About the Anatolian Shepherd Dog -source: www.AKC.com

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is named for their homeland of Anatolia in the central part of Turkey.  The Anatolian Shepherd Dog stands between 27 and 29 inches at the shoulder and can weigh as much as 150 pounds. Profusely muscled but nimble afoot, Anatolians are more than a match for the predators and harsh terrain of their homeland.  They can be short or long coated and come in many colors, including pinto, white, and brindle, but fawn with a black mask is most common.

Anatolians descend from some of the oldest known domestic-canine bloodlines. This lends the breed a sense of timelessness, a no-frills, untouched quality that takes us back 6,000 years to the Bronze Age.

Anatolians are smart, devoted, responsive, and adaptable. They will protect their flock—livestock, children, smaller dogs, even the family cat—with intensity. Anatolian owners must be strong leaders, willing and able to handle a dog as dominating and demanding as he is calm and loving.

Anatolians have been aiding in the cheetah conservation effort in Namibia since 1994. Namibia's Cheetah Conservation Fund started a program to encourage ranchers to use Anatolian Shepherd Dogs to protect their flocks, reducing the need to kill cheetahs.