# Anatolian Shepard



## JB (Dec 13, 2011)

I am considering a Anatolian Shepard to replace my older German Shepard.  Is there anyone out there who has experience with this breed.  I'm mainly concerned if they are the type of dog that will wander if left home alone in an unfenced area.  Also, if someone the dog doesn't know comes onto the property will the dog attack the person or just bark and look intimidating?


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## kstaven (Dec 13, 2011)

I can tell you from experience that only time and training or lack there of will answer those questions.


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## terrilhb (Dec 13, 2011)




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## greybeard (Dec 13, 2011)

JB--welcome to BYH!!

I have a 1/2 anatolian shepard and tho I agree 100% with kstaven's response, I will offer my experince and say my 1/2 shepard 1/2 collie will bark at anything and everything new that moves within sight, sound or scent. That includes people, but once they are actually on premises, no matter who they are, he's immediately their best friend.  Not neccessarily a good thing. I had a theft take place last year on the front of my property, and it had to have taken a couple of hrs to complete, and I have little doubt that my dog went to investigate, barked a few times then sat right down nearby and watched the whole thing go down as they hauled off a compressor, welding machine, and about 300 lbs of copper wire.  Craves attention and is unwavering in faithfullness. Follows everywhere I go on the property whether I'm afoot or tractor or truck--freezing wet weather or blazing hot. If I stop to do work, he just lays down and watches till I move on. Fearless to a fault. I've a ton of vet bills as he has taken on feral hogs, coyotes, and a mountain lion. Very very intelligent, but a mind of his own when he wants to be that way. I learned quickly tho, he's very jealous of other dogs, specifically males. I had another dog, a blue healer male, and learned to pet them both AT THE SAME TIME--otherwise, the battle is on and it ain't pretty. They were best of friends 99% of the time, but show one more attention than the otherand the shepard will not tolerate it.  The healer was officially named Spot, but I called him buzzsaw. He was docile as can be, but if threatened by something wild, he turned into a screaming, fighting ball of fur, teeth and claws. Another that cost me a bunch of vet bills--he just won't back down no matter what the predator was. Tough country here--for man and beast. Living in the heart of a National Forest has it's perils--we don't traverse the property at night unarmed or without the dogs--especially without the dogs--not that we could stop them from going.


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## JB (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks for the info.  Here in Northern Idaho we have lots of predators native to the mountains.  Most recently the grey wolf, which was reintroduced about 15 years ago, has been a problem for livestock owners.  I haven't had any trouble on my place other than there are fewer elk now.  My German Shepard gets in more fights with skunks and racoons than anything.   My acreage is not completly fenced to keep a dog in.  My German Shepard runs free all the time and stays close to the house.  I am hoping he will help train a Anatolian puppy to do the same.  To me it does no good to have a watch dog if he isn't out and free to do his work.  I was wondering if the breed is a natural roamer.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Dec 13, 2011)

JB said:
			
		

> I am considering a Anatolian Shepard to replace my older German Shepard.  Is there anyone out there who has experience with this breed.  I'm mainly concerned if they are the type of dog that will wander if left home alone in an unfenced area.  Also, if someone the dog doesn't know comes onto the property will the dog attack the person or just bark and look intimidating?


I have never owned one, but I have a friend who has one. He will never get another kind of herd protection. He even started a breed program. He said that the parents teach the kids what to do, but with his first two, he had to train them on what to do. They have kept stray dogs off the property, and have chased off numerous coyotes.


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## carolinagirl (Dec 21, 2011)

Anatolian Shepherds (and really ALL of the LGD breeds) have been used for thousands of years guarding livestock in large open areas.  They are quite used to patrolling huge areas, to make sure predators are not around.  Because of this, they are not a breed that can be expected to stay in an unfenced area.  They do need good fencing (and usually some electric wire) to make sure that they don't try to establish their own territory, which will probably be far beyond your property line.


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## dwbonfire (Dec 21, 2011)

these are questions i had too because i lost my german shepherd and she was just as you describe your dog- loyal and stayed close to home. we have a dog we rescued here and i have no clue of her breed, she wanders alot. she coaxed my shepherd off one afternoon and my shepherd never came back. i do strongly believe a hunter got her because they are ridiculously territorial out there and say dogs scare away the deer so they just shoot them. terrible.
anyway i think i will get another german shepherd, rather than another breed. i also agree with a dog needing to be loose to do thier job so i need a dog that stays home. if you get an anatolian (which i have no experience with) and it wanders as some have said they would, it will do you no good and possibly make your shepherd wander like what happened to me.
then again, the pup may learn from your shepherd to stay home too. its kind of a toss up, and im in the same boat as you. i need a dog thats also protective with PEOPLE, not strictly predators, so i feel like another german shepherd is the way to go for me. good luck with what you decide, and i'd like to hear back from you with your decision and experience with it!


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## carolinagirl (Dec 21, 2011)

dwbonfire said:
			
		

> these are questions i had too because i lost my german shepherd and she was just as you describe your dog- loyal and stayed close to home. we have a dog we rescued here and i have no clue of her breed, she wanders alot. she coaxed my shepherd off one afternoon and my shepherd never came back. i do strongly believe a hunter got her because they are ridiculously territorial out there and say dogs scare away the deer so they just shoot them. terrible.
> anyway i think i will get another german shepherd, rather than another breed. i also agree with a dog needing to be loose to do thier job so i need a dog that stays home. if you get an anatolian (which i have no experience with) and it wanders as some have said they would, it will do you no good and possibly make your shepherd wander like what happened to me.
> then again, the pup may learn from your shepherd to stay home too. its kind of a toss up, and im in the same boat as you. i need a dog thats also protective with PEOPLE, not strictly predators, so i feel like another german shepherd is the way to go for me. good luck with what you decide, and i'd like to hear back from you with your decision and experience with it!


nope....an Anatolian pup won't learn not to wander from the shepherd.  It has too many generations of wandering in it's DNA to learn not to from another dog.  Quite honestly, no dog should be left loose unless you are on hundreds of acres.  I have had too many of my own animals killed by people's pets who are not confined at home.  And yes....domestic dogs are very hard on the deer population and are often shot by hunters.....which is actually quite legal to do in most states.  If the dog was in the woods near a hunter's stand, it was not staying home anyway, right?  Dogs who are allowed to wander is the main reason I bought Anatolian shepherds.  I am not home to protect my sheep all the time.  Once these dogs get big enough, neighbor's dogs will no longer be an issue to me.


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## dwbonfire (Dec 21, 2011)

carolinagirl said:
			
		

> dwbonfire said:
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i dont want to get into an arguement over the right hunters have to shoot someones dog. my dog had a collar on, and never went off into the woods but that one time. i think its quite clear to tell a scraggly dirty stray dog to a clean well fed purebred dog, and to me thats very wrong to kill someones pet who may have stepped off thier property one time. also, if i had a dog that could be a danger to anyones animals, firstly i would not have it because i have livestock of my own, but secondly i would not let it loose to wander and possibly kill someones livestock. i have had my sheep killed by something and stray dogs were said to be a possibility so i understand the concern of keeping your dogs in your own yard. BUT again, my dog never hurt a fly and was not the kind of dog to take down a deer so that was most certainly not happening, therefore no need to shoot her. i think hunters need to take it down a notch with being so territorial because hunting is a SPORT, this isnt the old days where people are hunting to feed thier families. sure some are, but most of the hunters around here have brand new atvs and deer feeders baiting the deer and cameras in the woods, all expensive items for thier hobby. i dont knock hunting, but i also wont be told someone had the right to shoot my dog because she innocently crossed thier path.
but anyway to stay on track, if keeping a dog loose is your plan as is mine, an anitolian is probably not the way to go from the info provided.


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## JB (Dec 21, 2011)

Can an Anatolian be taught to respect boundries fenced well enough to keep in stock but not necessarily a dog determined to get out?  I have twenty acres of pasture and mixed timber.  Putting up a six foot fence around all of it is out of the question.  I also don't want to battle with a dog who has a strong instinct to wander.  I absolutely don't want a dog leaving my property and possibly causing damage at neighbor's place.  Maybe I'm looking at the wrong breed to replace my german shepard.  Your thoughts.


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## carolinagirl (Dec 22, 2011)

JB said:
			
		

> Can an Anatolian be taught to respect boundries fenced well enough to keep in stock but not necessarily a dog determined to get out?  I have twenty acres of pasture and mixed timber.  Putting up a six foot fence around all of it is out of the question.  I also don't want to battle with a dog who has a strong instinct to wander.  I absolutely don't want a dog leaving my property and possibly causing damage at neighbor's place.  Maybe I'm looking at the wrong breed to replace my german shepard.  Your thoughts.


I have my Anatolians in 4' stock fence with a strand of electric wire inside, about 18" up.  They respect it VERY well.  But they are still pups too, at 8 months of age.  I do know of plenty of people who have no trouble at all keeping them in with electric.  My pasture is cross-fenced with 3 strands of electric and they do not challenge that either.  Teaching them young about the electric is a good idea.  A female or a neutered male is less likely to wander.  Anatolians do not have the prey drive that a shepherd has.  For the most part, they are very laid back dogs.  they are not highly obedient because they are intelligent free-thinkers.  They see what needs to be done and they do it.  When they feel something is a threat, their first reaction is to just show their size. Then they bark.  Then they bark more aggressively.  And if necessary, they may bite....but that's a last resort to them.  They don't like to get buddy-buddy with strangers.  They will accept strangers that you accept, but they probably won't ever show the stranger much affection.   I am so in love with this breed.  My puppies each weigh over 90 pounds.  And even though they are pups, they look and act like adult dogs.  When I go sit in the pasture, they both come to me very calmly and sit quietly with me.  No bouncing, hoping or any of that wild puppy stuff.  They just have this calm confidence about them that I have never seen in a puppy before.  I know of Anatolians who are therapy dogs, service dogs, show dogs, home guardians, and of course livestock guardians.  I even know of Anatolians who has gotten obedience certifications.  Work strongly on obedience training when he is little.  He will retain much of it once he is grown.  I have my dogs sit and lie down each time I go out to the pasture.  They both walk on a leash and ride in the car, although Isaac LOVES to travel much more than Eli does.  This is a majestic breed and I am really happy I chose them.


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## Roll farms (Dec 22, 2011)

I've had 2 Anatolians and 2 Pyrenees, and one A/P cross.

Never had one leave our fence.  From what I've read, that's pretty awesome luck, because our fence is NOT 'dog proof' - chain link w/ hot wire at the bottom around 3 sides.
I have seen my male dogs chew on the chain link they were so angry / upset over other dogs on our property, so I'm pretty sure they wanted out.  They just didn't get out.  Our pasture's only slightly over 1 acre so it's not as if they have tons of room to roam, either.
How 'bonded' they are to their pen/livestock (IMHO) matters a lot, too.  My dogs get really nervous when taken out of the barn / pasture...they KNOW where they belong.

In our experience, the Pyr are more likely to 'accept' strangers, and a tad less stubborn than the Anatolian.  They are supposed to be able to 'do their job' w/out a human there to tell them what to do, and sometimes they just think they 'know better' than you do.  Not a breed for the easily intimidated or pushovers.  You have to be the 'pack leader'.

One suggestion would be (if you go w/ the Anatolian) to get it fixed.  It will NOT ruin it's ability to guard, it will enhance it, and perhaps curb the desire to roam a bit, esp. if there's an intact member of the opposite sex nearby.  

I wish you were closer, I have a 5 mo. old pup you could take for a test run / return if it didn't work out.


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## JB (Dec 22, 2011)

Thanks alot for all of your input.  So far I am impressed with what I've learned about the breed from the web or books.  The only thing that bothered me is keeping the dog at home when I'm gone and the fact that they are voracious diggers.  I am used to training strong dogs as I am a former law enforcement dog handler.  My current German Shepard is a retired service dog.  He is push button when it comes to dicipline and never leaves the property.  My current and previous shepards all came from Europe.  I would get another German Shepard; however it seems difficult to get a good american breed dog without spending serious money.  At any rate, I though I would try an Anatolian.  I live in a very rural area and want a dog that will watch my place when I'm away for the day.  The only stock I have are horses and chickens.  Although there is a threat from predators here, I haven't had too much trouble with them.  Coyotes, mountain lion, bobcat and wolves all pass through mostly at night.  My main reason for wanting an intimidating dog is to keep the two legged critters away.  Therefore, I want the dog to watch the area immediatly surrounding my home and confront people it doesn't know.  Keeping the dog in a fenced area not allowing it to do it's work would be useless to me.  Again, I don't want a dog that will roam around as I to don't like it when other people don't keep their dogs at home.  Also, I planned on getting a male Anatolian and having it fixed.  The breeder suggested I wait until the pup was at least 1 1/2 before doing so.  I have visited the breeder and viewed the dogs.  She has a female that is 7/8 Anatolian and 1/8 Great Pyreenes that is breed by a papered male Anatolian.  I can get a pup from her fairly reasonable since it won't be papered.  They are a beautiful breed.


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## carolinagirl (Dec 22, 2011)

They are indeed a beautiful breed.  Since you are used to handling strong dogs, you would probably be the perfect Anatolian Shepherd owner.  Just be aware that they will probably never be push-button trained as your GSDs are.  They just aren't wired that way.  My pups are 8 months old and so far, have not dug at all.  From what I have seen, digging is more of a Great Pyrenees trait than Anatolian.  Part of it may be that the GPs have heavy coat and they are trying to get cool.  My Anatolians just find a shady spot and are fine without digging.  It seems that a few DO dig, but so far mine do not.  And if you are looking for more of a protection-type animal, Anatolians are much better suited to that than GPs are.  GPs accept strangers quite easily.  GPs also have a different type of guarding style that did not appeal to me.  They tend to be barkers.  Their guarding style is barking (especially at night) just to let any predators that might be in the area know that they are on duty and don't come around.  Anatolians are more watchful and quieter, barking if there is something to bark at.  Isaac is an awesome watchdog!  He is awake most of the night, keeping an eye on things.  He's learning what should be barked at and what shouldn't.  He does not bark for hours at nothing.  He barks if he hears something strange, then quickly quiets down on his own as soon as he figured out it is not a threat.  Eli never, ever barks.  He's there with Isaac if they investigate something, but he is quiet. 







This is Eli.....I LOVE his eyes!!


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## JB (Dec 22, 2011)

They're beautiful.


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## Roll farms (Dec 22, 2011)

That new Anatolian pup of ours never.shuts.up.  I'm hoping he'll quiet down once he gets used to things.  He's picking up the routine amazingly fast.

There are variations in every breed.  Our Anatolians haven't been diggers, but one of the pyrs loved to.


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## Ms. Research (Dec 23, 2011)

carolinagirl said:
			
		

> They are indeed a beautiful breed.  Since you are used to handling strong dogs, you would probably be the perfect Anatolian Shepherd owner.  Just be aware that they will probably never be push-button trained as your GSDs are.  They just aren't wired that way.  My pups are 8 months old and so far, have not dug at all.  From what I have seen, digging is more of a Great Pyrenees trait than Anatolian.  Part of it may be that the GPs have heavy coat and they are trying to get cool.  My Anatolians just find a shady spot and are fine without digging.  It seems that a few DO dig, but so far mine do not.  And if you are looking for more of a protection-type animal, Anatolians are much better suited to that than GPs are.  GPs accept strangers quite easily.  GPs also have a different type of guarding style that did not appeal to me.  They tend to be barkers.  Their guarding style is barking (especially at night) just to let any predators that might be in the area know that they are on duty and don't come around.  Anatolians are more watchful and quieter, barking if there is something to bark at.  Isaac is an awesome watchdog!  He is awake most of the night, keeping an eye on things.  He's learning what should be barked at and what shouldn't.  He does not bark for hours at nothing.  He barks if he hears something strange, then quickly quiets down on his own as soon as he figured out it is not a threat.  Eli never, ever barks.  He's there with Isaac if they investigate something, but he is quiet.
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> http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h331/bearcreek58/Anatolian Shepherds/IMG_1972Medium.jpg
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Boy they are getting big and BEAUTIFUL!  So glad to hear they are both doing well.  

K


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## carolinagirl (Dec 23, 2011)

Roll, Isaac went though a period where he was barking a lot at night, at every little noise he heard.  He is learning though and usually now only barks at things he doesn't understand.  And he quiets down really quickly on his own.  I don't think I have ever heard Eli make a peep.  He's very quiet but is watching....he is just quiet about it.  I have noticed that when they are laying in the field, they are usually always facing opposite directions.  They lay right next to each other, but each facing a different way.  And i think I figured out why they won't use a dog house.  They can't see!  I saw them use the houses once in a very hard rain.  They'd only stay in the house for a few minutes....then they'd step back out in the rain, look around and go back in.  I really think they don't like the houses because it blocks their view.  I am going to build them a raised platform that is high enough that they can sleep under it to get out of the rain, or sleep on top to get a better view.


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