Sarabi dog

Sarabi dog
A Sarabi at Dayr-e Gachin, Qom province
Origin	Iran
Traits Height Males 80–100 cm (31–39 in) Females 70–85 cm (28–33 in) Weight Males 65–100 kg (143–220 lb) Females 60–80 kg (130–180 lb) Coat Short, with undercoat Colour Fawn, sable, black
Dog (domestic dog)

The Sarabi dog or Iranian mastiff (Persian: سرآبی) is a large breed of livestock guardian dog named after and originating from the Sarab County in Iran. Sarabi dogs have been used for centuries to protect herds from Syrian brown bear, Indian wolf, golden jackal, striped hyena, Persian leopard the largest leopard subspecies, and the extinct Caspian tiger. The Sarabi mastiff is calm, controlled, independent, powerful and protective; the breed is also used to compete in staged dog fights and as a hunting dog.^[1] The breed is considered one of the oldest^[2] and most powerful indigenous dog breeds in Iran; the larger and heavier an individual dog is, the greater its value.^[1]

See also

• Dogs portal
• List of dog breeds

References

1. Montazery, M.; Masoudi, A. A.; Vaez Torshizi, R. (2016). "Microsatellite loci analysis for the genetic variability and paternal lineages in Iranian native dogs" (PDF). Journal of Livestock Science and Technologies. 4 (1): 61–70. doi:10.22103/jlst.2016.1383 (inactive 12 July 2025). Retrieved 14 August 2020.
2. Böcek, Darlene (2016). "Facts of the Matter: Iranian Mastiff or Sarabi Dog of Alexander". Retrieved 7 May 2021.

Further reading

• Parsa, Farid (11 September 2018). "Iranian dogs in history". The Iranian. Iranian LLC. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
• Taefehshokr, Sina; Key, Yashar; Maleki, Mehrdad (September 2014). "Survey on Iran's breeds of dogs". Journal of Veterinary Medicine (in Persian) (21). Tabriz: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University: 15. Retrieved 20 May 2020.