Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Anatolian Shepherd Dog

Last night Otto and I tuned in to watch the working group at the Westminster Kennel Show. On their website, the Anatolian Shepherd Dog is described as" an ancient breed (4,000 to 6,000 years old) from Turkey / Asia Minor that has been and is still used primarily as a livestock guardian worldwide. This is a true "thinking" dog, independent and capable of evaluating a situation to determine the appropriate response. They are highly intelligent, large, extremely fast and agile, powerful, determined, instinctively protective of their charges and very territorial. A "formal introduction" is necessary before tolerating strangers. They make an excellent companion with proper socialization and obedience training, as well as an owner who is always in charge."

Some other choice comments that I found on other websites describe traits that seem a bit more accurate to me:

They tend to bark at night and some like to dig.

They are intelligent and can learn quickly but might choose not to obey. Possessive and very independent, these are not the most obedient of dogs and are very strong minded and willful.

He will get up about every one to one and a half hours and circle the inner area, checking everything, and then lie back down in a new place. The dog quickly knows the usual activity and people moving in and out of its area. As long as nothing unusual occurs or appears, he will lie around doing nothing. (for hours and hours!)


and then there is Otto...

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