Anatolian or Kangal?
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**UPDATE** At the October 2011 ANKC Ltd Board meeting it was resolved that as from 1 January 2012 all Kangal Dogs on the national database will be changed to Anatolian Shepherd Dogs. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ANATOLIAN AND A KANGAL?
Except for the Kangal Dogs imported by Hakiki Kennels (Sivas Regals Pasha, Kangal Aga's Ulu Bey, Ayla) ALL Registered Kangal Dogs and Anatolian Shepherd Dogs in Australia have the same dogs in their pedigrees and are from the same foundation stock.   The puppy on the left has no black mask, the puppy on the right has a black head and is the classic 'Kangal type'.
Essentially the ANKC Kangal breed standard represents the Western ideal of what a Kangal should look like, but not in actuality, the Kangal Dog population or for that matter, Turkey's own description of the Kangal. The Australian (ANKC) Kangal breed standard was adopted from mostly American and English sources in 1998, in an attempt to DIFFERENTIATE Kangal Dogs from Anatolian Shepherd Dogs. Despite the ANKC decision to recognise the Kangal Dog as being a seperate and distinct breed from the Anatolian Shepherd - there is no Judge, Breeder, or Owner - who can look at a dog - that might be an Anatolian or Kangal - and discern from its appearance, what its registered breed actually is. So apart from causing wide spread confusion about what is what, all the breed split decision did was allow breeders who believed in the 'Anatolian' ethos on Turkish dogs, to breed Anatolians,
and breeders who believed in the 'Kangal' ethos on Turkish dogs, to breed Kangals. In all other respects the dogs are the same.
And so in Australia the dogs of Turkey are registered as either Anatolian Shepherd Dogs or Kangal Dogs -
there is no set of criteria which sets one apart from the other - Kangals can or cannot have a black mask, and so can Anatolians. The Kangal breed standard refers to the body colour as 'dun'; Anatolian breeders (and most Kangal breeders) refer to the body colour as 'fawn'.
ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD DOG & KANGAL DOG REGISTRATION IN AUSTRALIA
The ANKC is the only national registration to recognise both the Kangal and Anatolian Shepherd. Recognising the Kangal as a separate and distinct breed, implies that the ANKC is taking the approach of recognising each subtype of the Coban Kopegi (Turkish Shepherd).
Which is all fine and well, as the Kangal Dog IS a type of Turkish Shepherd
however so is the Yoruk, Haymana, Aksaray, Akbas, Tuzkoy etc
but
the ANKC also has simultaneous recognition of Anatolian Shepherd Dog, which incorporates all of the above.
So the ANKC is in the unique position, where it effectively has two classification systems, and so two breed standards that describe one group of dogs with the same pedigrees.
The problems the ANKC is facing with Kangal and Anatolian registrations, exist because the ANKC has two classification systems for the dogs of Turkey, when the FCI, AKC, KC and Turkey only have one. A significant factor behind the FCI, KC, and AKC refusing separate recognition of the Kangal, is that by standard definition, the Kangal is a subset of Anatolian - and there is no effective means to definitively separate one from the other.
Consequently, a registry either takes the 'lump all Turkish Shepherd regional variants together' approach - and classifies all regional types under the name of Anatolian Shepherd OR it classifies each regional subtype seperately (ie: Yoruk, Kangal, Haymana, Malak, Akbas) as they do in Turkey.
The ANKC by recognising both Anatolian and Kangal simultaneously, and attempting to separate and distinguish the two VIEWPOINTS on how to classify these dogs - which Turkey itself has not reached a national concensus on - has created a farce. (NOTE: This is not whether the Kangal dog is a seperate breed debate, but rather what DEFINES a Kangal, Yoruk, Haymana, Malak etc).
In Turkey, the dogs are not known as the breed 'Anatolian' but rather described as Yoruk, Kangal, Haymana, Malak -depending on their function, physical form and the region from which they originate. Also confusing to many, is the Turkish tradition of describing types of dogs by their colour - Karayaka, Akyaka, Sariyaka, Kizilyaka, Bozyaka, Karabas, Saribas, Alabas, Akit, Akbas. Indeed this Turkish tradition of using different names with similar words and meanings,
resulted in American, Australian and UK Kangal breeders, promoting a simplistic generalisation that was 'easier' to understand -
a Kangal is a fawn/dun coloured dog with a black mask and ears - any dog with a longer coat, no mask, too much white, or not dun/fawn in colour (ie: brindle, white, pinto) - is not a 'real' kangal. Correctly coloured dogs are the 'kangal' breed, white dogs are 'akbas' breed and the rest are 'Anatolian'.
Although this generalisation might make it easier for those in USA, Australia and UK to 'understand' the dogs of Turkey and enable breed standards to be conjured and joined to our kennel clubs -
it is not accurate of Kangal and Çoban Köpegi breeders / owners / researchers in Turkey,
who speak a language where Kangals may also be brindle (Karayaka), red (Kizilyaka), black or white (Ayaka).
 Karayaka photographed in Turkey The use of colour uniformity as a breed identification indicator, has no practical application to the ÇobanKöpegi of Turkey - as Yoruks, Kangal, Haymana, Malak, may ALL be fawn with a black mask.
Their colour may also be: white with no mask (Ayaka is a white kangal; Akit, Akkus and Akbas refer to a white Yoruk), be red colour with or without black mask (Kizilyaka Kangal) have a black or brindle coat with or without a black mask (Karayaka) be pale yellow or beige with a black mask (Saribas Yoruk; Saribas Haymana; Sariyaka Kangal) be tones of beige with a black mask (Bozyaka) have a red mask, sometimes with red nose or a pinto face (Alabas Yoruk) any colour other than white with a black mask (Karabas).  White male Kangal puppy in Australia -
this dog is line bred to Sivas Regals Pasha (Kangal Import)
and will lighten in colour as he matures. In Australia, the conformational difference in the Anatolian and Kangal breed standards, is that the Anatolian Standard calls for a rectangular muzzle, and the Kangal a square muzzle. But essentially the ANKC has two breed standards describing the same conformed dog. The Kangal standard does not allow long (rough) coated dogs, but this does not imply that long coat dogs are not found in the Kangal population in Australia - currently there are more long coated 'Kangals' than long coated 'Anatolians'.
The most common misconception, is that the difference between an Anatolian and Kangal is the existence of a black mask - ie a Kangal has a black mask and an Anatolian doesn't. Most Kangals (and Anatolians) will be dun/fawn with a black mask, but sometimes - rarely - in a litter there may be one or two which inherit a set of recessive genes which gives them a different colour to their siblings.
Kangal puppy with light brown mask:
Pinto Kangal:
S: Karetaker Akilli [Sivas Regal Pasha x Hakiki Karamella (Hakiki Hazine x Ayla)] |
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