The Aksaray Malaklısı or Malaklı Karabaş is a Turkish breed of large

livestock guardian dog A livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a dog type bred for the purpose of protecting livestock from predators. Livestock guardian dogs stay with the group of animals they protect as a full-time member of the flock or herd. Their ability to guard ...

, from the

Aksaray Province Aksaray Province ( tr, ) is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Konya along the west and south, Niğde to the southeast, Nevşehir to the east, and Kırşehir to the north. It covers an area of . The provincial capital is t ...

Central Anatolia The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is borde ...

History

The Aksaray Malaklısı originates in, and is named for, the

. It is believed to descend from a common ancestor with the

Kangal Kangal is a town and a district of Sivas Province in Turkey. The current mayor is Ahmet Kürşad Apaydın from the Great Unity Party (BBP). As Kaymakam was appointed Erinç Demir. Demographics The town is populated by Sunni Kurds ug:كۇر� ...

, but has been

selectively bred Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...

for larger size and greater weight. Genetic analysis has shown it to be distinct breed other Turkish livestock guardian dog breeds, including the Kangal,

Akbash The Akbash ( tr, Akbaş), is a traditional Turkish breed or type of flock guardian dog from western Anatolia. The word ''akbaş'' means 'white head', and thus distinguishes this dog from the Karabaş, or 'black head'. It was recognised by t ...

and Kars. The "malakli" part of the breed name is said to be due to their pendulous jowls.

Characteristics

The Aksaray Malaklısı usually stands between at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

, with a body length of some . It is typically grey in colour with a black mask; the coat is short. The head and ears are large, the jowls are pendulous, and the tail is straight. The dogs only obey commands from the master, and can be aggressive with other people. They typically do not tolerate working with other dogs of the same sex.

Use

The Aksaray Malaklısı is used in its homeland to protect flocks of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

from predators, especially

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

. A pair of Aksaray Malaklısı, always a male and a female, can protect some 700-800 sheep.

References

Dog breeds originating in Turkey Livestock guardian dogs {{dog-stub