Anatolian Shepherd

Anatolian Shepherd is a large, powerful, rugged dog, and protective and territorial, but also intelligent, patient, and profoundly loyal.

Daily Care

Grooming Tips

Grooming the Anatolian requires at least weekly brushing, daily during the twice yearly shedding season, and dogs with a thick, plush coat may need to be brushed more frequently. That comes as an unpleasant surprise to some people. It’s even one of the reasons owners give up Anatolians to rescue. On the plus side, baths are rarely necessary. Brushing usually keeps the coat clean, and the dog has little odor.
Anatolians have drop ears, so they can be prone to ear infections. Keep the ears clean and dry to prevent bacterial or yeast infections from taking hold.
The rest is basic care. Trim the nails as needed, usually every few weeks. Brush the teeth frequently for good overall health and fresh breath.

Exercise Tips

Anatolian will be happy with the time in a yard—be sure it has a tall, strong fence and a locked gate.
He only needs a moderate amount ofexercise,and a long walk once or twice a day. Remember, though, that an Anatolian must be kept on a leash whenever he is taken out of the home.

Feeding Tips

Even though this is a big dog, the Anatolian Shepherd is a conservative eater. This breed doesn’t do well with commercial foods that are high in protein. In its native environment, the Anatolian Shepherd sticks to a mainly vegetarian diet.
But your dog will thrive quite well on a quality lamb/rice or chicken based diet. You may choose to go with a commercially produced holistic diet or supplement a dry food diet with cooked chicken, cooked rice, yogurt and/or cottage cheese. As well, a Vitamin C supplement will offer additional health benefits to your Anatolian Shepherd Dog.

Health Tips

The average life span of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog is 10 to 13 years. Breed health concerns may includecancer,ear infections,entropion,hip dysplasia, andhypothyroidism. Otherwise, they appear to be healthy, hearty dogs.

Trainability

Because the breed tends to be wary toward others and instinctively protective, an Anatolian puppy must be socialized.Obedience trainingis a must with the breed. The Anatolian was bred to work independently, make decisions on his own, and protect his flock from outsiders, and training the breed to respond to commands can be a challenge. Under no circumstances should an Anatolian receive protection or guard-dog training.

History

The Anatolian Shepherd is a shepherd’s guard dog of ancient lineage; probably descended from the large hunting dogs existing in Mesopotamia. The breed has evolved over the ages to suit a specific set of circumstances. Of these, the most formative are the climate (hot and very dry summers; very cold winters), the people’s lifestyles (from settled to semi- and wholly nomadic), and the work assigned to the dogs. They guard flocks traveling great distances on the Central Anatolian Plateau, staying out through all weather conditions. The Anatolian Shepherd was recognized by the AKC in 1996.