We acquired our first Sarplanianc dog in 1992, primarily for protection for our sheep and ourselves when out grazing the sheep. After much research we decided that the sarplaninac was the breed of livestock guardian dogs we wanted to incorporate in our flock and our lives. It was a breed that embodied everything we wanted, loyalty, bravery, confidence, powerful, athletic and durable. The first sarplaninac dog we owned was more than we could have hoped for. She kept us safe, protected the stock and guarded over our newborn children and home. IN our search for our next guardian dog, we tried a number of rescue dogs, none of these worked out for us. At this time the Balkan war was coming to an end and travelling there to find a new pup was not really an option. We made the decision to get a Central Asian Ovcharka. In this time we have worked with other guardian dogs breeds including the Maremma, Kangal and Great Pyrenees. It seemed though that none matched up to the sarplaninac dog we had.

We decided not to compromise and started our research into finding our next sarplaninac dogs, a breed that originates in the Macedonian/Serbian Mountains.

Our dogs are primarily livestock guardian dogs, the need to protect our sheep and newborn cattle from predators is essential for the success of our ranch. Any of our dogs we have can easily make the transition from full time livestock guardian dog to home, personal and property protector. Their characters are stable, balanced and loyal.

We strive to breed the “original” mountain type of Sharplaninac. A dog that is built “wolf like”, is agile, athletic and robust. Their build must be efficient, correct and must be able to cover large areas with easy. They have to have reliable and stable temperaments, unwavering, loyal, dedicated and work minded.
They must have the correct work temperament to function as full time livestock guardian dogs, yet be suitable to be a home and family protector. They need to be multifaceted. This requires a solidity in temperament and character.

We strive to breed to the breed standard with the mountain sharplaninac foremost in our minds. We select our dogs on the guardian abilities, build and character. These all need to be aligned. We offer the occasional litter or young adult for sale. We are selective in future owners and offer all the mentoring a support you may need to ensure your Grazerie’s Sarplaninac developes into the dog you need and want.

As breeders who strive to produce top quality dogs, in an ethical and conscientious manner. We respect other breeders whose goals are to produce healthy sarplaninaci with sound temperaments. We aspire to be respected in the preservation of working sarplaninac dogs, be a leader in mentoring and helping people in the livestock guardian dog world and produce dogs who are selected for both livestock guardian dog work and personal family dogs. We will then raise the pups in an environment that supports healthy development and stability. We will raise dogs with sound genetic breeding practices and will regularly add new genetics to our lines.

You may have noticed that we spell the name Sarplaninac/sharplaninatz in various ways, all the spelling is correct and various name changes have occurred in this breed.

Please take your time and browse through the various sub links such as Our Dogs, Puppy Policy and other tabs regarding our dogs. Do not forget to read the many stories and anecdotes about our dogs and ranch in the blog section.