Anatolian Shepherd dog in France ?

[LeMesmer]

I’m not sure anyone can answer this but will try

DH has said, after many dog hating years, he would love to have one. I would love to have a dog (as would DS), I am under no illusions about caring for one, we had a dog when I was growing up.

But DH wants an Anatolian Shepherd. I understand why (bit too long to explain). I don’t really, my choice would be a Lab, although I’m not totally against having an Anatolian.

The main problem is if we buy a dog of either breed where do we look in France? I was reading the thread in Chat about puppy farms and obviously don’t want to buy from something like that.

Does anyone have any advice about buying a pup in France?

The best place to start looking is usually the breed club, that will be the same in France I’d imagine.

I’m guessing you’re very rural, given the breed choice - so look for their website.

Can I ask why you've chosen the breed?

It's an odd choice for someone who would otherwise want a lab; they're worlds apart in temperament, and the Anatolians don't naturally make good pet dogs (as opposed to working dogs). Certainly not a breed I've ever seen recommended for a first time pet dog owner.

Has he thought about how much poo you’re going to have to pick up?

That’s an enormous dog as a first dog, why does he want one? Has he seen one in real life or just pictures?

This would not be a breed recommended for first time dog owners.

There are breed to guard, they are bred to make their own decisions and they can be very independent. They are amazing foragers and can often feed themselves!

All the above is fantastic for a working dog out guarding livestock but so not great attributes for a family pet that you want to train and have around children.

Maybe think again.....

Although my only experience of them was on a gap year in uni when I went to Narobi and saw them in action guarding the cheetahs from poachers - amazing experience and wonderful dogs but not one I would ever have as a pet dog

They are wonderful dogs but definitely not for first time dog owners. A reputable breeder will not let tbeir dogs go to someone who cannot handle the breed.
If you are after a family pet then a Lab in much more in line with those goals.

Maybe you could meet a breeder or local owner and have a chat about the practicalities and realities. I guess it'd work better if you have a lot of space too. My dog is a type that is built for/used to roaming and foraging...if I can't recreate that for her now we moved to suburbia, she's high maintenance!
We don't know if you're well set to deal with an Anatolian or not.... but theyre not a 'standard' type of dog, so makes sense to get an idea of the work load and potential risks of owning one?

These are flock guardians. They are incredibly powerful, suspicious of strangers and other dogs they don’t know. They are bred to make their own decisions as they are often left to guard the flock from predators by themselves. Fine for a home with livestock so they can work, but not the sort of dog to let off lead in the local park. They are not naturally obedient or biddable dogs, though highly intelligent. Not a good choice for anyone who is not an experienced dog owner who knows the breed well.

Thanks for the replies , sorry I have taken so long to get back to you. I agree with everything about an Anotolian. We don’t live in a rural area, and to me they are working dogs and not really suited to pets. I would much prefer a Lab.

DH want wants one as we used to rent a flat in a very big house in Scotland, with 1500 acres of land. The owners bought an Anatolian ( although it was the caretakers of the house who looked after it as they were never there), and we used to walk the dog etc. She was an absolutely lovely dog, but she was only gentle with us as we had known her from being a puppy. With others she could be really vicious. To me they are really not a domestic breed, but DH thinks they are great as he has no other experience of dogs, he hated dogs before then and hence this breed of dog was wonderful. He doesn’t see the bigger picture othat it was only wonderful because of the place we lived and he had known it since the dog it was a pup m, and we didn’t have to deal with any problems because we didn’t own the dog. Ironically the dog eventually had had to be taken away as it was attacking sheep in a neighboring farm. Again, it shows to me not a good family pet. As a previous poster said, they are intelligent but not biddable. I worry about having one around 13 year old DS, and I do not want a dog that is dangerous to others. DH knows nothing about dogs so thinks they are great, but I clearly need to tell him they are not suitable for us.

Do you have any advice on what would be a suitable breed and / or buying in France? We had a collie when I was young but I do think she probably required more exercise than we gave her. I really don’t want a small dog. We would be living in a house with a big garden, (1000m2),probably a couple of hours a day to walk the dog, but it wouldn’t get a good run out every day. There are just 3 of us, me, DH and 13 year DS.

“they are working dogs and not really suited to pets”

I think like the other livestock guardian breeds, they can be pets... with the right owner and in the right setup, but, honestly, no, yours isn’t sounding like the ideal set up.

Once you’ve picked a breed, the best thing to do is find the breed club and get in touch with breeders/owners that way.

As for breed...

When you say it wouldn’t get a run out, but you can do 2 hours walking, does that mean on lead walking? Like are you in a city and there’s nowhere close by to let them offlead?

It would be mostly on lead walking. We live in a medium size town in the south of France. There are areas a dog could have a good run, in some places, especially on the beach, but only in the winter and even then I don’t want to disturb anyone. Day to day taking the dog for a walk would be on a lead probably. That said, we could adjust what we do to accommodate walking, DH retires in December and we plan to do a lot of walking so could do it with the dog. I think I am just wary of having an unleashed dog in what is usually a busy place, even on walking paths. Most people here have toy breeds but it isn’t really what I would want. If , if, we have a dog I don’t want a frustrated dog, who may appear happy but isn’t really due to being forced into a habitat that is too unnatural. I hope the makes sense. I agree an Anatolian is not that right set up, they wouldn’t be a happy dog.