The Bad Things About Anatolians
The Anatolian's independent and protective nature combined with its very large size mean that it is not the easiest dog in the world to control. In reality, a good Anatolian should be submissive to its livestock, so the "perfect" temperament is self-confident but deferential to the leader. However, Anatolians will eagerly assume the role of "boss" if their owners are not in charge. Almost all test their owners at some time(s) during adolescence or young adulthood to see if becoming Number One is indeed possible. Untrained and unsocialized Anatolians, and those whose owners refuse to be leaders, can become over-protective and aggressive and, sometimes, uncontrollable. Living with an Anatolian that has learned to intimidate people can be frightening indeed.
These dogs need to be socialized well and taught to behave politely if they come in contact with a lot of strange people and animals. Some Anatolians, even socialized ones, will not let strange dogs come on the home territory. And most intact male Anatolians cannot realistically be expected to live with other intact males - at least not uneventfully.
As we said before, fencing is virtually required, because Anatolians are independent and will expand their territories voluntarily. (Some are hard to keep home even with fencing.) A great many Anatolians like to dig. Anatolians use barking in their protective behaviors, so a certain amount of noise goes with the dog. Many puppies go through a destructive phase, and those behaviors can become habits if the dogs are not supervised and corrected while still young.