Anatolian Shepherd Dog breed guide

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are smart, devoted, responsive and adaptable. They protect their flock, whether livestock, children, smaller dogs or the family cat, with intensity. AKC says owners must be strong leaders.

Bred to work independently, make decisions alone and protect a flock from outsiders, the breed is wary toward others and instinctively protective. AKC calls socialization and obedience training musts and says an Anatolian Shepherd Dog should never receive protection or guard-dog training.

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs live 11 to 13 years. AKC calls them a healthy, hardy breed in which hip dysplasia and bloat are not common, though owners should know the symptoms of bloat and tell the vet that the breed is sensitive to anesthesia.

Good breeders screen for entropion, in which the eyelids invert and surgery can correct it.

A thick undercoat protects the Anatolian Shepherd Dog from the elements. A quick weekly brushing keeps the usually short outer coat looking good and the undercoat sheds twice a year, when a thorough brushing-out removes the dead hair.

Moderate exercise suffices: time in a yard with a tall strong fence and a locked gate plus a long walk once or twice a day. AKC says an Anatolian Shepherd Dog must be on leash whenever it leaves the home.

Anatolia, the Asian part of Turkey, is where sheep and goat herders developed a livestock guardian called the Coban Kopegi, the shepherd's dog, forerunner of today's Anatolian Shepherd Dog. Summers on the central plateau are dry and brutally hot and winters bring sub-zero temperatures, the crucible that forged its reputation as flock guardian supreme.

Ancient artifacts from the Babylonian Empire document the breed's ancestors and Assyrian bas-relief carvings in the British Museum dating to 2000 B.C. show large dogs of recognizable Anatolian type.