The Anatolian Shepherd A Turkish Delight

The Anatolian plateau, for which the Anatolian shepherd dog is named, extends from the Black to the Mediterranean seas. The Greeks and Romans called this windswept barren Asia, but later it came to be known as Asia Minor to distinguish it from the greater Asian continent. Today Anatolia is synonymous with the Asian sector of Turkey, which accounts for 97 percent of Turkey's landmass. (The rest of Turkey, called Thrace, lies in Europe.) Most of the Anatolian plateau is characterized by summers that are scorchingly hot and dry, and winters that are brutally cold and snowy. Indeed, the average winter temperature is below freezing.

Minding the Fortes

Several writers have reported that "since Babylonian times" large, mastiff-like dogs have guarded flocks for the shepherds who wrest a living from the Anatolian plateau. These powerful and swift dogs -- who also excelled at waging war and running down lions and horses -- were, presumably, the Anatolian shepherd's ancestors. "Since Babylonian times," unfortunately, does little to pinpoint (or even bluntpoint) the age of the breed. The Babylonian civilization endured from the 18th to the sixth centuries B.C. We can assume, however, on the evidence provided by Assyrian bas-reliefs in the British Museum in London, that the Anatolian shepherd has existed since roughly 1000 B.C. at least. To speculate further is to risk robbing zeros of their meaning.

In spite of the Anatolians' designation as shepherd dogs, their forte is guarding, not herding, flocks. Yet this is not a one-forte pony. Turkish women working in the fields sometimes fasten one end of a rope around their young children's waists and the other end to an Anatolian's collar. The women then go about their chores, assured of the safety of their children.

Anatolians are capable of functioning in 100-degree-plus or 0-degree-minus weather. They survive when water is scarce in summer, when the snow drifts higher than their heads in winter, and when scavenging is their meal ticket the year round. Anatolians also carry out their tasks with no need for folderol. Their raison d'etre, in Turkey, is protecting their masters' flocks against wolves, jackals and lions. Anatolians are not pampered, nor can their owners generally afford to give them veterinary care beyond that which is necessary to keep them healthy enough for guard duty. In addition, the Anatolian prevails without benefit of a breed name, much less records or pedigrees, in its native land. There it is known by the generic designationcoban kopegi, which means "shepherd dog."

Do not infer from the foregoing that Turks are not proud of their dogs -- or above bragging about their exploits. Anatolians have been credited, for example, with being able to recognize the scent of each member of a 300-sheep flock. The breed was also honored on a postage stamp issued by Turkey in 1978.

According to an official at the Turkish Agriculture Ministry's Karacabey state farm, the best Anatolians come from the central town of Kangal, where wolf carcasses hang from poles as trophies, and proud owners spend winter nights publicizing the feats of their dogs. One dog from Kangal entered into legend 10 years ago after limping into an army camp 50 miles from home, 10 days after it had lit out, hot on the trail of a wolf, which it finally killed. Anatolians kill wolves by running into them to knock them off balance, then biting through their throats. The dogs are protected from wolf bites by iron collars studded with long spikes.

Color and Conformation

The Anatolian shepherd is a large, robust, 40-mile-an-hour-swift dog. Its skull is large but in proportion to the body, which is well-balanced and muscular, with a deep chest and a well-sprung rib cage. The powerful, level back slopes downward at the croup. The eyes are medium in size and set far apart. The triangular-shape ears measure about four inches at the base and five inches in length. The feet are strong and compact with well-arched toes. The coat varies in texture from straight to slightly wavy, and in length from short to the somewhat longer rough coat.

The classic color is fawn with a black mask, but the breed also comes in pinto, white and brindle. Presently, Turkey forbids the exportation of coban kopegi. "But because there's no standard," said U.S. Anatolian owner Neal Duncan, "Turkish veterinarians have a difficult time identifying one. The trademark seems to be a big fawn dog with a black facial mask. Anything other than that has a chance of being exported."

Shipping Out

The Anatolian has made the progress that it has in the United States because its fiercely protective instincts appealed to Lt. Robert C. Ballard, USN, while he was stationed in Turkey from 1966 to 1968. The Ballard family's car had been ransacked during an overnight stay in Turkey's capital, Ankara (current population 2,553,209). Lt. Ballard was determined not to let this happen again. He had been impressed by the dogs he had seen guarding flocks and homes as he drove along country roads in Turkey. Although he didn't recognize what breed, if any, the dogs were, he saw that they were definitely "of a kind," and they made no bones about carrying out their sentinel duties.

Ballard eventually acquired a three-month-old white puppy from a farmer. Ballard named the puppy Zorba, which is Turkish for "tyrant." Zorba, who had been born of semiwild parents, grew to be such a loved and integral part of the Ballard family that when they returned to the United States, they brought a mate along for Zorba - a female they had named Peki, which means "yes" or "OK" in Turkish.

Births and Recognition

The Ballards settled in El Cajon, California, where on August 16, 1970, Zorba and Peki produced the first litter of Anatolian shepherds born in the United States. Other Anatolians had come to this country prior to the birth of the Ballard litter, but in most cases they were dogs that had been sent by the Turkish government to the United States Department of Agriculture for experimental work as flock guardians.

nterest in the Anatolian shepherd spread rapidly in this country, and in the same year the Zorba-Peki litter was born, the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America (ASDCA) was formed in Alpine, California. One goal of the ASDCA was to achieve breed recognition from the American Kennel Club (AKC). That mission was accomplished in 1996 when the Anatolian shepherd was accepted as the 143rd breed recognized by the AKC, which admitted 1,678 Anatolians to its stud book. Last year 184 Anatolians were registered with the AKC, placing the breed 134th among AKC's 145 breeds in terms of new registrations for the year. (The United Kennel Club has recognized the Anatolian as a separate breed since 1991, but registration figures for the breed are not available at this time.)

Health and Maintenance

Like all large dogs, Anatolians are susceptible to hip and elbow problems. Responsible breeders have their dogs x-rayed and seek Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) certification for all their breeding stock before it is used for breeding. Therefore, the parents of all puppies offered for sale by responsible breeders have been OFA certified, and the breeders are happy to discuss the meaning of their dogs' ratings.

Other congenital defects found in the breed include entropion, a condition in which the eyelid rolls in toward the eye, allowing the lashes to rub against and to irritate the cornea; and hypothyroidism, a condition marked by inadequate hormone levels from thyroid-gland secretion. This forces the body to function at a lower metabolic level.

Anatolians live to a surprisingly old age for a dog so large. A well-cared-for Anatolian may live to be 11 or 12, and many live into their teens. The Anatolian can be extremely sensitive to anesthesia. Veterinarians should be advised of this tendency before undertaking any procedures that require anesthesia.

Though Anatolians are expected to endure the extreme climatic conditions of Turkey without troubling their masters about shelter, U.S. owners should not be cavalier about the way they keep their dogs. The Anatolian's double coat serves to protect it from all kinds of conditions, but owners should always provide a sheltered place where their dogs can get in out of the weather.

The Anatolian's coat, whether rough or smooth, requires twice-weekly brushing and the occasional bath. During the breed's biannual shedding periods, vigorous daily brushing will result in considerable savings in house-cleaning time.

Anatolians are also easy keepers. The amount of food consumed by an adult is surprisingly less than one would expect for a large dog.

Though a mature Anatolian needs far less exercise than most dogs its size, it still needs a long walk daily as well as a chance to run and play in a fenced area, especially if the dog spends most of its time indoors. Anatolian puppies, for their part, need plenty of room in their exercise yards to run off some of their energy. Just don't expect them to get excited about playing fetch.

"You're unlikely to see an Anatolian catching a Frisbee or fetching a ball," Ballard told one reporter. "My dogs seem to think that if you threw it away, you must not want it."

Puppy or adult, the Anatolian must live in a securely fenced environment. The fence should be five to six feet high, and all gates should be kept locked. You should define the area your dog is to protect. Left to its own devices your Anatolian can choose territory far beyond your own to protect and will defend it actively.

Full-Service Protection

Powerful, protective and impressively built, the Anatolian shepherd dog is without equal as a guardian of home or flock. In the United States Anatolians are used to guard several kinds of livestock -- primarily chickens, sheep and cattle -- or to guard their owners' homes and holdings. These dogs have also proven superior at guide and assistance work. One Anatolian this writer had the pleasure of knowing lives with a young lady in Northern California who has a physical disability. 

Her Anatolian is always directly at her side to steady and to support the woman to whom he is so obviously devoted. He not only accompanies her everywhere but also is sensitive to her needs. This dog can be fast asleep in the corner of a room but all his owner needs to do is attempt to get out of her chair, and he is at her side. His awareness and keen sensitivity to his person are remarkable and touching.

Not Everyone's Cup of Kibble

For all its virtues, the Anatolian shepherd dog is not a breed for all seasons. To begin, this is a large dog. Males usually reach 29 inches or so at the shoulder and weigh between 110 and 150 pounds. Females are an inch or two smaller and weigh from 80 to 120 pounds. That's a lot of dog to handle, and to quote most Anatolian owners to whom this writer has spoken, "They do require some handling!"

The Anatolian is a one-person dog that will accept other family members but remains suspicious of strangers until they have been properly introduced. Whether an Anatolian's "flock" is a herd of sheep or the dog's family and household, the breed is supposed to perform its duties without aggression. 

An untrained and undisciplined Anatolian can be a nuisance or, worse yet, a menace. Young males can be extremely pushy, particularly when they reach the age at which they attempt to establish their place in the world. This is too much dog not to be properly trained and socialized, and that socialization should continue throughout the dog's life. The Anatolian's instinct to protect must be channeled by its owner. This decision isn't something that dog should be allowed to decide arbitrarily.

Moreover, said Anatolian owner Neal Duncan, "they bark a lot at night ... and they're diggers." And if you want one that gets along with your other dog(s) and/or your cat, it's better to introduce the Anatolian to these housemates while it is still a puppy.

Despite -- or perhaps because of its unrivaled skills as a guard dog -- the Anatolian shepherd comes with the following warning label from the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America. "While ownership of the Anatolian shepherd entails more responsibility and commitment than most any other breed of dog, the Anatolian shepherd can be a wonderful and intelligent companion, guardian and friend."