Also called the Coban Kopegi and the Akbas, the Akbash Dog is an elegant, rare breed from the area we now call Western Turkey. Shepherds, who selectively bred for white-colored guarding sheepdogs, perhaps to differentiate them from predators, developed it 3000 years ago. The Akbash is a probable relative of the other great white herd guarders of Europe such as the Komondor, Kuvasz, Tatra Mountain Sheepdog, and even distant Pyrenean Mountain Dog. The name Akbash come from the Turkish word "akbas" meaning  "white head."
This solid white flock guard dog is equipped with keen hearing and superior strength. Their white, weather resistant, double, short to medium length coats are coarse and non-matting, with very little doggy odor. The Akbash has a massive head and powerful jaws. The v-shaped ears are set high with the tips slightly rounded, flat to the skull, and are carried pendant. Imported Turkish dogs may have cropped ears. Their almond shaped eyes are set well apart and distinctly oblique. Eye color varies from light golden brown to very dark brown. The neck is strong and muscular, medium in length and arches at the crest. It has strong, large, well-arched toes. The nails are blunt and either gray, brown or white. The pads are thick, hard, elastic and normally dark. The tail is long, reaching to the hocks. There is an elastic, springy nature to the gait.