One of the most valued and oldest European working breeds, the Bulgarian Shepherd Dog is related to a number of Molossers, from the dogs of Tibet and Central Asia to the mighty shepherds of the Caucasus, Turkey and the Balkans. Believed by some to have roots in the original Thracian livestock guardians, the breed was developed by the proto-Bulgarians, who introduced their own working dogs from Central Asia to the territory of modern Bulgaria in the 7th century. Some influence of other Balkan breeds helped establish the early type and the Bulgarian Shepherd Dog has been consistently bred following strict working requirements for centuries.
