Anatolians At Home
To understand this breed, you need to know a little bit about their history. Their behavior
today is still very much a reflection of their past.
Anatolian Shepherds come from Turkey, where they were used as livestock guardians.
Livestock guardians (LGDs) are NOT herding dogs. LGDs stay with the animals and
protect them, but they do not move them. The name shepherd comes from the term
"shepherd's dog", not from the job they do.
Much of the dog's time was spent in the field with the flocks. They fended off wolves,
marauding dogs and other threats. The human shepherd was often gone tending to
other duties, so the Anatolian had to be able to discern friend from foe and do his duty
without much instruction.
At times, the shepherd would go into town, and he would take his dog. The dog needed
to be calm enough to realize the women and children there were not threats and that the
little pet dogs posed no harm either. Dogs who were overly aggressive were not tolerated.
How does this history show in the Anatolians of today?
Below is a FAQ that explains a lot more about living with an Anatolian. Please note that
this is generally speaking about dogs kept primarily as housepets.
Are Anatolians aggressive? Are they good guard dogs?
An Anatolian of correct temperament should not be indiscriminately aggressive. The only
time you should see protectiveness from an ASD is when something directly threatens
their flock. Their flock can include family and household pets, not just livestock. In
addition, the dog should only be as defensive as needed to get rid of the threat. If a bark
will do it, an ASD isn't going to go for the throat. Why waste valuable energy and risk injury
when a little noise will suffice? On the other hand, an ASD probably won't let you down in
a real emergency!
It is the owners responsibility to teach the dog what is a real threat and what is not. You
must socialize them well so that they do not see a problem around every corner. You
must be a confident leader so that the dog does not feel that he needs to protect you from
everything.
Anatolians should NEVER be trained in bitework, schutzhund, etc. They are natural guard
dogs, but formal bitework is an invitation for disaster.
Are they smart?
That depends on what you consider smart. If you mean intelligent, thinking, and figuring
stuff out - YES! If you mean obedient...not so much.
They learn very quickly and very thoroughly. It often takes only one time for them to learn
something. However, this breed was out in fields making their own decisions for a
couple of thousand years. They are not going to ask "how high" if you say jump.
What are they like to live with day to day?
I find them to be wonderful house companions. They don't have a high energy level (that
would have disturbed the livestock and wasted energy), but they are not sluggish either.
Even as puppies, they only get short bursts of energy, and the rest of the day they are
pretty content to lay around and chew a chewy, or just sleep. They are not clingy, but they
are attentive. Mine usually want to be in the same room with me, but they don't have to be
attached at my hip.
Are they good with kids?
Better question - are the kids good with dogs? Most ASDs seem to understand that kids
are small and harmless, and tend to be gentle with them. If the child scares or harms
them, though that could change. Although these are large, patient dogs, NO dog should
be expected to put up with abuse from a child. A child should not be allowed to do to a
dog what he would not be allowed to do to another child.
Are they good with other animals?
ASDs are generally good with anything they are raised with. I have a total of eight dogs,
five are very small, and they are incredibly gentle and good with them all. We also have
two cats, one of whom came to us a s a starving six week old. Seven adopted it and loves
"his kitty". My ASDs seem to be a bit protective of my small dogs, insisting on escorting
the little ones out on their potty trips.
A well socialized ASD should be fine in public settings with other pets, as long as the
other pets are also well mannered. My own dogs are well mannered enough to go to the
public dog parks. That may change later. Many dogs, regardless of breed, become less
tolerant of horseplay with strange dogs as they mature. For now, we enjoy it, and they
even play "referee" and shield dogs who are getting picked on.
today is still very much a reflection of their past.
Anatolian Shepherds come from Turkey, where they were used as livestock guardians.
Livestock guardians (LGDs) are NOT herding dogs. LGDs stay with the animals and
protect them, but they do not move them. The name shepherd comes from the term
"shepherd's dog", not from the job they do.
Much of the dog's time was spent in the field with the flocks. They fended off wolves,
marauding dogs and other threats. The human shepherd was often gone tending to
other duties, so the Anatolian had to be able to discern friend from foe and do his duty
without much instruction.
At times, the shepherd would go into town, and he would take his dog. The dog needed
to be calm enough to realize the women and children there were not threats and that the
little pet dogs posed no harm either. Dogs who were overly aggressive were not tolerated.
How does this history show in the Anatolians of today?
Below is a FAQ that explains a lot more about living with an Anatolian. Please note that
this is generally speaking about dogs kept primarily as housepets.
Are Anatolians aggressive? Are they good guard dogs?
An Anatolian of correct temperament should not be indiscriminately aggressive. The only
time you should see protectiveness from an ASD is when something directly threatens
their flock. Their flock can include family and household pets, not just livestock. In
addition, the dog should only be as defensive as needed to get rid of the threat. If a bark
will do it, an ASD isn't going to go for the throat. Why waste valuable energy and risk injury
when a little noise will suffice? On the other hand, an ASD probably won't let you down in
a real emergency!
It is the owners responsibility to teach the dog what is a real threat and what is not. You
must socialize them well so that they do not see a problem around every corner. You
must be a confident leader so that the dog does not feel that he needs to protect you from
everything.
Anatolians should NEVER be trained in bitework, schutzhund, etc. They are natural guard
dogs, but formal bitework is an invitation for disaster.
Are they smart?
That depends on what you consider smart. If you mean intelligent, thinking, and figuring
stuff out - YES! If you mean obedient...not so much.
They learn very quickly and very thoroughly. It often takes only one time for them to learn
something. However, this breed was out in fields making their own decisions for a
couple of thousand years. They are not going to ask "how high" if you say jump.
What are they like to live with day to day?
I find them to be wonderful house companions. They don't have a high energy level (that
would have disturbed the livestock and wasted energy), but they are not sluggish either.
Even as puppies, they only get short bursts of energy, and the rest of the day they are
pretty content to lay around and chew a chewy, or just sleep. They are not clingy, but they
are attentive. Mine usually want to be in the same room with me, but they don't have to be
attached at my hip.
Are they good with kids?
Better question - are the kids good with dogs? Most ASDs seem to understand that kids
are small and harmless, and tend to be gentle with them. If the child scares or harms
them, though that could change. Although these are large, patient dogs, NO dog should
be expected to put up with abuse from a child. A child should not be allowed to do to a
dog what he would not be allowed to do to another child.
Are they good with other animals?
ASDs are generally good with anything they are raised with. I have a total of eight dogs,
five are very small, and they are incredibly gentle and good with them all. We also have
two cats, one of whom came to us a s a starving six week old. Seven adopted it and loves
"his kitty". My ASDs seem to be a bit protective of my small dogs, insisting on escorting
the little ones out on their potty trips.
A well socialized ASD should be fine in public settings with other pets, as long as the
other pets are also well mannered. My own dogs are well mannered enough to go to the
public dog parks. That may change later. Many dogs, regardless of breed, become less
tolerant of horseplay with strange dogs as they mature. For now, we enjoy it, and they
even play "referee" and shield dogs who are getting picked on.
Bringing a new animal into a house with an adult ASD will require a careful
introduction, particularly if the new animal is an adult as well. New puppies
and kittens are usually well accepted.
Adult ASDs may also vie for status with other household dogs at some
point. Same sex, same size dogs are most likely to be problematic.
introduction, particularly if the new animal is an adult as well. New puppies
and kittens are usually well accepted.
Adult ASDs may also vie for status with other household dogs at some
point. Same sex, same size dogs are most likely to be problematic.
Ok, Anatolians sound like great dogs! I want one!
Not so fast!
Click HERE for some things you might NOT like about Anatolians
Not so fast!
Click HERE for some things you might NOT like about Anatolians
How much do they eat?
Anatolians are pretty thrifty eaters. A dog who required a lot of food would
have been a burden on the shepherds. I can only speak from raw feeding
experience, but my dogs eat maybe two-thirds of what dogs of other
breeds the same size eat.
Anatolians are pretty thrifty eaters. A dog who required a lot of food would
have been a burden on the shepherds. I can only speak from raw feeding
experience, but my dogs eat maybe two-thirds of what dogs of other
breeds the same size eat.
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