Turkish Stamp Depicting The Native
Livestock Guardian Dog. Note The
Name As It Is Called in Turkey.
- Introducing a dog
of ancient Asian lineage.
job as a guardian to the flocks of sheep and goats of its master. It is the
first and often only defense that the flock has against predators.
The ASD has been in
the United States for quite a while and although it
still us used as a
working livestock guardian it has also become a worthy
companion for some
families. In its new role as family companion it
takes quite a bit
of work to transform the traditionally independent and
self sufficient personality
of this dog into what might be termed as a
"cooperative" mind
set. This transformation is accomplished by extensive
socialization, obedience
training, and by gaining the trust of the dog.
However although it
may seem that such continuous work would be enough
it is only partof
the formula for success. Just as important, if not more so,
the potential owner
of one of these dogs should do some serious study and
soul searching before
even acquiring one of this breed. The person must
have a combination
of tolerance and patience, firm determination, and time
to invest. The time
investment starts before acquiring the dog. One should
research as much as
possible on the ASD and livestock guardians in general
and come to terms
with how such a dog will fit into the person's established
lifestyle and what
compromises must be reached to make a success of the
integration of the
ASD into the family.
Even then the work
is not complete. The potential owner must realize that
the ASD is not "Americanised"
like most of the dogs in the U.S.A. The
new owner must be
willing to relearn everything they took for granted about
what a dog is. The
ASD is by nature an independent thinker and often prefers
to ignore commands
or at best respond slowly. The dog may know perfectly
well what you want
but don't count on quick or even reliable obedience.
It should also be
noted that the ASD is extremely intelligent and often takes
delight in making
a fool of its owner. This often comes out of the blue so that
the unsuspecting human
is properly humiliated just as a practical joker would
prefer.
As the person makes
it through the dogs puppy stage the hope will be that
it gets easier as
the dog gets older. Eventually this might be true but the worst
is yet to come before
the good times are realized. This major hurdle is
"The Terrible Two's".
This stage starts at approximately eighteen months of
age and can last well
past three years old. This stage causes more dogs to be
surrendered than at
any other time. The average person is totally unprepared
for dealing with the
dog as it goes through this rite of passage. Space does not
permit a lengthy explanation
of all that can go wrong during this time so the
reader is warned to
speak to as many successful owners and breeders as possible
and be prepared to
deal with an unruly 100+ pound dog as it goes through
puberty.
With all this said,
the prospective owner should be wondering if this is the right
dog for their situation.
In most cases the answer is NO. The ASD is not right
for most homes. It
is expected that the ASD will remain a rare breed because
very few people have
the right combination of characteristics and lifestyle
suitable for this
breed. However even if the reader discovers that the ASD
is not the right breed,
the process of self analysis will lead them closer to
the right breed for
their situation.
- After all it is a
case of finding
may not be reproduced
in whole or in part by any means
without the written consent of the Author.