Anatolian Shepherd Dog

In my own words

 

I’m like the bodyguard of the dog world. All I care about is making sure that you, your family and your home is safe and secure. I’ll even do regular patrols of the grounds just to make sure all looks safe and well. Oh, and if I should ever spot any signs of trouble? I’ll be sure to let you know. Any intruders will soon regret the day they decided to come into our house – I’ll show them what’s for! I’m not scared of anyone or anything.

When I’m not making sure that you are safe and protected, I love nothing more than going for a good run. I might even be tempted to take a little swim if I get the opportunity! I love living in the countryside – hiking, swimming, running and chasing is what I’m all about!

Information essential about the Anatolian Shepherd Dog

 

Kennel Club Group:

Pastoral

Size:

Extra Large: Weight Male 110 – 141 lb (50 – 64 kg) Female 90 – 130 lb (41 – 59 kg)

Height Male 29 – 32” (74 – 82 cm) Female 28 – 31” (71 – 79 cm)

Popularity:

 

While the Anatolian Shepherd Dog is fairly well known and popular in its native country of Turkey, it is a generally rare breed throughout the rest of the world. Although, it has enjoyed some slight popularity in the United States of America where the breed ranks just over the 100th most popular breed of dog in the country.

Breed History:

 

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog dates back over 5000 years and originates from Turkey, where it was used to herd and guard flocks of sheep. It was bred to have the ability to withstand Turkey’s rugged terrain and hot climate.

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog was most likely descended from Roman War Dogs which were then imported into Turkey and Afghanistan. It is thought that they were originally used to hunt big game but were soon found to be amazing guardians of sheep as they could fight off large predators such as wolves and bears.

The breed accompanied the nomadic shepherds of the region and as a result they spread far and wide, which attributes to the variations of size, coat and colour within the breed, as they bred with a variety of other breeds.

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs were introduced in the west in the 1950s, but didn’t raise the interest of breeders until the seventies. Admiring breeders began to develop the Anatolian Shepherd Dog into a more modern breed by writing breed standards. In 1996, the American Kennel Club accepted the Anatolian Shepherd Dog into the Miscellaneous Class.

Character:

 

Bred to herd and protect flocks of sheep, your Anatolian Shepherd is an incredibly protective dog. They are naturally guarded with strangers until they know that they can be trusted and are watchful of their surroundings, making them excellent watch and guard dogs. Though they are not aggressive dogs, Anatolian Shepherds are very brave and courageous so will have no doubts about scaring off intruders or threats. Your Anatolian Shepherd will love his family deeply and remain completely devoted and loyal to you, but he needs a strong and confident owner or he will become dominant and try to rule the household. For this reason, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are not well suited and are best with an experienced dog owner who will be confident around them and show their Anatolian Shepherd an air of authority. A stubborn and self-assured dog, your Anatolian Shepherd may be difficult to manage at times. If he doesn’t want to do what you want to do, he won’t do it! Early training and socialisation is very important in achieving an Anatolian Shepherd Dog who is well behaved, obedient and submissive to his owners. While some dominant behaviour, such as jumping on you, may seem cute and harmless when they are a puppy they are very large dogs when they get older and will be too strong to be corrected as he can easily overpower you. With the right training and socialisation they will mature into easy going, docile dogs.

Temperament:

 

Your Anatolian Shepherd Dog was bred to be able to cope on his own while guarding flocks of sheep, so for this reason he can be independent, stubborn and self-willed with a mind of his own. These are strong traits in your Anatolian Shepherd and make him a challenging pet to own and train. They are also incredibly intelligent and excellent problem solvers and they can run rings around their owners if allowed. As large dogs, they are not well suited to apartment life and this is further amplified by the fact that they love to roam. Patrolling their territory is inherent in your Anatolian Shepherd Dog as they were bred to be guardians, so having plenty of space for your Anatolian to wander and roam will be much appreciated by your dog. However, this also means that your Anatolian Shepherd Dog may wander off without you so it is vital that you microchip and tag your dog. Your Anatolian Shepherd Dog also loves to run and swim, though they have little interest in games such as fetch, or lying still in the home chewing toys. Though your Anatolian generally does well with children and enjoys their company, they should not be left unsupervised with children due to their size. It is best not to own other dogs when you own an Anatolian Shepherd Dog as they can show aggression to other dogs, particularly of the same sex, and they are also susceptible to fleas.

Conformation:

 

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a muscular, very large breed. The head is large and broad with a strong muzzle. The eyes can be golden to brown colours and are relatively small in proportion to the head while the nose is always black. Triangular ears are carried flat to the head. A thick neck leads do a deep chest with well sprung ribs. The forelegs are heavily boned and set well apart, while the hind quarters are lighter yet very powerful. The tail is carried low when the dog is relaxed and calm and carried high when the dog is alert or excited. The Anatolian Shepherd Dog has a thick double coat which is flat and lies close to the body. It has a slightly wiry, coarse texture and is a little bit thicker around the neck, shoulders and tail.

Colour:

 

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog’s coat should be a cream to fawn colour. The most common shades are white cream and sesame. White cream dogs may feature coloured spots on their body. All colours may show a black mask and/or ears.

Training:

Your Anatolian Shepherd Dog is highly intelligent and therefore has the ability to learn very quickly should he be inclined to do so. The challenge lies in his independent nature and stubborn streak, which means that he may not want to learn. Therefore, an owner who is experienced with dogs and can show confidence and authority as well as fairness, respect and consistency is vital. Training should be fun and reward based in order to stop your Anatolian Shepherd Dog from becoming distracted or bored. Give him plenty of praise and affection and never treat him harshly or severely. Your Anatolian Shepherd Dog is naturally a very protective dog and this comes to him naturally. You should not encourage or try to train your Anatolian Shepherd Dog to be more protective as this will leave to over protectiveness in unreasonable situations

Care:

 

Your Anatolian Shepherd Dog’s coat is very low maintenance and requires minimal grooming. During the shedding seasons your dog will shed heavily and need daily brushing to prevent mattes from forming. However, outside of the shedding season they will only need a weekly brush and can even get away with just having a rub down with a rubber glove or a cloth.

Health:

 

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog tends to have a low immunity that takes a while to develop and therefore can pick up diseases and viruses more than other breeds. They are also prone to hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism and eyelid entropion. The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is also sensitive to anaesthesia. The average lifespan of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog is between 13 and 15 years.

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