The Kangal Dog is regarded as the national breed of Turkey, originating from the Kangal district in Sivas Province.

While the Kangal is often referred to as a sheep dog, it is not a herding dog, but rather a flock guardian that lives with the flock of sheep to actively fend off wolves, bears and jackals.

The Kangal Dog is not as heavy as some other mastiff breeds, allowing it greater speed and agility than larger dogs.

The Kangal dog is calm, controlled, independent, and protective.

They may be aloof towards strangers, but a well-socialized Kangal Dog is friendly with visitors and especially children.

A well-trained Kangal is sensitive and alert to changing situations, responding to threats with judicious warnings and courageous action if necessary.

The Kangal ’ s first instinct is to place itself between the perceived threat and the sheep or master.

When faced with a wolf, the Kangal sometimes is successful in intimidating the enemy, but it will resort to a physical confrontation if the predator stands its ground.

In the Mountains of Sivas is the best Kangal Kennel in the world ( Merakum Kennel ). For many years famous breeder Huseyin Yildiz produce the best Kangal at morphology ( 11 World Champions at Kangal Festival ) and at the same time working dogs who protect sheeps from wolves with much success.

The Kangal Dog is recognized by the United Kennel Club in the US, and by the national kennel clubs of South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

* Veiwpoint on the Anatolian, Kangal and Akbash breed debate

Because Kangal name and breed has not been thoroughly defined and documented until recently, because of the slightly similar appearance and desire to capitalize on unique qualities of the breed, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs in general are sometimes labeled Kangals.

* Veiwpoint on the Anatolian, Kangal and Akbash breed debate

The color and coat are perhaps the most visible traits that distinguish the Kangal from the Akbash and Anatolian.

The Kangal dog can be a good house dog if effectively trained from birth

* Kangal Dog Turkish / Anatolian Shepherd

A male Kangal Dog in good condition should weigh between 55 and 80kg, with a record of 91kg for a big male.

* The Kangal Dog Club of Turkey

* The Kangal Dog Club of America

* The Kangal Dog of Turkey-breed information in English

* The Kangal Dog Reference

* The Kangal Dog in the United States

* Kangal Dog

An emaciated Kangal Dog | Kangal with cancer in the left leg.

A GOS sow and a GOS piglet meet a Kangal Dog

These are Alacahan in Kangal, Durağan, Hekimhan and Kadınhanı, as well as the township of Akhan within Denizli metropolitan area.

The Kangal, which weighs 100 – 175 lbs ( 45 – 80 kg ) fully grown, was originally used as a livestock guardian dog.

The Sivas Kangal Dog's protectiveness, loyalty and gentleness with small children and animals has led to its growing popularity as a guardian for families as well, as it regards people as its " flock " and guards them with extreme devotion.

Kangal dogs can reach speeds of up to 50 km ( 30 miles ) per hour.

All Kangal Dogs have a black facial mask, and black or shaded ears.

They make good guardians of livestock and humans alike, but they may not be suitable for inexperienced dog owners, as the independent intelligence of the Kangal makes for a difficult pupil.

Due to their overwhelming strength, size and obedient temperament, Kangal dogs are now becoming popular in underground-illegal dog fights.

A working Kangal on duty will station itself on a high vantage point overlooking its flock.

When suspicious, a Kangal will stand with its tail and ears erect and give an alarm call, inciting the sheep to gather around it for protection.

Once the sheep are safely behind it, the Kangal confronts the intruder.

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London explains that the very distinct directional effect in the Phase 4 series is due in large part to their novel methods of microphoning and recording the music on a number of separate tape channels.

Much of the distinct character of France's anthropology today is a result of the fact that most anthropology is carried out in nationally funded research laboratories ( CNRS ) rather than academic departments in universities

) While Rotokas has a small alphabet because it has few phonemes to represent ( just eleven ), Book Pahlavi was small because many letters had been conflated — that is, the graphic distinctions had been lost over time, and diacritics were not developed to compensate for this as they were in Arabic, another script that lost many of its distinct letter shapes.

Thus a simple count of the number of distinct symbols is an important clue to the nature of an unknown script.

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With German being a pluricentric language, Austrian dialects should not be confused with the variety of Standard German spoken by most Austrians, which is distinct from that of Germany or Switzerland.