The Anatolian Shepherds’ bold demeanor and sturdy physique make it quite easy to fall in love with this dog breed.
So if you are among the never-ending Anatolian Shepherd’s enthusiasts (just like I am) and you are curious and can’t help but ask, ‘Are Anatolian Shepherds good guard dogs?’, then read on as I got you covered through this article.
I will be providing you with an accurate answer on whether Anatolians Shepherds make good guard dogs, what qualities make excellent guard dogs, and how to train your hound to be a skillful guard dog.
So, lets dive in!
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Are Anatolian Shepherds Good Guard Dogs?
Yes, Anatolian Shepherds make good guard dogs when adequately trained at a young age.
Their size, coupled with their easy-to-shape temperament, makes these hounds gurus at guarding both their owners and their owners’ property.
It’s important to NOTE that an inadequately trained Anatolian Shepherd can be a ‘recipe’ for disaster.
These hounds are pretty independent and often assume the Alpha role if the owner isn’t strict enough to tame them.
They can also be quite aggressive, so if you are not an experienced dog owner, I highly recommend that you adopt another guard dog breed for your guarding needs.
Are Anatolian Shepherds Protective?
Yes, Anatolian Shepherd dogs are protective, both to their owners (and their family) and animals provided that they are thoroughly socialized and trained.
How Do You Know If Your Anatolian Shepherd Is A Good Guard Dog?
Protective
The Anatolians were initially bred in Turkey to guard the flock and their owner’s property.
Still, up to date, this innate temperament of protecting what it considers of importance is still intact.
The innate protective temperament of an Anatolian Shepherd makes them good guard dogs when adequately trained.
Doesn’t Act Out Of Fear
Fearless is the best adjective I can use to describe this dog breed.
This dog breed will never attack an aggressor out of fear.
This is a good trait of a guard dog as you will be shielded from any legal proceedings due to your dog having been aggressive to a harmless person (your delivery guy or your neighbors kids).
Alert
This dog breed has an exceptional sight, an outstanding hearing capability, a heightened sense of smell, and an unmatchable speed (can run at a speed of 56 kilometers per hour).
All these attributes contribute to the alertness of this hound.
This means that an Anatolian Shepherd will be able to note even the slightest change or an abnormality in both their surroundings and in their owners.
Territorial (In A Good Way)
Anatolians are quite territorial but in a good way when adequately trained to respect and acknowledge both their owners’ boundaries and others’ boundaries.
An Anatolian will immediately alert you of a trespasser by barking, or it may even chase the intruder up to the end of its designated boundary (owner’s property boundary).
Confident
Anatolian Shepherd’s stature and physique manifest confidence.
These dogs are known not to shy away from a competition regardless of how intimidating it is, thus making them excellent guard dogs.
Intelligent And Easy To Train
For a guard dog to become a first-rate guard, it has to undergo structured training; this makes it essential that your Anatolian Shepherd be easy to train.
Intelligence goes hand in hand with a dog’s ease of trainability.
Pro-tip; To make it easy for you to train your intelligent hound, ensure that you start training it basic commands at the age of 7-8 weeks.
Then gradually proceed to more complex training at the age of 6 months. Do NOT delay or postpone your hound’s training.
Decisive
An Anatolian Shepherd dog is quite decisive in nature.
It knows which decisions to make even when its owner is not around.
This makes it a good guard dog since it doesn’t rely solely on its owner’s commands to guard the property or its owner.
How well your Anatolian Shepherd responds to socialization will determine whether or not it will make a good guard dog.
A hound receptive to socialization makes an excellent guard dog since it gets exposed to different stimuli, people, and other animals and naturally learns how to react to each stimulant appropriately without physical violence.
Loyal
Anatolian Shepherds are ace at being loyal to their owners or caregivers.
This makes them excellent guard dogs as they are ready to defend and protect their owners irrespective of the outcome.
Is Not Quick To Aggression
NOTE! A guard dog is way different from an attack dog.
The latter is trained to attack an intruder, whereas a guard dog is trained to alarm its owner (through barking), chase, or pin the intruder to the ground as it waits for its owner and rarely bites unless the aggressor provokes it too much.
How Do I Train My Anatolian Shepherd To Be A Guard Dog?
A thoroughly socialized dog will be more outgoing, friendly, and confident.
All these attributes will boost its general personality and physical strength to make it an excellent guard dog.
Pro-tip; To make it easy for both you and your Anatolian Shepherd, please consider enrolling it in a socialization class.
Ensure that the ratio of the dog trainer to the pups or dogs is 1:6.
Also, ensure that your hound is up to date with its vaccination and deworming schedule.
Make an effort to attend a dog’s socialization class session with your dog before committing to paying the fee.
This will help you determine whether or not the socialization class environment will be beneficial for your dog at the end of it all.
Suppose you notice any signs of bullying within the other animals, hygiene neglect, or a lack of professionalism in the dog trainer.
In that case, I strongly recommend that you do NOT enroll your dog in that socialization class.
#Train Your Doggie Basic Obedience Commands
You can either train your Anatolian the basic obedience commands, or you can alternatively enroll it into an obedience class.
I recommend that you do the latter if it’s your first time training a dog since Anatolians are pretty sensitive to their training.
A slight error may make its obedience training ineffective.
Let your hound obey simple basic commands such as ‘No,’ ‘Sit,’ ‘Stay,’ ‘Come,’ and ‘down.’
Always use treats and praises whenever your dog performs positively in its training.
#Train Your Anatolian Shepherd Complex Commands
Before advancing to training your dog complex commands, please make sure that it’s fully acquainted with its basic obedience commands.
Take Note! A dog will only perform well in its advanced training if it successfully mastered its basic training.
Barking or howling on command, crawling, spinning around, standing tall on hind legs can be considered complex commands that are essential for a dog to make an excellent guard dog.
Pro-tip; It can sometimes be challenging even for an experienced dog owner to train an Anatolian adequately to be a good guard dog.
So, I recommend hiring a professional and reputable dog trainer and letting them help you bring out the best guarding skills in your Anatolian Shepherd dog.
#Desensitize It To Its Fears
Everyone has a fear, and so do Anatolian Shepherds despite their sturdy and fearless composure.
Some of the things that may cause your doggy to fear include; loud noises caused by thunderstorms or fire trucks.
Ensure that you actively desensitize your dog to such stimuli by slowly introducing them to the stimuli over the course of their training period.
#Exercise Patience, Tolerance, And Consistency
When training your Anatolian Shepherd to become a good guard dog, you must exercise patience, tolerance, and consistency.
Do not give up even if you feel like your dog isn’t picking up to its training.
Please don’t yell at it or punish it.
Be friendly, smile a bit, cheer your dog, and most importantly, let it know that it’s trying even when it’s not.
NOTE! Anatolians are quite intelligent, and they can quickly know when you are angry, disappointed, or you are about to give up on them.
This can make them fall into depression, thus reducing their overall performance.
#Work Within Your Hound’s Limit Or Capability
Don’t push your Anatolian Shepherd capabilities. Work within its limit.
Remember, Anatolians can be pretty stubborn, especially when they feel as though they are being treated wrongly.
Note that these dogs also have a threshold, and if you exceed their limit, dire consequences will follow you.
PS; I am not threatening you!
Are Anatolian Shepherds Good Guard Dogs?
Are Anatolian Shepherd good guard dogs?
Yes, they are.
These hounds are alert, loyal, receptive to socialization, ideally decisive, protective, easy to train, and rarely act out of fear or pure aggression.
All these qualities make them ace at their guarding tasks.
In order to successfully train your Anatolian Shepherd to be a good guard dog, please ensure that you;
Adequately socialize it, teach it basic obedience commands and then train it advanced commands like ‘bark,’ ‘run.’
Don’t forget to desensitize your dog to its fears, exercise patience and consistency, work within your doggie’s limits and maximize on your Anatolian strongholds to make the best guard dog out of your hound.
NOTE! Anatolian Shepherd dogs are not recommended for a novice dog parent.
Their over-the-top strong-willed nature, physical stimulation demands, and also their size, which can be pretty intimidating make them an ideal fit for an experienced dog owner.
