty around it. There are stories that Lurchers may have been bred to produce a sighthound with more intelligence for hunting.

Hunters discovered that breeding certain breeds with sight-hounds produced a dog better suited for hunting and working purpose.

A Lurcher is a sighthound, a classic working crossbreed and some of the dogs used to bring about this breed were Greyhounds, Deerhounds, Whippets, Border Collies, Bedlington Terriers and Irish Wofhounds among others. This means that the Lurcher has many different looks as well. In the UK, Lurchers have their own shows, but no registry recognizes the dog.

A massive, powerful and muscular Molosser, the Bulgarian Shepherd is strong, agile, powerful and fast. They are intelligent and reliable. They have a long, thick, harsh coat in white with patches of black. Their skull is massive and broad with a furrowed forehead. The muzzle is massive as well while the nose has wide nostrils and is fairly large. It has close fitting, thick lips with strong, scissor bite jaws. The Bulgarian Shepherd’s eyes are deep, oblique and small. They are either hazel or dark. They have an intelligent and confident, yet firm almost grim expression.

Their ears are low set, small and v-shaped. They sit close to the head which sits on a powerful but short neck. They have a broad back, well-muscled body with a deep chest and long, rough tail. Their gait is a trot with a spring in their step. There are two types of coats – longhaired and shorthaired with no undercoats.

It is difficult to put a size and weight to the Lurcher, This is because of the many dogs used in his development, so that they vary in size and coat type. Generally though, he is a deep chested dog that stands roughly between 50 – 75cm and weighs 25 – 32kg.

However, because Whippet was a dog used in his development, he could be as small as a Whippet, the size of a Greyhound or Deerhound.

Generally he has a shortish coat. Colours of the coat vary greatly so you can find fawn, cream, white, grey, black, tan, silver or grey and bi-colored. The ears are usually small and can be floppy or held erect or back and the tail is usually long.

Temperament:

The Lurcher’s temperament is much like that of the sighthound – loving and calm. It is a good idea to have the Lurcher trained and socialized to help prevent both timidity or aggression.

He is an independent and intelligent dog and can be easily trained. He is a gentle dog and will get on well with children and pets in the home as he is a fairly relaxed breed with a quiet temperament, loving to spend time with his human family. Another advantage is that he is low maintenance and makes a great pet when shown love and care.

This is a working dog, intelligent and independent guard dog. Reserved around strangers but loyal and devoted with his family. Tolerant of children in their family if they were raised with them. Not only will she defend human family members, she will guard and defend household pets as well. He is quite capable of making her own independent decisions. These are very intense guard dogs that will respond aggressively if they think their people are being attacked.

The Lurcher is a working- and hunting dog that won’t do well in the city, as he requires large spaces to run.

He is a dog that will need you to provide him with games and other activities as well as a walk every day to keep him fit and lithe. He will therefore require an owner who loves to be active and who is consistent, firm, fair, patient and kind.

With the right human family, the Lurcher is a loving, devoted dog who will make an excellent family pet.

The breed itself is known to be healthy but they do face some of the usual health issues of the massive, giant breeds. This includes knee and elbow dislocation; hip dysplasia; bloat; entropion and osteosarcoma. All of these conditions require medical intervention, but bloat and osteosarcoma are the deadliest. Bloat needs immediate attention and osteosarcoma is a deadly bone cancer.

Every dog has the potential to develop genetic health problems, but the way you feed a dog and look after it will play a huge role in his wellbeing.

Lurchers are looked upon as being a pretty healthy dog breed and they can be with you for between 10 and 15 years.

Some of the main health concerns with this dog would be bloat, ear- and eye infections or heatstroke.

Remember that if you’re getting a new puppy, you can prevent some of the major life-threatening diseases by having your puppy vaccinated.

Heat Stroke:

Dogs pant heavily when they’re hot. When the panting isn’t enough, the dog’s body temperature rises and this can be fatal for your pet.

The signs of heatstroke in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, dullness and loss of consciousness. Being locked in a hot car, being over-exercised or left in a yard without shade and water can bring on heatstroke.

It is imperative to remove the dog from the hot place immediately and cool him down by spraying cold water gently over him while making sure no water enters the mouth or nose. Get him to the vet if you can because of shock and the fact that other problems could have developed.

Feeding

These are large dogs with large appetites, but you want to keep them lean and active. Feed them at least twice a day with a high quality large or giant dog dry food. Four to five cups of food per day is the maximum.

Health issues

Patellar Luxation – a floating kneecap or dislocated knee. Will cause lameness.

Bloat - distended or twisted stomach. Can cause death.

Osteosarcoma – bone cancer must be treated immediately as it is potentially fatal.

Entropion – eye issues when the eyelid turns inward and damages the eye.

Hip Dysplasia – May cause lameness and arthritis.

Exercise and games

The Bulgarian Shepherd needs a good amount of exercise every day. Remember this is a working breed and they need a job. Long walks every day are essential for his well-being.

Brush your pet’s coat at least twice a week.

The Lurcher just loves to run and be free, so this is a dog that will want a long walk every day.

Check his eyes and inside his ears for ear infection. Find out how to clean inside the ears and make sure they are kept dry.

Keep his nails clipped, as long nails can hook and cause painful injury to the paw area. Check his teeth too and brush them because dental disease is the root cause of many other diseases.

Make sure your dog has a comfy, dry, warm place to sleep.

Encourage health and longevity by giving your pet high quality food full of vitamins and minerals. If you’re going be giving him commercially manufactured food, make sure its one of the better ones. Try and add in homemade food such as boiled chicken, brown rice and vegetables and add this to his kibble as a tasty treat. Some raw meat added in when you can afford it will also be to his advantage.