Turkish Lg Ds

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TurkishLivestock Guardian Dogs

by ılker ünlü



The Turkish Livestock Guardian Dogs

Te urkish Livestock Guardian DogsIn atemp ing o reveal he ru h abou he urkish lives ock guardiandogs, we have o ackle he problem o arguing agains some well-es ablished misconcep ions. Only hen, can we reely celebra e hese wonder ul dogs.

According o he widely accep ed bu o ally abrica ed heory abou odogs, urkey is he homeland o only one breed o lives ock guardiandog. And oday his breed is known in he in erna ional dog world as Ana olian Shepherd Dog.

On he o her hand, urkey claims ha she has more han one breed olives ock guardian dog, working wi h ocks in differen regions o hcoun ry. Differen dogs shaped by differen errains and differen ype

lives ock animals have been bred or genera ions.Te DAD-IS Gene ic Animal Diversi y In orma ion Sys em (htp://dad. ao.org/) publishes a long lis o domes ic animals rom horses,donkeys, catle, sheep, goa s o chickens and geese on i s web si e. Onhe page ha lis s he lives ock animals o urkey i s a es ha we haveover 20 breeds o catle, and 10 o sheep and goa s. I should come as nsurprise, hen, ha we have more han one breed o lives ock guardiandog o pro ec hese animals.




Tese differen regions have developed heir own lives ock animals widiffering charac eris ics such as size, colour, ex ure o wool e c. As ohe dogs ha pro ec hem, we can clearly s a e ha in accordance wi hhe local people’s as e hese dogs have been bred o work harmonious wi h he lives ock in he par icular region where hey are expec ed osurvive. In he moun ains where all rees and bushes predomina e, alarge dog like he ones you can nd in cen ral and eas ern urkey willno unc ion properly. Basically, he nor hern, wes ern and sou hernregions have dogs o modera e size ha would do well in he well-ores ed moun ains or rocky hills wi h hick scrub. In Cen ral Ana olia

he very hard condi ions o he s eppes require s rongly buil dogs. Tisis he region where he clima e and geographical ea ures are very mulike Cen ral Asia, rom where i is widely hough ha a subs an ialpropor ion o hese dogs were brough in o urkey by he urkic ribesa leas 1000 years ago. Tese dogs end o have much heavier bonecompared wi h hose rom he nor h, wes and sou h. Long, ru hless win ers allow only he tes and s ronges dogs o survive. Te quali yo he dogs improves in he regions where animal husbandry is he maeconomy.

Ivesi fom South-eastern urkeyKarayaka fom Northern urkey




As well as heir geographical surroundings, he charac er o hese canpro ec ors is a de ermining ac or. radi ionally housands o years oshepherding have augh a simple ac o he shepherds: how o make bes use hese dogs. Tey are required o have a cer ain s yle o workinTey are expec ed o be loyal and pro ec ive o heir premises whilediscrimina ing in heir use o aggression owards people, especiallychildren and women. A dog wi h an aggressive na ure in he village will serve a litle purpose. No one would olera e a dog atacking heirneighbour’s children. Bu he very same dogs are expec ed o be earlagains preda ors such as wolves and bears. Tey should be s rongenough o end or hemselves, providing li e o service and expec ing very litle in re urn.

Appearance also maters in a lives ock guardian. Tis is where a group

lives ock pro ec ors appears in dis inc ive physical charac eris ics whicall or differen s andards. Compared o small o medium sized herdi breeds such as Border Collies, Aus ralian Kelpies, Belgian, Du chand German Shepherd Dogs, lives ock guardian dogs have differencharac eris ics o enable hem unc ion o he ulles . Herding breeds wi h semi- or ully pricked ears and coa colours ha con ras wi h hesheep do heir job by keeping he lives ock on heir oes in order odirec hem rom one place o ano her. Tey are expec ed o be dis incrom he herd so ha hey can s and ou , moving he lives ock around

by agi a ing hem under close supervision o heir mas ers. Tey runaround he ock barking and nipping a heir heels. Teir pricked earsand con ras ing colours mimic hose o a preda or.

In con ras , lives ock guardian dogs are expec ed o behave like a weladjus ed and accep ed member o he herd. I here is no hrea hey

mingle wi h he s ock, showing and receiving comple e rus . In order




o be accep ed as a ock member, hey also end o resemble sheep.Tis is some hing ha shepherds mus have discovered housands o years ago. A dog, well camouaged in he ock, will also provide gopro ec ion by giving very litle indica ion o where he pro ec ion is inrela ion o he sheep. From a dis ance i is very difficul o spo he dogand jus as difficul o plan an atack. In con ras o herding breeds, wiheir con ras ing colours, sheep pro ec ors are bred o ma ch he colouo heir sheep. Tese colours no only ma ch he sheep, hey also ma chhe environmen . In Cen ral Ana olia especially, where yellow-colourerrain goes on orever, you nd awn dogs pro ec ing he ocksrom wolves. Te breed o sheep also seems o de ermine how hesedogs are supposed o look. Associa e Pro . Ca er epeli rom SelçukUniversi y, Konya, says ha Kangal Dogs are he main pro ec ors ohe Akkaraman Sheep while Akbaş Dogs generally pro ec he Kıvırcsheep. Akkaraman sheep have a very dis inc ive black ace and ears,

Kangal Dogs do. Kıvırcık sheep and Akba Dogs share he same whi ecoa . I also believe ha he dogs Evliya Çelebi re erred o in his 16 hcen ury ravel book as he Angora Goa Dog would have been be AkbDogs. Because he erri ory o Angora Goa s and Akbaş Dogs ma cheup geographically i is reasonable o assume ha all whi e Akbaş Dogand whi e Angora Goa s are associa ed his orically.

In rural li e no hing is orderly and predic able, o course. Well-ravelled people will also conrm ha in he overlapping regions whepopula ions mingle you can nd subpopula ions o sheep and dogsinuenced by hese main groups. Wha is more con using is ha urkehas a huge popula ion o dogs which are very difficul o classi y. Yound hese dogs roaming in rural areas as well as in urban setings. Tey vary grea ly in ype. By na ure hey show varying levels o erri orialpro ec iveness so i someone happens o ake one on i migh make a

good wa chdogs, or i migh no . I i doesn’ , nobody eels sorry or i




so hey go and nd ano her one. Tere is no selec ive breeding or hisgroup o dogs. Mos o hem are ownerless and in many areas hey arepar o he eral dog popula ion. Handsome ones migh nd homes bu mos only roam he s ree s and eed rom he garbage bins. Askanyone. Tey would ell you hese dogs are no hing bu mongrels. Arehey wor hless? Deni ely no : viewed oge her, i hey all have dis incharac eris ics and are able o breed rue one canno help ques ioning why on ear h hey should be considered he one and same breed.

www.geoci ies.com/ heana olianshepherddog/quiz.h m

So in a big and immensely diverse coun ry like urkey, jumping o he wrong conclusion may be unders andable when i comes o classi yinhe lives ock guardian dogs, especially by people who have very litleexperience wi h dogs or by people who haven’ ravelled across urke

wi h hrough observa ion.



The Anatolian Shepherd Dog Dilemma

Te Anatolian Shepherd Dog DilemmaUnless we look a he whole pic ure rom mul iple angles we are sureo make mis akes. Tere is no poin in lumping all urkish lives ockguardian dogs oge her as he Ana olian Shepherd Dog breeders chooo do. Observing an Ana olian Shepherd Dog ring in an AKC or FCIshow will clari y my poin . Al hough hey hink hey solved he problo he urkish Dogs by breeding hem in all colours i is oday obviouso he exper eye ha he differences be ween differen breeds o heurkish lives ock guardian dogs are ar more han jus colours. Mos

Ana olian Shepherd Dogs seem o ma ch he quasi-s andard o herandom popula ion o dogs I men ioned above. Being able o produceawn dogs wi h black masks seems o subs an ia e he claim ha a KanDog and a awn Ana olian are jus he same breed. Tis has ooled noone in urkey so ar hough. While i is almos impossible o dis ingui

an Ana olian rom an ordinary s ree dog in urkey, i is very clear o uha he urkish lives ock guardian dog breeds are clearly dis inguishaband warran heir own breed s a us. I here were any jus ica ion orlumping all he urkish sheep breeds oge her, hen here migh be sompurpose in saying ha all lives ock guardian dogs in urkey represenhe same breed. Te very exis ence o he Ana olian Shepherd Dog as a

breed is an asser ion ha he urks do no know wha hey are alkingabou . Te opinion o a mere wes ern breed club has presumed o dic ao he world how hese dogs should be classied. Te urkish KennelClub “KIF” is de ermined o pro ec hese dogs as hey are.



The Anatolian Shepherd Dog Dilemma

Anatolians fom the 2001 San Diego AKC Show.



The Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds of Turkey

Te Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds of urkey Te urkish Kennel Club has recognised our lives ock guardian dog breeds rom differen regions o he coun ry: Kangal Dog, Akbaş DogKars Dog and urkish Mas iff.

Te Kangal Dog

Te Kangal Dog is he rs and mos amous lives ock guardian breedha springs o mind in urkey. Ask anyone and hey will s ar braggingabou he breed wi h respec and pride. Kangal Dogs are he dogs whior many people se he benchmark or lives ock guardian dog s andaro hem he breed is he embodimen o heir na ional link o Cen ral

Asia. I is he bes -recognised breed o dog in urkey and i is considera na ional reasure. Tere are many governmen al and universi y

breeding acili ies o secure he u ure o he breed. I is mainly na iveo Cen ral Ana olia. I is also known as Kangal Dog o Sivas, a his orici y on he rou e o he Silk Road and amous or sheep husbandryor cen uries. Litle is known abou i s origin bu he reason why i isassocia ed wi h he ci y o Sivas could be he ac ha animal husbandin his impor an ci y and i s provincial owns such as Kangal mus hainvolved a large popula ion o good quali y dogs in he pas . Te breedhus go i s name afer he own o Kangal, Sivas.

Teir resemblance o he breed o sheep hey pro ec is s riking. Te Akkaraman sheep wi h i s charac eris ic black ace and ears seem orequire no o her breed o dogs han a Kangal Dog. Te s eppes oCen ral Ana olia also seems o have shaped hese dogs wi h a per ecphysique. A shepherd canno ask or a beter-adap ed lives ock guardiahan a awn dog wi h a black mask and black ears, resembling an

Akkaraman sheep, in a reeless brown landscape.




In addi ion o he advan ages o camouage, he Kangal Dog is a large bu ac ive breed. Heigh a he wi hers or males is be ween 75 and 85cm while i is 65–75 cm or emales. A male be ween 50 and 65 kg ana emale be ween 40 and 55 kg are considered in a good working dog weigh . Te breed’s double coa comes in colours ranging rom awn os eel grey depending on he ou er coa ’s dark coloured ips. A small wspo on he ches and whi e socks below he knees are accep able, buhe less he beter. A black mask is he mos well-known charac eris iche breed. Ta ’s why i is also known as Karabaş (black head). Con rao common belie , especially in England, his descrip ion is jus a namor i s colour, like abby in ca s. Accep ing i as a breed name in Engla

does no do jus ice o he iden i y o he breed, because no all dogs

Kangal Dogs breed true to type, conrming a nation’s trust and pride in them.



wi h black heads are Kangal Dogs in urkey. Also in Sivas, “Karabaşis a common name given o male Kangal Dogs. oday he Kangal Dogholds a very special place in he hear s and minds o urkish people. IKangal, Sivas, he dis ric governmen holds an annual es ival or he breed which atrac s ouris s rom all over he world. Also in dog showorganised by he KIF ( he urkish Kennel Club) he classes whereKangal Dogs are en ered ge he mos public aten ion wi h he biggesen ry.


Te Akbaş Dog

Te Akbaş Dog is considered o be he urkish version o he all-whi elives ock guardian dog radi ion. Compared o he heavier-boned dogso Eas ern urkey Akbaş Dogs possess a ligh er and more agile physiq According o he observa ions made by some wes ern ravellers in hepas , modera ely sized agile whi e dogs pro ec ed he ocks aggressivin wes ern urkey. As men ioned be ore, I also believe ha his is hedog ha Evliya Çelebi re ers o as he Angora Goa Dog in his ravel books. When he breed caugh he aten ion o an American couplenamed David and Judi h Nelson in he early 1970s hey named hesedogs “Akbaş” (whi e head) picking one o he radi ional names used

hem. oday hese remaining whi e dogs are s ill radi ionally known a



Akku (whi e bird) by he villagers in wes ern urkey. Te Akbaş Dog’spopulari y seems o be increasing in urkey. Al hough he immensepopulari y o he Kangal Dog replaced a lo o working Akbaş Dogs ihe regions where hey had been bred or cen uries, he breed endso be pre erred over larger and heavier-boned Kangal Dogs oday as a

vigilan es a e guardian. Te newly ounded Akbaş Dog Club o urkeyis developing projec s o save he remaining working Akbaş Dogs. Te breed seems o have s rong ollowers a home and abroad. Accordinghe Depar men o Agricul ure o America Akbaş Dogs were one o hhree mos success ul lives ock guardian breeds in Nor h America, alo

wi h Maremma Dogs o I aly and Pyrenean Moun ain Dogs o FranceOne o he s ronges charac eris ics o he breed is he wide range oypes accep ed by i s paren clubs bo h in Nor h America and urkey.




Tis bo h keeps he gene pool heal hy and ensures ha or every workicondi ion here is an Akbaş Dog o unc ion o he ulles . Te breedcomes in one colour wi h hree differen coa ypes: shor , modera eand long. Te physical charac eris ics seen in he breed also call or hrdifferen ypes in he breed: sigh hound, modera e and mas iff. Te rsugges s a sleeker dog wi h a sigh hound-like ligh bones and a s ronuck-up while he later ones sugges dogs wi h heavier bone and largesizes. A male o average build is be ween 70 and 75 cm a he wi hers whereas he average size or a emale is be ween 68 and 70 cm. AkbaDogs are no as large as Kangal Dogs and should no be bred in ex resizes.


Average working male Akbaş dogs are around 70-75 cm



Te urkish Mastiff Tis is he mos recen ly recognised urkish breed. I has brough abousome argumen s amongs he urkish anciers hough he breed’s uniquplace is also acknowledged by all. Some seem o eel uncom or able wi h he use o he erm mas iff as hey believe i re ers o some possibcrossings wi h wes ern mas iff breeds. Te breed is also known as he Aksaray Dog or Cen ral Ana olian Shepherd Dog. Te urkish Mas iffseems o have los mos o i s old unc ion or lives ock pro ec ion odaI is widely used or illegal dog gh ing and es a e pro ec ion. Breedinlarger and more aggressive dogs has been de rimen al o he breed andoday he urkish Mas iff needs a rigorous breeding programme o brehe old s rong and heal hy dogs o he pas . Skele al and behaviouralproblems seem o be crippling he breed oday. Al hough i comes in every colour, in he recen years he Kangal Dog




populari y has led he ambi ious and ignoran breeders o breed Kanglookalikes in mas iff sizes. While hey are marke ing hese large dogsKangal Dogs he wo breeds are being des royed by greed and ignorano he unini ia ed i has become increasingly difficul o ell wo breedsapar . Tanks o he brave s eps he urkish Kennel Club has aken osepara e he wo breeds in urkish dog shows hese wo impressiveurkish breeds are shown in differen rings oday. I is hoped o savehe Kangal Dog rom crossbreeding and educa e he public abou hisdegenera ing rend.

Te urkish Mas iff is a large dog wi h a shor er coa in various colourssuch as brindle, pin o, awn wi h black mask and various combina iono black, whi e and brown. Te awn dogs wi h black masks seem o be on he increase due o he place Kangal Dogs possess in he na ionhear .




Te Kars Dog Al hough here is ofen some men ion abou his breed o dogin erna ionally, litle research has been done so ar. Te name was given by he American breeder, David Nelson, upon his eld observa ions he 1980s. He observed hese dogs in nor h eas ern urkey and classihem as he urkish version o he Caucasian Shepherd Dog o Russia.Te breed has no achieved a wide na ional recogni ion ye , unlikeKangal and Akbaş Dogs, hough i is lis ed among he urkish lives ocguardian dog breeds by he urkish Kennel Club. Te breed showsgrea varie y in ype. I comes in various colours and long coa as in hCaucasian Dog.

END


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