Information sheet, March 2001

Paul Nash or Linda Jacobson

Tel (012) 561-2556, fax (012) 561-2557, cell (083) 601-4688 (Paul) or (083) 601-4699 (Linda)

Email linda@frcs.alt.za

Postal address PO Box 12845, Onderstepoort 0110

Livestock guardian dogs (or LGDs) originated in Europe and Asia, and have been used for centuries to guard livestock against predators like bears and wolves. There are many LGD breeds, including the Anatolian Shepherd (from Turkey), Maremma (Italy), Pyrenean Mountain Dog (France), and Komondor (Hungary). They are all large or giant breeds, and are usually completely white, or fawn-coloured with a dark muzzle.

The job of LGDs is to protect livestock. They are not herding dogs. Typically, the dog lives with a flock and chases off predators. There are many variations on this theme, with some dogs living permanently with a flock, some only guarding the flock at night, others being family guardians, and yet others guarding several different species (including humans) on a property. Although typically LGDs work with sheep or goats, they can also be used with other livestock, ranging from cattle to poultry. There is no reason they could not be used to protect wild antelope and other game animals against predators.

Anatolians are large to giant breed dogs. Our bitch is about 65cm at the shoulder and 35kg, and our dog about 75cm and 45kg. They are rugged and powerful dogs, with a deep chest and a definite "tuck up" at the abdomen. The tail curls over at the end. The colouring is tan, with black ears and mask. All our pups have some white feet or toes and white splashes on the chest and stomach, but this becomes less obvious later, as the initial dark-grey colour fades. The coat is quite dense, particularly in winter, but relatively short. Some Anatolians have a rough coat. For pictures of the dogs, visit our website (at end).

To understand the Anatolian, and what type of dog is desirable, it is only necessary to think about what they have been bred to do for centuries. In the normal course of events, they need to be docile and placid, with low activity levels, so as not to frighten the sheep they are guarding. They need to be independent, so that they can be left alone with flocks for long periods and make decisions about what action to take if a predator appears. They are not primarily aggressive, because dogs that are too aggressive, with a high prey drive, would attack their own flock, particularly young playful lambs or kids. One of the most appealing things about Anatolians (to us) is the fact that they are primarily protective guard dogs, not aggressive ones. They start with as little aggression as possible, and ramp it up according to the situation. If seriously challenged, or faced with a real danger to the flock, they have to be able to attack and kill a predator with lightning speed, to as to be able to deal with more than one predator at a time, and also to keep disturbances to the flock to a minimum. From an immobile position, they need to leap up and race to the source of a potential problem incredibly fast. From looking placid and docile, they have to make themselves menacing and frightening, which they do by stiffening up, raising the hair on their backs to make themselves look enormous, and holding their tails high over their backs, accompanied by loud and threatening barks, howls or growls.

We discovered the concept of LGDs, and the Anatolian breed, while in Australia in 1997. In 1998 we imported two dogs, Cappadocia Concertina (Tina) and Cappadocia Diomede (Zeka) from Maureen Charnstom, near Adelaide (website details at end). Maureen’s breeding dogs are kept with livestock, so that only successful working dogs are bred. Tina was about 5 months when she arrived in South Africa and Zeka was 7 months. Tina has worked only as a family guardian dog here, although she started life with sheep, kangaroos and emus. Zeka initially lived fulltime with our small herd of milk goats, and worked very well with them. We sold the goats recently and he is currently a family dog.

This litter of pups were moved into a small paddock with some young sheep at 5 weeks of age.

Apart from our dogs, 7 pups from their previous litter, and 5 pups from this litter, there are 5 other adult Anatolians in South Africa. They belong to 3 breeders in the Bloemfontein area. We hope to work closely with these breeders and to cooperate as much as possible in promoting the breed. All 3 are stud sheep breeders.

Contact information:

Johan Steyn 051 4417913/4; ramsem@intekom.co.za

Fouche Jordaan Tel 051 430-3567

Jan van Biljon 056 3431093

We are quite new to breeding Anatolians and have a lot to learn, but essentially plan to breed dogs for temperament and working ability. We want to promote them among people who have real work for them, preferably with livestock, but also as general purpose guardians on smallholdings and small farms. We plan to discourage the use of Anatolians as urban pets, as we don’t believe this will be in the interest of the breed, and may well lead to frustration and unhappiness for owners and dogs.

Ideally any breeding dogs should be totally free of hip dysplasia, but this is often hard to achieve. As large breeds go, Anatolians do not have major problems with HD. Tina’s hip dysplasia score is 1+ 1+, and Zeka’s is 1+ and 0.

Our dogs are registered with KUSA, and we will register the puppies. We are doing this because it provides proof that the dogs are purebred and keeps track of breeding history (particularly important with a small breeding pool).

Feedback from the first litter made us realise that it is a big mistake to assume that Anatolians are dogs with computer chips inside them, that will automatically get everything right without guidance.

The dogs have the potential to guard livestock, but they cannot be expected to do it successfully without supervision.

The problems that were encountered with our last litter were at 8 months in two dogs. In both, problems had been brewing but not addressed earlier. You can consider the dogs immature till at least 2 years (sometimes 3), and assume that they may push the limits during adolescence (around 8 months on). At the point where they are big enough to seriously challenge the sheep, be specially vigilant for any bad habits developing.

A lot of the information below comes from Bonnie Schumann at the Cheetah Conservation Project in Namibia (contact details below):

Pups should be raised with lambs in a small camp, from as early as possible (these pups were put with lambs in a small paddock at just under 5 weeks and have behaved beautifully). Remember that young pups often need protection as well as supervision.

Contact with people should not be avoided, but should be limited, especially early on, so that they "bond" with the sheep. One good way of making sure they acknowledge their main handler and his authority is for this person to feed the dog and tell him to sit before he is fed. This helps establish dominance. Be careful of turning them into pets, which can happen quite easily. They need to stay with the livestock all the time.

Decide early on what conditions the dogs will work under and get them used to these. For example, if you are planning to mix sheep and goats, or different colours of sheep, do it from early on. If the sheep are going to graze with or near catttle, get the pups used to this early. Even if you are only using one breed of sheep, but the individuals are going to change regularly, get the dogs used to this. Otherwise they will see the unfamiliar animals as intruders and try to chase them off.

For one dog, sheep should be a breed that flocks together, and no more than 200 per flock. With bigger, more scattered flocks, more dogs are needed.

It is ideal if the sheep come into a kraal at night. This allows better supervision. The Namibians highly recommend that a herder should stay permanently with the flock and the dogs. (Make sure the herder does not encourage any hunting behaviour - eg. chasing antelope etc. This could get the dog into bad habits with the sheep.) Once you have a working adult, placing a pup with him is an ideal way of teaching that pup (but it still does not replace human supervision).

The dogs need to understand from very early what behaviour is allowed and what isn’t. That means you have to be very clear in your own mind about this (beyond the obvious).

Specific behaviour to watch out for is any tendency to chase or play with the sheep, which could escalate to chewing ears. This is extremely serious misconduct for an Anatolian and should never be tolerated. To correct bad behaviour, shout at the puppy and push him onto the ground (ONLY when young - later on this is probably too aggressive and could result in serious and potentially dangerous conflict between dog and owner). Shouting "no" and tying him up for 10 minutes worked well with Zeka. Anatolians don’t respond well to physical force and hitting, and in our experience it is not required. Don’t neglect to watch for positive behaviours and reinforce them with rewards, such as praise, a pat, or a food reward. Bear in mind that this is a dog that does not like being forced into anything. If you lead, he will follow. If you push him, he will dig his heels in.

If serious or ongoing problems are experienced, put the dogs with sheep only when they can be supervised, but the rest of the time keep them in a pen in the same camp as the sheep - don’t separate them completely.

The main reason for failure of a dog is incorrect training and supervision, but some dogs will not work out as livestock guardians - it is just a fact of life.

The USDA fact sheet published on the Web provides the following advice:

• Rear pups singly from 8 weeks of age with sheep, minimising human contact (probably the most critical ingredient for success).
• Monitor the dog and correct undesirable behaviours.
• Encourage the dog to remain with or near the livestock.
• Ensure the dog’s health and safety.
• Manage the livestock in accordance with the dog’s age and experience (e.g. use small pastures while the dog is young and inexperienced).
• Be patient and allow plenty of time to train your dog. Remember that a guarding dog may take 2 or more years to mature.

Other dogs: if there are going to be other dogs around the sheep, introduce them to the Anatolians at a young age. They will then tolerate those particular dogs under most circumstances, but will not tolerate strange dogs especially once older. Also remember that competition between big dogs, whether the same breed or different, is likely to occur once they get to adolescence. The Anatolians should not live with other breeds - they are likely to learn bad habits from non-guardian dogs (such as teaming up together and chasing sheep).

The Namibians have found that the dogs work very well with goats, because the goats tend to teach them manners, unlike sheep which tend to run away and encourage chasing behaviour. Consider mixing sheep and goats?

Depending on the situation, basic obedience training might be appropriate. Don’t expect Anatolians to jump through burning hoops, but you can teach them to walk at heel, sit and stay. They will come when called, when it suits them. We found that clicker training worked much better than the traditional methods. Clicker training is based on positive reinforcement, and allows the dog to make the decisions, while you shape the behaviour. (Read "Don’t Shoot the Dog" by Karen Prior or contact Dr Helen Zulch, at Onderstepoort 529-8472 or 529-8000 for further information).

An Anatolians is not the right dog for everybody. The first thing to be aware of is that not every single dog is going to be a successful livestock guardian. Most will, but some won’t. Also be aware that the dog is only a tool in the fight against predators, and can’t be expected to do everything. Depending on the situation, more than one dog might be needed, or more than one predator control method might be required.

Many Anatolians expand their territory unilaterally, which can lead to serious problems. Different dogs have different ideas about how big a territory should be, and some are more dedicated escape artists than others, so it is not always an issue. Our advice is to teach the dog to respect fences early on, either through very secure fencing, or by using electric fences. An electric fence is a good deterrent for a puppy, and if you are lucky, the dog will stay away from fences from then on. Buried electrical wire, with a shock collar, can be used to teach dogs to stay away from fences or open gates. This might sound drastic, but may save the dog’s life in the long run. Other methods are attaching a log or tyre to the dog’s collar by a chain, which we saw used in Australia (though we didn’t like it much).

If you have a dog that is a good guardian, but wanders, make sure the neighbours understand the situation, and that the dog won’t hurt their sheep. Show them photos of the dog or the dog itself - it may save the dog’s life one day.

Anatolians tend to bark quite a lot, particularly at night. Once they are used to an area, this decreases. It is possible to hear whether the barking is just a warning or territorial, or if the dog is seriously worried about something that requires you to check up.

Anatolians are large and potentially dangerous. It is every owner’s duty to ensure that a dog is not a danger to innocent passers by. Similarly, although Anatolians are generally excellent with children, small children should not be allowed to try to take charge of the dog or tease him, and should be supervised when with the dog. The dog could expect them to understand cues the way a puppy would, and problems might result when they do not. Don’t encourage aggression in these dogs.

How often to feed

Our puppies are currently being fed 3 times a day, at this stage commercial dogfood usually mixed with milk. They should be fed 3 times a day for the first 3-4 months, thereafter twice a day, if possible till a year or 18 months, and after than once or twice daily as preferred.

What to feed

The most important fact to understand about feeding young large breed dogs is that skeletal problems like hip dysplasia are only part hereditary. The other part is incorrect feeding – excess calcium, protein and energy cause too-rapid growth, which can lead to numerous abnormalities. (Excessive exercise can contribute, but this should not be a problem with Anatolians.) Until 10-12 weeks, feed a reputable commercial puppy food with or without milk. If giving milk, reduce gradually, and stop by about 12 weeks. After that, either feed a diet specifically formulated for giant breed pups (e.g. Eukanuba or Hills), or feed an ADULT diet. Conventional puppy foods are not designed for giant breeds.

Our advice is to feed the best quality commercial dogfood you can afford, and give according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Home-made diets can be fed to dogs, but it is difficult to assess whether they are nutritionally balanced. A mixture of pellets and tinned food, or commercial and home-cooked food, gives the dog a more varied and interesting diet.

Anatolians should not be allowed to become overweight. Use the ribs as a guide – they should not be visible, but should be easy to feel. The backbone tends to stick out even in a dog that is not thin, so don’t use this as a guide.

Anatolians have relatively few health problems, and can live to 12-14 years, a long lifespan for a large dog. Unfortunately, because of the work they do, many die much younger from "occupational hazards".

The pups have had their first vaccination at 6 weeks. Boosters are required at 9 weeks and 12 weeks. Rabies vaccination starting at 12 weeks is now compulsory. Pups are routinely dewormed when they are vaccinated. Annual boosters are recommended.

The most important tick-related problems in dogs in South Africa are biliary fever (bosluiskoors), and to a lesser extent ehrlichiosis (bosluisbytkoors), both of which are very common (bosluisbytkoors does not occur in all areas). Biliary fever can be rapidly fatal. From our limited experience, Anatolians are neither more or less susceptible than other breeds. We are in a high-tick area, and use Frontline spray every 4 weeks in summer and every 6 weeks in winter. Discuss the most appropriate preventive methods with your local vet. The bottom line on tick control is that it can save your dog’s life, and you have to measure the expense of the product against what the dog is worth to you. As with food, use the best product you can afford.

In a biliary fever area, any dog that refuses to eat, or seems listless and eats less than usual, for no apparent reason, should be considered at risk and checked by a vet. Pale or yellow gums or whites of the eyes, and red or orange urine are serious warning signs.

Hip dysplasia, as mentioned above, is always a potential problem in large breeds, but not too severe in the Anatolian breed. For breeding purposes, certified hip dysplasia radiographs are taken after a year of age. Only dogs with good scores should be used for breeding.

Hypothyroidism is another potential problem in Anatolians (again, a problem in many large breeds), and hypothyroid dogs should not be bred.

Sterilisation should be seriously considered for any dog that you are not planning to use for breeding. The Cheetah Project insist that Anatolians be sterilised. The main reason for this is to prevent wandering, fighting, aggressive behaviour etc that can affect the dog’s effectiveness and in some cases get it killed.

Flockguard mailing list – to subscribe, send email to LISTSERV@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM. Leave subject line blank. In message, type Subscribe Flockguard.

Cheetah Conservation Project - Bonnie Schumann - cheeta@iafrica.com.na; phone +264 673-06225.

Articles by Peter Wells, a lot about breed politics but other Anatolian issues/info too: http://www.geocities.com/peterwells_uk/bn/

Breed discussion/information:

http://www.turkishdogs.com

Our dogs:

Our website featuring pictures of our dogs: http://users.iafrica.com/p/pn/pnash/anatolian/dogs.html

Maureen Charmstom’s website (breeder of our dogs): http://members.xoom.com/anatolians/

(Might be http://sr9.xoom.com/anatolians)

or email tamarisk@twpo.com.au)

Other useful sites:

http://www.anatolianshepherd.com

http://www.idyllmtn.com/savaskan

http://www.flockguard.org

http://www.flockguard.org/lgdusdafact.htm