The Kangal Dog (KD): giant-sized, energetic, loyal, and confident. Though KDs aren't aggressive unless provoked, they were originally developed in Turkey as fearless livestock protectors--which means they're naturally protective of their loved ones as well. Overall Kangal Dog care and maintenance will take a moderate amount of work, and will need to include plenty of daily exercise--along with a great deal of early training and socialization to ensure proper behavior.
Below you'll find details on caring for a Kangal Dog, including info about puppy development, exercise needs, suggested living environments, and more. Get answers to your questions about raising a Kangal Do in the following sections!
Kangal Dog Exercise Needs
These dogs are huge, athletic, and strong--so Kangal Dog exercise requirements are pretty high. KDs are intelligent as well, so they'll need activities that both condition them physically (walking, jogging, fetch) and stimulate them mentally (games, canine sports). Owners can also provide their KDs with weight training several times a week.
Adult Kangal Dogs will need at least 60 minutes of dedicated exercise per day. You can start exercising your KD puppy when it's 3-3½ months old by taking it on short walks, then you can increase the walks' length as the pup grows.
Precautions with Kangal exercise:
- Don't exercise puppies too hard before they're 12 months old
- A leash is an absolute requirement when exercising in public
- Yards must be securely fenced to keep the dog from running off; "BEWARE OF DOG" signs are a good idea
- Prone to gastric torsion (bloat); no exercising for an hour before or after eating
Exercising your Kangal Dog every day is a must. Without consistent activity, these working dogs will become bored and frustrated--which will make them disobedient and terribly destructive. Regular exercise will be great for both the dog's and your own peace of mind! A few exercise ideas:
- Walking/Jogging: Two 20-minute walks (or 15-minute jogs) per day is a good target
- Fetch/Frisbee: KDs love chasing a ball, stick, or Frisbee
- Tug-of-War: Use a rope or old towel
- Weight Pulling: Attach one end of a rope to a heavy object like a spare tire, and the other end to a harness for the dog
- Canine Sports: KDs can excel at cart pulling and other events
- Hiking: Excellent bonding activity
When indoors, balls or toys will allow your KD to burn any excess energy. It's also good to have a regular exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks or jogs in the morning and evening and playtime in the afternoon.
These big dogs will need a good bit of maintenance overall. Kangal Dog shedding is seasonal: fair for most of the year, and heavier during the twice-yearly shedding season. Drooling is a pretty regular issue.
KDs have short, dense, double-layered coats that shed moderately for most of the year--but when they blow their undercoats in the spring and fall, the shedding is more profuse. Owners can brush their KDs once or twice a week with a bristle brush to keep the shedding to a minimum, and hair cleanup--vacuuming the floors, and lint rollers on clothes and furniture--will be necessary from time to time. (Brushing and cleanup will obviously be required more often during shedding season.)
And a Kangal Dog may drool in anticipation of food, after drinking water, or when especially excited or nervous. Owners should keep spare rags in rooms where the dog spends time (particularly near the dog's food and water bowls) to use to clean up excess slobber--and if the Kangal Dog drooling is really excessive, tie a bandanna or towel around the dog's neck to keep its chest and neck from getting dirty or stinky from the drool.
Kangal Dogs will be comfortable living either indoors or outside. It's important for owners who keep their KDs in the yard to take a few precautions, though: first, do not chain these dogs up! Doing so will simply make them angry and aggressive--which could have disastrous results. It's also a requirement that the area in which your KD lives and sleeps is securely fenced--and a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign or two won't hurt either. And for the Kangal Dog, apartment living is no good, as this breed is just too large and energetic for such a confined space. Larger homes with good-sized yards are best.
In regards to climate, these dogs are pretty adaptable, and are suited to living in both hot and cold weather.
Your Kangal Dog has a double-coat and comes from long line of dogs with hundreds — if not thousands — of years of remaining outside for nearly a lifetime. She will do just fine outside in the cold all the time, and while the heat will prompt her to shed a lot more than usual (which is a lot), she should be given significant shade when it is hot.
