Turkish Dogs - particularly Anatolian Shepherd Dogs

Fairy Castles - In Cappadocia, Turkey

A Moonscape Carved by Nature and Man -an article about Cappadocia in the travel section of New York Times today.
Check it out!


Anatolian Shepherd Dogs in Cappadocia



Here are a few Turkish dogs from Cappadocia. These photos were among several others in an article that appeared in our club newsletter a few years ago.

At left is a beautiful male brindle pictured with his owner who is known for the quality of his dogs.

The article is beautifully written, a fun read.

It helps to illustrate the open honesty and appreciation that is felt for these wonderful dogs.

If we get the article online at the club website, I'll put a link to the story from here. :)

Labels: breed_info, Turkishdog

Check out the month of October at the blog at Shepherds Rest Farm. One of the youngsters bred by Shepherds Rest Farm went with his breeder to Africa! Information on the cats and cheetah conservation program are being blogged there.

Labels: breed_info, Critters

A call out to gather some traditional Turkish 'yal' recipes and any trivia associated with regional or seasonal yal makings.


From a 1982 letter written to Natalka Czartoryska

Yal is a gruel that is prepared and fed to Turkish shepherd's dogs. With all the changes there are in nutrition criteria, there's still benefit to be had by learning about the traditional recipes and their regional variations.

Shepherds Rest Farm has blogged a recipe and cooking instructions for yal.
Check it out -- & leave some comments there.
Shepherds Rest Farm: Recipe for Yal

Labels: breed_info

These affected cases are being exported out of Turkey, so the recessive gene is spreading. I have not heard if we have affected ASDs or Kangal Dogs in the USA. The most recent case, 2006, is in Germany and one prior to that, 2004, is in Finland and the first case I read about was reported in Turkey in 2003.

So it is coming if it hasn't already arrived.

See a pic (click to enlarge 125K)
From JAVMA, Vol 223, No. 10, Nov. 15, 2003 - Scientific Reports: Clinical Report, 1443


Note from the ages of the affected dogs, that the trait is apparently well established in related breedings since the affected pups obviously did not all come from the same mother. Possibly from sisters owned by the same person. Since the trait is probably recessive, this means that the sire also supplied genes to cause expression of the trait.

Many Turkish dog importers have brought dogs to the USA over the recent years. Because the trait behaves as a recessive and apparently has modifiers as to degree of expression, it can be hidden until the gene in one dog meets up with another dog carrying the same gene and they each donate the recessive to the pups in their litters.

We do have enough increase in COI numbers in the USA going by some of my calculations (with well over a thousand Turkish dog pedigrees in my database), that such recessives will turn up soon if we have them. Puppy buyers are brutally honest when breeders are hush. We need to know if this is happening in the USA and which bloodlines to avoid. Puppy buyers must continue to be honest where breeders have not. It takes a community to protect our breed.

Here are the cases from the earliest reports to the present one.

2003
(UPDATE: for clarity: these pups would have been born before the 2003 peer review and publishing of this article, depending on how long documenting the case and peer review took - sometimes as long as one year - perhaps the birthdate of these pups was 2002)
First reported case that I know of was in Turkey, published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in Nov 2003. The article from the Journal was sent to me by sharp-eyed Audrey at Shaman's Anatolians.

Department of Surgery, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Burdur, Turkey.

Two 8-month-old and one 7.5-month-old Anatolian Shepherd dogs were examined because of excessive drooling and poor weight gain. The 2 older dogs were full brothers, and the younger dog was their half sister; all 3 had the same sire. Physical examination revealed that the dogs were unable to protrude their tongues properly. In all 3, the tip of the tongue was notched and deviated ventrally when the dog attempted to protrude the tongue. In addition, a thin tissue band between the sublingual surface of the tongue and the floor of the oral cavity was seen; this tissue band extended from the lingual frenulum to the gingiva of the mandibular incisors. Frenuloplasty was performed to correct the complete ventral ankyloglossia. Immediately after surgery, the tongue was more mobile, and during recheck examinations, the dogs appeared to be able to use their tongues normally and could protrude their tongues when panting. They had gained weight and weighed almost as much as their healthy siblings. In all 3 dogs, the tip of the tongue retained a "W" shape.

WHERE did the German puppy that needed surgery come from? Who bred the dog? How related were the parents? WHO were the parent dogs? Were others in the genetic trail affected by the trait? Are there owners in Germany being tightlipped about it?

Here is where it is chilling ------ If it happened in some dog's great Aunt, that could very well mean that the speaker's present dog is a carrier even if "they never had babies like that!" This very simple genetic fact can be an infuriating topic. I did talk to a few Turkish dog owners and sellers about some white puppies that were born. These pups were blood relatives to ones being sold in the USA and abroad as KANGAL DOGS. Since the aunt or a distant cousin was WHITE, and because their own dog wasn't -- they didn't think their dog was a carrier of the trait. In fact one of the Turkish dog traders that helps import dogs to the USA got tightlipped and angry about the white puppies being revealed and started up a stupid hissy fit with some cronies, including one guy that is a rocket scientist that apparently knows next to nothing about genetics. One ASDCA breeder of ASD and Kangal Dogs who had purchased related dogs from the same strain also played the 'huh'? "that's not what my broker said"...

2003
(UPDATE: Checking my notes - These puppies were born early in 2003 and obtained from a Turkish member of parliament who breeds Kangal Dogs originating from SIVAS, Turkey)
An affected puppy and its unaffected littermate turned up in Finland in 2003. As far as I know, the affected one wasn't serious enough to need surgery. The dogs seemed a bit small but I don't have an update on them.

Sadly... my friends, this IS the way Ankyloglossia is going to spread in the Turkish dogs all over the world and it is happening NOW. . .

2006
This is a case published in Aug 2006 in a German Vet periodical.

Kleintierpraxis Reinle und Grundmann, Well am Rhein, Deutschland.

Ankyloglossia, commonknown as tongue-tie, is a rare congenital oral anomaly in dogs. A complete attachment of the lingual frenulum to the floor of the oral cavity leads to limited mobility of the tongue including problems during eating and swallowing. In humans ankyloglossia is a common anomaly in newborn infants. In our report a 5-month old Anatolian Shepherd dog was surgically treated and full function of the tongue could be achieved with a horizontal-to-vertical frenuloplasty.

2007 - 2010 coming to a Turkish dog litter near YOU...

Labels: breed_info, genetics

Turkish Dog History is still in the making. :) The list of classifications and subclassifications of dogs associated with native shepherds of Turkey continues to grow. The Kangal Dog, Akbash Dog, Kars, and Turkish Mastiff, then the Malak, plus the Yoruk and the Anatolian Shepherd Dog are among current classifications of strains and/or (in some cases) breed divisions that have evolved via different sources in the past two decades from widely scattered native landraces of shepherds' dogs or coban kopekleri of Anatolia.

Go to Malak Article

A Turkish-born researcher and traveler, Guvener Isik (website: http://yorukanatolian.com/) has published two new articles about the flock guardian dogs in Turkey. One is a recent interview with Turkish Kangal Dog enthusiast and published author, Dogan Kartay, touching on issues of FCI recognition of Turkish breeds. The second article is an exploration of the heavy boned, massive Malak which Kartay mentions during his interview and the possible influences of this dog on other subtypes all across Turkey. Isik has published the Malak article previously (in Turkish) but the article is timely so it has undergone an English translation. Isik has many other articles (much of it is in Turkish) and has used his own collection of photos taken at location in some of his work. It is wonderful that he has taken the time to try to bring more understanding of the dog situation in Turkey to both Turkish and international interests alike.

See the articles linked below. Many thanks to both Isik and to Kartay for helping to bring more light to these subjects!
Taken from his website yorukanatolian.com, Isik writes:

The History or Story Behind This Site

I have been around these dogs and the necessary life style since my childhood. It is obvious that there several views about this subject without any tangible and rational arguments. Most of the information available is time and content wise based on very limited research and is repetitive. Visiting a few villages and flocks for a few days in a limited geographical area and drawing outcomes through the collected or available data would give one a limited portion of the whole picture. This approach in the past gave two basic results: One is considering the whole shepherd dog population of Turkey as one breed "Anatolian Shepherd Dog", the other one is creating new breeds like "Akbas" without looking the meaning of the word and the extent and the content of its usage. The above second international approach affected the Turkish public and consequently manipuated city Turks and Turkish Academicians to accept a new breed. To me this is a breed inflation not a discovery. The Kangal side of the confusion started in Turkey and affected some clubs in other countries. So far there is not any clear remark in Turkey that clarifies the qualities of Kangal Shepherd Dog. Is Kangal a dog from only Kangal region? Is any dog from that region a Kangal? We can say "Yes" to the first question. We should say "No" to the second one, because there is variation of types in that area. Then it must be a type of dog, which can be mostly found in that area in its best form. There is no consensus on the subject, because we are referring to different qualities by using the same word. Recently any fawn colour dog with a black mask goes as a Kangal, and the local strains are being negatively damaged by this attitude.

I am actually concentrating on the Yoruk dogs. They are terribly ignored and even the name "stray" is used in order to elavate the importance of the major two famous strains. I am not intending to create a new breed but bring out whateverelse Anatolia offers. I am here to introduce them to you for them to be recognised.

Others involved in Yoruk dogs

We are a group of people who are trying to locate and preserve the best specimens of these dogs all over Turkey. We definitely deliberate over the traditional methods during the process of our endeavour to perpetuate these dogs. What we feed, how we choose and test are all based on conventional practices.

In Izmir: Aral Altay, Muzaffer Colakoglu
In Denizli: Halil Cokak, Ismail Kara, Ibrahim Kayis, Mehmet Kayan
In Sapanca: Vet. Murat Ilgaz
In Isparta: Mehmed Pir

To me, in order to do a good job of learning about these dogs one needs sensitivity to traditions (both current and past trends); enthusiasm about genetics and actual pedigree research; population & locale studies including formative environment; patiently reading perspectives from different peer and enthusiasts groups -- and the list goes on with other materials. A multidimensional approach!


Isik examining a Turkish dog. Puppies examining Isik.

Check out the puppy up on the dirt bank! An independent LGD in the making? :)


From Isik collection: a female Kangal with portion of her litter.

For some, it is often 'safer' to just freeze a point in time with one's assumptions and speculations and to go no further toward the truth.

Foundation stock of Turkish breeds to from Kangal Dog, Akbash & Anatolian Shepherds -- and the produce from these dogs, even if acquired from the same areas (often they were not) were not consistent and homogenous, regardless of whether one sings for Akbash, Kangal Dog or ASD.


A Kangal Dog from American Kangal Dog Club founder's foundation stock


Another early foundation stock dog. American Akbash strain

At any rate, many new enthusiasts in these dogs are seeking better understanding. I'm glad that many realize there is so much more to learn! Knowledge, sharing information and being honest will help us all work together to preserve these wonderful dogs. :D B)

Links to the Articles:
Guvener Isik's Interview with Dogan Kartay
Malak and furthermore Greyhound Turca

Related from this blog:
Bozkir Canavari: The Steppe Monster
Previous Turkish dogs blog post with some genetics info

Labels: ASD_Pics, breed_info, isik, Turkishdog

Kirsi and her Anatolian, Semavi Kale Kadim, recently appeared on Finnish TV. The show was about how Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD) can be helpful in managing a balance between wildlife conservation efforts (predators) and keeping livestock.

Here are some captures from the Real Player version of the show (so they are a bit fuzzy!).

Here's Kirsi taking Kadim out to be filmed for the interview

Kirsi during the interview


A capture of Kadim from the show

Kadim apparently had a good time being a TV star for the day. He did some silly things that were filmed in the interview, but I was told that few of his antics (regarding personal grooming) were not part of the final cut. ;) Ah the life of a TV star. California Boy does Good. :)

Good job Kirsi, and well done, Kadim! :clap:

And now, for a picture not so fuzzy!
Here's Kadim in a winter scene at home. He's showing off a concho studded collar in weather more typical of Finland!

Kadim models his "Cowboy Cool" concho collar!

Links:
Previous link on Kadim in this blog
See the Real-Player Video here. (14 minute video which in Finnish - click the "katso jutun real-video" link)
Visit Kirsi's blog- Kiramet anatolianpaimenkoirat

Labels: breed_info, Kadim

Bozkir Çanavari: The Steppe Monster is the latest of articles available online, written by Guvener Isik in the ASDI newsletter (Anatolian Shepherd Dogs International, Inc., Choban Chatter ).

It is an authorized English translation of a chapter from the Turkish dog book, Turk Çoban Köpegi Kangal by Dogan Kartay. Thank you Dogan Kartay and Guvener Isik for doing this work!


This chapter explains a little about the mystery and intrigue behind some of the wolf/shepherd dog hybrids of Turkey, the parents of which "can be karabas, akbas or crosses of these two. The possibility of the survival of the cubs from the Çanavar parents is greater in the steppes."

It has been generally understood that wolf crosses have occasionally been used in the breeding of some of the shepherd's dogs, so this makes for some fascinating reading for Turkish dog fans! The robust health and the original diversity of these dogs, the hardships and the cultures behind them can be really appreciated here. Warnings about character of the cubs/puppies are mentioned as well. (lest anyone think that wolf/dog hybrids come without risk)

Here's another bit from the article...

Male Wolf and female Kangal pairs are bred under the control of the villagers of Yesildag region that is in the west of Beysehir Lake, which is located, further north of Toros Mountains.

I'm really into maps, so I'm always referencing areas when specific regions are mentioned. This helps put a lot of what is said about Turkish shepherd dogs into clearer perspective. The Toros Mountains is the Turkish name for the Taurus Mountains and the region mentioned above can be seen here just at the northern edges of the Toros Mountains and between Konya (east) and Isparta (west) just south of Lake Beysehir...Map of Yesildag TR

Here's a photo of a twisting, winding road to Yesildag going around Lake Beysehir.

Courtesy Lux's World

Here's a fascinating satellite map which helps put the rough terrain into a little more perspective. Pink spot is approximately Yesildag.

Boone ponders a squeaky toy that is not a Steppe Monster.

Labels: Boone, breed_info, isik

On my homepage for the past year, I've featured a link to the Stray Dogs Campaign Foundation (SDC Foundation) which is a supportive fund and awareness raising organization for stray dogs issues such as one in Turkey known as Sahipsiz Hayvanları Koruma Derneği (SHKD, or, Society for the Protection of Stray Animals). It's long been about time to write about the Turkish stray dogs issue here.

Be forwarned. The photos and reports on this link are disturbing and quite graphic. They show abuse, poisoning, mismanagement and professional corruption even among some veterinarians and some Turkish government officials who are entrusted local issues pertaining to the enormous stray dogs problem of Turkey. To really grasp the size and context of the issues, you'd have to see these reports.

As with all animal care organizations, Foundation (SKHD) needs money to carry out their programs. Turkish shelters and veterinary facilities often have little to no funding and few regular custodians able to care for the massive numbers of stray dogs.

If you'd like to donate or to buy items that support their cause, visit this page.




In Turkey, stray dogs in the cities have been ubiquitous for as long as people can remember. They were part of a sort of accepted ecosystem, cleaning up the edible refuse that humans left at the dumps, accepting food left out for the dogs to eat, or given handouts from the back of restaurants and homes. Some of the dogs could be quite tame and friendly, others quite skittish. See a 2003 Article about SHKD at MyMerhaba (THIS link may load veeeeery slowly but gives a good background).

The situation now has taken on new dimensions as more people move up in life, leisure and think they would like to keep a pet. When the pet doesn't work out, often they are just released so that the neighborhood can provide support for the dog. Of course, this increases the numbers and diversity in types of strays that go on to reproduce.

For the Turkish situation, it seems to work best if stray dogs are captured, neutered, then returned to where they live so that they can at least continue to live in relative cleanliness rather than in overfilled, high maintenance cages where there is higher risk of disease and too few volunteers or officials, and available food to care for them. It is more cost effective than maintaining shelters. The continuous neutering of stray dogs is believed to have effect in helping with some control of the overpopulation program.

Another program in Turkey is FETHİYE HAYVAN DOSTLARI DERNEĞİ (FHDD) which has a website. "Fethiye Friends of Animals Association" states on it's pages:

[Our] aims are to care for stray dogs and cats by implementing a Neuter and Return program, which is a humane no-kill method that eventually reduces the number of strays that are endemic in most Mediterranean countries to acceptable levels. This then results in a harmonious attitude between the local population and the animals."

Progress in Turkey?

Linda Taal of the SDC Foundation has written me that the Turkish government has accepted a new animal welfare bill, the contents of which bill sound pretty good. Here quoted, is the bill:

It is a principle that the owners of cats and dogs being fed and accommodated in communal areas are expected to have them sterilised in order to prevent uncontrolled reproduction. Furthermore, those who wish to breed from the said animals must register all young animals born and are responsible for their care and/or distribution.

Those who sell domestic animals and pets are obliged to take part in certified training programmes arranged by the local authorities in relation to the care and protection of these animals.

Those who produce and trade in domestic pets are obliged to take precautions in relation to necessary anatomic, physiological and behavioural characteristics in order not to endanger the health of pet owners, the mother selected for reproduction or her young.

Linda continues, "However the bill its not implemented. Even with all possible law to refer to, municipalities go on poisoning and killing, people go on breeding and dumping."

Furthermore, according to the FHDD's website:

The Turkish Government has not passed the necessary Animal Protection laws that will in future forbid local authorities from the indiscriminate poisoning of stray animals. Our message to these authorities is that there is an alternative now available to them – the adoption of a Neuter and Return program.

Changes for the better? ...or not? ---

There are Turkish dog enthusiasts who are attempting to get a Turkish Kennel Club started in Turkey and would like to have the club recognized by Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI). In the United States, the AKC is our equivalent kennel club, in the United Kingdom, it is The Kennel Club. Australia, New Zealand also have theirs. The FCI serves the rest of the world. These major clubs accept registration papers between each of their registering bodies.

FCI is an organization that is in some ways a purebred dog enthusiast's metaphor to the United Nations, but primarily deals with the regulations regarding breed standards, competitions, as well as compliant record keeping methods in member countries (FCI is not a registry). Only one dog club in each accepted country can be a member club under the FCI and they must abide these regulations and keep registration paperwork in order. Many countries as yet, including Turkey, do not have a national dog club or registry. Often this is due to cultural issues, priorities or tradition with regard to attitudes toward dogs or general affluence or its lack. (note: I'm sure any ingrained dog enthusiast will mention, some even if not pressed, that the bureacracy in many dog clubs doesn't exactly represent the epitome of civilization!)

One advantage of there being an acceptible registry in Turkey would be that Turkish Dog enthusiasts like myself would be able to get registered dogs directly from Turkey which qualify to be AKC registered. This would enhance the biodiversity and genetic health of our dogs. Recognition of Turkish dogs without going through the maddening process we currently endure would be wonderful! But at what cost for the other dogs in Turkey? The principle movers and shakers in this pursuit are indeed Turkish enthusiasts for the big dogs such as the Kangal and the Akbash dog.

Is Turkey ready for a Kennel Club? Would this create more problems for stray dogs, for small and larger purebred dogs? Would it be a good idea for FCI to recognize a Turkish Kennel Club? Some feel that with more official regulations there may be improvement in the dog situation. But you have to wonder... if Turkey is not enforcing the rules they already have, and do not penalize their own government and animal care officials for mass poisonings, shootings and abuse of stray dogs, what happens then?

If you have an opinion on this matter and want to write to the FCI and let them know your opinion:

Address for FCI
Federation Cynologique Internationale
Place Albert 1er, 13
B-6530 THUIN
BELGIQUE

More reading on Stray dogs of Turkey:

• LA Times: Uproar in Turkey Over Slain Stray Dogs
• Turkish Daily News: How to save animals with YTL 100? ~or go here for local copy without registering
• Another Rescue org: Turkey’s No Treat for Street Animals Society Fights for Animal Rights
• Stray dogs and cats are a real problem in Turkey

---

UPDATE AUG 2, 2006
China is an FCI country, yet their method of handling their rabies problem by violent public beatings of the dogs is just totally unacceptably barbaric.

www.cnn.com Report on China's Dogs and Rabies

With that sort of background and China not losing it's FCI affiliation, what can we hope for Turkey? :(

Labels: breed_info

Every year, I update some spreadsheets with some AKC breed popularity statistics and post some of the highlights on my website.

To see more in the way of breed statistics, trends and charts, such as the following:

Go here.

Labels: breed_info

I've updated my online copy of the OFA database of ASDs. These are dogs which have public health testing results available at the OFA site. Cardiac, thyroid and CERF are among some of the tests that some breeders or Anatolian Shepherd Owners have done. In six months time, there have been 49 additions to the database. This doesn't mean 49 more dogs were tested, but that some dogs with multiple tests were added.

The link for the page is Anatolian Shepherd Dogs from OFA database

If researching an individual dog or a kennel name to get background information on the ratings of their dogs, the alphabetical layout of the reports is pretty helpful. I note that some names are misspelled and others have been corrected.


Ruya, my sweetie

Labels: breed_info, genetics