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I currently have a German Shepherd and am looking to add an Anatolian Shepherd. Can anyone familiar with both breeds give me any insight into the differences in training approach?
German Shepherds are cooperative workers and Anatolians are independent workers and much more protective and suspicious of strangers. Both can be dog aggressive, but Anatolians are much more dog aggressive.
A German Shepherd will work hard trying to figure out what you want so he can make you happy. The Anantolian doesn't much care whether you are happy or not.
German Shepherds are sheep herding dogs that morphed into police dogs that work closely with their handler, and Anantolians are livestock guardians who don't work with anybody.
You'd better be strong willed and organized if you expect to train an Anatolian into a good citizen.
I raised a very high drive German import, so I'm definitely strong willed and organized. Have also trained Rottweilers and Dobes. Just wondering about training methodology with the Anatolian.
I have found this website to be pretty much right on with many of the breeds I am familiar with...and that's a lot of breeds. Although it merely touches on temperament in regards to training. Anatolian Shepherd Dogs: What's Good and Bad About Anatolians
It's hard to imagine why anyone would want an Anatolian unless they had livestock that required guarding. My friends with livestock guarding dogs mostly have Great Pyrs. A few have Maremmas or Kuvasz.
This Livestock Guardian Dogs site has a discussion list. I'm guessing you'd have better luck there. Livestock Guardian Dogs
Anatolians are not like rots, dobes or GSDS, because Anatolians were bred for a VERY diferent job.
training an AS is more like training a saluki or afghan hound...they are INCREDIBLY independent.
as a breed Anatolians were bred to work 100% completely independent of humans, they lived 100% with their flock of sheep or goats, traveling hundereds of miles of rough territory, protecting their livestock...no human in sight, no human to give orders, or direction...
because of this they were bred to not "need" humans.
dobes, rots, GSD's were all designed by man to work WITH man...they were bred to work with a human counterpart and thus be highly trainable, vry alert, very human responsive, and "NEED" people...they are bred to learn and have a desire to please the humans they are working with....
Anatolians however...they wernt bred for that...infact they were bred the complete opposite...to not need humans, to not need instruction...to not need to please their human counterpart, their loyalty was to the sheep/goats...NOT to the human.
because of this the raingin approach is different...
everything a GSD LOVES to learn an Anatolian will look at you like "but why?"
everything a dobe is eager to do just because learning is fun an Anatolian will say "that's silly, that doesn't help me"
everything a rotty wants to do because his very instinct says please you, an Anatolian will say "whats in it or me?"
you have to approach livestock guardian breeds with a different approach...
they are feircly loyal to anything they consider their "flock" (human, goats, kids, cats, doesn't matter as long as they deam it part of theirs) they tend to be laid back almost "lazy" dogs as mature adults, (again bred to expend energy only as nessicary...
don't take this to mean they cant be trained or are not intelligent, quite the opposite...
It just takes a little more to figure out the motivation behind an LGD breed and accept that they will NEVER be a GSD...they will never WANT to run 50 miles just because you are...instead they are more likely to look at you and say "ok you keep running ill wait here till you get back...shout me if you need anything" kind of dogs.
A puppy picture would be greatly appreciated when you get him, please.
Definitely! Should be here around February 7th
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