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