Kars dog

The Kars, known as the Kars Köpeği in Turkish, is a breed of livestock guardian dog from eastern Turkey.

Kars
Other namesTurkish: Kars Köpeği
OriginTurkey
Breed statusNot recognised as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits
Height Average 72.4 cm (28.5 in)
Weight Average 44.6 kg (98 lb)
Coat Long haired double coat
Colour Many colours including black, white, gray, red, yellow and brown; often with white markings
Dog (domestic dog)

Overview

The Kars takes its name from the town of Kars in Kars Province, although it is also found throughout Ardahan, Artvin, Erzurum and Iğdır provinces in eastern Turkey.[1][2][3]

The Kars closely resembles the closely related Caucasian Shepherd Dog which is native to the Caucasus countries over Turkey's north-eastern border.[1][2][3] It has a long, heavy double coat (short-coated examples are known) that can be found in a number of colours including black, white, gray, red, yellow and brown, they frequently have white makings on their chest, necks and forelegs; slightly smaller than livestock guardian breeds from central and western Turkey such as the Akbash and the Kangal, the Kars has a mean weight of 44.6 kilograms (98 lb) and mean height of 72.4 centimetres (28.5 in).[2]

The Kars is used by local shepherds to protect their flocks from predation from various predators found in the region, anecdotes exist of several dogs repulsing and even killing bears.[2]

See also

References
  1. Morris, Desmond (2001). Dogs: the ultimate guide to over 1,000 dog breeds. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Publishing. p. 396. ISBN 1-57076-219-8.
  2. Yilmaz, Orhan; Ertuğrul, Mehmet; Wilson, R Trevor (2012). "The domestic livestock resources of Turkey: breed descriptions and status of guard and hunting dogs" (PDF). 63rd Annual Meeting of the EAAP. European Association of Animal Production. 63 (1): 69. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  3. Yilmaz, Orhan; Ertuğrul, Mehmet (2012). "Native dogs breeds and types of Turkey" (PDF). Igdir University Journal of Institute of Science and Technology. 2 (1): 101. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
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