Would an Anatolian Shepard make a good pet dog?

[wyoDreamer]

Hi all, I am looking for some advice on dog breeds. Specifially, if anyone can fill me in on the Anatolian Shepherd or other Livestock Guardian Breeds.

BACKGROUND: We recently had to put our Irish Setter down due to lung cancer. He was a very large Irish Setter, standing 27" at the shoulder and weighing 80 pounds. My husband would like to get a big dog, specifically looking at 27" or more at the shoulder, as our next dog. We want to wait until spring to get a new puppy. We have an English Setter right now, but DH thinks he is too little, as Pistol is 24" at the shoulder and about 65 pounds.

Hubby was looking into getting a Belgian Malinois, but I pointed out that the breed standard for a Malinois is 24" at the shoulder, which is the same size as what we have now and smaller than he wants. So now we are looking at the Anatolian Shepherd. He wants to get away from the "fuzzy" breeds that need alot of brushing and coat care.

ENVIRONMENT: We have an acre fenced that the dogs stay in all day while we are at work. We spend about 1/2 hour in the morning with the dogs and then all evening with them after work. There are 3 dog houses in the fenced area, two are well insulated. They are large enough for a large breed as DH built them big enough to house a mastiff, in case we ever got one of those. We live in Wyoming, so we have snow, cold and windy conditions during the winter. Sometimes down to -15, but we usually have days in the 40's a couple of times a month. Our summers are very pleasant, this past summer was exceptionally warm as we had some daytime temps in the low 90's. Typically the highes are in the 70's or 80's during the summer.

Anyone willing ot offer an opinion of dog breeds for us to own?

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

Each dog is an individual, but breeding does play an important part in behavior. Overall if you want a pet dog that won't need a lot of stimulation like long walks or intense play time stay away from the working breeds. LGD normally aren't bad pets though, because their job was to just hang out and guard the property and animals, so typically they are not a high strung sort of dog that needs a lot of stimulation like say a cattle dog would. Although if you entertain a lot or have a lot of people coming and going from your home a LGD breed is probably not the best bet for you because they are bred to be weary of strangers.

I've always said mastiffs are one of the best "pet' dogs, they were bred to sit around and look intimidating without actually being aggressive.

 

[wyoDreamer]

DH always said he wanted a mastiff, even built the doghouse to accomodate one. So now that it is time we can have one - he says ... Belgian Malinois? I give up trying to understand him.

We would like something a little more relaxed than what we had, but that's not hard to come by. With two setters, we sure had enough energy in the yard to fill the entire neighborhood!

We have just over ten acres, so when we are home they will have more room to roam when they are outside with us.

 

[res]

We have an Anatolian Shepherd... Here's what I can tell you from my experience with her.

They are a gaurd dog, as such, they do bark. A lot. Mine has different tones and barks for different threats. I can tell the difference, and I fully appreciate the job she does alerting us to what she perceives as "threats". If I had neighbors nearby, I am not sure they would appreciate it.

She takes her job seriuosly. If she is outside, she is working. All day, and all night. The only way to ensure that she doesn't bark constantly at night is to put her inside, which she understands as "off duty". She does still bark in the barn at night, but only for something serious, something we need to attend to. She DOES NOT like to be confined. She has jumped thru windows, dug UNDER my barn foundation, and escaped every kennel my vet has put her in. At night, she is chained in the barn, with enough length to get out the open barn door. She is comfortable with that.

She likes to roam. We haven't found a fence system yet that will contain her. She doesn't dissappear, but she considers my neighbor's property "hers" also.

She has a lot of energy at times, but at other times, it seems like all she does is sleep. But it is amazing how I can see her sacked out asleep, yet she will jump to attention in a heartbeat if she hears/smells something threatening.

She is great with my kids, though a bit much at times - they get knocked down a lot. She is great with my cats. She likes to eat my chickens, but we have come to an understanding about that. She will gaurd her food from the horses and cattle. She doesn't gaurd it from the cats, dogs or kids, though.

Climate wise, she has seemed completely comfortable from 115* summer heat to -30* winter cold. She has an igloo style house stuffed with straw.

She is an AMAZING dog, and I am glad we have her. She gives us a sense of security that we did not have before we had her. But, she has some pretty unique requirements....

 

[wyoDreamer]

My setters bark ALOT. When we moved into our house, the first thing I did was go door to door and give the neighbors our phone number and asked them to let us know if the barking was a bother. I assured them the we could and would curtail the barking if needed. No-one has ever complained and some even said that they enjoyed the doggy telephone game that my dogs started.

Our Irish would stand on the top of the hill and face west. He would bark three times and wait. You could tell that he was waiting for an answer - sometimes the neighbors dog would bark back, sometimes not. Then he would face south and bark three times and wait. Finally, he would go down the hill and around the backyard to the east fence and bark three times there and wait for a reply. Doggy telephone!!

 

[watchdogps]

An Anatolian may not stay with you on those ten acres, they arent obedient dogs. If you like dogs who will do what you tell them to do, pick another breed. If you can live with a dog who doesnt follow commands but is a fabulous companion in general, they may be okay for you. They are low to moderate energy, attentive but not clingy. If you dont have any livestock, I would not suggest them as a yard dog. A house dog, but not a yard dog. Yard ASDs tend to get bored and dig and escape.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Livestock Guardian Dogs have been bred for thousands of year for a single purpose

They should NOT be considered pets

 

[watchdogps]

Sorry, but the truth is that as long as the owner is accepting of the breed traits like independent nature and barking at things that "dont belong", they make quite lovely pets.

 

[StarrDogFarm]

I have a 7 month anatolian.He has been the best dog Ive ever had. We got him at 7 weeks old.He was very easy to potty train.He gets along with our other pets well.He loves my kids 2 and 6 year old. He loves to play but he doesnt relize how big he is so I keep a close eye on him he tips my kids over.He was 10 lbs when we got him and at barley 7 months hes over 90.We live in Northern Utah and Ive noticed he likes the colder weather.He sleeps inside but by the glass door to cool off. I dont think I will ever own another breed!! We are in Love with this dog but I recomened getting as a young pup and training. Not a dog you can put in a run and forget about they need to be taught manners because of massive size. Ours is alone during the day while we are at work and never have had a problem. Good Luck with whatever breed you choose!

 

[cassie]

Livestock Guardian Dogs have been bred for thousands of year for a single purpose

They should NOT be considered pets

Livestock guard dogs will guard whatever they are bonded to. If they are bonded to sheep they will guard sheep. If they are bonded to people they will guard people. I have an Anatolian now and he is a wonderful companion. I used to have Komondors. If you want one as a pet they need to be a member of the household, not just a yard dog. They are independent thinkers and they need to be socialized. They are not just single purpose. The Hungarian Kuvasz for instance in its native land was often a town dog, but they can also be used as livestock guardians.