How long do Anatolian Shepherds live?

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.

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.

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