ALL ABOUT THE KANGAL DOG: THE FINEST GUARDIAN DOG
TLDRElizabeth Jensen introduces her farm in Kentucky, where she breeds Black Angus cattle and Sivas Kangal guardian dogs. As a board member of the Kangal Dog Club of America, she emphasizes the club's mission to preserve the breed's integrity and promote responsible breeding practices. The Kangals, ancient livestock guardian dogs from Turkey, protect the farm from predators like black vultures and coyotes. Jensen discusses the dogs' roles, training, and the importance of maintaining their working heritage in the US agricultural industry.
Takeaways
- 🐕 The Kangal is an ancient livestock guardian dog from the Sivas region of Turkey, bred to protect sheep from wolves and bears.
- 🌾 Elizabeth Jensen and her husband breed Black Angus cattle and Sivas Kangal guardian dogs on their 90-acre farm in Kentucky.
- 📋 The Kangal Dog Club of America focuses on preserving the breed's integrity and encourages responsible breeding practices, including health checks and contracts for buyers.
- 📍 Kangals are used on the farm to manage natural predators like black vultures and coyotes, protecting the cattle from attacks.
- 👥 The farm is close to a nature sanctuary and the Kentucky River, which contributes to the presence of various wildlife.
- 🦴 The breeders require hip x-rays, microchipping, and DNA testing for the dogs to maintain their health and breed standards.
- 🧑🌾 Kangals have been valued in Turkey for their connection with shepherds and their protective nature towards livestock.
- 🏞 The farm's landscape, with hills, creeks, and a lake, resembles the natural habitat of Kangals in Eastern Turkey.
- 👥 Breeding pairs or packs of Kangals is recommended for better effectiveness and companionship, with a preference for one female and two neutered males.
- 🛡 Kangals' primary defense mechanism is a strong, deep bark, and they will attack if the predator is not deterred.
- 🔍 The United Kennel Club (UKC) is the official registrar for the Kangal breed in the U.S., working closely with the Kangal Dog Club of America.
Q & A
What is the main focus of Dogumentary TV?
-Dogumentary TV focuses on producing the best breed documentaries, particularly featuring the story of Black Angus cattle and Sivas Kangal guardian dogs.
Who is Elizabeth Jensen and what is her connection to the Kangal breed?
-Elizabeth Jensen is a member of the board of directors of the Kangal Dog Club of America. She first learned about Kangals in the early '90s while working for an American company in Turkey and was given a Kangal puppy, which she couldn't keep at the time.
What is the primary mission of the Kangal Dog Club of America?
-The mission of the Kangal Dog Club of America is to preserve the integrity of the Kangal breed in the United States and to encourage responsible breeding.
What measures do the official breeders of Kangals take to ensure the health and standard of the breed?
-Official breeders are required to have hip x-rays, microchip the dogs, conduct DNA testing, and maintain a contract with buyers to ensure responsible placement of the dogs.
Why are Kangals considered valuable livestock guardian dogs?
-Kangals are valued for their ancient lineage as livestock guardian dogs from the Sivas region of Turkey, where they have been bred for hundreds of years to protect sheep from wolves and bears.
What is the size and weight range for female and male Kangals according to the breed standard?
-Female Kangals should be 28 to 30 inches tall and weigh between 90 and 120 pounds, while males should be 30 to 32 inches tall and weigh between 110 and 145 pounds.
How does Elizabeth Jensen's farm utilize Kangals for predator management?
-The Kangals are used as a natural predator management solution to scare away black vultures that attack newborn calves, and they have also been known to kill coyotes that threaten the livestock.
What is the typical daily routine for Elizabeth Jensen on her farm?
-Elizabeth starts her day at 5:30 AM, checking each field for the cattle's well-being, looking for new calves, and ensuring no injuries or unusual occurrences have happened overnight.
How do Kangals adapt to protecting different types of livestock?
-Kangals are adaptable to different livestock but require supervision and training. They learn from older dogs and need to understand how to behave gently around newborn animals like calves or lambs.
What is the best combination of Kangals for a working pack according to Elizabeth Jensen?
-The best combination is one female and two neutered males, as they can cover more ground and stay more focused on their work, with the added benefit of companionship.
How does the Kangal Dog Club of America handle the import of Kangals from other countries?
-They work closely with the UKC, allowing the import of Kangals from other countries to be accepted into the UKC registry with the club's approval, considering the Turkish standard and FCI international pedigrees.
Outlines
🐕 Breeding Kangal Guardian Dogs in Kentucky
Elizabeth Jensen introduces her farm, Evans Mill Cattle Company, in Lexington, Kentucky, where she breeds Black Angus cattle and Sivas Kangal guardian dogs. She explains her involvement with the Kangal Dog Club of America and the club's mission to preserve the breed's integrity and encourage responsible breeding practices, including health checks and contracts for buyers. The Kangals' role as livestock guardians is highlighted, especially their effectiveness against black vultures and coyotes, and the importance of human connection for these dogs.
🏞 Life on the Farm with Kangal Dogs
The script describes the daily routine on the farm, which includes checking on the cattle and ensuring the Kangals understand their responsibilities. It explains the dogs' adaptation to different livestock and the process of training them, especially with calves, to prevent any aggressive behavior. The narrative also touches on the challenges of introducing Kangals to various types of livestock, emphasizing the need for patience and gradual introduction.
🦮 The Role of Kangals in Livestock Protection
This paragraph delves into the Kangals' protective instincts and their traditional use in defending livestock from predators like wolves and bears in Turkey. It discusses the dogs' methods of deterrence, including their powerful bark and strong bite force. The importance of working in pairs or packs is emphasized, along with the preference for neutered males in maintaining focus on their protective duties. The paragraph also touches on the UKC's role in registering Kangals and the breed's unique characteristics, including their size and coloration.
🐾 Maintaining the Kangal Breed's Working Heritage
The focus shifts to the challenges of maintaining the Kangal breed's gene pool in the United States and the efforts to preserve their working heritage. The paragraph outlines the physical characteristics of the breed, including size and weight standards, and the recent trend towards breeding smaller dogs in Turkey. However, the speaker argues for the need for larger dogs in the U.S. to protect against the growing threat of predators and the importance of finding working homes for the puppies to utilize their innate skills.
🛡️ The Kangal Dog Club of America's Commitment to Breed Quality
The final paragraph discusses the Kangal Dog Club of America's goals in preserving the breed's genetics and ensuring quality and responsible breeding. It also mentions the organization's rescue efforts, addressing the issue of people returning Kangals due to their challenging nature or inability to manage them. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the importance of educating people on the value of Kangals in agriculture and livestock protection.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Dogumentary TV
💡Kangal
💡Livestock Guardian Dog
💡Black Angus cattle
💡Breeding Integrity
💡Hip X-rays
💡DNA Testing
💡Natural Predator Management
💡Coyotes
💡Kangal Dog Club of America
💡Landrace
💡UKC
Highlights
Elizabeth Jensen introduces her farm, Evans Mill Cattle Company, in Lexington, Kentucky, where they breed Black Angus cattle and Sivas Kangal guardian dogs.
Jensen serves on the board of directors for the Kangal Dog Club of America, emphasizing the club's mission to preserve the breed's integrity and encourage responsible breeding.
The Kangal breed originates from the Sivas region of Turkey, where they have been bred for centuries to protect livestock from wolves and bears.
Kangals are also family dogs, forming strong bonds with shepherds and requiring human connection despite their outdoor roles.
Evans Mill Cattle Company's 90-acre farm is close to a nature sanctuary and the Kentucky River, with diverse wildlife and terrain similar to the Kangal's native habitat.
The farm uses Kangals to manage predator threats such as black vultures, which attack newborn calves, and coyotes, demonstrating the dogs' effectiveness in natural predator control.
Kangals' protective instincts and strong bark serve as their first line of defense, with their large size and bite force ensuring the safety of the herd.
Jensen discusses the importance of not neutering dogs until they are two years old, allowing them to develop fully before altering their natural instincts.
The Kangal Dog Club of America works closely with the UKC, the official registrar of the Kangal breed, to maintain breed standards and approve imported dogs.
The small gene pool in the United States is a challenge for the Kangal registry, making imported dogs crucial for genetic diversity.
Kangals are selectively bred for size, temperament, and strength, with color being a significant part of the breed's tradition, favoring tan with a black face and ears.
The breed standard for Kangals specifies height and weight ranges, with recent encouragement from the Turkish Association to breed smaller dogs for manageability.
Jensen's personal goal is to maintain the working heritage of the Kangal breed, focusing on placing puppies in working situations to utilize their protective skills.
The Kangal Dog Club of America aims to preserve the breed's genetics and ensure quality and responsible breeding, with a rescue arm to help rehome dogs when needed.
Jensen emphasizes the growing need for Kangals in the United States due to the large farming and agriculture industries and the release of wolves into the population.
The transcript concludes with Jensen's commitment to creating good working dogs and educating people on their value in protecting livestock.
Transcripts
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