Temperament: While I could just simply put the AKC/UKC breed standards for temperament, That doesn't really communicate what these guys are like to live with, so here it goes.
Anatolian's are some of the most intelligent dogs you will ever meet, and to really understand some of the breed traits, you must keep in mind what these dogs were bred to do. They were bred to protect their charges at all costs.
Each one has a unique personality and way of viewing their world. But there are some characteristics that most of them share as they mature. Many of them will tend to be intolerant of strange dogs. Some will be very wary and reserved with humans outside of those they consider their family and some will be social. They are a bold dog, and wariness, or reserve should not be mistaken for shyness. If a well raised Anatolian doesn't want to interact with you and moves away, it is probably not shyness, it is more likely that they are politely telling to keep your hands to yourself!
Some can be social butterfly's, but even these dogs tend to be hard on those that break whatever code of conduct that dog thinks is normal and acceptable. One of my more reserved dogs will discipline other dogs for being too social with strange people. One of my other super social dogs will discipline others for trying to open bags of feed, or for counter surfing, or will try to stop my herding dog from moving the goats.
Ideally, Anatolian's will use barking and posturing to alert everyone else about predator presence and warn predators away. If that fails, and the predator does not take the hint and leave, it is these dogs job to kill the predator and protect their stock. In practice, this means that these dogs do bark. It is part of their job. That does not mean that nuisance barking needs to be or should be tolerated, but there will be times when the Anatolian will see, smell or hear something that you cannot.
In an Anatolian's mind, "predators" does not carry the same meaning that we humans put on it. We humans put things into discrete boxes and think of domestic dogs and cats as pets, strays, rescues, etc. We consider wild animals like wolves, coyotes, fox, bobcat, and others like that to be predators. To the Anatolian, the neighbors pet dog or cat may be considered a predator and a threat to their charges.
If you still have questions, or need clarification, contact me! I am always happy to talk dogs!!!
Anatolian's are some of the most intelligent dogs you will ever meet, and to really understand some of the breed traits, you must keep in mind what these dogs were bred to do. They were bred to protect their charges at all costs.
Each one has a unique personality and way of viewing their world. But there are some characteristics that most of them share as they mature. Many of them will tend to be intolerant of strange dogs. Some will be very wary and reserved with humans outside of those they consider their family and some will be social. They are a bold dog, and wariness, or reserve should not be mistaken for shyness. If a well raised Anatolian doesn't want to interact with you and moves away, it is probably not shyness, it is more likely that they are politely telling to keep your hands to yourself!
Some can be social butterfly's, but even these dogs tend to be hard on those that break whatever code of conduct that dog thinks is normal and acceptable. One of my more reserved dogs will discipline other dogs for being too social with strange people. One of my other super social dogs will discipline others for trying to open bags of feed, or for counter surfing, or will try to stop my herding dog from moving the goats.
Ideally, Anatolian's will use barking and posturing to alert everyone else about predator presence and warn predators away. If that fails, and the predator does not take the hint and leave, it is these dogs job to kill the predator and protect their stock. In practice, this means that these dogs do bark. It is part of their job. That does not mean that nuisance barking needs to be or should be tolerated, but there will be times when the Anatolian will see, smell or hear something that you cannot.
In an Anatolian's mind, "predators" does not carry the same meaning that we humans put on it. We humans put things into discrete boxes and think of domestic dogs and cats as pets, strays, rescues, etc. We consider wild animals like wolves, coyotes, fox, bobcat, and others like that to be predators. To the Anatolian, the neighbors pet dog or cat may be considered a predator and a threat to their charges.
If you still have questions, or need clarification, contact me! I am always happy to talk dogs!!!
Training: What you will find below is general information about my training experience, my training philosophy, and information about introducing dogs to livestock.
I have heard many times that livestock guardians are stubborn, lack motivation and are hard to train. I have even heard them called stupid because the dog did not want to perform in what the human wanted to perform in, most often obedience.
I will say from experience, that what these dogs lack is not intelligence or drive, it is a lack of clear communication about the reasons for them to perform the behaviors asked for by their human. Also, these dogs have a drive to perform a unique job, protect their charges. And commands that interfere with that job, or possibly put them at a disadvantage for doing the job, will be considered and may be ignored.
They want a reason to be doing what they are asked to do and they really don't see a point in performing the same behavior repeatedly. I have seen these dogs, time and again, pick up on the meaning of a command with only a few repetitions. And they retain that information for a very long time.
But again, to expect an Anatolian, or other livestock guardian dog for that matter, to respond to commands like say, a Lab, or Border Collie, or German Shepherd, is unrealistic. For example, if my Anatolian is barking and alerting to something that I maybe cannot see, and I tell the dog to come, or sit, or down, that is to put my dog at a disadvantage for doing their job. These dogs will often evaluate the situation before performing a command. If the dog sees the command as conflicting with protecting their charges, they may very likely choose to ignore the command in favor of their job.
In my own experience, as well as what I have heard other owners experience, these dogs will not be as food motivated or toy motivated as other breeds. Even treats that other dogs find to be very high value, an Anatolian may turn their nose up at if there is a job to do. For example, I have seen a person attempt to bribe one of my males through the fence with a treat. The dog took the treat, spit it out and went back to barking and guarding. Ember will bring me her tug toy every morning to play tug and fetch. But, if something catches her attention, she will leave the game to ensure that everything is ok.
Unfortunately for us humans, dogs were not born speaking our language and equally unfortunately, we humans were not born speaking canine. Both sides must learn to understand the other and it is the humans responsibility to facilitate the learning process for both themselves and the dog.
Some back ground on my experience, this may be a bit lengthy, but bear with me! I have been training dogs in some way, shape or form for almost 20 years and learned many, many lessons along the way. If you are open to it, each of the dogs that come into your life, whatever breed they may be, will teach you something.
I got my start in dog training as a child in 4-H. I was taught that dogs learn through punishment. Today it is called avoidance training. The dog learns to perform a behavior to avoid a punishment. To teach a sit, you jerk up on a dogs collar and force their butt down and eventually they learn to sit to avoid the pain. I was told that if you use treats or toys, you will depend on that forever and the dog will figure out that there are no toys and treats in the show ring so they won't perform. That was what was being taught.
I was pretty successful with my dogs in obedience. Then I started agility where no punishment was allowed at all. You weren't even allowed to tell the dog "no." But, I was still being taught to push to dog into things they weren't comfortable with. If the dog didn't want to go through the tunnel, you placed the dog into the tunnel and blocked the entrance until they went through. Still, I was encouraged to use rewards, balls, tugs, and treats.
At this same time, I was now in my teens and successfully competing in 4-H in obedience and agility, I took a look at what my obedience training was doing to my relationship with my dogs. I was also running into the problem that while working with huskies, once the leash came off, they knew I could not catch them to punish them for not following a command. I also had an Alaskan husky that did not respond at all to collar corrections. I started experimenting with using treats and play like in agility. Despite other trainers predictions, not only did my relationship with my dogs improve, but I and my dogs were scoring better than before and I taught behaviors that I was told were next to impossible to teach. I taught a collie to retrieve and a husky to recall off leash.
A few years went by and I was fostering for the local shelter. I had been researching and reading everything I could get my hands on regarding dog training and psychology. I learned about dominance theory, and pack theory and Caesar Milan. I gave that a try on several dogs and was successful using it. But what I found was that my dogs didn't learn what to do, they only learned to not do anything for fear of punishment, much the same issue I had with correction based obedience training. That was NOT what I wanted.
I continued to read and research and experiment with more reward based training. Eventually I learned about marker/clicker training at the same time I acquired a feral dog, Shadow. With this type of training, I did more with a wild dog than I had ever been able to do with any of my previous dogs. I taught him tracking, article searches, obedience, agility and scent work. I have not used any other method since, and have continued to educate myself for using it in different situations, including husbandry and medical care.
Using a training method that opens up a line of communication with my dogs has allowed me to teach nail clipping and other minor procedures, such as wound care and shots, without restraint. This is very important on dogs that weigh almost as much as I do! I have also been able to use it to teach my dogs to accept restraint when they need care at the vets office.
A training method that does not force the dog to accept something that is scary or painful, but rather allows the dog think through the issue and ultimately make the choice to work with you and earn a reward, has done much to ensure that my dogs really are my working partners and trust me. Yes, there are still moments of frustration and needing to problem solve, but it has also created an environment where it is a joy to work with these intelligent, powerful creatures.
So, all of that to say, I have found that marker, or clicker training if you will, establishes a means to communicate with your dogs and furthers the trust that you put in each other. And, I have found it to be humane and, best of all, fun! I now work and compete with my Anatolian's in obedience, agility and conformation. A few of my dogs have even earned their AKC CGC and UKC SPOT titles!
I have heard many times that livestock guardians are stubborn, lack motivation and are hard to train. I have even heard them called stupid because the dog did not want to perform in what the human wanted to perform in, most often obedience.
I will say from experience, that what these dogs lack is not intelligence or drive, it is a lack of clear communication about the reasons for them to perform the behaviors asked for by their human. Also, these dogs have a drive to perform a unique job, protect their charges. And commands that interfere with that job, or possibly put them at a disadvantage for doing the job, will be considered and may be ignored.
They want a reason to be doing what they are asked to do and they really don't see a point in performing the same behavior repeatedly. I have seen these dogs, time and again, pick up on the meaning of a command with only a few repetitions. And they retain that information for a very long time.
But again, to expect an Anatolian, or other livestock guardian dog for that matter, to respond to commands like say, a Lab, or Border Collie, or German Shepherd, is unrealistic. For example, if my Anatolian is barking and alerting to something that I maybe cannot see, and I tell the dog to come, or sit, or down, that is to put my dog at a disadvantage for doing their job. These dogs will often evaluate the situation before performing a command. If the dog sees the command as conflicting with protecting their charges, they may very likely choose to ignore the command in favor of their job.
In my own experience, as well as what I have heard other owners experience, these dogs will not be as food motivated or toy motivated as other breeds. Even treats that other dogs find to be very high value, an Anatolian may turn their nose up at if there is a job to do. For example, I have seen a person attempt to bribe one of my males through the fence with a treat. The dog took the treat, spit it out and went back to barking and guarding. Ember will bring me her tug toy every morning to play tug and fetch. But, if something catches her attention, she will leave the game to ensure that everything is ok.
Unfortunately for us humans, dogs were not born speaking our language and equally unfortunately, we humans were not born speaking canine. Both sides must learn to understand the other and it is the humans responsibility to facilitate the learning process for both themselves and the dog.
Some back ground on my experience, this may be a bit lengthy, but bear with me! I have been training dogs in some way, shape or form for almost 20 years and learned many, many lessons along the way. If you are open to it, each of the dogs that come into your life, whatever breed they may be, will teach you something.
I got my start in dog training as a child in 4-H. I was taught that dogs learn through punishment. Today it is called avoidance training. The dog learns to perform a behavior to avoid a punishment. To teach a sit, you jerk up on a dogs collar and force their butt down and eventually they learn to sit to avoid the pain. I was told that if you use treats or toys, you will depend on that forever and the dog will figure out that there are no toys and treats in the show ring so they won't perform. That was what was being taught.
I was pretty successful with my dogs in obedience. Then I started agility where no punishment was allowed at all. You weren't even allowed to tell the dog "no." But, I was still being taught to push to dog into things they weren't comfortable with. If the dog didn't want to go through the tunnel, you placed the dog into the tunnel and blocked the entrance until they went through. Still, I was encouraged to use rewards, balls, tugs, and treats.
At this same time, I was now in my teens and successfully competing in 4-H in obedience and agility, I took a look at what my obedience training was doing to my relationship with my dogs. I was also running into the problem that while working with huskies, once the leash came off, they knew I could not catch them to punish them for not following a command. I also had an Alaskan husky that did not respond at all to collar corrections. I started experimenting with using treats and play like in agility. Despite other trainers predictions, not only did my relationship with my dogs improve, but I and my dogs were scoring better than before and I taught behaviors that I was told were next to impossible to teach. I taught a collie to retrieve and a husky to recall off leash.
A few years went by and I was fostering for the local shelter. I had been researching and reading everything I could get my hands on regarding dog training and psychology. I learned about dominance theory, and pack theory and Caesar Milan. I gave that a try on several dogs and was successful using it. But what I found was that my dogs didn't learn what to do, they only learned to not do anything for fear of punishment, much the same issue I had with correction based obedience training. That was NOT what I wanted.
I continued to read and research and experiment with more reward based training. Eventually I learned about marker/clicker training at the same time I acquired a feral dog, Shadow. With this type of training, I did more with a wild dog than I had ever been able to do with any of my previous dogs. I taught him tracking, article searches, obedience, agility and scent work. I have not used any other method since, and have continued to educate myself for using it in different situations, including husbandry and medical care.
Using a training method that opens up a line of communication with my dogs has allowed me to teach nail clipping and other minor procedures, such as wound care and shots, without restraint. This is very important on dogs that weigh almost as much as I do! I have also been able to use it to teach my dogs to accept restraint when they need care at the vets office.
A training method that does not force the dog to accept something that is scary or painful, but rather allows the dog think through the issue and ultimately make the choice to work with you and earn a reward, has done much to ensure that my dogs really are my working partners and trust me. Yes, there are still moments of frustration and needing to problem solve, but it has also created an environment where it is a joy to work with these intelligent, powerful creatures.
So, all of that to say, I have found that marker, or clicker training if you will, establishes a means to communicate with your dogs and furthers the trust that you put in each other. And, I have found it to be humane and, best of all, fun! I now work and compete with my Anatolian's in obedience, agility and conformation. A few of my dogs have even earned their AKC CGC and UKC SPOT titles!
Training puppies!!! Where to start? It is so much fun to bring a puppy home! But what do you do when you get there? In the not so long ago past, people were being told to just put their puppy out with the livestock and they would figure it out because their instinct is so strong. This rarely works out well and often ends up with the puppy being injured, or, playing with and injuring the livestock it is supposed to protect.
People have also been told that you cannot handle your puppy to much or bring them in the house or they will become to attached to you and not guard the livestock. I have not found this to be true. What I have found speaking to other breeders and owners is that one size does not fit all when raising these guys. What works for me, may not work for someone who has a thousand head of livestock and hundreds of acres of land. And what works for the person who has a very small holding, with a lower predator pressure, may not work for me.
There is no one right way to handle your puppy with livestock, but here are some guidelines and what works for me and my living situation. I like to have my puppies live in the house with me to start, and accompany me out to visit the livestock and other dogs during chore time or other times that I am working on barn/fencing projects. Other people prefer to have a separate pen by the barn or livestock pens where the puppy can view the livestock but not interact with them unless supervised. Either way, the emphasis here is to ensure that your puppy has somewhere safe to be away from the other animals unless puppy is supervised. This is to prevent bad habits from starting and to keep the puppy safe.
I personally tend to take a very hands on approach with raising my Anatolians. All of mine work with the livestock full time, but can be taken into public or to a vet visit with minimal stress because of this. I enjoy taking my dogs places with me so this is very important that they be comfortable. But, I also expect them to perform the job they were bred to do, guard livestock and I have not had any issues with them being confused about it.
With my puppies, when they have repeatedly shown me appropriate behavior around the livestock, I will leave them in the pen with the animals for short periods of time while I work on other projects nearby, but outside of the pen. This way, the puppy gets to start making their own decisions, but I can still interrupt inappropriate behaviors, like playing with the livestock.
As time goes on, the time the puppy spends with the livestock will increase and supervision will become much more loose, more along the lines of me being home and walking out to check on puppy now and then. None of this happens overnight and each puppy will mature and learn at their own pace. I have one girl who was mature enough to be unsupervised with newborn goat kids and my laying hens at a year old. I have another boy who is coming up on two that is still working through his teenager stage and is only allowed near the birds when he is supervised.
And through all of this, my preference is to have older dogs in the pen with the puppy who will model good behavior and tolerate any puppy antics thrown their way. I have also found that the puppies tend to be much, much more successful if they can be allowed time to play, wrestle and expend energy with other dogs away from their livestock.
People have also been told that you cannot handle your puppy to much or bring them in the house or they will become to attached to you and not guard the livestock. I have not found this to be true. What I have found speaking to other breeders and owners is that one size does not fit all when raising these guys. What works for me, may not work for someone who has a thousand head of livestock and hundreds of acres of land. And what works for the person who has a very small holding, with a lower predator pressure, may not work for me.
There is no one right way to handle your puppy with livestock, but here are some guidelines and what works for me and my living situation. I like to have my puppies live in the house with me to start, and accompany me out to visit the livestock and other dogs during chore time or other times that I am working on barn/fencing projects. Other people prefer to have a separate pen by the barn or livestock pens where the puppy can view the livestock but not interact with them unless supervised. Either way, the emphasis here is to ensure that your puppy has somewhere safe to be away from the other animals unless puppy is supervised. This is to prevent bad habits from starting and to keep the puppy safe.
I personally tend to take a very hands on approach with raising my Anatolians. All of mine work with the livestock full time, but can be taken into public or to a vet visit with minimal stress because of this. I enjoy taking my dogs places with me so this is very important that they be comfortable. But, I also expect them to perform the job they were bred to do, guard livestock and I have not had any issues with them being confused about it.
With my puppies, when they have repeatedly shown me appropriate behavior around the livestock, I will leave them in the pen with the animals for short periods of time while I work on other projects nearby, but outside of the pen. This way, the puppy gets to start making their own decisions, but I can still interrupt inappropriate behaviors, like playing with the livestock.
As time goes on, the time the puppy spends with the livestock will increase and supervision will become much more loose, more along the lines of me being home and walking out to check on puppy now and then. None of this happens overnight and each puppy will mature and learn at their own pace. I have one girl who was mature enough to be unsupervised with newborn goat kids and my laying hens at a year old. I have another boy who is coming up on two that is still working through his teenager stage and is only allowed near the birds when he is supervised.
And through all of this, my preference is to have older dogs in the pen with the puppy who will model good behavior and tolerate any puppy antics thrown their way. I have also found that the puppies tend to be much, much more successful if they can be allowed time to play, wrestle and expend energy with other dogs away from their livestock.