Question 1

How long do Anatolian Shepherds live?

Accepted Answer

The national breed club gives an average of 11 to 13 years in a normal, safe environment. The club adds that working guardians have a high mortality rate, and university figures bear that out. The 11 to 13 year figure comes from the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America. The club adds that working guardians have a high mortality rate. The university numbers back that up. They cover livestock guardian dogs of all breeds, not Anatolians alone. Texas A&M AgriLife reports that only 52 percent of guardian dogs live to age six, and that 57 percent of deaths happen after the dog has left the property. Ontario’s agriculture ministry cites a study in which accidents, such as disappearing or being hit by a vehicle, accounted for 48 percent of deaths among dogs kept on farms. We found no study that measures average lifespan for the breed. The club’s 2009 to 2011 health survey with OFA collected 397 responses and recorded 105 deaths, but exact ages at death were not reported, so it could not calculate an average. A secure fence is the single biggest thing an owner can do for a long life. Sources Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America, Breed Facts at a Glance Texas A&M AgriLife, “Livestock Guardian Dogs: An Overview,” ANSC-PU-468 Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, “Livestock guardian dogs: selection and training” Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America, Summary Report of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Health Survey with OFA, 2009 to 2011

Question 2

Is hip dysplasia genetic, or caused by how a puppy is raised?

Accepted Answer

Both. Hip dysplasia is inherited, but it is not purely genetic: genes set a dog’s risk, and how a puppy is fed and raised can influence whether it shows up and how badly. Testing the parents lowers the odds. It cannot guarantee any one puppy’s hips. How much of it is inherited? A large study of Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) records across 60 breeds put the inherited share of hip scores in Anatolian Shepherds at about half . Estimates in other studies and other breeds run both lower and higher. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons calls heredity the biggest single risk factor . That is why we x-ray our breeding dogs and tell you the grade they earned. What do the OFA grades mean? OFA gives passing hips one of three grades: Excellent, Good or Fair. All three are within normal limits and receive an OFA number. A Fair hip is a normal hip with minor irregularities. It is not dysplasia. What can an owner actually change? The best evidence is about food. In a controlled study of Labradors , 16 of 24 puppies fed freely developed hip dysplasia, against 7 of 24 littermates fed a quarter less. Followed for life, the leaner dogs showed hip arthritis on x-ray years later than the free-fed dogs. That was one breed in one colony, but keeping a growing giant-breed puppy lean costs nothing. A Norwegian study of four large breeds found more hip dysplasia in puppies that used stairs daily before three months old, and less in puppies that had off-leash exercise on soft ground at the same age. It is a single study based on owner reports, so we treat it as sensible caution, not proof. Early neutering has been linked with more joint problems in several breeds, mostly retrievers. Anatolian Shepherds have not been studied. Talk to your vet about timing. What do you do with your puppies? From the first day our puppies are on carpeted footing, so their feet have something to grip and they tuck their legs under themselves instead of lying flat with their legs out behind. No study proves that footing prevents hip dysplasia. We do it because it is good husbandry. We weigh every puppy twice a day for the first four weeks, and we raise our own young dogs slowly and lean. Does the x-ray itself affect the grade? It can. A grade is a reading of an x-ray, and x-rays vary. In a French study of more than 5,000 dogs , dysplasia was found in 22 percent of dogs x-rayed under anesthesia and 9 percent of dogs x-rayed awake, because a relaxed dog shows looseness that a tense dog hides. OFA does not require sedation but recommends it . A grade is strong evidence about a dog’s hips. It is not the whole dog. We look at the grade, the pedigree behind it, and how the dog moves and works at 24 to 26 months old.

Question 3

What health testing do you do on your dogs?

Accepted Answer

We have hips and elbows evaluated through OFA. Bailey has final results and a CHIC number, Tucker has preliminary results, and our three younger dogs are not yet old enough for final evaluation. An OFA hip evaluation is an X-ray graded by three independent radiologists. There are seven grades. Excellent, Good and Fair are the normal ones and receive OFA numbers. A dog must be at least 24 months old for final hip or elbow certification. Earlier X-rays are preliminary and are read by OFA’s staff radiologist. In the study OFA cites, 97.9 percent of hips graded Good on a preliminary evaluation were normal at two years. A CHIC number means a dog has had the tests its breed club lists and the results are public. For Anatolians, the club lists hips and elbows. Bailey: OFA hips Fair, elbows Normal, CHIC number 200067, with a public OFA record. Tucker: OFA preliminary hips Good and elbows Normal. He has no final certification. He was sensitive to the procedure the first time, and we chose not to put him through it again. Smokie: OFA thyroid Normal, with her final hip and elbow evaluation due in December 2026. Cody and Sadie will be evaluated at two years. Copies of health records are available to buyers on request. Sources OFA, Hip Dysplasia Grades OFA, FAQ OFA, Preliminary Evaluations OFA, CHIC Program Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America, Official Breed Club Health Statement, October 29, 2014 AKC, Working Group Health Testing Requirements

Health

How long do Anatolian Shepherds live?

Is hip dysplasia genetic, or caused by how a puppy is raised?

What health testing do you do on your dogs?

Ready to welcome a guardian home?