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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Marie McHarry wrote:
> On 12/4/06, EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> > If they only made Anatolians in smaller packages.. :)
>
> Why are you put off by the size of the dog? Louie is a big boy but 
> he's not huge. It took him a few months to get completely
> coordinated, but now at about 2 1/2 he's coordinated enough so that
> the BCs can't roll him (which they had fun doing through his
> adolescence).

I've had two Great Pyrennes, and I've always said I love big dogs..that
is, until I got Rilian, my Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.  Ril is taller
than the Pyrs, and while not as fluffy he probably weighs as much as
one.  Ril is a house dog and he is just too big for the house (32 inches
at the withers, otter tail like a lab...you get the idea).  I know that
if I got an Anatolian, he would be an outside dog, but right now, I am
just "over" having a huge dog.  I can't find anyone willing to take
Rilian, and he is unsuitable to be an outside dog.  I've tried fencing
and chaining him, neither worked.  Ril has always been an inside dog,
with people, and he is not happy outdoors.  I got him as a 16 month old
rescue, so I did not have those crucial early months with him, and he
had been abused and neglected by his first owners.  Anyway, I have
gotten the "giant breed bug" out of my system.


Right
> now, he's got a good appetite, but I expect that like most LGDs he'll
>  taper off to eating less than the BCs.

I'm not worried about how much a new dog will eat.


> They do to a certain extent but not far enough that they don't know 
> what's happening at home. The more they are bonded to their charges, 
> the closer they stick to home. Louie knows exactly where the coyotes 
> live, so he crosses the road to get to slightly higher ground that 
> overlooks the creek. He doesn't go out to get them though.

What all does Louie guard?  How far is across the road?


 OTOH, he's
> doesn't tolerate strange dogs that come onto his territory. We used
> to be plagued by strays from the hamlet of Sweetwater, a quarter of a
>  mile up the road. No more.

This is my biggest objection and worry about getting an Anatolian.  I
really don't want a killer-that's why I decided on Pyrs for my goats
instead of an Anatolian.  I wanted a dog that was more like to chase
something away than to kill.


> How would it work to
> > have a LGD running loose on property with two house dogs?  When I
> > had the Pyrs before, they were in the pasture with the stock, and
> > any future dog would be loose.
>
> Louie has worked out well with the BCs. They're part of the pack and 
> they can do anything to him.

This is good to know.

How did you train Louie to stay nearby?  Did you bring him in the house
as a puppy?  How did you teach him to hang around and not run off?



> That has worked out well here. The BCs are in the house a lot, and 
> Louie never is. When one of them is out he sometimes socializes with 
> them (in the summer I often see him and Lucy resting in the shade)
> but more often he goes off and they stay near the house. He doesn't
> patrol far, but he does cross the road to get to his spot, and they
> don't.

Again, good to know.

> An Anatolian probably wouldn't kill a visitor but he would scare the 
> hell out of all concerned. Gloria spent the night here after the big 
> tornado in the spring, and Louie gave every indication of wanting to 
> eat her puppy. Other Anatolian owners have suggested that the best
> way to introduce an Anatolian to another dog is on neutral ground,
> and I expect that is right. Louie is fine at the vet's. He loves
> everybody, even the little yappers (though their owners worry but
> only because he's a big dog).

People are terrified of Rilian, too, even though there's not a mean bone
in his body.  He just turned 4, and like most giant breeds, is slow to
mature.  He is STILL a puppy, mentally.

> When I was a kid we always had a Chesapeake (hunting is big in my 
> natal county). We never had a varmint problem with a Chessie on the 
> place (though we found a few carcasses in the mornings). Anatolians 
> are less likely to kill varmints; if they can run 'em off they're 
> happy, and they won't leave the place unguarded.

I've always heard just the opposite, that they kill first and run off
only what they can't catch.

> If you want an easy dog, an Anatolian is probably not your best 
> choice. They're hard headed and know what their job is and don't 
> figure they need much instruction. They are sweet, though.

Easy? no.
Elkhounds surely aren't easy, either.  They are as stubborn and
independent minded as the day is long.  I am used to highly intelligent,
high active dogs like BC's, shelties, and AS's, and I am used to
independent, instinctive intelligent dogs like Pyrs and Elkhounds...I'm
not sure that I ever had an easy dog. LOL

Bev
--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky