KDCA "Boz Dog" Statement
The crossbreeding of Kangal Dogs with other types, including dogs such as the Turkish Mastiff, that were used as guard and fighting dogs and not as livestock guardian dogs, is an ongoing situation in Turkey and nothing new. But the commercializing of new breed labels such as "Boz dogs" and the export and subsequent breeding of these dogs outside of Turkey, in North America, is a recent and very concerning development - especially so when these dogs are misleadingly marketed as livestock guardians to the general public. Livestock guardian dog breeds have been carefully selected over many hundreds of years to display specific traits. These instinctual behaviors are always threatened by crosses with non-LGD dogs and can be dangerous to livestock.
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The issue around “Boz dogs” is also emblematic of much that threatens the preservation of the traditional Kangal Dog as a distinct breed. In this case, a single individual manufactured and marketed a "new breed name" with a mishmash of Kangal and Turkish Mastiff crosses that often are not even part of planned breeding programs. Specifically, one individual, Akin TülübaÅŸ, invented a new breed name, which he then applied to a variety of crossbred Kangal Dogs. In Turkey, this ploy is quickly recognized and exposed as yet another example of what has been going on there for years with various so-called Kangal dog breeders who outcross to other types - whether it be for size, out of convenience, or just plain ignorance. People involved in dog fighting and unscrupulous breeding practices are one of the main reasons there has been a need to draw difficult and sometimes controversial lines in the sand when it comes to the approval of certain lines and breeders by the KIF (Turkish Kennel Club).
Read the KIF's Official Statement
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