Akbash Vs Great Pyrenees: Two White Guardians Compared

Look at the back feet. The American Kennel Club standard for the Great Pyrenees requires double dewclaws on each hind leg and counts their absence as a fault. The United Kennel Club standard for the Akbash allows rear dewclaws to be absent, single, or double, and permits their removal. When two big white dogs are standing in a shelter kennel with no paperwork, the dewclaws are one of the few quick checks available.

The two breeds do the same job and are confused constantly.

Size and build

The Akbash is the taller dog. Its UKC standard gives males 30 to 34 inches at the withers and females 28 to 32, with males averaging about 120 pounds and females about 90. The AKC standard puts male Great Pyrenees at 27 to 32 inches and females at 25 to 29, with minimum weights of 100 pounds for males and 85 for females.

The outlines differ more than the numbers. The Akbash standard describes a blend of sighthound and mastiff: long legs, a deep chest, an arched loin, a tucked-up flank, and real speed. The Great Pyrenees is a mountain dog under a heavy coat, and it looks broader and lower than it measures.

On a fence line, the Akbash is the faster of the two. Both breeds roam, and both need the containment described in fencing and roaming.

Coat and climate

The Great Pyrenees has one coat type: a long, flat, thick outer coat of coarse hair over a dense, fine, woolly undercoat. It may be all white or white with markings of gray, badger, reddish brown, or tan.

The Akbash comes in two coat lengths, medium and long, both correct under the standard. The medium coat is short to medium and lies fairly sleek. Its color is white only, with light biscuit or gray shading allowed around the ears.

That medium coat is the Akbash’s practical advantage in hot country. Texas A&M AgriLife calls the Great Pyrenees the most common guardian breed in Texas and adds that its long coat can be a significant problem in the heat. Ranchers in the south who want a white guardian with less hair have a real reason to look at the Akbash.

Both breeds shed heavily, blow their undercoats seasonally, and are not hypoallergenic. The brushing routine on the grooming page fits either dog.

Temperament

The AKC standard describes the Great Pyrenees as confident, gentle, and affectionate, with a demeanor of quiet composure, patient and tolerant, and also strong-willed, independent, and somewhat reserved. The UKC standard describes the Akbash as calm, quiet, and steady, independent, loyal and quietly affectionate with its family, aloof and suspicious toward strangers, and liable to react aggressively to strange dogs on its territory.

The Pyrenees standard uses warmer words, and Texas A&M attributes the breed’s popularity to its reputation and its less aggressive nature. The difference between individual dogs is larger than the difference between the two standards, though. Both breeds were developed to think for themselves, both are wary of strangers, and neither comes when called if it has decided something needs watching.

Both bark at night. Texas A&M’s guidance on night barking covers guardian breeds as a group, and switching from one to the other does not solve a barking problem.

Availability and registration

The Great Pyrenees is recognized by the AKC, the UKC, and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. It has a large breeder base, a national rescue network, and adult dogs in shelters across the country.

The Akbash is recognized by the UKC only, arrived in the United States in 1978, and remains rare. Finding a litter usually means a waiting list and a long drive, and the process is described in breeders. Akbash dogs in shelters are often labeled as Great Pyrenees mixes, so anyone open to either breed should look closely at the white guardians in rescue.

As working guardians

Texas A&M lists both among the most common working guardian breeds in Texas, along with the Anatolian Shepherd and the Maremma. The bonding protocol is identical: pups meet stock at four to eight weeks, must be bonding by 16 weeks, and become effective at 18 to 24 months. The details are in working with livestock.

The parents’ working record tells you more about a pup’s prospects than its breed does. A pup from two proven dogs of either breed is a better bet than a pup of the “right” breed from parents that have never seen a sheep.

Choosing between them

Choose the Akbash if you work stock in a hot climate, want the shorter coat and the rangier, faster dog, and are willing to wait and travel for one.

Choose the Great Pyrenees if you want a breed you can find this year, AKC registration, a deep pool of rescue dogs, and a large community of owners to learn from.

If your concerns are barking, roaming, or wariness of strangers, neither breed is the answer, and the good family dogs page explains who these dogs suit.