Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs come from the high plateau of central Turkey, where shepherds have used big, plain-coloured dogs for thousands of years to live out with the flock and turn…
About the Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs come from the high plateau of central Turkey, where shepherds have used big, plain-coloured dogs for thousands of years to live out with the flock and turn back wolves. The job is guarding rather than herding: stay with the sheep, judge a threat, and act on your own initiative without waiting for a handler.
Males stand from about 74 cm and carry real weight, in a short or slightly rough coat most often cream or fawn with a black mask, though the standard permits any colour. Bred to make decisions unsupervised, an Anatolian is slow to obey and quick to claim ground, so the temperament of a stud matters enormously; look for a dog that is settled with visitors on its own territory rather than one that is merely large.
Ask an Anatolian stud owner for hip and elbow scores under the BVA/KC schemes and for a current eye certificate, since entropion turns up in the breed. Hypothyroidism is worth a question. Ask how the dog was reared as well, because a guardian raised away from stock rarely produces the working character a farm buyer is after, and ask what age the dog's own parents reached.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Anatolian Shepherd Dog
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
Breed hip median
Too few dogs of this breed have been scored (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years: 4 dogs) to give a meaningful breed median. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Anatolian Shepherd Dog stud dogs
No Anatolian Shepherd Dog studs are listed right now
When an Anatolian Shepherd Dog on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Anatolian Shepherd Dog litters
No Anatolian Shepherd Dog litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
