Anatolian Shepherd Dog (Livestock Guardian Dog)

[kuntrygirl]

Does anyone own this type of dog? Would this be a good dog to have around chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, sheep and goats? Any drawbacks about having this type of dog?

 

[gritsar]

I have long admired the breed, but don't know more than just the basics about them. I did want to point out to you, in case you haven't stumbled across it yourself, the National Anatolian Shepherd Rescue Network:

http://www.nasrn.com/

 

[carolinagirl58]

This a large powerful dog that needs good fencing, and it is an excellent livestock guardian breed. You can't just bet a pup and plop it down with the livestock and expect it to be perfect though. Like any farm duty, it takes time and training. But they are great dogs. I have two 17 week old pups right now. I adore them!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I have a 1/2 Anatolian and he's great.

 

[kuntrygirl]

gritsar, thank you VERY much for that link. I appreciate you posting that.

carolinagirl58 at what age do you begin training your dog for "farm duty". Is 6 weeks to young or do you suggest starting sooner? What kind of setup do you have as far as how much time the dog spends with your animals?; Do you have dog houses in the "chicken yard"?' Do they eat in the chicken yard"? Do you have a problem with the chickens eating their dog food?

Rare Feathers Farm, do you have pics of your dog? What is it mixed with? What is your setup like? At what age did you train your dog or put your dog with your animals?

 

[carolinagirl58]

I built a puppy pen inside the sheep paddock. two sides of the pen are made of stock panels so chickens can come and go as they please. And they do all the time. The pups have not tried to hurt them but if they do, the chickens can escape. This set up will allow the sheep to get used to the dogs as well as the dogs getting used to the sheep. My sheep are terrified of dogs so the sheep will need time to get used to the pups before I turn the pups loose in their pen. I take the pups around the sheep on leashes every day. I also take these pups off the farm to socialize them. I do intend to show them both when they are older. Some people are very against the idea of letting a LGD pup bond to you. There seems to be two very different schools of thought on that subject. I know people who have done it both ways and I prefer to have dogs I can easily manage, especially when the breed is as powerful as this one.

Right now, the pups are very playful pups. They have no prey drive, but they DO have a "play" drive and may chase playfully which is why no pup can be left unattended with livestock unless it has an adult LGD present to teach it how it is to behave. Since I don't have an adult, I will have to do the training and teach them what is acceptable.

I feed the pups twice a day and stand there with them while they eat so the chickens don't steal their food. They each have an igloo dog house in their pen. I actually have two dog pens. One is in the sheep paddock and the other one is next to my yard. I do separate the boys too, so they can be used to being alone or with each other. The pup who's turn it is to be in the yard gets lots of one-on-one time with the family (and extended family including my grandson) and our family dogs. they get to come inside and go on field trips to the farmer's market or tractor supply. Sometimes both pups get to come spend time at the house. I want these dogs to be versitile. I want them comfortable laying on my front porch guarding me or laying among the sheep guarding them.

As far as age goes, the pups should not leave their mother until they are 8 weeks. Be wary of a breeder who will let you take them earlier than that. They need that time with their siblings to learn some early social lessons. Ideally, you will want to get a dog from a breeder who has working stock and the pups should have already spent time around livestock.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
He's mixed with a border collie--he's basically one on steroids. He's got a strong herding instinct but he's also a coyote killer. He's very sweet unless we ask him to be otherwise. He's great with all of the animals. We started him with the goats & chickens when he was 6 weeks old. We don't have a fence at all and we have thousands of acres around our place. We've had no trouble with him wandering or leaving at all.

The night we brought him home:

"Guarding" the goats on his own the next day (outside of their pen, LOL)

He's great with little puppies, too!

In response to me telling him there was a coyote!

Being very tolerate with Hank, our heeler pup!

Here's a video my sister's boyfriend finally uploaded to Youtube almost a year after this happened.

Cash is the big black/white dog (mine), Bailey is the chocolate lab that belongs to my parents and Hank (the heeler) is mine as well. He was pretty young when this was taken....yes, he pees on Cash. Poor Cash, LOL

 

[watchdogps]

I raise them. They are AMAZING dogs IF you understand and accept that they are NOT like other dogs. They are PARTNERS, not dogs you OWN. CarolinaGirl has given you good advice. I've spoken to her many times and she was well prepared for hers and had done lots of homework before bringing hers home.
I'm always happy to talk to people about them, but it's far easier on the phone because I have a lot to say! PM me your number and we can chat "in person".
My avatar is a girl from my first litter, Lira.

 

[watchdogps]

RareFeathersFarm - I am glad you got lucky with your boy, and he seems to have the best of both breeds. That doesnt always happen when you cross breeds with opposing behavior traits. I know of another BC/ASD cross who happened to get the total opposite - he's high strung, guardy and will chase and kill anything smaller than him. Not a good farm dog at all. Unless you really know what to look for in an individual dog, a cross like that is a huge gamble.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Yeah we just got lucky. I wish we would have bought a few of them when we had the chance. I got him from a "breeder" about 2 hours away from us for $75.00 He's been an awesome dog. My next dog will probably be a purebred, though....