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Anatolian
Guard Dogs |
 RESTORING
THE BALANCE NON-LETHAL PREDATOR CONTROL THE ANATOLIAN GUARD DOG AS STOCK PROTECTER YOUR ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD Thank you for participating in the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Management Program’s (WCMP) Turkish Anatolian Programme. A Turkish breed, the Anatolian Shepherd was bred to protect livestock from wolves and bears. Today these impressive dogs are bred and reared by Cheetah Conservation Fund to serve the farmers of Namibia. Given to farmers at 6 weeks of age, the dogs are raised exclusively with the flock, instinctively protecting them from a variety of predators including cheetah. By deterring predators, this important working relationship removes the need for farmers to trap and shoot this endangered cat. As a result of the successful Namibian initiative, a trial programme has been launched by the WCMP, to introduce the Anatolian to serve the farmers of South Africa. To give this trial the best possible chance of success it is important to follow the introduction and monitoring processes advised for your dog. WHAT YOUR ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD CAN DO FOR YOU An unprotected abundant source of food (your sheep or goats) provides predators with an easily accessible resource which they do not need to hunt. This food source will encourage predators to your farm and assist in increased successful breeding resulting in the growth of predator populations. Traditional methods of control such as indiscriminate poisoning, hunting and trapping often results in the removal of more beneficial animal such as bat-eared fox, aardvark and raptors. By using this non-lethal method of predator control you will restore the balance to your farmlands and reduce the predator population to a size able to exist on its natural prey.
This important partnership between you and your dog requires your interest and investment during his first year of growth. His ability to appropriately guard your flock for many years to come will adequately repay your efforts.
The Use Of Livestock-Guarding Dogs The concept of using dogs
to protect livestock is not new. Namibians have been A potential owner needs to ask: • What are the main
predators the dog will need to defend the livestock against? How Do I Select A Good Livestock-Guarding Dog? Some breeds have been developed
for specific functions. For example, the border collies and the kelpies
have been bred as herding dogs. The Anatolians, on the other hand, have
been developed as guarding dogs. Most mongrels can perform one or the
other of these tasks. Large dogs have an advantage in that they can
confront large predators, such as cheetah and leopard. Their loud bark
is also a good deterrent to predators. However, certain disadvantages
must be considered. The diet of a large, fast-growing breed of dog such
as the Anatolian needs more attention and can be more expensive than
a smaller breed of dog or mongrel. Large-breed dogs grow rapidly and
therefore require a well-formulated diet that includes pellet
Another problem in Namibia is that large breeds of livestock-guarding dogs are not readily available. Small dogs have the advantage that they may cope with rough terrain and take heat better than larger dogs, as they are usually quite tough. They are easier to feed and easier to obtain than large dogs. A possible disadvantage with smaller dogs however, is that they may be unable to defend livestock against large predators. Raising And Training A Livestock-Guarding Dog A few golden rules, and
a lot of patience, need to be applied when raising a livestock-guarding
dog. A puppy should preferably be obtained from a working livestock-guarding
dog, and placed with its new livestock at six to eight weeks of age.
The dog should always be with livestock and never left alone in the
kraal – even if only two livestock remain with it. A bond needs
to be formed between the developing puppy and its livestock. If the
bond formation fails, the dog will probably fail as a livestock-guarding
dog, as it will not be motivated to stay with the livestock and protect
them. Dogs must be familiarised with other livestock in the area, such
as other flocks or herds, horses, cattle, etc. In communal areas this
is of particular importance, as livestock share communal water points.
If the dog is not familiarised with the neighbours’ livestock,
it may “defend” its livestock against them and chase or
attack them.
When installing a run wire: The anchors for the wire should be knocked in level with the ground so that the chain does not get tangled; Have the run wire traverse the kraal; Make sure the dog cannot reach a fence and try to jump over it; The dog should be able to reach shade and water; Use a light-weight chain and attach it to the dogs collar with a swivel clip; The dog should also be familiar with restraint on a lead before attaching it to a run wire, and then observe when first attached to it. Stages Of Development: Children go through defined developmental stages. By certain ages, an infant can be expected to crawl, walk and to begin talking. Puppies go through very predictable developmental stages as well. Between two and four months of age, social bonding takes place, which is why it is Children go through defined developmental stages. By certain ages, an infant can be expected to crawl, walk and to begin talking. Puppies go through very predictable developmental stages as well. Between two and four months of age, social bonding takes place, which is why it is critical that puppies are with their own herd by this age. Whatever a dog grows up with is what it will bond to. A dog that has grown up with and bonded to goats cannot later be transferred to sheep. At six months most breeds, such as the Anatolian, go through a playful stage, which can result in livestock fatalities if the dog is not monitored and the behaviour corrected. The dog should be reprimanded and, if necessary, kept on a run wire at night. A run wire is preferable to tying the dog up. (See previous page for more information on run wires.) The Adult Dog: A dog is only as good as its owner. Even an adult dog needs care and monitoring. Large dogs mature later than smaller breeds. Therefore, although they may be the size of adults, it must be remembered that their behaviour will still be that of a young dog, requiring training and patience.
A successful dog owner should be:
A Dogs Diet: Puppies require adequate
milk from their mothers for the first six weeks. If the bitch's milk
is poor, puppies should be supplemented with goat milk. When weaning
occurs, it should be done gradually between four to six weeks. Puppies
are then supplemented with pellet food and goat milk, so that they become
less reliant on the bitch. Bone growth is rapid between six weeks to
six months, so the calcium content of the diet should be adequate. Large
dogs need more calcium than small dogs. Muscle development takes place
from three to six months, so protein is important early in the dog’s
growth. Protein is supplied through pellet food, milk, meat and eggs.
A growing dog needs more protein than an adult dog. An adult dog requires
Veterinary Care Of A Working Dog: Dogs, like humans, can only work well if they are healthy. The dog should be inspected every day for ticks, tick-bite wounds and other injuries. These should be treated before they become infected. A regular vaccination schedule should be followed. Vaccinations build up a dog’s immunity by exposing it to diseases in small amounts. If a bitch does not have a good immunity, she cannot pass it on to her puppies in their first 6 weeks. Up until this age, the immunity from the bitch is all that protects puppies against diseases. Puppies should receive the 5-in-1 vaccination at least three times, three to four weeks apart, from the age of six weeks. At three months of age they should receive the rabies vaccination. Following the initial series of vaccinations, a dog should receive a yearly booster for rabies and the 5-in-1 combination. Main Diseases Dogs Are Susceptible To (and Which Should Be Vaccinated Against): Distemper:
Symptoms of this disease include a discharge in the corner of the eyes,
slime coming out of the mouth, and the dog becoming thin. Dogs can survive
this disease but they become lame and develop wobbly heads.
Other Common Ailments: Tick bite fever:
Symptoms include a high fever, listlessness and weakness (often interpreted
by owners as laziness), anaemia (pale eyelids and gums) and nose bleeds.
Pus discharge may occur from the eyes and nose, with eventual collapse
and death. Cutting the ends off dogs’ ears does not cure this
disease. Some dogs may survive but if tick bite fever is suspected,
the dog should always be treated with a full course of tablets, as it
is very often fatal.
Hyaloma ticks:
These ticks have a very sore bite and result in a chunk of tissue around
the bite dying and falling out. These ticks should be removed as soon
as possible, to diminish the dead tissue that falls out. Keep wounds
clean until they can heal. Be very careful when applying dips and other
tick prevention measures. Wear gloves and only use what has been recommended
for dogs. Open Wound Treatment VETERINARY PROTOCOLS 1) Vaccinations Nobivac or Vanguard: 2) Ticks and Fleas Frontline Advantix 3) Deworming Any broad-spectrum dewormer such as Drontal,
Zeroworm, Prazifen or Mediworm 4) Rabies Rabisin 5) Castration / Spaying • at six months
RAISING AND TRAINING YOUR ANATOLIAN The following is intended as a basic guide to raising and training your new livestock guarding dog. Please read this carefully, as well as the additional information you received with your information package. Adhering to the suggestions we have made may mean the difference between the success and failure of your livestock guarding dog. Early Juvenile Stage 8-16 weeks This is one of the most critical stages in your dogs’ life. During this period the puppy will bond with whatever species it is placed with – by 16 weeks this critical stage is over. If a puppy has bonded well with its livestock, it will be motivated to always remain with them and to protect them. A failure in the bonding process will result in the dog roaming and not remaining with the livestock. The puppy should never be left alone, but at all times be accompanied by some members of the herd it will be spending its life with. At the same time though, when the herd comes in at night, keep the puppy in its own pen in the kraal and to protect it from the more aggressive livestock. Decide now which herd it will live with. Moving a dog between herds is very disruptive to the dog and may result in behavioural problems such as roaming. New individuals may be introduced to the herd but a core group that the dog has bonded with must remain. Play behaviour with lambs may be expected and should be discouraged immediately. Problem times are usually early mornings and evenings. Late Juvenile 3-6 months By three months the puppy should be accompanying the livestock, preferably under supervision for safety. Basic lead training should also take place at this stage. If other livestock such as cattle and horses are in close proximity to the dogs’ livestock, the dog should be exposed to them. Any barking should be reprimanded, as barking indicates that the dog is viewing them as a threat to his livestock. Frequently walk the dog with its livestock through these animals, until they are accepted by the dog. In areas with game, the dogs must be taught from an early age that game animals are permitted near the livestock. Failure to apply corrective training at this stage will result in game chasing problems later. Sub-adult 6-12 months Play behaviour may surface at about 3 months of age and again at about six months of age. If the puppy is being playful with the livestock reprimand or take steps to ensure it cannot play when not being observed. This can be done by confining the dog to a pen within the kraal, so that it is still surrounded by its livestock. An alternative is to attach the dog to a run wire in the kraal when not supervised and until it out-grows the playful behaviour. The use of a run wire - When installing a run wire make sure it
does not run past any obstacles such as trees, posts or fencing. If
the run wire is too near the kraal fence, the dog may try and jump over
it whilst attached to the run wire and choke itself 12 months + By 12 months the dogs that have properly bonded with livestock should be effective guardians. Note however, a one-year old dog is not yet fully mature and my not yet have the confidence needed to challenge serious predators. Anatolians are a large breed of dog and as such, mature at the later age of 18 to 24 months. Patience is therefore required in teaching and training until this age. DIET Your Anatolian must be fed twice a day in the kraal only. Feeding should take place in the morning and late afternoon. Only a very good quality food should be fed to the Anatolian. This is a pure bred dog and needs to be looked after well. Only the best is good enough for him. NOTE: - Mielie pap is not a sufficient diet for
a growing and working dog. The puppy should be fed pelleted food. At
a later stage, mielie pap can be added to the pellets but should not
replace them altogether. PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS NOTE: Dogs must be handled, collared and lead trained from a young age. This must only take place in the kraal or when in the veld with the livestock. Too much handling encourages a dog-human bond that is not desired, however, the dog must be familiar with wearing a collar and be familiar with walking on a lead to allow future correctional training. 1. Dogs not bonding with livestock It is essential to place puppies with their livestock herd at between 6 – 8 weeks of age, the younger the better. CCF Anatolian puppies are born into life in a kraal, making the transition to a new kraal easier, as they immediately settle down to the familiar and comforting sounds and smells of livestock. This transition is much more difficult for puppies without prior exposure to livestock. 2. Dogs not accompanying livestock or returning to the kraal Puppies must start going out with livestock early enough, but must not be made to walk too far initially. A tired footsore puppy will resent going out and return as soon as it is not supervised. Puppies not going out early enough (from three months of age) may adopt the kraal as their territory to guard and come back to the kraal without the livestock. Dog returning home early, a few hours ahead of the livestock must be taken back out immediately and rejoin the livestock. Scolding on return to the kraal, but lots of praise when rejoining the livestock in the veld. Herder supervision during the time that the dog tries to return to the kraal will help correct this behaviour. Keeping the dog on a lead in the veld for a week or two, then off the lead and observed to see that he has learned to stay in the veld with the livestock to the end of the day. Midday heat may cause dogs to seek shade or return to the kraal. Familiarise the dog with being brushed/groomed from a young age. The winter coat sometimes grows very thick and takes a while to shed during summer. Grooming may assist in these instances. 3. Moving livestock and the dog to new posts When moving livestock to a new post, some farmers have reported that the dog returns to the original post. The dogs sometimes seem to adopt a particular area as their territory and will return to it despite livestock not being there. Lead-training is essential as the dog can be walked daily with the livestock (in their new camp) by a herder until it learns to stay in the new “territory”. The dog should be safely put on a run-wire at night to prevent it returning to the old post. Care should be taken to tie the dog carefully as it will strangle itself if not used to being restrained or if the run wire is near a fence the dog can jump over. This should only need to be a short-term measure with care being taken to reassure the dog so that lead-walking/using a run-wire is not perceived as a punishment. 4. Dogs rejecting new additions to the herd Introducing new stock to the herd requires observation as the dogs sometimes reject new livestock, viewing these as “intruders”. New livestock should be rubbed down with dung from the kraal so that they smell right! It may even be necessary to separate the newcomer/s together with some existing herd members and allow them to integrate for a few days before introducing them to the dog. 5. Dogs and other livestock The puppy must be exposed to cattle, horses, other herds of small stock, etc., from an early age so that it is taught not to regard these as intruders The dog should be walked with its own livestock herd close to or through other livestock herds. Barking at other livestock must be discouraged by reprimanding. Praise the dog when it ignores the other livestock. Take care that the puppy is not injured by e.g. aggressive cattle. 6. Relocating livestock guarding dogs to new herds It is not advised to relocate the dog to
a new herd, but should it become necessary to relocate the dog, a core
group of the livestock that the dog grew up with should, where possible,
be moved with him into the new flock. 7. Livestock guarding dogs and new-born livestock Livestock guarding dog’s experiencing the first birthing season should be observed to ensure that they do not get overly excited with the new arrivals and behave calmly. Eating afterbirth is allowed and helps with bonding but play-behaviour must be stopped immediately if it occurs. Sniffing and licking is allowed and should be praised. 8. Dogs playing with and injuring/killing livestock Special attention must be given to observing puppies from a distance during early morning when play behaviour is most likely to occur. Staff must be briefed and carry out impromptu checks to ensure this behaviour is not going undetected. Once established this behaviour is hard to stop and will result in livestock damage. Puppies not starting to accompany the livestock early enough (three months of age) are more likely to take their energy out in the form of playing. Dogs playing with livestock can be particularly prevalent at about 3 – 4 months and then again at 6-12 months. Sheep in particular are prone to becoming unwilling playmates, as they tend to run, inadvertently encouraging play-behaviour from puppies. Adult goats tend to tolerate playing less, standing their ground and butting unruly puppies. It is essential this behaviour is reprimanded at the time and not hours afterwards if damaged livestock is discovered, the dog must associate reprimanding with the undesired behaviour. If the behaviour persists, the dog can be restrained in the kraal on a run-wire at night when not supervised and until it outgrows the behaviour. Some literature recommends the use of a dangle stick to correct play behaviour. A dangle stick is attached to the collar when the dog is left unattended in the kraal with the herd. This entails a stick about 30 cm long. It is attached to the dogs collar with a swivel hook and dangles. The device allows the dog to eat, drink etc, but when it tries to run the stick bumps the legs discouraging playful chasing of stock. This can be used on a playful pup for three to four weeks and should be removed when the dog goes out to the veld and when the playful behaviour is outgrown. CCF has found this dangle stick to be ineffectual and also can cause injury to the dogs’ legs. 9. Livestock guarding dogs and herders Livestock guarding dogs need not work with a herder, but at least during their first year a herder provides protection and can apply corrective training to the developing puppy. Where no permanent herder is employed to go out with the dog, one may be needed from time to time to apply correctional training. However, an unreliable or aggressive herder will result in the dog being reluctant to stay with the livestock or learning undesirable behaviour such as hunting. Herders used on a temporary basis as required, e.g. when relocating to new posts should ideally be familiar with the dog. Where herders are used they will play a key role in the success or failure of the dog. Particular care must be taken when employing a new herder, cases have occurred where an excellent working dog suddenly abandons the flock when herders are changed. A new herder that is afraid of the dog or aggressive towards the dog could negatively affect the dogs performance. Herders that have encouraged the dogs to hunt is another problem that has occurred. 10. Socialising with other dogs Puppies must be familiarised with resident/pet dogs to prevent unnecessary fighting later on, but must not be encouraged to socialise with them at the kraal or away from the kraal at the homestead. The puppy must learn not to let other dogs into the kraal that could damage livestock, so should be introduced to resident dogs outside the kraal away from immediate contact with livestock. Resident/pet dogs may encourage undesirable behaviour such as leaving the livestock and also hunting and should not be allowed to roam freely at night when undesirable behaviour is most likely to occur. 11. Socialising with people If the dog is not well socialised and familiarised with specific handlers, an untouchable and aggressive dog will be the result. However, it must be emphasised that socialising away from the kraal, e.g. at the homestead, particularly when encouraged by children and domestic dogs, is not recommended as the dog will be encouraged to leave the livestock and seek human contact. Strangers should not be allowed near the kraal and only a limited number of people caring for the dog will help teach the dog not to allow intruders into the kraal, thereby preventing stock theft. 12. Sterilising/castrating dogs Females will go in search of a mate when coming into heat, therefore unless a dog is specifically earmarked by CCF for future breeding, it should be sterilised to prevent straying. Males will go in search of females and should also be castrated to keep their attention with their flock. Sterilising will not negatively affect work performance but can prevent undesirable behaviour such as wandering. 13. Restraining dogs Tying the dog on a run-wire is recommended in cases where difficulty is being experienced in stopping play behaviour and wandering at night. Care must be taken when tying the dog for the first time so that it does not strangle itself. Also the run-wire must not reach perimeter fences, thus preventing the tied dog jumping the fence and strangling itself. Ideally the wire should run along the ground diagonally across the kraal and have access to shade and water at all times. A light-weight chain is recommended as the dogs can chew through cords. The chain should be at least two meters long and attached to the collar with a swivel clip. It is recommended that the dog be familiarised with a collar and lead-trained prior to tying. This will also facilitate trips to the vet. 14. Hunting game Puppies that are not taught to allow certain
“intruders” such as warthog close to the herd, or that are
encouraged to chase game by unscrupulous herders wanting the meat, will
become a serious liability and cause a lot of damage to wildlife when
maturing. This is one of the most difficult behaviours to stop once
established. Close supervision by a trustworthy herder and serious reprimanding
of barking at warthog etc is recommended, IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE: 1) Always leave your puppy with some sheep
or goats from the herd he will be protecting, even if one or two, when
the herd leaves for the veldt. The remaining individuals and puppy should
be securely kraaled. This is important until the puppy is old enough
to travel with your herd to the veldt and take up his duties as protector.
INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION
OBTAINED FROM DOCUMENTS AND MANUALS COMPILED BY THE CHEETAH CONSERVATION
FUND IN NAMIBIA. |
An ear infection
A dog with a porcupine quill in its nose
Clean
well and flush with salt water if no other antiseptic is available.
Trim any hair around the wound, as it will compact and keep dirt in.
Flies may also lay eggs in a wound that is not kept clean. Aerosol wound
sprays are very effective. A table salt solution is suitable for cleaning
wounds. Mix one teaspoon of solution with one cup (250ml) of water 
Copyright
© De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust, 2005