Samson - The Kangal Shepherd

Now this boy is something else.

Samson is a 12 months old Kangal Shepherd which looks very similar to the Anatolian Shepherd, and they are, in some countries, including Australia, recognised by the ANKC as being the same breed, which they are not.

He's a Liverstock Guardian Dog, but luckily for the current owners, he was imprinted on humans as a very young pup, not livestock, which makes it somewhat easier to train him.

How he ended up with the current owners is a long story, but sufficient to say that they saved his life.

I have now been working with this lovely dog for a number of weeks and he is a sheer delight to be around, but, make no mistake, this is not a dog for anyone, he is not only big, but also incredibly agile and fast.

There are limits to what we can do with him due to the genetics, so the goal is for him to have good foundation obedience in place, generalsing the behaviours, exposing him to new environments and distracrions to ensure that he can be safely walked in public.

Lucky for Samson, he has a seriously dedicated and commited owner and the work is progressing nicely as you can see from the videos.

Second photo from the top; my first meeting with Samson at his home, it's a "getting to know each other" moment. :)