Anatolian Shepherd pros and cons
Pros and cons of owning an Anatolian Shepherd include the following. This large and intimidating looking dog breed is not recommended for first time dog owners. Anatolian Shepherds are very independent minded dogs and despite being a very intelligent breed, Anatolian Shepherd can be challenging to train because of the independent temperament. Anatolian Shepherds are naturally protective dogs that were originally developed to protect livestock from predators. Anatolian Shepherds are not recommended for living in an apartment - these smart dogs need a job to do during the day. Anatolian Shepherds are working dogs that quickly get bored when they are left with nothing to do during the day, which is a con. A lonely and bored Anatolian Shepherd can develop various behavior problems, which is a disadvantage. This breed is not for everyone. Anatolian Shepherds are happiest on large territory where they have a job to do. Farmers and people who have a large territory that needs to be patroled by a dog may consider an Anatolian Shepherd as this breed can be an excellent watchdog. Owning a strong and independent minded breed such as the Anatolian Shepherd has other cons. While the Anatolian Shepherd is still young, this dog requires adequate amount of socialization as well as life long training. An uncontrollable large dog such as the Anatolian Shepherd can be a liability to an owner who decided not to provide the dog with proper obedience training. Obedience training needs to start in puppyhood, while Anatolian Shepherd is still flexible and easier to train. Anatolian Shepherds who live on a farm or around other animals need to receive enough socialization so that they are comfortable around other animals. Owners of Anatolian Shepherd have a lot of work to do when raising an Anatolian Shepherd puppy to bring the most out of this breed. Young Anatolian Shepherds may be full of energy and difficult to manage. Some of the cons of Anatolian Shepherds include the fact that this breed is not recommended as a family pet. The working breed requires an owner who understands this breed and knows what to do with the dog to bring out the best qualities.
Some of the pros of Anatolian Shepherds include the dog's natural protectiveness towards the owners. Anatolian Shepherds are highly intelligent and capable dogs that can be very useful in an appropriate environment.
Anatolian Shepherd size
Anatolian Shepherd weight
Anatolian Shepherd male weight: 41 to 68 kg (90 to 149 lb)
Anatolian Shepherd female weight: 38 to 65 kg (83 to 143 lb)
Anatolian Shepherd size
Anatolian Shepherd dog male height: 69 to 79 cm (27 to 31 in)
Anatolian Shepherd dog female height: 66 to 76 cm (26 to 29 in)
Anatolian Shepherd coat: short, dense
Anatolian Shepherd colors: fawn coat and a black mask
How many puppies do Anatolian Shepherds have?
Anatolian Shepherd litter size: 5 to 10 puppies
Anatolian Shepherd lifespan:
Anatolian Shepherd life span: 11 to 13 years
Anatolian Shepherd other names for the breed include Aksaray Malaklisi dog, Kangal dog, Akbash dog, Anatolian Sheepdog, Turkish Shepherd
How much does an Anatolian Shepherd cost?
Anatolian Shepherd price starts at $600 and up depending on many factors
 Anatolian Shepherd temperament
Anatolian Shepherd is a big, energetic and strong working dog breed. Anatolian Shepherd dog can weigh up to 150 pounds. The breed was developed for the purpose of herding livestock. The intimidating size along with self-confident personality and a strong guarding instinct makes Anatolian Shepherd an excellent guard and a watch dog. These are fast and energetic dogs for their large size. How fast do Anatolian Shepherds run? Anatolian Shepherds can run at the speed of 28 miles per hour (45 km/h).
Anatolian Shepherd's temperament is very protective and stubborn. Early socializing is very important for this large and strong breed. Many breeders say that Anatolian dog is a great working dog and not fit for a home environment. Are Anatolian Shepherds good with kids? Not recommended as a family dog. The larger the dog breed, the more living area it usually needs and the Anatolian Shepherd is not an exception. The herding dog needs to have at least a large yard to run around and exercise every day. Anatolian Shepherds are happiest when they live on a farm and have a job to do, such as herding or guarding sheep, chicken or any other livestock animals. Anatolian Shepherds may not be considered as a neighborhood friendly breed. The dogs may bark at night to warn the owners of any potential threats, they dig holes, and go after small animals. This destructive behavior is natural to the breed as this is what Anatolian Shepherds needed to do for centuries to survive. The destructive behavior is only a part of the reason why Anatolian Shepherd is not recommended as a family pet. Potential owners need to realize that the breed was created to be a working herding dog, that would have a purpose of guarding his herd and protecting his territory. It is only reasonable to expect stubborn behavior from Anatolian Shepherd. The dog breed was developed to be an independent dog who can make independent decisions based on a given situation. For many centuries Anatolian Shepherds had to guard and protect their herds, and their human owners were not necessarily making all the decisions for the dogs - the dogs were expected to react to any situation in the way that would protect the herd and keep the herd safe. In order to succeed, these herding dogs needed to be stubborn. Today's Anatolian Shepherds still have in their genetics the same temperament qualities that their ancestors needed to have in order to do their herding job well - they are still just as stubborn and independent as their ancestors. These qualities make the dog rather challenging to train and to manage, especially for someone who has little experience managing a strong minded, large dog.
Anatolian Shepherds tend to be dog aggressive as they are very territorial. Anatolian Shepherds have a good eyesight which helps them to keep their sheep safe from wolves and other wild animals. You can count on your Anatolian Shepherd to guard your territory as well. The breed is suspicious of unfamiliar people and will not allow any strangers on their territory unless properly introduced by the owner. Overall Anatolian Shepherd is not suited to be an urban or a suburban pet dog. Anatolian Shepherd is not a dog that can live in an apartment - this giant breed should have a large area that the dog can patrol and protect. This breed does best for people who are able to provide the dog with the natural settings, such as a farm where the dog can do what he does best - guard and protect the livestock from wolves, coyotes and other predators. Anatolian Shepherds are used as conservation dogs in Namibia (Africa), where Cheetahs create problems for local farmers by hunting on livestock. Farmers used to kill Cheetahs in order to protect their livestock. To protect Cheetahs from extinction, Namibian farmers were given Anatolian Shepherds that would protect the livestock from Cheetahs and at the same time protect Cheetahs from being killed by the local farmers. Anatolian Shepherds successfully deter Cheetahs from the farms, thus saving lives of the wild animals in the process.
If you are planning to keep the Anatolian Shepherd in an outdoor dog kennel, there are many different outdoor dog kennel options available. Kennels with weather protection can help to keep your dog dry during the rainy days and provides shade during hot sunny days. Waterproof kennel cover is a nice feature to consider as you are selecting a kennel. Easy set up models of outdoor kennels can be assembled in minutes.
Anatolian Shepherd puppies
If you are lucky enough to have enough space such as a farm where you are looking to get one or more Anatolian Shepherd dogs to keep the animals safe, be sure to find a good breeder who is not only concerned with raising highly aggressive and overly defensive dogs, but who is interested in getting such character traits in their dogs as the ability to think things through and make independent decisions before acting. This approach enables the Anatolian Shepherd to impose a threat in an escalating manner. For example, the herding dog that sees a coyote that is trying to approach the herd should not immediately go after the coyote and show aggression. A good herding Anatolian Shepherd needs to first be able to show that there is a threat by barking and if that does not work, then the dog may go after the threat. The escalation element is very important as in many situations a loud threatening barking is enough for predators to get the message and run away before the dog decides to attack. There are many situations when the dog needs to be able to make its own decision about how to act as it's doing its job. Most of the time there is not enough time to get humans involved in decision making as there is simply not enough time for that. As a result this dog is an independent thinker that learns best when it's doing its job on the field. For example, having an older, more experienced dog that is already very good at herding can be very helpful for a younger Anatolian Shepherd so that the young dog can learn by observing the behavior of the older, more experienced dog. This breed is not recommended as a family pet. The breed is difficult to train. Anatolian Shepherd will likely treat your children as a herd and this may cause certain difficulties. For example, when other kids want to play with your kids, the dog may get suspicious of the other kids or even take the play as a threatening behavior towards the "herd". This is not a safe situation. This is one of the reasons why Anatolian Shepherd is not recommended as a family pet.
If you are looking to adopt an adult Anatolian Shepherd from an Anatolian Shepherd rescue, check the National Anatolian Shepherd rescue network website. Inexperienced dog owners often find themselves unable to keep up with training and socializing their Anatolian Shepherd dog. This lack of training and socializing combined with a large dog size and independent temperament of the animal often results in owners giving up their Anatolian shepherd. The dog ends up in a dog shelter due to no fault of his own. Anatolian Shepherd is a breed that requires an experienced owner who has a large territory to keep the dog busy every day by herding livestock or protecting the territory. This breed is not fit to be a family pet who will lounge on the couch all day long and be content with the lazy way of life. The dog will look for something to keep himself busy with and that often results in problem behavior such as excessive barking, digging or other unwanted dog behaviors.
Anatolian Shepherd training
Like many herding breeds Anatolian Shepherd is a very intelligent dog that was bred to be a reliable helper to herders. During their herding work, Anatolian Shepherd was expected to be able to make independent decisions based on a situation. As a result this intelligent breed can be difficult to train. Start training early and develop the relationship with the puppy where the puppy sees you as the leader of the pack. Having older and more experienced dogs in the pack can help to properly train your Anatolian Shepherd do what it does best - herd the livestock and keep it safe from the predators.
If your Anatolian Shepherd spends time indoors, it is important to start housetraining as soon as you bring the dog home. Watch for signs of dog's readiness to potty, such as the dog sniffing the floor and walking around in circles. Immediately take the dog to the designated potty area where the dog can relieve himself. As soon as Anatolian Shepherd is done, praise the dog and give him a small treat. During housetraining, the Anatolian Shepherd should not be punished for accidents. Ignore accidents and praise good behavior. Clean up the mess and be on the lookout for signs of dog readiness to use a toilet. You may choose to train the dog to potty on command by saying the same command as the dog is doing his business. Saying "Go Potty!" as the dog is relieving himself and then once he is done, immediately reward him with a small treat. After a while the dog will understand the meaning of the command.
Anatolian Shepherd care
Thick, short, double coat needs regular brushing especially when shedding. The heavy shedding occurs twice a year. To keep Anatolian Shepherd's coat and skin healthy, brush the dog frequently.
Best brushes for Anatolian Shepherd include a large pin brush, a slicker brush and PawsPamper undercoat rake.
Get the dog used to having his teeth brushed from a young age. Only use canine toothpaste for your dog. Human toothpaste is not safe for dogs to swallow. Just like humans, dogs need to have their teeth brushed daily to prevent dental issues. The sooner you start brushing your dog's teeth, the easier it will be for the dog to get used to the procedure. Not brushing your dog's teeth will result in plaque build up that will later turn into a hard, yellow tartar that is full of harmful bacteria. Tartar is more difficult to remove and it can harm more than your dog's teeth. The harmful bacteria can cause tooth loss, bad breath and other health issues. Brushing your pet's teeth daily helps to keep your dog's teeth healthy.
Dogs need to have their nails trimmed approximately once every six weeks. Styptic powder will help to stop the bleeding if you accidentally cut the quick as you are trimming the dog's nails.
Keep Anatolian Shepherd's ears clean to prevent ear infections. Ear wipes for dogs make it easy to care for your dog's ears.
A healthy diet consists of high quality age appropriate dog food formulated for large breeds. Do not feed your Anatolian Shepherd human food and keep the dog in healthy weight.
Anatolian Shepherd health issues
Anatolian Shepherds have genetic predispositions to the following diseases: bloat, hip and elbow dysplasia, allergies that make the dog's skin very itchy. Allergies can also cause itching and inflammation in the ears. If you notice that the dog is scratching the ears, shaking the head or is sensitive to the touch around ear area, take the dog to the veterinarian. Anatolian Shepherd is a large breed and as a result bone cancer named osteosarcoma can become an issue. Lameness or pain in the leg or legs is usually the first sign of osteosarcoma. Take your pet to the veterinarian immediately.
Large dogs with a deep chest, such as Anatolian Shepherds have higher chances of getting bloat. Bloat is a serious condition that occurs when the dog's stomach twists on itself and fills with gas and foamy mucus. This dangerous condition can be fatal and the dog needs to be taken to the vet immediately to increase the chance of survival. Bloat is associated with dogs gulping their food fast along with air and a slow feeder dog bowls may help prevent the Anatolian Shepherd from gulping the dog food too fast.
Anatolian Shepherd origin
The Anatolian Shepherd was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1996. The breed originated in Turkey and was developed as a guardian dog for livestock. Kangal dog breed, otherwise known as Karabakh dog breed, Mastiff and sight hound breeds were used to create the Anatolian Shepherd breed. Kangal is the national dog of Turkey and its appearance is reflected on a Turkish postage stamp. Some dog owners are convinced that Kangal and Anatolian Shepherd are the same breed because Kangal breed shares many Anatolian Shepherd traits. Most experts argue that these are two different breeds and even though Kangal breed was used for creating Anatolian Shepherd, these breeds should not be considered the same.
Aksaray Malaklisi is one of the many types of Anatolian Shepherd breeds. It is the largest type of Anatolian Shepherd and has dropped lips. Compared to Aksaray Malaklisi, Kangal has much thinner legs. Aksaray Malaklisi originated from the Turkish city of Aksaray.
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