This FAQ attempts to answer some of the more common questions raised by those new to the Turkish livestock guardian dog (LGD) breeds, and confused by the controversy they discover surrounding the names and descriptions of these breeds. The basic disagreement is between the "lumpers" and the "splitters." The "lumpers" are represented by most (but not all) Anatolian fanciers, who argue that the Anatolian Shepherd is the only  livestock guardian breed of Turkey. The "splitters" argue that there are several indigenous breeds in Turkey, including the Kangal Dog, Akbash Dog, and the Kars Dog. 

The questions and arguments below focus on the Kangal Dog, since the ASD fancy seems  particularly anxious to subsume this breed into the Anatolian gene pool. However, most of the arguments given here apply to the Akbash and Kars dogs as well as the Kangal Dog. 

Additional links to sources on both sides of the "debate" can be found at the bottom of this web page.  The issue is not a trivial one; the future survival of the indigenous Turkish canine breeds of Turkey is seriously threatened, both in Turkey and abroad.  As the dogs become less numerous in their homeland, and as the regional breeds continue to be hybridized by foreign fanciers, it becomes imperative that individuals and organizations take action to study and preserve these magnificent dogs--before it is too late.

You can read through the entire FAQ, or click on a question to get a quick answer. 

  What is this controversy about Anatolians and Kangal Dogs all about?

  What do Turkish people say about their native breeds?

If it is not recognized in Turkey, then how did the Anatolian Shepherd Dog come to be?

  OK, so the Turks say that they have more than one breed of shepherd's dog in their country; what's the geographical and historical evidence to back it up?

  Why then did the early Anatolian fanciers overlook the regional differences, if these  differences were so obvious back then when they named their breed?

  How can Anatolians and Kangal Dogs be different breeds if their breed standards are the same?

  I have seen photos of Kangal Dogs, and photos of Anatolians. A lot of those Anatolians look like Kangal Dogs to me.

  Does the Turkish view even matter? After all, they are Muslims, and I hear they don't have much respect or affection for dogs anyway. 

  I heard that the interest in Kangal Dogs was essentially started by a couple of Americans who published an article or two and started a fad, in Turkey as well as abroad.

  If the Turkish people are in such agreement about a multi-breed classification for their dogs, why don't they educate the rest of the world about their dogs?

  Why haven't we heard more from the Turks during the past 25 years of Anatolian Shepherd Dog history?

  I heard that there is no such thing as a "pure" Kangal Dog, and that Kangal breeders cull  pups born "off color."

  Aren't you endangering the health of your dogs by selecting for color? Isn't that limiting the gene pool too much?

  Isn't there a compromise possible?