Why I have Anatolians as livestock guardians
Monday, January 31, 2022
When I had my first four Alpacas for short time, one of my neighbors informed me that he had seen two coyotes at my locked driveway gate. That is when I started searching other farms for what they used to protect their animals. Some used Llamas, some used donkeys, and some used Great Pyrenees. I did not want to add donkeys or Llamas to my herd, and was considering Pyrs because I liked that breed at dog shows. Then I ran across a farm that had four Anatolian Shepherds as guardians for their Alpacas. I had never heard of the breed, so contacted that farm to get more information. They told me all about the breed and gave me the name of the breeder from whom they had obtained them, as they liked the quality and working ability of the dogs they got. So, I contacted that breeder, and the rest is history. I drove from Ohio to Florida to pick up my first Anatolian puppy from this breeder. Since I had shown a number of my German Shepherds to Championships, I opted for a show quality puppy, that would also be a working dog. At 8 weeks, she already weighed 23 pounds, and she was a beautiful pup.
She turned out to be exactly what I wanted, and was an AKC Champion by the time she was a year and a half. She won so many shows that she qualified for entry at the Eukaneuba Championshp show. I could not resist entering her in that prestigious
show, even though Tampa was a long drive. She did not win, but got tons of cheers for her puppy antics in the ring,when she kept tugging at the judge's pants all the way around the ring. This dog turned out to be a phenomenal guardian of my herd. No critters other than those that belongedto my farm were allowed into the barn or pasture. When she was two years old, her hips and elbows were OFA certified. She lived a long and healthy life, and I added a male to help her as she got older. Currently, I have my third one, and that is the only breed I will ever use to guard my animals. They are exceptionally smart, instinctively know what to do, even if the owner does not. Their size is intimidating to predators as well as thieves, but if they are introduced to people, they are generally friendly. Like most breeds of that kind, they are also great judges of character.
The most important thing is to get an Anatolian from a good breeder!!
She turned out to be exactly what I wanted, and was an AKC Champion by the time she was a year and a half. She won so many shows that she qualified for entry at the Eukaneuba Championshp show. I could not resist entering her in that prestigious
show, even though Tampa was a long drive. She did not win, but got tons of cheers for her puppy antics in the ring,when she kept tugging at the judge's pants all the way around the ring. This dog turned out to be a phenomenal guardian of my herd. No critters other than those that belongedto my farm were allowed into the barn or pasture. When she was two years old, her hips and elbows were OFA certified. She lived a long and healthy life, and I added a male to help her as she got older. Currently, I have my third one, and that is the only breed I will ever use to guard my animals. They are exceptionally smart, instinctively know what to do, even if the owner does not. Their size is intimidating to predators as well as thieves, but if they are introduced to people, they are generally friendly. Like most breeds of that kind, they are also great judges of character.
The most important thing is to get an Anatolian from a good breeder!!
