Turkish Kangal

The Turkish Kangal Dog was developed as a livestock guardian breed - their role is to remain with the flock without a handler, alert the flock to danger and if necessary, deal with that threat themselves. Typically, these predators would be wolves, bears and jackals, and the dogs needed to be willing to confront, physically attack and kill predators if they couldn’t just drive them away.

The breed’s name is derived from the Central Anatolian town of Kangal in the Sivas Province of Turkey and is thought to have been brought from Central Asia by nomadic Turks. Certainly, DNA studies on dogs from Kazakhstan, Uzebekistan, Tadjikistan and Afghanistan are genetically close to the Kangal dogs.

Up until recently the Kangal and another breed, the Akbash, were considered to be the same dogs as the Anatolian Shepherd Dog (although breeders in Turkey did not historically recognise the Anatolian Shepherd Dog at all). Now the Kangal is recognised as a breed in its own right, and has been granted its own breed standard by the FCI and the Kennel Club.

Despite their size, the Kangal is an athletic dog, capable when fit and lean, of reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour or more in short bursts. Exercise for at least two hours per day, including the opportunity to run free as well as steady walking. This is not a dog likely to enjoy competition or training, but despite that, mental exercise in the form of games and puzzle solving should be included daily to keep them content.

The Turkish Kangal Dog requires a spacious home, vast securely fenced garden and you can throw in a big car, big dog bed, big sofa, big bowls… everything needs to be big here!

Remember this dog is not worried about weather so somewhere to warm up and dry off a wet and muddy dog is very important. Better suited to the rural or even very remote home, whilst the Kangal is friendly to family, a constant stream of visitors is likely to put them on edge! Not suited to apartment or city living.

Giant-breed dogs, as well as having giant appetites, benefit from a different balance of minerals and vitamins, supporting different joint and cartilage needs. The Anatolian Shepherd dog breed is prone to bloating and stomach problems; try feeding smaller, more frequent meals to help minimise the risk.

The Turkish Kangal Dog requires a brush through every few days, and not much more. However, a full bath with a dog this size is a major job and you should habituate your puppy to this from an early age, rather than waiting until they need a bath as an adult. Keep in mind that many professional groomers may not take on a dog of this size, particularly if they have never been groomed before!

Slow to mature but intelligent and independent, training the Kangal requires a strong bond built on foundations of kindness, consistency and patience. This is not a dog to bully or manhandle into submission, attempts to do so will end badly. Instead pay attention on building a history of reinforcement so that your Kangal believes you to be the most fun, interesting and safe person to be around. Pay very close attention to early socialisation and teaching a reliable recall, retrieve and down - although management should always be uppermost in your mind. Dogs of this size are unlikely to be forgiven for making mistakes, so owners must manage them very carefully indeed.

Big, demanding on time and money, athletic, inclined to guard and fairly aloof, this is not really a family dog, although with careful socialisation they will love their families and close friends but rarely casual visitors. They take several years to mature and are large and clumsy during their juvenile years, this will rule out families with very small children.

While many dogs are traditionally thought of as being good with children, all dogs and children need to be taught to get on with and respect each other, and be safe together. Even so, dogs and young children should never be left alone together and adults should supervise all interactions between them.