Anatolian Shepherd

History

Over 6,000 years old and closely related to the "Kangal Dog" and "Akbash Dog", the Anatolian Shepherd originated in the high plateau of Anatolia, central Turkey. This breed was created to guard sheep from predators such as wolves, bears and cheetahs. This breed isn't seen often today and is currently not one of the top 100 most popular dog breeds in the USA due to being difficult to own and raise, however it still remains the National dog of Turkey, and is kept as a prized possession breed where it was created.

Appearance

The Anatolian Shepherd is a very hardy breed, built muscular and for speed and endurance. They have a large body weighing in between 100-150 pounds and measuring 26-31 inches in height. Short hair covers their body, with slightly longer hair on their tail, commonly seen in a fawn shading with a black mask, however all other colors are acceptable for this breed including brindle, tan, red, brown, and black. Anatolian Shepherd has a slightly rounded head with large and firm triangular ears that fall along side of their face. Their rectangular shaped muzzled coming to a clean stop with a large black nose. The Anatolian Shepherd should have a long tail that stands out from their body and curls slightly up. This breed is available in short and long hair versions.

Temperament

The Anatolian Shepherd is not a breed for everyone. This breed requires a very experienced dog owner, one who demands leadership and is capable of remaining consistent and in control using positive reinforcement. This breed is a constant protector and this trait cannot be brought out of the dog, due to this, the breed requires a calm house hold that is consistent and organized. The Anatolian Shepherd is not recommended for households with small children, other animals or elderly. This dog will view the property and home as his or hers for its life. No extra protective training is necessary for this breed or recommended. The Anatolian Shepherd is very loyal to its owner and proper socialization is extremely important. This breed requires a lot of daily exercise, a fenced yard is necessary.

Grooming

The Anatolian Shepherd sheds every 6 months. Brush and bathe when needed. This breed is not able to be taken to the groomers.

Special Notes

This breed requires socialization at a very early age to insure a vet will be able to properly care for them when they will need it. A mobile vet that is able to make regular home visits is recommended for this breed. This breed is not able to be in public places or around strangers and other animals. Please fully educate yourself about this breed prior to choosing one for yourself to make sure you are able to properly and safely care for this breed. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.