Overview
The Bakharwal is kept by nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal herders in Jammu and Kashmir, travelling with sheep and goats through high pastures and guarding them against wolves and bears. It is a big, powerful dog with a thick coat, often black with tan or white, and a broad head. There is no formal standard and dogs vary widely in size.
Like every livestock guardian breed, it was selected for independence, suspicion of anything unfamiliar and a willingness to act without instruction. Those are useful traits on a mountainside and demanding ones on a public footpath.
Exercise and walking needs
Guardians do not need long or fast walks. An hour of steady movement a day, divided into two outings, is usually enough. Their natural pattern is to patrol, lie down, watch, and move again.
Heat is the main physical risk for a thickly coated mountain dog. In summer keep walks short, early and shaded.
On the walk
- Recall: Treat it as absent. Livestock guardians were bred not to need a human telling them what to do, and most see a recall as a suggestion.
- Strangers: Expect the dog to watch people closely and object to anyone approaching quickly. Keep a wide margin and do not let strangers touch it.
- Other dogs: Territorial with unfamiliar dogs, especially males. Avoid dog parks and keep encounters at a distance.
- Lead manners: Not a puller for its own sake, but immovable when it stops and extremely strong when it moves.
- Weather: Cold and wet are nothing to this dog. Hot pavements and sunny afternoons are where you need to be careful.
Tips for professional walkers
- Use a strong, well-fitted harness and a lead you can hold against sixty kilos of dog.
- Choose quiet routes with wide verges and good sight lines so you can see other dogs long before they reach you.
- Carry water and a bowl in anything but cold weather.
- Do not attempt group walks. One handler, one dog, every time.
What to ask the owner
- Has the dog lived with livestock, and how does it react to sheep, cattle and horses on footpaths?
- How does it behave with strangers and unfamiliar dogs, and has it ever shown aggression?
- What gear is the dog used to, and can the owner show you how they handle it before you walk alone?