Anatolian Shepherd Dog

These dogs originate from Turkey, and were bred to guard livestock. ‘Shepherd Dog’ is a bit of a misnomer, as they did not herd the sheep so much as guard them. ‘Guard dog’ might be a more appropriate name, but then this would suggest that should you go within 100 yards of them they might quite possibly rip your throat out. This is definitely not the case. The term ‘gentle giant’ was invented for these dogs if you ask me…certainly true in the case of Tim’s brood in the highlands! As strangers arriving at the Scottish smallholding to choose our puppy I was more convinced that the Jackie the black goat was going to be the one to see us off the property, because whilst obviously weighing up the situation, holding an alert stance, and sounding the occasional  deep ‘woof’, the dogs welcomed us warmly into their home, having used their intelligence to work out that we weren’t a threat.
Jackie, however, was most intimidating, circling me and walking away having given the filthiest of looks !!

Having been to Turkey and seen a couple of these dogs in their natural habitat I have to confess that my first encounter with them was not love at first sight. Tethered to their kennels and obviously raised to be guard dogs they did bark quite ferociously, although I don’t recall them having bared their teeth at me….it was only a warning, they were just doing their job, and doing it well. Still, I wasn’t convinced that these big dogs were for me…I was used to my little timid Jack Russell (rip Mollie, March 1998-August 2008) and while I admired the beauty and strength of these dogs, I was not sure I was strong enough to handle one.
Obviously in the UK, and indeed the rest of the western world these dogs are more domesticated and more likely to be pets than guard dogs, and more likely to live in the home, but you can still see the guarding trait, the total devotion to their owners….indeed you can see the ‘respect’ that the dogs in Scotland hold for their owner Tim, and their laid back, contented temperament .

Our first encounter with Kadirga and Elsa was at a dog show, where they were waiting patiently in their benches and keeping their own counsel…..in fact I climbed into the bench with Kadirga who took the opportunity for some most welcome belly scratching…..
and I was in love ……

You can see from the pictures that my pup has the distinctive black mask and ears that is usually associated with the breed. There are many types of ’shepherd dog’ in Turkey, and not all of them are beige/fawn with the distinctive black mask and ears. This particular type is often referred to as a Kangal, or Karabash (black mask) in Turkey, whereas you can also find shepherd dogs without the mask (akbash) and not all are fawn, some have longer coats, indeed some are spotty or striped in some way. Though my pup is officially classed by the Kennel club of the UK as an ‘Anatolian Shepherd Dog’, I believe that it would be more appropriate to class her as a Kangal, or Karabash, because she has the distinctive black mask and ears, and will grow to be beige/fawn like her parents.

Here is the Crufts official ‘breed standard’ for these dogs (Anatolian Shepherd Dog):

General Appearance
Large, upstanding, tall, powerfully built, with broad, heavy head and short dense coat. Must have size, stamina and speed.

Characteristics
Active breed used originally as a guard dog for sheep; hard working; capable of enduring extremes of heat and cold.

Temperament
Steady and bold without aggression, naturally independent, very intelligent. Proud and confident.

Head and Skull
Skull large, broad and flat between ears. Slight furrow between eyes and slight stop. Mature males have broader head than females. Foreface one- third of total head length. Slightly pendulous black lips. Square profile. Nose black.

Eyes
Relatively small in proportion to size of skull, set well apart and deep, showing no haw. Golden to brown in colour. Eye rims black.

Ears
Medium-sized, triangular in shape, rounded at tip, carried flat to skull and pendant, higher when alert.

Mouth
Teeth strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips black.

Neck
Slightly arched, powerful, muscular, moderate in length, rather thick. Slight dewlap.

Forequarters
Shoulders well muscled and sloping. Forelegs set well apart, straight and well boned; of good length; strong pasterns, slightly sloping when viewed from side. Elbows close to sides.

Body
Chest deep to point of elbow, ribs well sprung. Body powerful, well muscled, never fat. Level back. Body in proportion to leg length, slightly arched over loins, with good tuck-up.

Hindquarters
Powerful, lighter than forequarters; moderate turn of stifle.

Feet
Strong feet with well arched toes. Nails short.

Tail
Long, reaching at least to hock. Set on rather high. When relaxed carried low with slight curl, when alert carried high with end curled over back, especially by males.

Gait/Movement
Relaxed even gait, with impression of latent power, very supple movement. Noticeable straight line of head, neck and body, giving impression of stalking in some dogs. Great drive when viewed from side.

Coat
Short, dense with thick undercoat. Flat, close-lying, neither fluffy nor wavy. Slightly longer and thicker at neck, shoulders and tail; no feathering on ears or legs.

Colour
All colours acceptable, with or without black mask and black ears.

Size
Height: dogs: 74-81 cms (29-32 ins) at the shoulders; bitches: 71-79 cms (28-31 ins). Weight: mature dogs: 50-64 kgs (110-141 lbs); bitches: 41-59 kgs (90-130 lbs).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

 

As you can see from the list, all colours are accepted, with or without the black mask and black ears….to me that’s a bit like saying you can accept a Dalmatian without spots (although I’m sure it is a bit more complicated than that where the Anatolians are concerned!)

And here is the Turkish Breed standard (Kangal):

The Breed Standard of the Kangal Dog
(Approved by Turkish Kennel Club 2005, presented by Doç Dr Mustafa Özcan, Istanbul University Veterinary Faculty, Department of Animal Breeding and Husbandry)

General appearance
Kangal dog is a large and strong livestock guarding dog with an awe-inspiring stance and balanced proportions. The head is large; ears are medium-sized, black and pendant; a black mask covers nose and muzzle; coat colour varies from sand to pale grey; the short, dense, double coat and the tail carried in an open curl over the back forming a circle, when the dog is alert, are the typical characteristics of the breed.

Temperament and behaviour
The Kangal dog is a livestock guarding dog. Instinctively it provides protection for sheep and goat flocks, guarding rather than herding them. It is courageous, fast and agile. It warns against danger and will pursue predators when necessary. It maintains a protective and balanced relationship with the animals in the herd. It prefers to act independently of the shepherd and to be free to protect the herd. It possesses strong instinctive working capabilities. It is full of love for and loyalty to its master. It is aloof to strangers; however, it does not display undue aggression.

Head and skull
The mesocephalic head is large but in good proportion with the body in general. The proportion of the foreface (from the stop to the tip of the nose) to the head length (from the occiput to the tip of the nose) is between 1:2.1 and 1:2.5 and foreface and forehead are parallel. Skull may show slightly raised occiput. While the head of the male dog resembles that of a lion, the head of the bitch is comparatively narrower and more elegant. The ears are set well apart and black. Characteristic black mask covers the nose and mouth.
Faults: Dolichocephalic (narrow, long head) and brachycephalic (short-faced) head structure; extremely large head.

Eyes
Eyes have an intelligent and trustworthy expression. In proportion to the head size, eyes are medium sized, oval and deeply set. The eye rims are black. The colour of the eyes varies from honey yellow to brown. The white of the eye and the haw should not be visible.
Faults: Large, round eye structure, drooping eyelids, light yellow eye colour.

Nose and muzzle
The nose is prominent and blunt, with large nostrils. When the mouth is closed and observed from the side the nose is rectangular in profile. The muzzle is completely black including the lower jaw. There can be a black spot on the cheek. The structure of the jaws is strong. The teeth are well placed in the upper and lower jaws and upper and lower jaws close in a scissor or level bite. Jaws are strong. Black lips are pendulous enough to cover the lower jaw, but tight enough not to cause slobbering. The colour of the tongue is pink.
Faults: Extremely pendulous lips; narrow, long nose.

Ears
The ears are medium-sized, pendant and triangular in shape, rounded at the tips, placed at the outer edge of the head and set a little higher than the level of the eyes. The front edge of the ear can be measured to a spot near to the cheek and when pulled forward should have the length to overlap the eye. The colour of the ears is black, complementing the mask on the face.
Faults: Straight ears; too short or too long ear size.

Neck
The neck is slightly shorter than head length, thick, well muscled, slightly arched where it meets the head. Slight dewlap, especially seen in males.
Faults: Too short or too long neck proportions; weak neck.

Body structure
The body is well proportioned and strong. The back line flows gently from the shoulder, runs parallel to the ground and ends with a slightly arched tail end. The chest reaches down to the elbows; the ribs are substantial; abdomen is slightly drawn in. The loin is well muscled. Shoulder is strongly constructed and well muscled and at the same height as the rump. The parts of the body are firm, well muscled and without fat. The proportion of the shoulder height and body length is 1:1.2. This proportion gives the dog a slightly rectangular appearance. The proportion of chest width (width across shoulders) and chest depth (width across between withers and sternum) is 1:1.5.
Faults: Narrow and weak chest or cylinder-shaped body structure; extreme thinness.

Legs
The forelegs and hindlegs are large-boned, well muscled, strong and move in close co-ordination with the rest of the body. When observed from the front, the forelegs are parallel and straight to the ground; elbows are close to the chest. When observed from the back, hocks are parallel and straight to the ground. Hind legs are strong with moderate stifle angulation.
Faults: Weak or poorly muscled legs; over- and under-angulation of the knee; hocks turning in or out.

Feet
The feet are large, strong and well arched. The nails are short and blunt. The colour of the nails can be white or black. The pads are well cushioned, dark in colour and firm. Hind dewclaws can be seen in some individuals. However, this is not a requirement.
Faults: Narrow or splayed feet.

Tail
The tail reaches to the hock. The hair on the tail is denser than on the body. When relaxed the tail is carried straight down to the hocks with the tip slightly curled upwards. When alert, the tail forms a single or double curl. The curled tail is carried in line with the spine, not falling to either side of the hip.
Faults: Tail with too long hair (feathering) or with thin hair; insufficient curl; straight tail.

Coat
The Kangal Dog is a short-coated breed. It has a double-layered coat structure formed of short and longer hair. The hair in the outer layer is longer and coarser. The undercoat is soft and dense. The hair on the neck and shoulder areas is longer than the hair on the other body parts. The hair on the face, head and ears is very short.
Faults: A coat structure of too short or too long hair; wavy coat.

Colour
Pale grey, pale yellow, pale brown coat colours can be seen. White colour markings can only be accepted on feet, up to the knees, and on chest. Characteristic black mask and ears. Other than these markings, solid overall coat colour is required.
Faults: Lack of black mask; white markings on the chest and feet extending into main coat colour.

Movement
The Kangal Dog has a calm and self-confident gait, suggesting inherent power and agility. The back remains straight when walking and at slow speed it can be observed from the side that fore and hind legs move parallel to each other (pacing). When trotting, diagonally opposite legs move in parallel. At the walk and the trot, the head and neck are held level with the line of the back. Strides are of moderate length, not short-stepping or over-reaching. As speed increases, so does the tendency to single-track.

Weight
50–70 kg in male dogs, 40–55 kg in bitches.

Height
70–85 cm in male dogs, 65–75 cm in bitches.

Disqualifications

Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism
Brown nose
Albinism Harming stock (chasing, biting, killing); shy or fearful behaviour; failure to stay with the flock; extreme and uncontrolled aggression
Lack of black mask; white markings on face
Blue, green, black eye colour
Undershot or overshot jaw
Tail not curled over back when alert
Colour other than the stated standard coat colours; multicolour or striped coat colour; markings on any part of the coat other than below knees and chest.

The Kangal Dog is also a recognized pedigree breed with published standards in
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and United States (by the United Kennel Club but not the American Kennel Club).
It is not yet recognized by the English Kennel Club or the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

 

So,  you can see the difference in the breed standards, in Turkey these dogs would be classed as Kangals.
However, there is still controversy as to whether dogs bred outside Turkey can be called Kangals….and so it goes.

But what’s in a name? A rose is still a rose……….

This is my own interpretation and experience of the breed….of course if you want a more ‘text book’ description for these dogs, then feel free to GoogleAsk or whatever to find out more….but to really get a ‘feel’ for these dogs, you really need to spend time in the company of them and their owners but be warned….you will want to take them ALL home with you!!