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I have traveled quite a lot in Middle Asian countries (Turkmenistan, Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Russia (Moscow), Belarus (Minsk) and Turkey. In my travels I have noticed the general similarities and differences between many dogs (in size, weight, behavior, etc.). I have also seen certain types of dogs in areas not commonly associated with them (i.e. Tazis in Middle Asia, Caucasians in Turkey, Kangal and Akbash type dogs in Middle Asia).
To me, this indicates a closer relationship between these breeds than is popularly accepted by many breeders.
I have also seen it argued that a Kangal dog that happens to have a spot on the neck or a white nose (like a Middle Asian Shepherd) is not a true Kangal dog, though both of its parents might exhibit classic Kangal appearance and color. Similarly, I have seen brindle colored dogs with a white chest, legs and tail tip (like a Middle Asian shepherd) whose parents, again, look exactly like classic Kangal dogs. The brindle dogs' puppies also showed Kangal dog likeness except for their color.
This opens a series of continuing questions/debates for me when faced with the dog world in the West. What makes a Kangal dog a Kangal dog? A Middle Asian a Middle Asian? What are these brindle dogs classified as? If color is the most defining quality of a breed, then what is a dog with Kangal parents that happens to have a white nose? And where did these dogs come from? Did they miraculously develop in isolation from each other?
Of course not. It is my belief that today's more regional breeds developed over the centuries from the same general Turkmen genetic roots that spread across Middle Asia and Turkey with nomadic migrations which is one reason why, even today, with our regionally specific breeds, some genetic variations can be witnessed within a breed (i.e. Kangal characteristics in Middle Asian dogs).
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