USING LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOGS IN BALKANS Orhan Yılmaz 1* , Yakup Erdal Ertürk 2 , Füsun COŞKUN 3 , Mehmet Ertuğrul 4 1 Canakkale University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, Canakkale, Turkey 2 Igdir University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics, Igdir, Turkey 3 Ahi Evran University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, Kirsehir, Turkey 4 Ankara University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, Ankara, Turkey. *Correspondence: zileliorhan@gmail.com Abstract Balkans consist of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, and Turkey. In Balkans there are quite succesfull livestock guardian dogs including Akbash Shepherd in (Turkey), Bucovina Shepherd (Romania), Bulgarian Shepherd (Bulgaria), Carpatin Shepherd (Romania), Greek Shepherd (Greece), Karabash (Kangal) Shepherd (Turkey), Karaman Shepherd (Turkey), Kars (Caucasian) Shepherd (Turkey), Karst Shepherd (Slovenya), Koyun Shepherd (Turkey), Macedonian Karaman Shepherd (Macedonia), Mioritic Sheep (Romania), Sharplaninac (Kosovo/Macedonia), Tornjak (Bosna-Herzegovinia). In Balkan countries are generally developing countries in which livestock production is still crutial in their economics. Moreover geograpy of Balkans are mainly mountainous and forrest areas. In those areas there are some predators such as bear, fox, jackal, lynx, and wolf. Those conditions create that livestock guardian dogs are necessary for livestock production in Balkans.