Anatolian Shepherd Dogs

[Patchesnposies]

Hello Folks,

I have been researching LGD's and have settled on the Anatolian Shepherd Dog. I live in the desert of southern New Mexico and I wanted a dog that could handle heat as well as cold,for one thing.

This will not be a dog that stays outside all of the time. It will be a family dog as well.

I did want a dog that was bred to guard and not one who considers livestock as prey.

I know that just because it has the potential to be good with chickens and other animals, it won't happen without lots of training. I am prepared to invest the time and energy.

I am just wondering if anyone who has an ASD would be willing to share their experiences with me.

I am adopting an ASD pup from a rescue group. It is a female, 3 mos old. I am so excited!

 

[sandypaws]

i dont own one but i have delt with a few... cool dogs..
in africa they use them to keep the cheetah and leopards away from livestock (goats)
congrats and good luck

 

[cyanne]

The only issue I see is the part about keeping the LGD inside for part of the time. I'm not saying it can't work to some extent, but the problem is that LGDs are bred to protect the livestock that they are raised with and live with. They stay with 'their' animals full time. Part of what makes them protective is that they consider those animals as part of their pack or family. Keeping them indoors makes them bond with humans as their family, then they aren't as interested in protecting anything else. Which is fine if you are primarily wanting a pet that will play with your kids and protect you and them. Not so much if you are wanting them to protect your goats, sheep, chickens, or whatever.

Also, the time when people usually want to bring their pets in the house, such as in the evening or at night, are the prime time when predators attack and if the LGD is inside he can't do anything to protect the livestock.

If you are thinking of adding an LGD to your family do an internet search and read through the info on care and training as it is very different than what you would use for a standard pet dog. I recently bought an Anatolian/Pyr cross to help protect my goats, and prior to owning him I had only owned my very spoiled pet dogs which live in my house most of the time.

I wasn't sure at first about the idea of having a dog that lived outdoors full time, but I did my research and bought a dog that was raised with goats from birth and he actually seems very happy to live in the goat pasture with "his" goats. Don't get me wrong, I still provide the best care in the way of premium dog food (supplemented by all of the goat feed he steals) vaccines, heartworm prevention, etc, and he even has his own shelter (though he rarely uses it because he prefers to be able to watch over the goats).

If you are not really interested in a dog for guarding livestock, and just looking for one as a companion, you could still get a LGD of course, but it would seem to make more sense to get something smaller and lower maintenance for that purpose because it definitely isn't cheap to feed an LGD that gets up to 200lbs!

 

[sandypaws]

cyanne.. is right.. the flock protection dog needs to BOND and be raised with the flock you want it to protect..
you need the dog "handleable" but not really YOUR best friend.. it need to be best friends with the flock.. sorry

 

[cyanne]

Yeah, with these guys it is not so much a matter of 'training' them to guard the animals you want them to watch. It is more a matter of raising them alongside the type of animals you want them to bond with from as early an age as possible.

In fact, they are not what you would call extremely 'trainable.' They are very independent and borderline stubborn when it comes to teaching them standard dog stuff. From what I have read, this is due to thousands of years of breeding to make them independent thinkers so that they can be trusted to watch the livestock and decide on what constitutes a threat and decide how to deal with it all on their own when the shepherd is gone.

Not saying they can't be trained, just that it's a little tougher than most breeds and you need to have slightly different expectations. They aren't going to fall all over themselves to please you like some breeds will and sometimes I swear I can see mine thinking to himself about whether to humor me and do what I want him to!

 

[Chatychick]

I have 4 Anat/GP mix and love them and they stay out with the goats at all times. Mine were raised with them and when my female had pups they grew up with the goats also...the motehr trained them what to do and not to do....she even got onto them when they would chase the roosters...My female is wonderful and when I sold my pups the people got Great dogs that knew what they were doing...I do praise mine and pet them but they really dont like it when someone comes into the pens or into the pasture if they dont know them. I pity the fool that trys it when we arent here.

 

[Livinzoo]

I adopted a 4 yo anatolian. The previous owner had goats, but she didn't live with them. After a month of working on training her. She got out of the pen and actually attacked 2 of my hogs. She was near food and is very food aggressive. I hadn't seen her act that aggressive since we got her. Needless to say I'm rehoming her again. I just hope I can find a home that fits her needs, as we have grown attached to her. And I'm looking for a new dog that would work with my pigs, goats and chickens.

 

[Patchesnposies]

I so appreciate everyone who has posted. I am continuing my research and am hopeful that we can have the best of both worlds.

I have had Old English Mastiffs, who were gentle giants, just not very long lived. I fell in love with the ASD because they seem to have the same sort of temperament, only had centuries of livestock guarding bred into them.

I want to spend the first 18 mos to 2 years training our new dog to be trustworthy with my poultry. This is a link to a site that has given me hope that I can focus this puppy's natural tendencies towards doing the job it was created to do, while still being a part of the family.

And by that I don't meanthat she will lay at my feet in front of the fire all night. I want a dog who will accompany me as I do my chores and also defend my animals from coyotes...etc...

http://www.anatoliandog.org/poultry.htm


I would love to have you experienced ASD owners read over it and give me more advice.

Deb

 

[cyanne]

Quote:
Yep, if she was not raised with the pigs then she may never be able to be trained to bond with them. Even then, some just are not good with certain animals. I found an LGD breeder's website where they had adult dogs for sale and each had a description of which livestock they had lived with and which animals they were safe around. There was a very nice male Anatolian that was living with baby goats and chicks...only $1,500!

I ended up getting my LGD for 'free.' The goat dairy where I bought a male nigi gave me a 6 or 7 month old Pyr/Anatolian sort of like a 2 for 1 special. Of course, there is no such thing as a free dog; he was wormy, covered in fleas, and had one un-descended testicle. The initial visit for his rabies shot, worming, flea & heartworm prevention, etc was around $120 and then another $230 for them to neuter him. The testicle that did not drop was hiding out in his abdomen and they had to go searching for it on the operating table. Ugh.

Other than that, though, I have been very happy with him as he is now healthy and takes excellent care of my goats even at his young age. The only thing his previous owner did right was in raising him in with the goats and their older dogs. He bonded with the goats from birth, and his mom and dad taught him the ropes of protecting them.