Yappicon Yappicon Yappicon Yappicon Yappicon Yappicon Yappicon Yappicon

Create Your Anatolian Shepherd Dog's Shop

Enter your dog's name, select an icon and you'll instantly see EVERYTHING personalised just for your Anatolian Shepherd Dog...

Anatolian Shepherd Dog Breed Summary

Independent, Loyal, Protective and Alert

These dogs are native to Turkey and were originally bred to guard livestock. They are also referred to as Turkish Mountain Dogs as they are said to resemble Mastiffs!

They have since found a large fan base in the US, though remain fairly unknown across much of the UK and only a few puppies are born each year.

Fun Fact: These dogs are direct descendants of the ancient Mastiff breed!

Lifespan 13 - 15 Years
Height (at the withers) Males 74cm –81cm, Females 71cm – 79cm
Weight Males 50kg – 65kg, Females 40kg – 55kg
Coat Coats are Short and Thick. The Undercoat is also Dense and Lies Flat to the Body.
Colour Fawn with Mask, Grey Fawn with Mask, Red Fawn with Mask, Tricolour, White No Mask
Eye colour Golden or Brown
Common health issues Hip dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia, Congenital deafness, Osteochondritis dissecans, Epilepsy, Cardiomyopathy, Autoimmune thyroiditis, Bloat/gastric torsion
Other Names Turkish Mountain Dog, Karabaş (Blackhead), Anatolian Blackhead (Anadolulu Karabaş), Karabash Dog, Kangal Dog

Considered a 'guardian dog', these pups are full of self-confidence and are an extremely independent breed which makes them highly skilled at formulating their own decisions. So, these dogs may, or may not choose to obey commands! If you have an Anatolian Sheep Dog as a puppy, they will adopt you as their 'flock' and will do everything they can to protect you. Just don't let their exteriors scare you, while their jobs are to appear intimidating, they are very calm and loving with their 'hooman' families. However, it may not be best to consider Anatolian Shepherd Dogs if you have small children, as they have a tendency to act like a dog in a china shop and could injure or cause harm to smaller 'hoomans'. Essentially though, they have the potential to provide you with years and years of love and companionship - who wouldn't want that?

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, which were developed over 6000 years ago, are named after their hometown of Anatolia in Turkey, where even to this day, they are still highly regarded (to the point that they are the face of the national post stamp!). If you fancy yourself a new bodyguard, then this is definitely the dog for you. They normally grow to weigh around 140 pounds and are fiercely loyal companions. The reason that many of these dogs were bred to have a light, cream-coloured coat was originally to confuse predators into thinking they were sheep, and it made defending the livestock a lot easier. It's important that if you consider this breed, you think about whether you want a working dog or a family pet, as different breeders will aim to instil distinctive personality traits and values to suit the need of the future owners.