Sarabi dog

{{short description|Breed of livestock guardian dog}}

{{Infobox dog breed

| name = Sarabi dog

| image = 5-طبیعت روستای صومعه ملکشاه سگ سراب.jpg

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| image2 =

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| country = Iran

| nickname =

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| maleweight =65kg-100kg

| femaleweight =60kg-80kg

| maleheight =80-100cm

| femaleheight =70-85cm

| coat = Short, with undercoat

| colour = Fawn, sable, black

| litter_size =

| life_span = 12-17 years

| note =

}}

The Sarabi dog or Iranian mastiff ({{langx|fa|سرآبی}}) is a large breed of livestock guardian dog named after and originating from the Sarab County in Iran. Sarabi dogs have been used for centuries by local shepherds to protect herds of sheep and goats from bears, wolves, jackals and other local predators. The Sarabi mastiff is calm, controlled, independent, powerful and protective; the breed is also used to compete in staged dog fights and as a hunting dog.{{cite journal |last1=Montazery |first1=M. |last2=Masoudi |first2=A. A. |last3=Vaez Torshizi |first3=R. |date=2016 |title=Microsatellite loci analysis for the genetic variability and paternal lineages in Iranian native dogs |url=https://lst.uk.ac.ir/article_1383_bd216ffe00e266e9e8393aeb62d5a2a0.pdf |journal=Journal of Livestock Science and Technologies |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=61–70 |doi=10.22103/jlst.2016.1383|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |access-date=14 August 2020 }} The breed is considered one of the oldest{{cite web|last=Böcek|first=Darlene|date=2016|title=Facts of the Matter: Iranian Mastiff or Sarabi Dog of Alexander|url=https://darlenenbocek.com/facts/sarabidogsofalexander/|access-date=7 May 2021}} and most powerful indigenous dog breeds in Iran; the larger and heavier an individual dog is, the greater its value.