Bohemian Shepherd

The Bohemian Shepherd is a medium-sized shepherd, with a length marginally exceeding its height. The dog has long, thick fur and a rich undercoat, allowing him to withstand harsh weather. He has an exceptionally harmonious build. Body is compact and well-proportioned. Typical characteristics for the breed include erect ears, small, pointed and high set. An elegant, long neckline, also marked by long, rich fur. The gait is fluid, light and unhurried. All Bohemian Shepherd puppies look almost identical and don’t really start to show their adult coloring until they are about 6 or 7 months. Some have medium length coats, but most of them have very furry and fluffy coats. It is a medium sized dog—maximum 25 kg in the breeding standard, minimum 16 kg. The only allowed coloring of its long coat is black and tan.

This is an ideal dog for someone who is very active, this breed has lots of energy, is not aggressive, can be easily trained, and is excellent with children and other pets. Its great agility and a keen sense of smell make it a very good rescue dog, a great companion for handicapped people and an outstanding watch dog. This breed has a stable, calm and friendly temperament that allows it to be good with the owner, his family and specially with children.

Chodský pes is an old sheepdog breed. They have been also guarding Bohemian southwestern borders and homes in the area of the Chod region (around Domažlice town). "Chodové" (the Chods), the local people living there, had an exceptional permission to hold large dogs for this purpose. Alois Jirásek, writing about a brave uprising of the local people, even assigned these dogs as a flag symbol of them. Though that is actually incorrect, the symbol became part of national knowledge due to drawings of a well known Czech painter Mikoláš Aleš. The symbol of the Chodský pes is still on Czech young scouts badges. As the breed of chodský pes is old, it is possibly also one of the predecessors to the German Shepherd. Chodský pes is known to have existed in the Czech lands as far back as the 14th century, and having been professionally bred as early as the 16th century, centuries before the Germans decided to try to make their own national breed. A modern breeding program for this dog was started in 1984 and there are now many breeders. About 3500 registered pups have been born since the program started (1984–2009). Therefore, there is no proof that they are related to German Shepherds.