Originally bred by the Buryat people, their success contributed to their spread across Buryatia and Mongolia and into adjacent regions before they were nearly annihilated in the mid-20th Century.

[2][3] They are loyal and affectionate with their families, but formidable against intruders, including humans, wolves, eagles and snow leopards.

[6][7][5] Buryat legend states that the breed appeared as a huge ferocious dog that accompanied a giant descending from the mountains.

Bankhar dogs are alleged to have participate in the raids of Genghis Khan, instilling fear in people and helping to capture villages and cities.

[5] During the Communist era of Mongolia, Bankhar dogs were let loose or exterminated to forcibly relocate nomadic groups into socialist-style settlements.

The decline of effective livestock guarding dogs has caused nomadic herders to resort to shooting or poisoning any threats toward their herds.