Materials and Equipment

Shelter

General and detailed information on construction, building and materials for kennels is available at any library and on the internet. Here we only mention some important points for the construction of kennels for Kangal (Karabash) Dogs. Kennels can be made using various materials, but the materials used should protect the dogs from temperature changes especially in summer. The floor, walls, and roof to should be insulated to facilitate cleaning and avoid conductive heat transfer.

 
The kennel dimensions should be large enough to allow the Kangal (Karabash) to turn around easily, but should not be too large. In general, dimensions for a kennel should be more than one and a half times the dog's height at the withers in all 3 dimensions. Dimensions of 1 x 1 x 1.5 m should be suitable for most Kangal (Karabash) Dogs. The house should have a floor which sits 5-10 cm above ground to prevent water from entering on the rainiest days. Raising the floor will also insulate it from the cold ground in the winter. The slope of roof should be backward. The walls should be waterproof, and suitable for washing and disinfection. Daylight should reach the kennel interior. Kangal (Karabash) Dogs can endure very severe winter outdoor conditions but vented kennels are not appropriate. Wind shields may be placed about 1 metre from the kennel entrance if it is exposed to the wind.

Dog Training Supplies

Here again, general and detailed information on dog training may be available at libraries. Briefly I may say that equipment such as a leather collar, a chain collar, a chain training collar, driving (training) leash, chain link, muzzle, spiked collar (tok, tork, çengel in Turkish) snap, hidden sleeve, and scratch jacket are the materials needed for training Kangal (Karabash) Dogs. These materials should be strong and of good quality, regardless of whether they are cheap or expensive.

Feeding Supplies

Dog Food and Water Bowls: Dog food and water bowls are available in many materials, colours and styles but the best ones are made of stainless steel or hard plastic. They should be a suitable size, width and depth, unbreakable and not suitable for harbouring microorganisms. They should be easily washable and cleaned daily with soap and water. Weighted bowls for food and water are suitable because dogs usually push their dish around trying to get every last morsel, and puppies particularly like to tip over the water bowl.

Dog Grooming Supplies

A dog brush, dog comb, and dog nail clippers or trimmers are the grooming supplies useful for Kangal (Karabash) Dogs. The dog brush should be the pin type preferably, or a grooming glove or bristle brush. The brush should be used every day if possible. A dog comb, dog nail clippers or trimmer are used for grooming a dog for a contest, and for health and treatment purposes.

Dog Health Supplies

 
Maintaining appropriate dog health is very important to the long term quality of your Kangal's life. Good dog health depends upon a healthy diet, regular medical care, and plenty of exercise and love. A deluxe first aid kit consisting of standard first aid materials plus ear, eye, paw, coat and joint care medicaments, dog wound care and fungus control products, nutritional supplements, antioxidants and flea and mite control materials, will enhance and promote the health of your Kangal (Karabash) and eliminate its health problems.