The pure white Akbash Dog is one of the native breeds of Turkey. It is most likely related to other white guarding dogs such as the Kuvasz and the Great Pyrenees, but shows sighthound influence in its depth of chest and heavily muscled hindquarters, possibly from the native Turkish Tazi.
The Akbash is primarily found in the area east of Ankara where it is valued as a guardian of the sheep flocks. It differs from the other more well-known dog of Turkey, the Kangal Dog, not only in color but in conformation and even disposition, considered to be less "biddable" (obedient) than the Kangal Dog.
Unfortunately, many dog registries outside of Turkey "lumped" the native breeds of Turkey into one breed, resulting in a mixture of types, in color, coat, and disposition. More recently some national registries have begun to register Akbash Dogs, Kangal Dogs and Anatolian Shepherds separately.

Height: 71-81 cm. (28-32 in).
Weight: 41-59 kg. (90-130 lbs).
Colour: Solid white. The name Akbash means "White head" in Turkish.
Rare ouside of Turkey, exept for a good population (more than 2000 specimens) in the U.S.
In the country of origin the Akbash is regarded as a breed of its own but in most of the western countries "trown" together with the Kangal in the FCI recognized breed Anatolian Shepherd Dog.