Guardian Dog Profile: The Kangal

There are many benefits to having a mom who works at a vet clinic and who likes to socialize with her customers. This was how we discovered the Kangal breed. One December Sunday, the customers female dog came in to the vet clinic for a C-section and my mom went in on her day off to go help. Somehow a deal was made: we would take the runt of the litter and she how she worked with our sheep and in exchange we would give some ewe lambs to the breeder so he would have sheep of his own to raise future litters with. To say this was a good deal would be an understatement. The Kangal population in Canada is very small and the breeder had sold puppies from the same littler to Turkey and the US- in short puppies are not cheap. 

Here is some information on the breed.

Koca our Kangal dog.

Origin: Turkey (national breed of Turkey)
Purpose: Livestock Guardian
Weight: 100-165 lbs.
Temperament: Protective, loyal and gentle especially with children (lambs too!), aloof around people because they prefer their animals for company but this can changed if they are socialized lots, can be independent and difficult to train if you are an unexperienced dog owner.
Physical Characteristics: Slender body, tail that curls, black/brown mask and ears.
Coat: Short, light gold or fawn colored sometimes with black guard hairs, does not appear to gain much of a coat in the winter because they have a dense undercoat for insulation under outer coarser hair
Protective Nature: Likes to have a good view of the whole pasture, loud, sharp bark, will stay up all night to protect their sheep.



Our dog, Koca, has done a very good job of guarding our farm. There have been a few times when her protectiveness has had a funny result. One time we had visitors come on horseback and from a distance Koca could see them and started to bark and growl, but once they came down our driveway she seemed a little intimidated by the horses as she was just a puppy. Another time some people came and picked up an old lawn mower from our house and as they loaded it onto the trailer and drove down the road Koca chased the trailer barking and wondering why they were taking something off of her farm. We know that the sheep and lambs are always safe with her around.

The guardian dog has long been present in the fields of sheep breeders and today we still rely on their specialized behavior to guard our animals. These dogs truly enjoy their jobs, being around the sheep and having a good supply of food (a very large supply because a working dog eats alot) is reward enough for them. Our Kangal dog, Koca, is the perfect balance of a family pet and a livestock guardian.