The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a courageous, powerful, and sturdy animal, and can be very calm and dignified yet will not hesitate to respond if challenged. Possessive and very independent, these are not the most obedient of dogs and are very strong minded and willful, which means that they are difficult to train and best suited to those with more experience with dog ownership. This is a dog that likes to make up his own mind everything, and rather than being an interactive, playful dog he likes to play more of a supervisory and protective role. Anyone that plans to have an Anatolian Shepherd Dog needs to be assertive and experienced in training, as otherwise you will end up with a handful - a dog that will quickly take over as boss and is highly dominant and willful.
This breed will get along well with children that are older and more considerate, and those from his own family, but when it comes to other children proper introduction will be required. He will usually get on okay with family pets that are passive and not challenging or aggressive. These dogs are very protective, and therefore may be very suspicious around strangers unless properly introduced. This is a breed that was bred to work and knows that he has a job to do, and unless properly socialized and well managed will quickly take over the role of leader.
