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ANCIENT HISTORY OF DOGS

There are well beyond 300 separate and distinct breeds of dog that are officially recognized today by the respective pure-bred dog registries of the world. What comes as a surprise to many is that all breeds, regardless of size, shape or color, trace back to a single common ancestor. And, what may be even more important in the overall scheme of things, our search reveals that the development of the dog bears a striking parallel to the development of humankind itself.

In order to fully understand why any given breed looks and acts as it does, you must go back to the dawn of civilization—a time when humankind’s major pursuit in life was simply that of survival. Providing food for himself and his family and protecting the members of the tribe from danger were about as much as early man could handle.

During this time, early man undoubtedly saw his own survival efforts reflected in the habits of one of the beasts of the forest—a beast that made ever-increasing overtures at coexistence. That beast was none other than Canis lupus—the wolf. Thus, a relationship based purely upon the need to survive had begun. The ages themselves, however, would show that this was a kinship that would prove far more beneficial to humankind than anyone could ever have imagined.

GENUS CANIS

Dogs and wolves are members of the genus Canis. Wolves are known scientifically as Canis lupus while dogs are known as Canis domesticus. Dogs and wolves are known to interbreed. The term “canine” derives from the Latin-derived word Canis. The term “dog” has no scientific basis but has been used for thousands of years. The origin of the word “dog” has never been authoritatively ascertained.

Wolf families had already developed a cooperative and efficient system of hunting the food they needed for survival. Man was not only able to emulate some of these techniques but, as time passed, he found he was also able to employ the help of the wolves themselves in capturing the animals that would constitute a good part of the human diet. In turn, wolves saw a source of easily secured food in man’s discards and, moving in closer and closer, the more cooperative wolves found that they had increasingly less to fear of man. The association grew from there.

“MAN’S BEST FRIEND” ARRIVES

The road from wolf-in-the-wild to “man’s best friend”—Canis familiaris—is as long and fascinating as it is fraught with widely varying explanations. There seems to be universal agreement, however, that the wolves able to assist man in satisfying the unending human need for food were the most highly prized.

In The Natural History of Dogs, a study of the development of dog breeds, authors Richard and Alice Feinnes classify most dogs as having descended from one of four major groups. Each of these groups traces back to separate and distinct branches of the wolf family. The groups are known as the Dingo Group, the Greyhound Group, the Northern Group and the Mastiff Group.

The Dingo Group traces its origin to the Asian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). Two well-known examples of the Dingo Group are the Basenji and, through the admixture of several European breeds, the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

The Greyhound Group descends from a coursing-type relative of the Asian Wolf. The group includes all those dogs that hunt by sight and are capable of great speed. The Greyhound itself, the Afghan Hound, the Borzoi and Irish Wolfhound are all examples of this group and are known as the coursing breeds or sight-hounds. They are not true hounds in that they do not hunt by scent.

The Northern Group (also Arctic or Nordic Group) of dogs descends directly from the rugged Northern Wolf (Canis lupus). Included in the many breeds of this group are the Alaskan Malamute, Chow Chow, German Shepherd and the much smaller Welsh Corgis, and the Spitz-type dogs.

The fourth classification, and the one we take particular interest in here, is the Mastiff Group, which owes its primary heritage to the rugged Woolly Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus chanco or laniger). The great diversity of the dogs included in this group indicates that they are not entirely of pure blood in that the specific breeds included have characteristics that reveal that they have been influenced by descendants of the other three groups. This widely divergent group is known to include many breeds we now classify as Sporting Dogs, such as the (scent) hounds, as well as the guard/protection and flock-guardian dogs.

It is the ingenuity of man that deserves full credit for the selective process that produced dogs who excelled in some but not all of the traits that had been passed down from their lupine ancestors. The undesirable characteristics that could have been inherited were practically nullified. A perfect example of this will be seen in how the wolf’s territorial instinct, communal spirit and bravery are reflected in the character and working ability of the Great Pyrenees (known in England as the Pyrenean Mountain Dog)—thought to be one of the oldest pure-bred breeds in the world.

As humankind moved out of the caves and developed a more sophisticated and complex lifestyle, man found he could produce animals that could suit his specific needs from these descendants of the wolf. More often than not, this selective process was shaped by how and where man lived.

The wolves that had been accustomed to herding, separating and killing their prey in the forest were selectively bred to retain their rugged constitution and their ability to round up their prey, but the prey instinct itself was, for all intents and purposes, eliminated. From still other descendants of the original wolf stock, man eliminated both the prey and herding instincts in favor of developing their communal and protective qualities. They did so in order to ensure the safety of their domesticated livestock.

The Great Pyrenees, or Pyrenean Mountain Dog, known for strong character and working ability, is considered to be one of the oldest breeds of dog.

It is at about this point in history that we can stop calling wolves “wolves” and start referring to them as Canis familiaris or, for the non-Latin-speaking among us, “dogs.” Particular characteristics were prized and inbreeding practices were used both to intensify the desired characteristics and eliminate those that opposed the efficiency of the dogs.

THE ANATOLIAN PLATEAU

When the Mongoloid peoples migrated westward into Europe, their dogs, Mastiff-type descendants of the rugged Woolly Tibetan Wolf, went with them. The migrants dispersed themselves throughout the main mountain ranges of Europe, where environment and the specific needs of the people developed their dogs into separate and distinct types.

ANCESTORS OF OUR ANATOLIANS

Throughout history, there have been written reports of huge mastiff-type dogs that have existed since Babylonian times. The dogs were used to guard flocks for the shepherds, who eked out their meager existence from the Anatolian Plateau. The extremely swift and powerful dogs also were known to be capable of running down lions and assisting as war dogs by pulling men down from their horses. It is believed that these dogs were the Anatolian Shepherd Dogs’ ancient ancestors.

The flock guardian of Germany, the Leonberger.

Another of the European mountain-patrolling breeds is the Maremmani or Maremma Sheepdog of Italy.

PROTECTOR OF CHILDREN

The highly developed guarding sense of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog was put to use by Turkish women when their dogs had no flock to protect. When called upon to work in the fields, the women would sometimes tie one end of a rope around their young children’s waists and the other end to their Anatolian’s collar. The women could then go about their work in the field with no worry as to the safety of their children.

One of the flock guardian breeds from Hungary, the Kuvasz.

There are no written records to indicate what blood may have been introduced and combined with these early canine immigrants to produce the flock guardians that followed. We do know, however, that these dogs patrolled the flocks throughout the European continent’s mountain ranges, each in his own distinctive way. Among them we find the Hungarian Komondor of the Caucasus mountains, the Leonberger of Germany, the Kuvasz of Hungary, the Marem-mani of the Italian Alps, the Great Pyrenees of France’s Pyrenean range and, of course, the magnificent dogs that lived and worked along Turkey’s Anatolian Plateau, the Anatolian Shepherd Dog.

The Hungarian Komondor, with its distinctive corded coat, is a rare shepherding breed.

We also know, that such a dog has patrolled the inhospitable Anatolian Plateau of central Turkey for several thousand years. Little has changed about the dog, as can be witnessed in the first evidence of the breed depicted on bas-reliefs that can be viewed in the Assyrian Room of the British Museum. These accurate portrayals document the existence of the dog now known as the Anatolian Shepherd Dog as far back as 3,000 years.

The Anatolian Plateau extends from the Black to the Mediterranean Seas—the area the Greeks and Romans called Asia, later to become known as Asia Minor to distinguish it from the continent of Asia. The dogs that watched over the flocks there had to be tough in every aspect—physically hardy and totally impervious to every element nature inflicted upon them.

Torrid summer months brought triple-digit temperatures that plummeted to 60 degrees below 0 through the winter months. And then, above all, the dog had to be brave, strong and fierce enough to fight off any threat to the flocks, whether predators arrived singly or in packs.

COAT LENGTH

The variety of coat lengths and textures found in Anatolian Shepherd Dogs is created by the diverse climatic conditions that exist throughout Turkey. Through the ages, environment has imposed external differences on the breed, but these differences are invariably those that make the dog particularly suitable for the area in which he worked.

Thus was developed a large dog of weather-proof coat with strong feet and legs that could withstand rocky and frozen terrain as well as blistering sand. These were not pets or companions. Their value to the herdsmen was in their ability to save the stock from predators. No special care was given the dogs and they had to get by on the most Spartan of rations. Responding to any temptation to bring down one of the animals that they guarded to satisfy their need for sustenance meant instant death for the dog.

Turkish herdsmen called these dogs Coban Kopegi, which is simply translated to mean “Shepherd’s Dog.” As important as the dogs were to the safety and well-being of their herds, dogs were viewed as “unclean,” as is common in many Moslem countries, and were accorded little care beyond that which was necessary to keep them alive for guard duty.

One can only wonder at the little regard these amazingly brave and versatile dogs were afforded by their owners. In addition to their courage, the dogs had to be capable of performing the most subtle and complex duties. The dogs lived almost entirely on their own, interacting with the shepherds only for their minimum basic necessities. They worked, slept, ate and traveled with the sheep and goats and, for all intents and purposes, were accepted as members of the flock. Lacking direction, the dogs themselves were called upon to make decisions necessary to ensure the well-being of their flocks.

A fine representative of today’s Anatolian Shepherd Dog.

Today’s pet Anatolians are more likely to keep watch over the backyard than an unruly flock, but guarding instincts are still at the fore of the breed’s temperament.

When not actually sleeping among their wards, these shepherd dogs would be found on a bluff just above the flock, where not a single animal could escape their gaze. When the dogs moved about, they did so slowly and quietly to avoid exciting the flock and throwing them into panic and stampede. When a predator appeared, however, the placid demeanor of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog disappeared. The gentle flock guardian became a raging and aggressive powerhouse, strong enough to bring down the fiercest adversary.

ANATOLIAN EXPORTS

With these credentials, it comes as no surprise that eventually the dogs would capture the attention of foreign visitors. It is believed the first Anatolian Shepherd Dogs to leave Turkey went to the United States as early as the 1930s when the first dogs were given to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) by the Turkish government. During the 1950s, Dr. Rodney Young, the archeologist responsible for the digs at the ancient Turkish city of Gordium (birthplace of the King Midas and Gordian Knot legends), also exported Anatolian Shepherd Dogs to his home in the US.

No active breeding program was initiated in the United States, however, until 1970, when Lt. Robert C. Ballard, USN, who had been stationed in Ankara, Turkey, returned to the US with his imports “Zorba” and “Peki” and produced the first recorded American-bred litter of Anatolian Shepherd pups. The year 1970 also saw the founding of the national breed club, the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America (ASDCA).

SOUND BY NATURE

Over the past several thousand years, the Anatolian Shepherd Dog has had absolutely no reason for existence other than to work on behalf of his flock master. Thus, no quarter has been given either by Nature or man in the area of unsoundness. Because of this ruthless culling, few hereditary defects exist in Turkish-bred Anatolians or in their direct descendants.

SPIKED COLLARS

The spiked iron collars that one sees in pictures of working and guard dogs of many breeds are entirely misunderstood by most observers. They are not an offensive aid as some believe. The purpose of the collars, and the reason that Anatolian Shepherd Dogs living in Turkey are equipped with them, is for the sole purpose of protecting the dog’s neck and throat from the attack of predators.

In 1965, Anatolian Shepherds were exported to England. They were recorded by the The Kennel Club there as “Anatolian Sheepdogs,” later to be renamed “Anatolian Karabash” and then finally, in 1983, “Anatolian Shepherd Dogs.”

The ASDCA in the US met with a stumbling block in its quest for AKC recognition caused by a group that believed each of the Anatolian’s several colors represented separate and distinct breeds. This situation caused great concern with the American Kennel Club as it had with The Kennel Club in England and was, in truth, what had created the periodic change of names with the organization.

It should be noted here that the tan dogs with black noses and ears are referred to as Karabas in Turkey. The English translation is “Karabash,” meaning “black head.” Akbas (English translation “Akbash” or “white head”) describes the all-white dog in Turkish.

OFFICIAL BREED NAME

The entire matter of name and color was settled in 1983 by The Kennel Club in England. After years of hearings and what is said to have been thousands of pages of testimony, a geneticist appointed by the organization testified that Karabas/Karabash and Akbas/Akbash were simply color descriptions and that using those terms to indicate distinct breeds was incorrect, regrettable and no longer valid—the breed’s name was officially established as Anatolian Shepherd Dog. The name was also adopted by the American Kennel Club and by the Fédération Internationale Cynologique when it granted the breed full eligibility for international championship status.

Today all colors are accepted in the Anatolian breed. This dog’s black markings are typical of what is called Karabas in Turkey, the breed’s homeland.

The Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of Great Britain was founded in 1979, setting preservation of the distinctive qualities of this centuries-old breed as its goal. The organization has a strict code of ethics regarding breeding and the main aim of the club is to promote and preserve the breed in all of its naturally occurring coat colors and textures while at the same time ensuring stable temperament and physical soundness.

The Anatolian Shepherd is a large dog that requires love, companionship, a proper diet and adequate space and time for exercise. Are you able to supply these needs? If not, you should not acquire an Anatolian.