Akbash Vs Kangal: Turkey’s Two Guardians Compared

The Akbash is white. The Kangal is cream to fawn with a black mask and black ears. Those two facts are written into the breed standards, and they settle most identification questions from across a field.

Both breeds are Turkish livestock guardians, and the United Kennel Club registers each of them as a separate breed.

Color and coat

The UKC Akbash standard allows white only, with light biscuit or gray shading around the ears. Any other color is a disqualification, along with defined spots, black whiskers, and black eyelashes.

The UKC Kangal standard describes a dark or black mask and ears against a body color that runs from cream to pale tan or fawn. The body can look gray when the outer coat carries more dark sable hairs, and the mask may cover the whole muzzle and extend over the top of the head.

The Kangal has a double coat that is moderately short and quite dense. The Akbash comes in two lengths, a medium coat that lies fairly sleek and a long coat that is often slightly wavy, and both are correct.

Size and build

The two breeds overlap in height, and the Kangal carries more weight. UKC figures put Akbash males at 30 to 34 inches and about 120 pounds, and females at 28 to 32 inches and about 90 pounds. Kangal males stand 30 to 32 inches and weigh 110 to 145 pounds, and females stand 27 to 31 inches and weigh 90 to 130 pounds.

The Akbash standard describes a mix of sighthound and mastiff traits: long legs, a deep chest, an arched loin, a tucked-up flank, speed, and agility. The Kangal is the heavier-boned and more powerful-looking dog.

Both move fast and cover ground, and both need serious fencing.

Where they come from

The Akbash comes from the plains and mountains of western Turkey. The Kangal takes its name from the Kangal district of Sivas province in central Turkey.

Turkish shepherds and Turkish breed authorities have generally treated the two as distinct dogs from distinct regions. A 17th-century account by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi is often cited as evidence that more than one type of guardian dog was recognized in the empire at that time.

What the kennel clubs say

The UKC recognizes three breeds: the Akbash Dog, the Kangal Dog, and the Anatolian Shepherd. The American Kennel Club recognizes only the Anatolian Shepherd Dog, and Turkish guardians in its system are registered under that name. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale decided in 2018 that the Anatolian Shepherd and the Kangal were one breed and now registers both as the Kangal Shepherd Dog. The FCI has no Akbash standard.

In practical terms, an Akbash can be registered with the UKC and with no other major registry. A Kangal can be registered with the UKC, or with FCI member clubs under the 2018 standard. Neither can be registered with the AKC under its own name. The Anatolian Shepherd comparison follows that thread further, and the registry question is part of why the Akbash counts as rare.

Temperament

The UKC describes the Kangal as first and foremost a livestock guardian with the temperament typical of such dogs: alert, territorial, and defensive of the animals or the family it has bonded with. It describes the Akbash as calm, quiet, and steady, independent, affectionate with family, aloof and suspicious toward strangers, and liable to react aggressively to strange dogs on its territory.

Those are two descriptions of the same working temperament. Both breeds think for themselves, mature slowly, bark at night, and treat recall as a suggestion. Nothing in either standard supports the claim that one is gentler or tougher than the other, and the internet’s bite-force rankings have no place in choosing a dog. The guardian instinct page describes how this kind of dog works.

As working dogs

Texas A&M AgriLife’s research covers livestock guardians as a group, and its protocol applies to both breeds. Pups meet stock at four to eight weeks, must be bonding by 16 weeks, and work effectively at 18 to 24 months. One or two dogs protect 100 ewes. The full protocol is in working with livestock.

Coat is the one working difference. The Kangal’s short, dense coat and the Akbash’s medium coat both handle heat better than the long coats of some other guardian breeds. A long-coated Akbash has a harder time in hot country.

Finding one

Both breeds are hard to find in North America. Turkey has restricted the export of Kangal dogs at various times, so check the current rules before planning to import one.

For either breed, buy from working parents you have watched with stock, ask the health questions listed in breeders, and be suspicious of anyone selling size or toughness. The right choice between them often comes down to which good litter you can reach.