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Had a pedigree GSD, best friend I ever had and the smartest dog I ever owned. Not a dog whisperer but am pretty good at training dogs. I like larger breeds, unfortunately they tend to have shorter life spans. So far I've been leaning towards either a Caucasian or Anatolian shepherd. Anyone have any experience with either of the breeds? Other large breeds with a longer life span that I may not be aware of? Price isn't an issue. I am partial to shepherds.

Had a pedigree GSD, best friend I ever had and the smartest dog I ever owned. Not a dog whisperer but am pretty good at training dogs. I like larger breeds, unfortunately they tend to have shorter life spans. So far I've been leaning towards either a Caucasian or Anatolian shepherd. Anyone have any experience with either of the breeds? Other large breeds with a longer life span that I may not be aware of? Price isn't an issue. I am partial to shepherds.

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[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

I have an Anatolian Shepard / Great Pyrenees mix. Nocturnal, 80lbs, 40lb food/week, smart (almost too smart), sweet to family, intimidating to others. Lots of hair to clean up...

At night she patrols the fence line and barks at anything that she smells or sees. Great dog but you need some land for it to roam and protect. Barks all night so would be a pain if you have it near your bedroom at night.

https://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/greatpyrenees.html https://www.petfinder.com/dog-breeds/anatolian-shepherd/

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Ahh thank you sir, an answer I was looking for. I don't mind the shedding so much, most gsds shed once a year, every day lol. Barking might be an issue, I like my dogs to sleep by my bed. Does it like long runs/walks? I use the BARF diet with dogs, I imagine that would cut down on how much it eats? How is it around other dogs/animals?

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

She's protective of her pack. Keep in mind she was 2yo when I got her from a horse farm so she needed training to change old habits she got from the horse farm like food aggressiveness and chasing chickens. If you get one as a puppy you will probably have an easier time. She will occasionally sleep by the bed but most nights she wants to patrol the fence line and protect the pack. We found that she is allergic to chicken food so we switched to a lamb based food. She likes walks but they are naturally nocturnal so they sleep quite a bit during the day. I'll upload a picture in a bit. She has a personality and I've always had labs before her. She's smarter and more independent than the labs I've had. I like having her around and would recommend the breed.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Oh yeah. They are so smart that they don't really need you. You have to earn being their alpha. To train my new dogs, I wait for the dog to do something wrong, verbally correct them and if they don't submit, I pin them by laying on them and holding their paws until they submit. Her submittal during the first time I pinned her took at least 5 minutes... Don't be mean or angry, just show them you are the boss and they will have to listen to you.