time and certainly have taken their own dogs with them.
At one of my visits Goran wanted to show me one of these Sarplaninac, belonging to a friend of him. He told me that this dog always was tied during the day, as he was very ferocious and dangerous, however in the night he ran free to watch over the house. This happened in the time of the Yugoslavian War and several times a day power failures weren’t unusual. During the day his friend wasn’t at home and therefore we would have had gone to him in the evening. However, when in the evening there was again a power failure, everyone was secretly glad that the trip was cancelled for that reason.
Sarplaninac (Illyrian Shepherd?)
According to a Yugoslavian expert with an impact of Turkish Shepherd (?)
Today the Illyrian Shepherd wouldn’t be regarded as pure bred respectively equally good by many Sarplaninac breeders in Serbia and Montenegro. Vice versa many Albanians would state that the Illyrian Shepherd would be the only one that would have kept pure.
The Illyrian Shepherd (Sarplaninac) is reserved, stubborn and laid back, aggressiveness towards dogs and carefulness with strangers is normal. This breed is remarkable intelligent and loyal to his master and family. An interesting physical characteristic are the unusual long teeth. He has heavy bones and is well muscled. The coat has a dense undercoat, suited for a life outside. Most of the working strains in the mountainous regions tend to be a little bit smaller and to have a shorter coat.
KANGAL
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e had already heard a lot about the Turkish Shepherds, especially the Kangal which is regarded as the Turkish national breed. Years ago some specimens had been already imported in the USA to support the farmers in hunting and deterrence of the coyotes. In Namibia too, the farmers used them to keep away the wild cats from the herds. When we did our investigations for our book, we were looking for one to two good photos and were surprised which noble and powerful animals came out, that we hadn’t expected.
Kangal Yagiz, owner: Lutfullah Ayan, Ankara
Some regard the Kangal as a color variety of the Anatolian Shepherd in the west, however it’s a fact that the Kangal would be much older than most of the popular breeds in the Turkey. His name derives the Kangal from Kangala, a town in the province Sivas. Traditionally the best bloodlines are coming from the region Uzun Yayla. The popularity of the Kangal has increased in some European countries during the last years. However, with it dubious bloodlines and crosses with other breeds appeared too. Of course, you’ll find excellent representatives of pure Kangals also outside their native country, above all in Western Europe, where they are very appreciated because of their impressive size, their balanced temperament and their beautiful appearing.
Some believe that the Kangal like most of the Turkish and Middle Asian dogs originates from the old Armenian Gampr, whereas others would connect him with the old Indian, Assyrian, Persian and Sumerian dogs. Most likely the ancestors of the Kangal had been brought to Anatolia by nomadic, Turkmen tribes, through which a connection to the legendary Alabai would arise.
Emperor Boz, Boz Kennels, Istanbul
The breeder describes his male Emperor Boz as a game dog having never lost. On the following picture a fox might have been killed and put on a plug for picturing. Note power and strength expressed by the dog.
Yagmur (sister of Yagiz), owner Mehmet Yalcin, Ankara
Yagiz in action
Among the Turkish breeds, the Kangal is least of all aggressive and easy to train; he is an excellent family pet. He doesn’t get along well with other dogs. He is very territorial and protective to his family.
Herkul Boz, Boz Kennel, Istanbul
The Kangal is of a very large size and massive, with a strong neck, big head and a muscular body. The coat is dense, rough and short, preferred colors are reddish, beige and pale, always with a black mask. The average height is about 32 inches.
The Kangal runs very fast and elastic, he is an excellent wolf killer and a wonderful guard dog. In his native country he is often seen with cropped ears and his very big teeth distinguishes him from other dogs in the region, therefore the Kangal would be first choice of many Turkish shepherds for guarding their herds.
The wolves are only hunted by the Kangals, when they come too close to the herds, the houses or the owners; otherwise both parties go their own way. The Kangal isn’t an aggressive dog; he only would defend his property.
Even though he would see several wolves, he doesn’t run away, so that it often would end with his own dead. Therefore the Turkish owners are very proud of their Kangals, who are able to kill wolves. Only the best lines are strong and intelligent enough to be a match for wolves. Sometimes the dogs would chase the wolves after an attack in the mountains to kill them. They have an extreme hunting drive, but the shepherds prefer lines, which don’t leave the herds alone in the “ardor of action”, but would return to the herds after having chased away the wolves.
Following pictures we’ve got at our disposal by Ender Odaci. The pictured Kangals derives from the so called “Panterline”. This line has been bred by the family Cicek in Kangal/ Kargakale. It is one of the best and it is most important that the family has kept the line pure for decades, and even centuries.
Panter & Seytan with their owner Savas Cicek, Turkey
Old Panter with wolf - Panter is already dead, he was a true Kangal-King
Breeder: S. Cicek, owner: Onur Kanli, Turkey
Ashil, a son of Panter, looking for wolves
