They are quite agile and fast with their milk white fur, slanting abdomen, deep chest cage, muscular body and long legs. They are tall, yet not lumpish. They have an elegant head structure proportional with their body. Their inwards spiral tail position in motion or in state of alarm is specific to this breed. Morphological differences (body length, head size, boniness) between males and females are obvious. Males are heavier and taller than females. Live weight of adults varies between 40-60 kg for males and 35-45 kg for females.
The breeding of Akbaş, the only dog breed in the world which shows Mastiff and Greyhound properties at the same time, is becoming more and more common in countries abroad, especially in the United States. In a study on herd protection performances of shepherd dogs in North America conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Akbash breed was ranked first.
They are very protective towards animals such as cows or sheep under their protection and also towards their owners. However, they are very aggressive towards animals such as wolves, jackals and bears. The Akbash breed has a protective and suspicious nature. They get suspicious about visitors. They can bring a sheep herd into the sheep fold without scattering. They are very keen on their freedom. It was determined that the Akbash was bred from the White Wolf 3000 years ago. Geneticist determined that the ancestor of this shepherd dog breed was the Central Asian Wolf.
