Overview
The Sarabi is a mastiff-type guardian from the Sarab region of Iranian Azerbaijan, used to protect flocks from wolves and farms from intruders. Males can weigh as much as a grown adult. The breed is calm and slow-moving by nature, bonded strongly to its family and territory, and dismissive of orders from outsiders.
A walker in Britain is very unlikely to meet one, and anyone who does should treat it as a specialist job. The dog decides whether you are acceptable, and that process cannot be rushed.
Exercise and walking needs
An hour a day in two slow walks is sufficient. Guardians of this size were bred to lie still for hours and move only when needed, and extra exercise gains nothing. Choose level routes and flat ground; the joints carry a huge load.
Heat is a serious risk for a dog this heavy. Summer walks are short, early and shaded, with water carried.
On the walk
- Recall: Do not plan around it existing. A Sarabi is on a lead for the whole walk and only in a fully secure space otherwise, with the owner's explicit approval.
- Strangers: People approaching, especially briskly or with hands outstretched, are a threat in the dog's eyes. Keep the gap wide and manage every encounter yourself.
- Other dogs: Challenges from other dogs will be answered. Walk alone, avoid narrow paths and never allow a nose-to-nose greeting.
- Control: No person can hold ninety kilos that has decided to move. Your safety is in route choice, distance and timing, not in grip.
Tips for professional walkers
- Insist on several introduction visits with the owner present before walking alone, however long it takes.
- Pick times and routes where you will meet almost no one and keep them consistent.
- Watch for stillness, a raised head and a fixed stare, and change direction before anything develops.
- Carry water and look for shade in anything warmer than a cool spring day.
What to ask the owner
- What has the dog done when confronted by a stranger or a strange dog, and how did the owner manage it?
- Is there a muzzle the dog is used to, and does the owner want it worn?
- Any joint or heart issues, and are there limits on stairs, slopes or distance?
- What are the precise handover arrangements for getting the dog in and out of the house?