If there was ever a dog born for herding, it's the Akbash. This dog is white and well built. It has keen hearing and is incredibly strong, even when compared to other breeds of similar size. The double coat is non-matting, coarse, and weather resistent. The coat does require regular grooming to help with the shedding, since Akbash dogs are above average shedders. Oddly, especially for a dog this large, there is very little odor associated with this breed. The ears of this dog flop forward and lie close to the skull, though some imported Turkish may actually have cropped ears. This cropping practice is unusual, but it does happen.
The eyes are set well apart and are almond-shaped with colors ranging from golden brown to a brown so dark it's almost black. The tail of the Akbash is long and bushing, hanging down to the hock of the animal when relaxed. When walking, this breed has a springy gait that makes it appear excited to get to wherever it happens to be going. This dog is not recommended for apartment living since it's BIG. It weighs between 90 and 130 pounds and can be as tall as 32 inches at the shoulder.
The Akbash dog is an interesting combination of dominance and submission. The dogs must be submissive enough to not disturb the livestock they're expected to guard but dominant and aggressive enough to stand up to wolves and bears. This is a breed that must be given a job to do. Preferably the job they were bred for -- guarding livestock. If you want to make this dog a companion, you have to be willing to socialize with your dog all the time. You can't lock an Akbash up in a yard all by itself for 12 hours a day and expect to have a loving companion when you get home. The Akbash isn't a Poodle. It's just not wired the way a more social dog is. They're a working breed and need to be respected as such.
An Akbash is a guarding dog that both patrols and barks, so your dog will bark if left outside on its own. A lot. It's a bother-the-neighbors kind of bark. So don't think you can stick this dog in the backyard with nothing to do all night. It will not impress your neighbors. If, however, they are guarding a flock, they will bark only when necessary to protect their charges. They are very contentious guard dogs, but they tend to be dog-aggressive, so you probably don't want other dogs around.
This dog is not usually recommended in household with children under 8 or 10 years of age. All children in the household must be able to establish dominance over the dog. If this can be done, problems are relatively rare. Most of the problems that might crop up will do so during visits by friends and family. An Akbash will view visitors as intruders. As long as the alpha (usually the owner) is present, things tend to be fine. The dog will bow to the behavior displayed by its alpha. But leave the dog alone with the "intruders", especially if the "intruders" are children, and you're asking for trouble. So just don't. Take the dog with you when you go to get the snacks for the children. Of course, I usually tell people not to leave children unsupervised with dogs, especially dogs who don't know these particular children, but be extra careful with a dog like the Akbash.
Oddly enough, the Akbash might resent children, but is really good with infants. This is because this breed, both male and female, has a strong maternal instinct. They bond quickly to the livestock they guard, especially if introduced to this livestock before 6 months of age. They are so good with all manner of babies that sheep and cattle will often let the dog sniff and clean their own newborns. But don't be fooled. This dog will immediately react to any threat and will lay down its life to protect its flock.
These dogs definately have a mind of their own. They are trainable, but they are incredibly independent. This means that any Akbash will think twice about any command, even one given by someone considered the "alpha". It's just the nature of this particular breed. I do not recommend that the Akbash be anyone's first dog and it's not a dog for anyone who doesn't want a serious guard dog.
Most large breeds have health problems, and the Akbash is no exception. Thankfully, however, they seem to have fewer health problems than other large dog breeds. Hip dysplasia and OCD have occured, but they are still relatively rare. To decrease the chances of getting a dog with hip dysplasia, buy only from OFA hip certified stock. If your breeder doesn't know what this means, look for another breeder.
These dogs are great for what they are -- flock guard dogs. If you're looking for a breed to guard your sheep or cattle, the Akbash might be for you.
It's important that you understand the mentality of a dog before you begin training and socializing. When dogs live together as a group, they have a pack leader, someone who is in charge. This leader, this alpha, decides when everyone eats, how much they get, where everyone sleeps, when playtime begins and ends, and what kind of play can take place. The pack leader also decides where the group will go and how fast they will get there. When you bring your dog home, you're essentially giving your dog a pack, even if that pack is only you and the dog. And most dogs will automatically look to you as the pack leader. In fact, you dog needs you to be pack leader. If you don't assume the role of leader, your dog will, and this will not lead to a harmonious existence for either of you.
So how do you go about establishing your role as leader? It's actually easier than it sounds. When you teach your dog to obey commands and to conform to the rules of basic etiquette, you are taking the first steps to establishing yourself as alpha. Be firm with your dog, but never harsh. You don't need to be mean to be in charge. Avoid using techniques such as alpha rolls (forcing the dog onto his back and staring at him) unless you know exactly what you're doing. These thing can backfire and cause aggression that will be directed toward you and other humans. Praise works better than punishment, at least most of the time. Most dogs crave praise and approval, so give them what they want when they do what you want. Be consistent with what you ask of your dog and insist that he comply, provided he understands what you want, of course. This will get the ball rolling.
But you're probably wanting something specific, some little trick that will allow you to show your dog that you are in charge. Training is one way, and a necessary way, but an easier way is all about food. Think about it. The life of a dog revolves around food. When do I eat? What do I eat? Who is going to feed me? Can I eat after I go outside? Before? Since food is the center of a dog's life, use food to establish exactly who's the boss.
Do this by NEVER letting your dog just free feed. By this I mean that you should not have a huge bowl of food sitting out for your dog to eat whenever he feels like it. Water, yes, but not food. Never. Under any circumstances. And if you bought an automatic feeder, shove it in the closet and leave it there. It's only use is if you're going to be gone for a couple days and can't convince anyone to feed your pooch.
Instead, divide the food your dog should receive into two portions and feed him every twelve hours. Insist that your dog sit nicely for a while (just a few seconds, really) before you give him the food. And make sure he sees that you are the source of the food. You get the bowl and you fill the bowl and you control when he gets that bowl. There's nothing mean about this. It's what we do to babies, even if we don't realize we're doing it. You control the food. Therefore, you control the household.
By controlling the food and insisting on training and obedience, your dog will quickly learn that you are in charge. You are the alpha. This will make your home life easier on everyone involved and your canine companion will thank you for it.
All dogs are different. Some would never challenge the people in their home, much like my son's little poodle Brownie. But others are looking to take over the household from the moment they get home. My old dog Darby is a fine example of this second type. And with this second type (and really all types), it's important that you establish yourself as the leader at the very beginning of the relationship. I am certainly not implying that you must be mean or even bossy, but you do have to be consistent in your dealings with your dog so that she (I'm going to use the feminine here simply because the problem dog I'm working with at this moment is a female) learns to respect you and all other two-legged members of the household.
Formal obedience classes or puppy kindergarten (depending on the age of your dog) are one step on this road to respect, but it's probably not the first or even the most important. To teach your dog to be a polite member of the family, you have to work with your pooch at home. This is not to discount the importance of organized classes. I firmly believe that each and every dog would benefit from the most basic of obedience classes. But classes aren't enough to get your dog or puppy to behave in the comfort of her own home.
So before you get started with the classes full of other dogs, consider the basic behavior you want in your home. Do you want your dog jumping all over everyone? Probably not. Walking on the table? No. Sitting patiently with a wagging tail when you come in the door? This is always nice. Moving off the couch when people need to sit? Yep, that's polite. Knocking over children? Definitely not.
Once you have the desirable and undesirable behaviors ironed out, you can start working toward conditioning your pet to display these behaviors. Reward those behaviors you want and gently correct those you don't. A little praise or a single treat is a good reward, but the reward has to be immediate. And never ignore good behavior. You want to make sure that good behavior is acknowledged and rewarded so that it is repeated.
As for corrections, you must be gentle. A firm "No" can yield wonderful results, but only if your dog knows what that word means. They don't come preprogrammed, after all. You have to do the programming yourself. So when your dog does something you don't like, such as jumping on the table, let the dog know that's not acceptable with a firm word that is neither loud nor angry. While you're doing this, immediately remove the dog from the situation. Take the dog from the dining room to the kitchen, for example. This tells the dog "If you're going to jump on the table, you're not going to be allowed in the dining room."
This same idea applies to other etiquette issues. Your dog knocked over a child deliberately while playing? Remove the dog from the game. She'll get the picture, though it may take a few repetitions. But beware of correcting an accident. I had a large golden retriever named Misty who knocked over my neighbor by pushing open a door to come in the house. He was standing right there when she came in and and tumbled forward. Accident. Almost like when my older son opened his bedroom door and my younger son got smacked in the head. If it's not deliberate, let it go. The dog probably didn't even realize she did it. Misty certainly didn't.
This should take place from the day the dog enters your home, though it's never too late to learn. But if you're consistent in your rewards and corrections, the dog will develop an undestanding of her place in the family and will become well mannered and polite as a result. But you have to keep at it, and you should certainly think about a formal class, mostly for the socialization of your dog. It can be a good experience for you both.
Well, I've been writing articles about breeds and dog care for weeks, so it's time for a little story. This story takes me all the way back to my childhood and the little dog we called Splashy. This little dog was a terrier, part Yorkshire Terrier, part something else. Regardless of who her parents were, she looked like a terrier and she was one of my best friends growing up.
But she wasn't perfect, as my grandmother will constantly state. The story starts one cold spring morning. It was a Tuesday or a Wednesday ... one of the days my older sister Vicky was in school. Since I was only four years old at the time, I was too young for school. But my father had to work and my mother had volunteered to supervise a field trip at my sister's school. That left my grandmother to watch me and my baby sister Erika. My grandmother arrived at promptly 8am and ushered my sister and mother out the door.
The day went along well enough. Just after our 9am snack, my grandmother packed up my sister and I and we went for a walk. I had Splashy on a leash and the little dog romped beside us, legs flying and fur bouncing. It was cool on this particular morning so we were all wearing gloves and scarves. My grandmother, refined old lady that she was, was wearing stylish brown leather gloves. Not exactly warm, but very pretty.
Splashy obviously agreed because she jumped and nipped, trying with all her might to get a mouthful of glove. You have to understand that Splashy was normally a very well behaved little dog. She never jumped up and she never nipped. But she did both on this blustery morning, and all over a pair of leather gloves. They must have smelled great to her little doggy nose. We never had any leather in our home, so leather gloves were a new experience for Splashy.
But my grandmother was not amused. As she pushed Erika's stroller, she tried everything she could to get Splashy to behave.
"Stop that!" she snapped, giving Splashy a push.
Splashy barked and ran around to my grandmother's other side, possibly hoping that plaguing my grandmother from the right instead of the left would be met with more success.
My grandmother flapped her hands at the little dog. "Get away!"
Well, the flapping only served to drive Splashy into a frenzy as she became determined to have those gloves. She darted in and among the stroller's wheels and started to bark. No, she yipped. Tiny little high pitched yips that made me laugh and my grandmother grumble. The baby remained peacefully sleeping in her stroller.
Eventually, my grandmother had had enough and we headed back to the house, little dog yipping all the way. We got inside and my grandmother told me to take the leash off and put the dog in the sun room. I did as she instructed as she removed the baby from the stroller and set her free in the living room. Then she stripped off her own outerwear. She hung her hat and scarf on a peg, her coat in the closet, and placed her gloves on the side table.
But Splashy was safely in the sun room so we continued on about our day. Erika played and shrieked on the living room floor. I brushed the hair on each and every My Little Pony I had. My grandmother read a novel out loud. I think it might have been The King of Elfland's Daughter, but it was more than twenty years ago now. It might have been something else.
Lunch came and we knew my mother would soon return home. The field trip was only for a couple of hours, after all. So we adjourned to the kitchen and my grandmother made us pasta. Just as we started to eat, the front door opened. We expected my mother to come bustling into the kitchen. Instead, we faintly heard her sigh.
"Oh no," came the voice from the front foyer.
"What?" my grandmother asked, heading toward the foyer.
I put down my fork, interest peaked, as Erika shoved her pasta off her highchair and let it clatter to the floor.
An instant later, my grandmother shrieked. There's no other way to describe it. The sound reverberated through the house and I jumped off my chair and hurried to the foyer. And stopped dead.
There was Splashy, the tiny little dog who was supposed to be in the sun room, with a tiny bit of leather sticking out of her mouth. Other bits of leather were strewn across the floor. My mother and grandmother were standing there staring. And Splashy was doing her best to look innocent. She might have pulled it off if it hadn't been for the bit of leather sticking to her lips.
My grandmother was ranting, wanting to know how the dog had gotten out of the sun room and why on earth Splashy would eat her gloves. During this rant, I began to get a little worried. I had put the dog in the sun room. Would I be in trouble for her escape?
But before my grandmother could direct some blame toward me, my mother went back to the sun room. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw what Splashy had done. The french doors, which had been in pristine condition, were now ... decidedly not. Splashy, in her desperation to reach the leather gloves, had pulled and chewed until part of the french doors had come away. This was a tiny dog, so she managed to slip through a fairly small hole. Still, eating through wooden doors and still managing not to alert any of us to the damage was quite impressive.
But dear old Grandma was not amused. She lectured the poor little dog, who only looked at her with wide brown eyes. I swear the dog smiled as my grandmother threw up her hands and stormed from the house.
But the lesson was learned. Never leave leather gloves on the side table. Put them away in a pocket or up on a shelf. Even if you think the dog is in the sun room.
