Identifying the breed

Question

Unknown Dog   Greetings Patti, I would like to ask you about this dog in the picture, what breed is it? From my point of view it doesn't look like a cross-breed

Answer

Hi Lawrence,

It's really hard to tell whether or not a dog is a pure-bred just by looking at it.

The snout on this dog looks too long and slender to be a Great Pyrenees, and it doesn't appear to be as large and furry as a Caucasian Ovtcharka. From the picture you provided, your dog looks to have the general size and shape of a Leonberger or a Estrela Mountain Dog, but those breeds don't come in your dog's color and they usually have a black face mask. I thought perhaps it's an Anatolian Shepherd, but it seems to be too shaggy and hairy to be that breed.
 
By the coloring of your dog, it appears to have some "brindle", which is a color pattern of black stripes on a reddish base coat. In your picture, it looks like your dog's head and body has some brindle on it. None of the breeds I mentioned that resemble your dog, come in the brindle pattern, except for the Anatolian Shepherd (but they don't have the long coat that your dog has.  Anatolian Shepherds also have a different tail than what your dog has.). Your dog may be a mix of one of the large herding/guard breeds, and a bridled patterned dog.

The way to find out for sure  your dog's breed heritage is to do a DNA test on it. Running a DNA test is simple, you can do it from your home. Without the DNA test, knowing your dog's breed heritage is just a guessing game.  Read more about testing a dog's DNA here:

http://www.wisdompanel.com

There are less expensive DNA test kits, but they usually identify about 70 breeds, and if your dog isn't a breed recognized by the American Kennel Club breed, the test might not give an accurate report.

Whatever your dog's breed, all that really matters is that you love him, and he loves. you.


Sorry I couldn't be more of a help.
Regards,
Patti