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Anatolian Shepherd Dog

The Anatolian Shepherd is a central Turkish livestock guardian breed, working flocks across the Anatolian plateau against wolf and bear predation for an estimated 6,000 years.

Calculate Anatolian Shepherd Dog age
Lifespan10.1 yrrange 7–12
SizeGiantWorking Group
Weight80–150 lb36.3–68 kg
Senior at5 yrgeriatric at 8

Gallery (3)

About

About the Anatolian Shepherd Dog

The Anatolian Shepherd is a central Turkish livestock guardian breed, working flocks across the Anatolian plateau against wolf and bear predation for an estimated 6,000 years. AKC recognition dates to 1996; the breed remains primarily a working LGD.

Aging

How Anatolian Shepherd Dogs age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 10.1 years (n=110, small UK sample). Hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism (OFA moderate), and entropion are the defining late-life concerns; GDV is a credible but under-reported risk in this deep-chested giant-framed guardian.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 10.1 yr · range 7–12Senior careSenior at 5 · geriatric at 8Common health issues4 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
80–150 lb(36.3–68 kg)
Height
27–29 in(68.6–73.7 cm)
Coat type
Double
Colors
Biscuit & WhiteBrindleFawnBlue FawnGray FawnRed FawnLiverWhite
Temperament

Temperament

How Anatolian Shepherd Dogs tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

loyalindependentintelligentsteady
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.