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The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is an ancient breed of dog developed in Anatolia (central Turkey) for guarding flocks of sheep from wolves, bears, and jackals.
Appearance: The coat can be any color or length. The
Anatolian is a muscular breed, with thick neck, broad head,
and sturdy body. Its lips are tight to its muzzle and it has
triangular drop ears. It stands 27 to 32 inches (69 to 81 cm)
at the withers and weighs between 80 and 150 pounds (36 to 68
kg), with bitches on the smaller side and males on the larger
side.
Temperament: The Anatolian was developed to be
independent and forceful, responsible on its own for guarding
its master's flocks. These traits make it more challenging as
a pet; owners of dogs of this breed must determinedly
socialize the dogs to turn them into appropriate companions.
They are intelligent and can learn quickly but might choose
not to obey; this is not generally a dog for a beginning or
shy owner. They become very protective of other animals in the
household, and will treat them as their "flock".
Health: The Anatolian is somewhat more long-lived
than some large breeds of dogs, with a life expectancy of 14
or 17 years. Since they are primarily working dogs, the
present life expectancy statistics include those killed by
predators while defending their flocks. Anatolians must be
anesthetized like sight hounds, being very lean they need a
10th of the anesthesia a Rottweiler of the same weight would
need.
They reach full maturity, like many large breeds, at around
4 years. Some are sensitive to beef which processed dog food
is full of thus tending to develop allergic reactions such as
ear infections. This can be avoided by feeding them a diet of
lamb and rice or chicken & rice supplemented with salmon.
They also thrive on the "BARF" or rawfood diets.
History: The breed's ancestors most likely migrated
to the area now known as Turkey about 1000 AD with
Turkic-speaking people, although it is probable that dogs
similar to this existed at least 6,000 years ago in
Mesopotamia.
Over the centuries, slight regional variations began to
develop, although the dogs were collectively known as coban
kopegi, i.e. "shepherd dog". In the 1970s, breeders
began focusing on specific regions and working on developing
standard breeds for each of the regions; the Anatolian is one
of those breeds, coming from central Turkey.
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