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Welcome to T&S Anatolians

Breeding Working Anatolian Shepherd Dogs to the breed standard

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About Us

An Ethical Dog Breeder

We are a small dairy goat farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We also raise Katahdin Hair Sheep, poultry, and have a rabbitry.  Our Anatolians are health tested, socialized, and exposed to a variety of circumstances to create well rounded dogs. Our predator load here consists of coyotes, wolves, mountain lion, bear, and fox, as well as aerial predators.  All of our dogs are OFA'd and fully health tested.  Our puppies are extensively socialized and ready to take on any challenge the future will bring them.

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Females

Beautiful and Beloved

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T&S Ürek

“Tipper” is a sweet girl standing 28” tall and weighing 90 pounds. She loves being the babysitter to pups and goat kids alike. She is the traditional fawn color with a black mask. Tipper is not a part of our breeding program, but is a fantastic Aunt to growing pups

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T&S Athena

“Athena” is our matriarch of the pack. She creates amazing pups with exceptional work ethics. She stands 30” tall and weighs 110 pounds. Athena is fawn with a black mask. Athena has been retired from our breeding program due to a diagnosis of anaplasmosis a couple years ago. This has caused her recurrent flare ups during times of stress, and any more pregnancies would surely qualify as that!

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T&S Siva

Siva is a gorgeous, tall female whelped 10/2022. She’s making a wonderful addition to our breeding program. Siva currently stands 33" and weighs 120 pounds.  She's still muscling out and I'm so proud of her natural working instincts.

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Males

Meet the Beautiful Boys

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“Shiloh” was one of our sires. He had the perfect combination of beauty and brains. He was a gorgeous light gray pinto, and stood about 33” tall and weighed 139 pounds. Unfortunately we had to have our precious Shiloh euthanized due to osteocarcinoma.  His son, Yusuf now has taken his place.

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“Yusuf” is one of the pups from Athena x Shiloh. He’s a magnificent dog that we know is going to grow into doing amazing things! He’s a brawny beast that stands 33" tall and weighs in at 160 pounds.

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Contact Us

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions, or to tell us about the animal you are hoping for.

Daggett, MI 49821, USA

9063740980

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Our Training Basics

Raising Up The Best Guardians

Here at T&S Anatolians we believe that excellent quality dogs are the result of extensive socialization, exposure, and human contact. Our puppies are brought up exposed to goats, cats, children, and poultry. We believe that we are the shepherds and our dogs are best served bonded to their shepherds first, and their natural instinct to guard will naturally follow. We train our pups using positive reinforcement training methods and do not believe in shock collars or tethering. Our puppies are released to their new homes at 12 weeks, fully vaccinated, and dewormed. All of our puppies receive the Volhard’s Aptitude Test at 49 days of age. This helps us find the perfect placement for each one of our pups. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask about our training methods!

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The Hows and Whys of Our Training

Creating A Livestock Guardian Dog Built To Last

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Your Puppy

Laying The Foundation of Greatness

You've just picked up your puppy.  What an exciting time!  Our puppies are released to their new homes between 10-12 weeks of age.  The longer they can stay on with mom and littermates, the better!  They learn so many things while in that element.  A puppy should NEVER be released sooner that 8 weeks of age.

So now where do you start?  We recommend starting your pup off in the house with you, just like a "normal" house dog.  Crate train your pup, housebreak your pup, leash train your pup.  Our philosophy is you are the "shepherd", and your pup should be bonded to you initially.  This forges a bond that is life long.  You can NOT ruin your LGD by starting them in the house.  Their instincts are thousands of years old, it can not be washed away by experience in your home.

Think of your pup as being attached to you at all times; when you go out to feed your animals they go with, when you go to the feed mill so do they, when you come in for lunch bring them in too.  And at night, they stay with you.  You're creating a dog that will grow to be well accustomed to all things, act appropriately on a leash, and feel comfortable in the house.  What if your dog gets injured and needs time off to rest?  What about when you take them to the vet?  No one wants a dog that's stressed out traveling, going in public places, or anything that's different to them.

This usually continues until roughly 6-8 months of age.  Then, a lightbulb flips on, and they discover their instinct and where they belong.  They'll begin wanting to be outside more than inside, they'll want to stay out at night.  Listen to your dog.  Don't rush them.  Let them lead you, the end result is a beautiful thing!  If you rush them, you'll be left with a dog with underlying anxiety, and one that resents their charge.

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Leaving The Puppy Phase Behind

Buckle Up Buttercup, This Is Getting Fun

So you've followed our above guidelines, and now you're looking at a 6 month old puppy who looks more like a dog, at least by size!  But remember, just because they look grown, they're not!  Your dog wants to be outside now, is comfortable around the farm, and is coming into their own as a livestock guardian dog.  This time can fool you into a false sense of security with them.  They may act beautifully around the animals! But don't be deceived!

Livestock guardian dogs aren't considered fully matured until 2 years of age.  That is a long time!  Their brains also aren't fully developed.  They lack the ability to make stable choices, and also lack self control.  They still like to play!  Remember; it's NEVER ok for your dog to play with your livestock in any capacity.  Ever!

If your dog is ready to be outside full time then that’s  fantastic!  Under supervision you can have them exposed to livestock that are safe and won't bully your dog.  But when you're not there to supervise, your dog has to be removed.  If your dog were to start chasing your livestock, for instance, the animals run from the dog, and a fun game of chase has begun.  The more this happens, the more rewarding this behavior is for the dog.  It makes it even harder to break this habit after it's been practiced.  

When you're not there to supervise, it's wonderful to have your dog penned next to your livestock.  This way they get used to the sights, smells, and movements of their charge.  At nighttime, they can remain in this same area.  If you live in a heavy predator load area, be aware that a young dog can NOT be expected to keep their charge safe, nor themselves.  No young dog stands a chance against a predator.

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The Teenage Phase

If They Could Roll Their Eyes At You They Would

For most dogs, they hit between one year and 18 months old and they suddenly lose their minds.  They've been acting perfectly, training has been bumpy but you've reached the other side, and they've grown into a beautiful animal.  Then it suddenly starts; maybe chasing, maybe jumping on you, maybe being destructive, maybe resource guarding.  And you're lost.  Where did my reliable dog go?  He or she is still there; they're just a teenager now.  This phase is frustrating, but fixable.  It's normal, yet frustrating.  We call this a "back to basics" phase.  It feels like you're going back to training up a 6 month old again.  

Like humans, there's a transition that happens, and you can blame some of it on hormones.  Bodies are changing and your dog may not be sure exactly how to handle it.  Be patient, but consistent.  Be reassured that this is just a season, and like all seasons, it will change. Be prepared that you might need to scale them back to being supervised with livestock.  That is ok!  Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a great dog!

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You've Made It!!

You Have A Guarding Machine

Finally! You've made it to adulthood with your dog.  Congratulations!  You now have an animal that is worth their weight in gold.  They will lay down their life for you and anything you hold dear to you.  So now what?  Is your work over?

We look at our LGDs as an extension of ourselves, the shepherd.  They're another employee on our farm and are respected and cared for as such.  They're another specialized tool that is utilized to keep our farm up and running.  You wouldn't run your tractor, skidsteer, lawn mower, or power tools without maintenance, so why would you not give your dog the same attention?

Yearly veterinary care is something we are huge advocates of.  Needed vaccines are also extremely important.  As people who have struggled with the suffering of having an Anatolian with a tick disease, anaplasmosis, we strongly encourage the use of flea and tick prevention.  Check your dogs nails and trim them if needed.  Check their ears, inside and out, and keep them clean.  Brush them frequently.  Run your hands all over them to check their body condition, as well as check for injury.  Be swift with any treatment they may need.  We expect these dogs to work 24/7, we place a huge weight and responsibility on their shoulders, and without them we surely would have loss.  So take care of them. Love them. Respect them.

Common LGD "Issues"

So Much Barking!

A common complaint we hear about livestock guardian dogs is that they bark too much.  There are some common generalizations within the different breeds, reporting some breeds of LGDs bark more than others.  Anatolians Shepherd Dogs are known as being one of the lesser barking breeds.  Most of ours are not excessive barkers, however; they still bark at threats.  Remember, threats are things our dogs perceive as threats, not what we do.  This is another reason we only sell to working homes.  An LGD that is in a home 24/7 will begin barking more than most want to tolerate.  That goes for their neighbors as well.  Some dogs bark to announce their presence, others bark to warn a visual threat to back off.  If you're working with a pup, it's your responsibility to provide reassurance when it's necessary.  Go sit next to your pup.  See what they're barking at.  Tell them it's alright.  Praise them.  If it's in inanimate object, walk them up to it.  Encourage them to inspect it.  Help them grow and gain confidence.  A confident dog knows it doesn't need to hide behind excessive barking.  If you're working with an adult LGD, trust that they know what we don't.  If you know their bark isn't needed or warranted, we say "Leave it, it's ok, thank you."  We use the same cadance, same words, each time.  It takes repeating, consistency, and patience, but it does work.  And only after you're positive they don't know something you don't!

Common LGD "Issues"

Where's The Recall?

Recall is just a fancy word for your dog coming when you call them.  One of the most common complaints of LGD owners is the absence of recall.  Recall is important.  I compare it to your child listening to you when you call them to come back from standing in the middle of a busy road.  However, livestock guardian dogs are not children and don't respect our authority like "normal" house dogs do.  We expect LGDs to work independently, without our guidance or commands.  To be frank, you can't always have it both ways.  We can't expect these dogs to be independent only when we'd like them to be.  They've been trained for thousands of years to work without us.  I'm not advocating for dogs that are disrespectful and refuse to listen to any human command.  For instance, our dogs are trained from day one the words "leave it".  If they're doing something inappropriate they need to listen to me when I tell them to stop something (chewing on a chicken for example).  Nine times out of ten when I call my dogs, they come running.  But there are times when they're hot on to a threat's trail, they won't listen to me for anything.  And that's what they're meant to do.  They do know what the word "here" means.  Sometimes they decide to listen and abide.  And sometimes they don't.  And that's reasonable.  It's flat out expected.  Our running joke here is the following; "German Shepherds follow commands.  Anatolian Shepherds consider them."

Common LGD "Issues"

Born To Roam

Livestock guardian dogs, in all their infinite wisdom, are not born with built in GPS systems.  In the midst of chasing off a predator, they won't automatically stop at your property line and think to themselves, "Whoa I need to stop here!  Our property ends here."  They will continue the chase, until the predator is either satisfied with the distance from their charge, or until the threat is eliminated.  For the safety of your dog, please use a perimeter fence.  Some dogs respect fence very well.  Others will challenge the parameters.  We recommend using at LEAST a fence that is 5' high.  The majority of our fencing is 6' high, which is safe for both our dogs and livestock.  If you choose to use an underground type "sport fence", we recommend using a physical fence as well.  The last thing you want is a dog that ends up in the wrong hands, in the middle of the road, or causes strife with your neighbors.


 

Common LGD "Issues"

Anatolian Shepherds are notorious for being quite dramatic when it comes to being leash trained.  They often will throw themselves on the ground in great protest and then act like a slug with great refusal.  The best leash training is to start them young, and let the leash do the work for you.  Make sure their environment is safe and free from any protruding or sharp objects.  Place the leash on their collar and just let it be.  They will drag it around, probably chew on it, and soon will forget it's even there.  The purpose of the exercise is for your puppy to get used to the feeling of something dangling from their neck.  It also teaches them to give to the pull of the lead.  Every time they step on the leash, they'll feel the pull on their neck, and stop.  This teaches them to feel comfortable with feeling a tug on their neck.  Hopefully whomever you've purchased your puppy from has begun teaching them recall.  We use the word "here", but others use "come".  During leash training, use whatever that command is, followed by their name, in accompaniment with a gentle tug on their lead. Before you know it, you'll have your puppy trotting happily with you.  Many feel that leash training livestock guardian dogs is pure rubbish and a waste of time.  I'm here to tell you, it's worth the time and trouble.  I frequently am moving my dogs from pasture to pasture, changing their assignments and scenery.  Dragging around a 150 pound dog (more like being dragged around by a 150 pound dog) is not only frustrating but dangerous.  Let's not forget to mention a routine vet visit.  Or maybe an emergency vet visit.  Not everyone is blessed with a vet that makes farm calls.  One bad trip to the vet with an out of control dog, may just be your last there.

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