Their white, weather resistant, double, short to medium length coats are coarse and non-matting, with very little doggy odor. The Akbash has a massive head and powerful jaws. The v-shaped ears are set high with the tips slightly rounded, flat to the skull, and are carried pendant. Imported Turkish dogs may have cropped ears. Their almond shaped eyes are set well apart and distinctly oblique.
Eye color varies from light golden brown to very dark brown.
The neck is strong and muscular, medium in length and arches at the crest. It has strong, large, well-arched toes. The nails are blunt and either gray, brown or white. The pads are thick, hard, elastic and normally dark. The tail is long, reaching to the hocks.