Anatolian Shepherd Dog - breed description and dog character

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a rather old breed, originating from the ancient hunting and cattle-breeding dogs of Mesopotamia. Subsequently, this breed changed its territorial location. The main task of the ancestors of Anatolian shepherds was to protect the sheep from attack by predators. It is worth noting that this breed existed more than 6 thousand years ago. Over time, the Anatolian Shepherd Dog underwent numerous changes, which allowed them to have outstanding qualities and meet the requirements of modern realities.

An unusual climate had the greatest impact on the formation of the character and behavior characteristics of this breed: a very cold winter and, at the same time, an arid and hot summer, as well as a semi-nomadic lifestyle and responsibilities in the form of constant protection of herds. In ancient times, these dogs were used to drive herds from one locality to another.

Anatolian Shepherd Dog: Breed Standard

It is worth noting that these dogs are an impressive sight. This is not surprising, because the shepherd takes its roots from Middle Eastern mastiffs, who are famous for their large size. Male Anatolian shepherd dogs reach a height of 79 centimeters and a mass of 68 kilograms at the withers. Females are slightly smaller in size, the maximum height at the withers is 76 centimeters, and the mass is 59 kilograms. Such shepherds are very powerful animals, however, despite their outward heaviness and impudence, they are quite calm and confident.

You can recognize dogs of this breed by the following description of appearance:

1. Anatolian shepherd dogs have a large and fairly wide head. Between the ears it has a flat shape, between the eyes there is an unexpressed furrow. In a healthy animal, the skull is proportional to the body.
2. The muzzle of the animal has a shape close to square. Jaw with strong teeth, scissor bite. Lips are usually black.
3. The nose is mostly dark in color: black or dark brown, pronounced.
4. The eyes of the animal are not too large, on such a large muzzle they look even small. However, such a keen look gives the impression of an attentive and responsible guard. The shape of the eyes is almond-shaped, the color is deep brown or amber. The eyes are usually deep set and set wide apart.
5. Anatolian shepherd dogs have triangular hanging ears that fall on the muzzle in front of it. The length of the ears of the animal is average.
6. The dog’s neck has a somewhat arched shape, very powerful and powerful.
7. The body of the shepherd dogs is proportional, has a somewhat square shape. Animals have a taut belly and a deep chest. Anatolian shepherds also have a strong muscular back.
8. The tail of the representatives of this breed is long and high, however, most often they are rolled into a ring.
9. The front legs of the shepherd dogs are straight and stable. The hind legs are also well developed and have great strength.
10. Paws themselves in the breed are oval. They have strong claws and bent stable fingers.
11. Coat Anatolian shepherd dogs can be of different lengths. There are representatives of the breed with short hair from 2.5 centimeters, and there are also long-haired animals with fur up to 10.5 cm. Hair of shepherds is straight and not curled, there is a good undercoat.
12. Color in animals of this breed can be varied. However, the most preferred options are solid monophonic color with a tan or fawn in the presence of a dark mask and ears.

Character of Anatolian Shepherd Dog

Anatolian shepherds were bred without any special human involvement in this process. Initially, they were created specifically for the protection of large herds of sheep and other domestic animals. These dogs were not raised by humans, they had to make the right decisions on their own. Anatolian shepherds are exclusively a shepherd breed, and therefore these animals spend almost all their time with the herd protected by them. Dogs are very brave and ready to protect their wards from any threats.

In behavior, representatives of this breed can periodically be very stubborn and unwilling to obey the owner. Such shepherd dogs are very fast and smart, however, you can not always force them to execute commands. Despite their independence, as well as the desire for independence, Anatolian shepherds are good guardians, as well as defenders of their own home, owners and animals living nearby.

Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a breed that has developed precisely as a working one. Such animals are not suitable for the role of partner or pet. Due to the fact that representatives of shepherd dogs take their duties very seriously, it can be quite difficult to cope with them in normal communication. It should be understood that Anatolian shepherds have a natural instinct for dominance, making it very difficult to control them. For this reason, it is highly discouraged to start dogs of this breed for people who previously did not have experience with dogs and their upbringing, since the animal can simply get out of control.

Representatives of this breed are ferocious, large and extremely hardy animals. They will definitely try to pull the blanket over themselves and take responsibility for order in the house, especially if there is no strong leader in it. Owners of Anatolian shepherds need to understand the order inside the flock, otherwise they risk remaining on a secondary line and transfer leadership to a strong dog. Such animals need a very strong and confident owner who can take responsibility for the pet and educate him correctly.

Anatolian shepherds can become real members of the family, they rarely show aggression to households as well as neighbors. As for strangers and animals, here the dog can exhibit aggressive behavior. It is worth noting that the representatives of this breed accurately determine who can be a danger to households and who can’t. If you train and train dogs from an early age, you can teach the animal not to react aggressively, but to perceive all visitors the same way.

About Anatolian shepherds can not be said that they are very friendly and even more timid. These dogs are very restrained in nature, and therefore do not like very much when they are disturbed. In order for the animal to respond normally to external influences, especially from households, it is necessary to instill tolerance in it from an early age.

If for some reason a representative of Anatolian Shepherd Dogs considers a stranger, be it a person or an animal, a threat to himself or his wards, he will behave towards them very confidently and insolently. However, representatives of this breed never attack just like that, but only in the presence of a real threat.

Socialization and attitude towards children

When interacting with children in a family, shepherds tend to behave quite friendly and are in close contact with the kids. However, children should not be left unattended in private with the animal, especially if outside children are also playing nearby. A dog can easily perceive other people's children as a threat.

A feature of Anatolian shepherd dogs is the presence of a strong family attraction, which forms an animal's affection for family members and other animals living together on the farm. If there are other dogs in the house, the shepherd is unlikely to share his guard duties with them. In addition, Anatolian shepherd dogs will try to get the better of other animals and become their leader. Representatives of the breed can perceive the protective functions in the family exclusively as their own, without taking into account other watchdogs.

Security qualities

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are characterized by patrolling the protected area. Dogs of this breed can often be seen lying in the yard in a calm state. However, you need to know that at this time the dog monitors the territory entrusted to him and determines the potential danger.

If any visitor enters the yard, this can be recognized by the loud bark of an Anatolian shepherd. The animal will stand in the way of a stranger and will not let him pass to the entrance. With his bark, the dog makes a kind of warning to the stranger, and then will observe his behavior. Guests must be accompanied to the house, otherwise the dog may not miss it and even attack.

What is the health of Anatolian shepherds?

The main health problem of Anatolian shepherds is traditionally considered a low level of development of the immune system. The fact is that in this breed immunity begins to develop somewhat later than in many other animals from the canine family. This problem can be solved at an early age with the help of special injections.

Note! The body of the shepherd is very sensitive to anesthesia, so before its introduction it is very important to test its effect on the animal.

The most likely pathologies in Anatolian shepherds can be:

• skin diseases;
• hypothyroidism;
• variance of the spine;
• entropion of the eyelids.

How to care for the Anatolian shepherd?

That the animal was healthy, strong and well-groomed, attention should be paid to the following fronts:

1. The coat of this dog is of medium length. As a rule, when changing the undercoat, the shepherd dogs begin to molt, so at this time you should not forget about cleaning, it is best to carry out it once a week. Dogs of this breed do not have a strong smell, and therefore they can be bathed quite rarely, just a few times a year is enough.
2. Teeth should also be given attention. It is necessary from an early age to accustom the animal to brushing your teeth. For this procedure, you need to buy a special brush with silicone bristles so as not to injure the dog's oral cavity, as well as a special paste that will attract the animal. Brushing your dog is enough once a week.
3. The ears of the dog must be constantly cleaned so that dirt and parasites do not accumulate in them.
4. The eyes also need to be checked and cleaned regularly, especially when the animal returns from the pasture.
5. When the claws grow above normal, they must be cut off.
6. It is best to feed the representatives of this shepherd breed with natural feed. If you want to pick up dry food, you should first consult your veterinarian.

Despite the fact that in most cases, animals of this breed have freedom and move freely around the territory entrusted to them, it is still necessary to allocate special time for periodic walks.

Video: Anatolian Shepherd Dog Breed