Cross Post: Considering a dog: Anatolian Shepherd: Opinions/Experience

[duckluck]

I haven't known a lot of Anatolians, but from the few I have known, I personally think a Great Pyrenees would suit the job better, also based on the Pyrs I have known.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Based on the fact that you have never had a dog of your own (and I assume you will be responsible for this one, right?) I'd have to suggest something other than an Anatolian Shepherd dog. I have two of them and while I LOVE them dearly, I can see how these are not really good beginner's dogs. They are very independent and strong-willed, because they think for themselves. They often don't see the purpose of those silly commands you are giving them so they decide to just do what they want. And when they hit their teen-age years (puberty), things can really go downhill fast if you don't know how to handle them. If you were to get one anyway, I think an older calm female would be the best thing. Great Pyrenees are usually a bit easier to handle. Now if your husband is going to be involved in the dog's training, then I see no problem at all with an ASD since he has handled powerful large breeds before.

 

[Mzyla]

From my personal experience, Great Pyrs are very calm dogs.
They bark only when really necessary.
My another observation is; they do not like heat.
They always looking for colder spot.
You live in Arizona - pretty hot State. Great Pyr may not be to happy there.
Anatolian could be more suitable for Arizona, since he oryginated from Turkey,
where temperature is similar. In Anatolya mountains, even winter is mild, about 40+

 

[Laingcroft]

Every dog is an individual, even among the LGD breeds. We have a 7 year old Maremma who is great with any livestock he is introduced to - goats, sheep, horses, donkey, chickens, rabbits, and ducks so far. We had (had being the operative word) an Anatolian female shipped to us from a goat farm in Texas at three months old. She was raised here with goats and introduced to sheep and free range chickens. At 2 years old she suddenly decided chickens were a threat to her goats and she killed every one that entered the pasture. Didn't eat them, didn't play with them, but outright killed them. We tried many different ways of dealing with the problem but in the end, we found her a chicken-free home.

I should also mention she was good with chasing off hawks too, not that it helped.

 

[watchdogps]

Based on the fact that you have never had a dog of your own (and I assume you will be responsible for this one, right?) I'd have to suggest something other than an Anatolian Shepherd dog. I have two of them and while I LOVE them dearly, I can see how these are not really good beginner's dogs. They are very independent and strong-willed, because they think for themselves. They often don't see the purpose of those silly commands you are giving them so they decide to just do what they want. And when they hit their teen-age years (puberty), things can really go downhill fast if you don't know how to handle them. If you were to get one anyway, I think an older calm female would be the best thing. Great Pyrenees are usually a bit easier to handle. Now if your husband is going to be involved in the dog's training, then I see no problem at all with an ASD since he has handled powerful large breeds before.

I would actually tend to disagree with you on this. I happen to like first time dog owners IF they have the right personality for the ASD. Why? Because they dont have set ideas of what they should do, and they havent trained dogs who are totally unlike an ASD. I often do NOT want people who have owned large powerful, or highly trainable dogs to take my pups because they tend to want to "dominate" their dogs rather than treat them as a partner. newbie owners will LISTEN to my advice, they dont "know it all"

 

[watchdogps]

From my personal experience, Great Pyrs are very calm dogs.
They bark only when really necessary.
My another observation is; they do not like heat.
They always looking for colder spot.
You live in Arizona - pretty hot State. Great Pyr may not be to happy there.
Anatolian could be more suitable for Arizona, since he oryginated from Turkey,
where temperature is similar. In Anatolya mountains, even winter is mild, about 40+

Excessive barking is THE number one reason people switch breeds from Pyrs. They are lovely dogs, but I hear all the time that they bark at every falling leaf.

 

[watchdogps]

Hello!

We have just over 1 acre.

It is not fenced at all at this time, but we would do whatever would be appropriate.

Predators are hawks, coyotes, bobcats.

I have never had a dog. My husband has had an akita and a husky as pets. Beagles for hunting.

Sorry this took so long, I'm having ongoing PC problems. Grrr.

Ok, one acre is fine. However, you need to consider proximity to nieghbors as well. Barking is the first line of defense, for any LGD breed. Anmatolians are a bit more discriminating than a pyr, but it varies by dog. They also tend to bark more at night because they cant see as much so they bark to "make sure" their presence is known.

Fencing is an absolute must on that small a property. Invisible fencing is not desirable, mostly because if a stray dog wanders in, the LGD may very well KILL it. That tends to tick the neighbors off, even if their dog shouldnt have been in your yard. Soem LGDs can be escape artists but i see that less with dogs who do have animals to watch. You can try regular 4 ft farm fence, but be ready to add a line of hot wire above if need be. I have a girl who can get head and shoulders over a six foot wooden fence, or body slam it till she pops the boards off. Her parents would stay behind a 24 inch ex pen, so it varies. BTW, she does not try to go over, under or through our new fence - 5 ft chain link. I think being able to see through helps her.

Some people say LGDs wont bond to birds. I disagree, but it may be a different type of relationship. My youngest ASD intercepted my schipperke from getting a guinea when it landed in the dog yard. She has had minimal training with the birds, yet she protected it from her best doggie buddy. There has to be some bond there to have that happen.

These dogs are really different in mindset than other breeds. You need to see them as a partner, not something you own and command. Thastnot toimply you need to let them walk all over you either, but they do not respond well to forcefulness. Respect must be mutual.

 

[BlossomSilkies]

Everyone: I have found the replies here and in my post over in predators very helpful. We continue to go back and forth on getting a dog because we know the commitment necessary.

Would someone like to share about rescue ASD's? Would that be a good option for us? My hesitation there is sort of like a used car, I don't want someone else's problem dog.

 

[watchdogps]

Everyone: I have found the replies here and in my post over in predators very helpful. We continue to go back and forth on getting a dog because we know the commitment necessary.

Would someone like to share about rescue ASD's? Would that be a good option for us? My hesitation there is sort of like a used car, I don't want someone else's problem dog.

It could be a good option, as long as you work with a reputable rescue who has a foster home in which the dog can be put with the same animals the dog will be guarding. There are advantages to rescue dogs besides avoiding the puppy stages. Rescues are truly concerned that the dog be placed in the RIGHT home, not just a home, so they will do a good job making sure the dog is a good fit. They will also provide support if you have any questions or problems down the road. A good breeder will do this as well, but the purchase price will be higher, and a good breeder can be hard to find. I helped found Anatolian Shepherd Dog Rescue League ( www.asdrl.org ) so I know they will place working dogs and will do as I mentioned - screen and support. Many rescue dogs wont be local, but you can trust them to choose a good dog as long as you give them the information about your situation to do so. I wouldnt suggest getting one from a shelter yourself, because as a newbie you may not be able to see behavior traits that would make or break an LGD. So, if you did that, you would need to decide what to do if the dog was NOT a good LGD. Getting rid of it isnt a good option, not fair to the dog, so i suggest going with the best chance for success. I also would avoid "rehomes" like dogs in Craigslist etc. People will say a lot of things to get rid of dogs. Sometimes breeders will get returns, or place adults that they have retired from the show ring or breeding. In ASDs, its not uncommon for show dogs to double as LGDs, so as long as the dog has a good history with the same stock as you have, dont worry about that. I had a girl come back to me at 18 mos old and she was supposedly a chicken and small dog killer, as well as aggressive to humans. Nope, she had been mishandled and she is fine now. I placed her with an experienced LGD owner and she now guards goats chickens and toy manchester terriers.

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

I’m a big fan of rescuing dogs for chicken guard duty. All of our dogs are rescues from the local human societies. I have never gone through a rescue organization due to their sometimes extreme requirements and high prices, though I have often been tempted because they make it easy to find a specific breed and seem to be able to provide a lot of background info on the dogs.

I like rescuing mature dogs because I can better evaluate the dog’s temperament. To use the used car analogy again, with some breeders you don’t know if you getting someone else’s problems. Genetics are a tricky thing making the results sometime surprising. But, when you have a mature dog at the shelter, you can pretty much see what you are getting. You can conduct all kinds of behavioral tests on the dog. You can bring another dog, cat or even a chicken to the shelter to see how the dogs reacts. Plus, many shelter with conduct their own interior behavioral checks and can tell how the dog did.

So, watch the listing at your local shelter but, if you see an Anatolian Shepherd listed, run don’t walk to the shelter. I’m a little bummed right now. Our local shelter just listed an ASD. I thought I’d take a look at the dog and dropped by after work. As I was walking in, the dog was walking out with its new family. The good ones go fast.

Jim