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Anatolian Shepherds


There are energetic Anatolians, and placid Anatolians.
Hard-headed Anatolians, and sweet-natured Anatolians.
Serious Anatolians, and good-natured goofballs.
Introverted Anatolians, and Anatolians who love everyone.
 
 
Q: HOW DOES THIS BREED'S TEMPERAMENT DIFFER FROM THE MORE USUAL GUARD DOG, LIKE THE GERMAN SHEPHERD, THE ROTTWEILER OR THE DOBERMAN?
 

A: Those breeds were developed as personal protection dogs, and they look to their master for instructions. They excel, for example, in formal obedience trials, and they may be suitable for attack training and schutzhund work.

Anatolian's, and other livestock guarding breeds, have been selected to take responsibility and to make their own decisions in the absence of a master. This means that they want to make up their own minds, and decide for themselves, how best to deal with a potentially dangerous situation. To give examples: they are likely to think the garbage man is stealing from you; they may think a plumber with a tool in his hand plans to attack you or your property; they may think your Uncle Bob, who is a stranger to the dog, is accosting the children if he grabs one suddenly to give a hug. In other words, to live easily with an Anatolian you have to be able to foresee situations which look "potentially dangerous" to your dog.

It is strongly recommended that you have a place to put your dog out of harm's way if someone the dog does not like has to be in your house or you have to be away. This can be an escape-proof room, dog run, fenced yard, or a shipping cage. The Anatolian is not suitable for attack training.

  
 

If you acquire an Anatolian Shepherd puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like, because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm."

If you adopt an adult Anatolian, you will have a better idea of what this dog's temperament is like, if he/she an alpha Anatolian or more of a submissive dog, or maybe a "middle of the pack" dog. You will know if this dog has a propensity for barking excessively or digging or if it has a high level of dog aggression or maybe "no" dog aggression.

With an adult dog, you will have more of a "What You See Is What You Get" dog.  

There are plenty of adult Anatolians who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.    All the more reason to look to rescue for an adult Anatolian!

When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.

 

History
A native of Turkey, the Anatolian Shepherd has survived in weather extremes from mountain snow to desert heat for thousands of years, protecting the flocks.

Size
28-34 inches and 90-160 lbs


Some common characteristics for this breed...

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT NOT EVERY ANATOLIAN IS GOING TO CONFORM TO THE NORMAL BREED CHARACTERISTICS.

THERE IS A WIDE VARIANCE WITHIN THE BREED.

SOME ANATOLIANS ARE VERY TOUGH DOGS, OTHERS ARE MARSHMALLOWS, STILL OTHERS ARE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE.

If you want a dog who...

  • Is very large and rugged, yet agile and athletic

  • "MAY" protect your horses, llamas, sheep, goats, or chickens

  • Is steady and dependable, rather than playful

  • Is serious with strangers, but not aggressive unless provoked

  • Needs daily, but moderate exercise

An Anatolian Shepherd Dog may be right for you.

If you don't want to deal with...

  • A very large dog who takes up a lot of space in your house and car

  • Providing enough exercise to keep him satisfied

  • Massive destructiveness when bored

  • Suspiciousness toward strangers

  • Aggression toward animals who don't belong to his family (and sometimes aggression to animals within his family as well)

  • Providing five to six-foot fences. These are not dogs that will "learn to stay home" without fencing. Also never taking off lead hiking or trail riding

  • Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge. You will be living with a dog that is more "wolf-like" than "dog-like". Can you take on the role of the "Alpha Wolf"?

  • Deep booming barks, especially at night when he hears a sound

  • Heavy shedding

  • Legal liabilities (increased chance of lawsuits)

An Anatolian Shepherd Dog may not be right for you.

When considering an Anatolian Shepherd...

Major concerns would be:

  • Can you provide enough exercise and mental stimulation.  

Anatolian Shepherds MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing. Bored Anatolians are famous for chewing through drywall, ripping the stuffing out of sofas, and turning your yard into a moonscape of giant craters.

  • Suspiciousness and over-protectiveness. 

Anatolian Shepherds need extensive exposure to friendly people so they learn to recognize the normal behaviors of "good guys." Then they can recognize the difference when someone acts abnormally. Without careful socialization, they are likely to be suspicious of everyone, and with their power and determination, this can be exceedingly dangerous.

If you have small children, I do not recommend an Anatolian Shepherd. Young Anatolian Shepherds (up to about three years old) can be bulls in a china shop. When they romp and jump, they do so with great vigor, and things can go flying, including people. In addition, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs may try to protect their own children from other children, which could lead to tragedy if kids are simply roughhousing and the Anatolian decides to stop it. With such a massive dog, I wouldn't take the risk. Anatolians may also not see your small children as figures of authority, rather lower-ranking pack members. They may feel they have the right to discipline a child for bothering them during meal time or nap time or while they are enjoying a chew bone. Their discipline would be a warning growl to let the child know they do not approve of the child's behavior.

  • Animal aggression.

Most Anatolian Shepherds will treat the pets in their own family as members of their flock. However, they have strong instincts to drive away animals who do not belong to their family. If anything goes wrong in the breeding, socializing, training, handling, or management of this breed, it is capable of seriously injuring or killing other animals. They are also very dominant and will most likely want to be the "top dog" in the house if you have other dogs. Anatolians do not usually get along well with dogs of the same gender living in their home, so it is not recommended to get, say, a female Anatolian if you have another female dog in the house. Even if you bring home a very young pup, there is a very good chance that pup will challenge your other dog(s) for alpha position as it matures.

To keep your Anatolian Shepherd in, and to keep strangers and other animals out, fences should be high, with wire sunk into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks.

  • The strong temperament.

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are not Golden Retrievers. They have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. Many Anatolians are willful, obstinate, and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.

To teach your Anatolian to listen to you, we recommend "Alpha Boot Camp" and "NILIF" (Nothing In Life Is Free). We also recommend reading "Leader of the Pack" by Steve Duno and Nancy Baer.

  • Heavy shedding.

Anatolians shed a LOT. You'll find hair and fur all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life. Make sure you're REALLY up for this, as this can occur year round in some reagions.

 

  • Noise.

Some Anatolians are excessive barkers. All Anatolians will bark at animals or people that pass by your property. They are more likely to bark at night, so if you have neighbors close by, it is best to bring them in at night unless they are outside guarding the livestock.

  • Legal liabilities.

In this day and age, the legal liabilities of owning any giant breed that looks intimidating and has a history as a guard dog should be seriously considered. People are quicker to sue if such a dog does anything even remotely questionable.

This is a serious working dog with tremendous strength. They are not always suited for the average pet owner. The Anatolian owner must be willing and able to be a strong alpha owner that will give their dog definite rules and boundaries and be consistent in training. These are wonderful dogs if handled correctly. They are not good "yard dogs" that are left outside round the clock with little to no human interaction and nothing for the dog to do.

 

 

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