Living With an Anatolian
Can an Anatolian Shepherd live in the house?
Yes, an Anatolian can live in the house as a family companion, but it is still a guardian breed: territorial, wary of strangers, and in need of a securely fenced yard. A dog meant to guard stock should be raised with the stock, not in the house.
The national breed club says these dogs are not pets in the conventional sense, though steady socialization can make them closely bonded companions. The club describes them as affectionate with family and suspicious of strangers, and it treats obedience training as a necessity. The AKC standard calls the breed highly territorial. The coat has a thick undercoat, and the club says the breed tolerates extremes of temperature. The club advises providing shelter from bad weather and shade in summer.
Working dogs are a different case. Texas A&M AgriLife tells producers not to bring a guardian pup into the home to socialize it.
Our dogs live outdoors with our sheep and work through Montana winters. Our puppies sleep indoors for their first four weeks.
The information on this page is general information about the breed, drawn from the sources listed and from our own experience. Individual dogs vary. Nothing here is a guarantee about the health, size, temperament or working ability of any particular puppy. The terms of any sale are those in our written contract.