Anatolian Shepherd Dog

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog originated in Anatolia, the Asian region of Turkey, where ancient herders bred livestock guardian dogs known as Coban Kopegi to protect flocks. This rugged terrain, featuring vast plains and extreme weather—scorching summers and freezing winters—shaped the breed into a formidable guardian. Historical evidence, including Babylonian artifacts and Assyrian carvings from 2000 B.C., confirms the breed’s ancient roots, while biblical references suggest early variations existed. In the 1930s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture imported Anatolians for a sheepdog project, but the program ended during World War II, scattering the dogs across America. Postwar imports in the 1950s gained momentum, but the breed’s rise in the U.S. was solidified in the 1970s by Lieutenant Robert Ballard, who introduced a breeding pair after serving in Turkey. Their offspring became foundational stock for American breeders. The breed’s protective instincts aligned with the Endangered Species Act, making them ideal for non-lethal predator deterrence on ranches, where they still excel today guarding livestock like sheep, goats, ostriches, and llamas.