Neoplanta Sheepdog

Throughout history, there were at least two Neoplantaner breeds, both officially extinct. The original Neoplanta Dog was to be found in Roman times, when it was used primarily as a watchdog. Whether it was an indegenous Pannonian breed or it was developed by crossing the Italian Abruzzo dogs with the Balkan Molossers is not entirely clear. Aside from it being enormous and pure white in colour, there isn't much information on the ancient Neoplantaner.

The Sheepdog name came with the 2nd incarnation of the Neoplanta Dog. Believed to be a result of crossing the old Pannonian Herders with the Hungarian Kuvasz and the Bosnian Tornjak brought over by the early Bosnian settlers to Voivodina, the Neoplanta Sheepdog survived up until the 2nd World War. There is also a bearded variant, thought to be the influence of the Komondor.

Although there are still some dogs to be found in the Novi Sad area, nobody calls them Neoplantaners anymore nor is officially breeding them. Most of these dogs are usually presented as Sarplaninac, Kuvasz or Tornjak crosses. However, stories of the still-pure large white dogs of Voivodina can occasionally be heard in some rural parts of the region. Broad-shouldered, deep-chested and long-legged, this is a strong and resilient Molosser, posessing a fairly sharp temperament and unfriendly attitude towards other dogs, although it usually works with a few smaller Pulins as a team. It is docile and playful with its owner, but can be unpleasant towards strangers.

The richly coated Neoplanta Sheepdog is always white with or without darker markings, used as a herder, livestock guardian and watchdog.

Average height is around 30 inches, but smaller examples are common too.