15 Feb Interesting Facts about the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Breed

Anatolian Shepherd is a smart and kind dog. This breed is used to protect the herd. When he needs to attack, he acts very quickly and ruthlessly. Anatoly Shepherd is one of the best options for you if you’re looking for an ideal option to guard your livestock. It’s interesting to know that Anatoly Shepherd can live with the herd and this feature distinguishes him from other herd dogs. This breed isn’t a suitable companion for children. So, don’t use young children as a leader for them, because Anatoly Shepherd dog usually doesn’t accept them as a leader. Stay tuned to the end of this article to learn more.

Anatolian Shepherd dog breed Knowledge of race

• To ensure a healthy dog, make sure that she doesn’t have any genetic diseases.
• This breed is an ideal option for guarding. (especially at night)
• You must socialize the Anatoly Shepherd, otherwise, he will become aggressive and uncontrollable.
• Due to their small size, the cost of their storage and transportation is high.
• They have severe seasonal hair loss. (Spring)
• Anatoly Shepherd works independently. And when he sees that the herd is in danger, he attacks and doesn’t wait for orders.

Anatolian Shepherd dog breed basic statistics

• Group: working and hunting dogs
• Weight of males: (68-49) kg, females: (54-36) kg.
• Height of males: (73) cm, females: (68) cm
• Age: 11 to 13 years

Anatolian Shepherd dog breed history

From the past until now, this dog has been used as a herding and hunting dog. Anatoly Shepard has been used in the past to fight wolves due to his high physical strength and ferocity. The origin of this breed is the Anatolian plateau and he was registered in America in 1970.

Characteristics 

• Anatoly Shepard has an independent personality and sometimes acts on his own.
• He has high intelligence and learns quickly. This breed has high hearing and vision (especially night vision).
• He’s very strong and big, and these factors have made him an ideal dog for herding and hunting.
• Due to his unique features, Anatoly Shepherd can deal with bears and cheetahs.

Health and disease

In general, no dog is perfect; Anatoly Shepherd is no exception to this rule. This breed, like other breeds, has certain diseases. Now we will describe some of Anatoly Shepherd’s diseases:

Mange (demodicosis)

It’s a skin disease whose weak form occurs in puppies and its strong form in young dogs. In a weak form, this disease causes hair loss, red spots and scaling, which are easily removed. And in the strong type, it covers the whole body (Demodex worm), which causes infection and baldness. Its origin is a worm called Demodex, which is present in the hair follicles of dogs, which isn’t a disease in itself, and the weakness of the immune system of dogs makes it act as a disorder. (Note: This disease isn’t contagious and doesn’t spread to dogs or humans.)

Elbow dysplasia

This disease is caused by bone growth disorder in the elbow area. It causes the joints to not function properly and eventually causes lameness or arteritis in the dog. Elbow dysplasia is a hereditary disease. It can be prevented to some extent through medication, surgery and controlling the dog’s weight.

Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is one of the hereditary diseases that cause the bones to stick together and manifests itself as pain in one or both hind legs. One of the best ways to diagnose this disease is through X-ray screening. Under no circumstances should a dog grow up with this disease. 

Entropion

An internal disease of the eye that causes infection and blurs the vision of the eye is entropion. It usually occurs before one year of age. It should be treated before the dog matures and the treatment consists of several small surgeries at certain intervals.

Nutrition

Anatolian Shepherd should be given 4 to 6 cups of high-quality dry food daily in two stages. Dog food depends on their physical activity, age, size and metabolism. You can control the dog’s weight using your hand. The method of using the hand is to place the thumb along the spine and push it downwards. If we touch the ribs without much pressure, it means that the dog isn’t overweight, otherwise, the dog is fat.

Anatolian shepherd lifespan

As you know, the lifespan of all dog breeds depends on factors such as the way of keeping, the dog’s diet plan, his physical health, etc., which also includes the Anatolian breed. It should be added that the life span of the Anatolian Shepherd dog is between 11 and 13 years.

Adapting to any weather conditions

Anatolian shepherd dogs originated in ancient Turkey and helped nomadic tribes to protect their flocks. So, this breed has lived in cold climates since the beginning, and he can adapt well to any weather conditions. In general, it can be said that Anatolian Shepherd dogs can live both indoors and outdoors. The fur and covering of their body are such that it insulates them even in very high temperatures. Although the Anatolian breed has a short coat, this breed is good in winter. It should be noted that it’s important for dogs to enter the cold season with healthy and brushed hair.

Anatolian Shepherd pregnancy and puppies

Dog pregnancies and the number of babies they give birth to are very different. The pregnancy period in these dogs is 63 days. Normally this breed gives birth to about eight puppies per birth, but it can also vary between 5 and 15 in length. If your dog is pregnant, you should take good care of your pet during pregnancy and consider a suitable diet and light sports during the day that only make the dog active.

Anatolian Shepherd behaviour

Anatolian Shepherd dogs may be aggressive towards people and dogs they don’t know. This issue mostly arises when they aren’t well-socialized in childhood. This breed has a strong will and sometimes thinks that it knows better, so if you want your dog not to be wild or aggressive, it’s better to train your pet well from the beginning and at an early age. 

Training

If you want to keep one of these lovely dogs, it’s better to start training your dog from the very beginning when you just brought him home, so that in adulthood your Anatolian Shepherd will become a good-natured and social dog. The parents of this breed who are new and have never taken care of a dog before should be a little cautious, because not only are the dogs of this breed big, but they are also generally known for being stubborn. Normally, Anatolian Shepherd dogs need stable and strong trainers with experience in keeping dogs.

A trained and socialized Anatolian shepherd can become a good friend and watchdog and take good care of his owner and family members. Socialized Anatoly can even make friends with children and establish a good relationship with them and take care of them. If you don’t train them properly, this breed may chase pets or other animals. Considering that Anatoly has good intelligence, his owner can easily give his dog the necessary training. Anatolian dogs are sometimes observed to act arbitrarily, so the dog owner should be a little patient during training. Also, it’s very important and necessary to use treats and prizes during training.

Anatolian shepherd as a pet

In general, this breed is calm and polite at home and very friendly and kind to family members or other animals. So they can be kept as pets. But it isn’t common to keep these animals in apartments. Usually, they should be kept in big houses and villas or gardens. Since they are large and muscular, apartments aren’t recommended for them, and homes with relatively large yards are more suitable for them.

Grooming

• Try to brush your dog’s mouth every day or at least three times a week to prevent the growth of bacteria, gum disease and body odour.
• Anatoly Shepherd’s ears should be checked once a week. If redness or a bad smell is observed, it’s a sign of infection and should be cleaned using a wet cotton swab. 
• In addition to the ears, the mouth, eyes, nose and feet should also be controlled so that they don’t have redness or discharge.
• You should trim their nails once or twice a week. If you can hear your dog’s footsteps while walking, you know that his nails are long. Be careful not over-trim the nails as it may cause bleeding and make your dog less cooperative next time.
• Anatoly Shepherd doesn’t need to go to the bathroom much. He’s generally clean and has a short coat and a thick skin layer. 
• He should be brushed regularly.

To wrap up

Anatoly Shepherd Dog is a livestock protector and ideal as a guard dog, aggressive when necessary, but kind to the family. This breed isn’t suitable for families with young children; Because they don’t accept children as leaders and are better for older children. If you are looking for a good guard or herd dog, we recommend the Anatolian Shepherd Dog breed. To have a healthy and lively dog, you need to pay attention to nutrition, activity, fitness, grooming, etc. You can prevent the disease and have a healthy dog in this case. In all these steps, you can count on the specialized team of MishkaGrooming. Our experienced and precise groomers have carefully and accurately groomed your dogs, so they count the moments before the next session.