Identifying An Anatolian Shepherd

• 1). Look at the dog’s shape and size. It should be no less than thirty inches high at the shoulder and weigh more than one hundred pounds. Females weigh closer to eighty. The dog should be about as long as it is wide and have a long bushy tail that raises and lowers depending upon its mood. The line of its chest should be level, though slightly rounded at the groin. Though not very wide at the shoulders, the dog should have a very deep chest the reaches all the way to its elbows. The legs should be widely set and splayed, though not bowed. They should have large paws and be thickly muscled throughout their entire lengths.
  
  
• 2). Look at the dog’s fur. Depending on the time of year the dog’s fur will be anywhere from half an inch to two inches long. Though most colors are acceptable, the Anatolian will usually be a deep cream or light tan color than pales to a white on the underbelly, chest, and paws. This fur becomes a thicker ruff along the collar and tail.
  
  
• 3). Examine the dog’s head. The skull should be large, but in good proportion to the body and flat along the top. The muzzle should be rectangular and lightly shorter in length than the skull itself. The small triangular ears, which are rounded at the tips, are set low and far to the sides of the head. The eyes are deeply recessed and small, ranging in color from gold to brown. The most easily recognizable trait of this breed is the variation in coloring on the dog’s face. Spots around the eyes, ears, and muzzle will be anywhere between dark brown and black. If the dog matches this description then it’s an Anatolian Shepherd.