20/09/2026
🐕🐑 MAREMMA vs ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD & KANGAL — WHY DO THEY WORK DIFFERENTLY?
This is a question I get asked quite a bit, particularly from people trying to decide which Livestock Guardian Dog breed might suit their farm.
We’ve worked with Maremmas in the past, and today we predominantly run Anatolian Shepherds and Kangals. From our own experience, there are some noticeable differences in the way they tend to work.
But to understand those differences, I think you first need to look at where these dogs came from and the environments they were developed to work in.
All three are genuine Livestock Guardian Dogs, developed over generations to live alongside livestock, think independently and protect their animals from predators.
But they weren’t developed in exactly the same country, landscape, climate or livestock system — and I think that history still shows in the way they work today.
THE MAREMMA SHEEPDOG — ITALY
The Maremma Sheepdog originates from Italy, particularly the pastoral regions of central Italy associated with areas such as Tuscany, Lazio and Abruzzo.
For centuries, these large white guardian dogs accompanied shepherds and their flocks, including during traditional seasonal movements of livestock between grazing areas.
They had to live amongst sheep, remain strongly bonded to the flock and protect them from predators such as wolves.
Their white coat also had a practical advantage around sheep, helping shepherds distinguish their guardian dogs from predators, particularly in poor light.
In our experience, that history seems to show in their working style.
We found our Maremmas tended to work quite close to their livestock and were generally very vocal guardians.
Barking is an important part of their predator-deterrence strategy — effectively announcing:
“I’m here. This flock is protected. Don’t come any closer.”
They can be extremely attentive to their livestock and often position themselves relatively close to the mob.
ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD & KANGAL — TÜRKİYE
The Anatolian Shepherd and Kangal have a very different geographical background.
These dogs developed from the livestock guardian dogs of Türkiye, where pastoralists needed dogs capable of protecting livestock across large, open and often rugged landscapes.
The Anatolian interior can be a demanding environment — hot, dry summers, very cold winters, open plains, mountains and vast grazing country.
Traditionally, these dogs protected sheep and other livestock against serious predators, particularly wolves.
That meant the dogs needed to be athletic, independent, environmentally aware and capable of making decisions without constantly looking to a person for direction.
Rather than simply remaining beside the livestock, they also needed to watch the surrounding country, patrol and investigate potential threats.
And that is something we certainly see in our own dogs.
🐕 HOW WE SEE THAT DIFFERENCE ON OUR FARM
Our Anatolians and Kangals tend to patrol the wider area and investigate what is happening further away from the sheep.
Quite often, I won’t hear much from them at all.
They may simply disappear over the hill to investigate something they’ve detected long before I’ve even realised anything is there.
One of the things I’ve learnt to watch is their body language.
If one of ours suddenly becomes extremely focused, moves with purpose and that tail comes up and curls over the back, I know they’ve switched into serious guardian mode.
They can actually be remarkably quiet when they’re working.
That doesn’t mean they don’t bark — ours certainly do! 😂 — but compared with the Maremmas we’ve owned, we’ve found their approach can be more about patrolling, investigating and positioning themselves between the threat and their livestock.
🌏 WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEIR HISTORY, IT MAKES SENSE
A breed developed around flocks in the pastoral landscapes of Italy isn’t necessarily going to have exactly the same working tendencies as dogs developed across the vast and sometimes harsh grazing landscapes of Türkiye.
Neither approach is necessarily better.
They’re simply different working styles shaped over generations by different environments, livestock systems and predator pressures.
And even within each breed, there can be enormous variation depending on genetics, working bloodlines, upbringing and the individual dog.
🐕 SO WHICH BREED IS BETTER?
I don’t think that’s really the right question.
I think the better question is:
Which working style suits your livestock, property, predator pressure, fencing and management system?
A smaller property may require something completely different from a large grazing property adjoining bushland or National Park.
And breed is only part of the equation.
Genetics, working bloodlines, early bonding, socialisation, fencing, livestock exposure, training and management all matter enormously.
Here on our farm, we have significant predator pressure and large areas for the dogs to cover. We have seen packs of dingoes numbering 12+, as well as feral pigs, foxes, cats and wedge-tailed eagles.
For our particular farming system, we absolutely love the way our Anatolians and Kangals patrol, assess threats and work across the landscape.
But that doesn’t make them the right dog for every farm — just as a Maremma may be absolutely perfect for another farming system.
🐑🐕 LGDs AREN’T SIMPLY BIG DOGS PUT IN A PADDOCK
When you understand where these breeds came from, what they were originally expected to protect livestock from, and the environments they were developed to work in, some of the differences we see in their working styles today start to make a lot more sense.
📸 A LITTLE BACKSTORY TO THIS PHOTO…
This photo was taken quite a few years ago, back when we had both Maremmas and Anatolian Shepherds working here on the farm.
It was actually taken on a day when we had the privilege of showing Teesh from Pilbara Working Dogs around our property. We spent the day talking dogs, livestock, predators and all things LGDs — something I could probably talk about for hours! 😂
Looking back at this photo now is actually pretty special.
Our LGD program has changed and evolved enormously since those days. We’ve learnt so much through experience — what works, what doesn’t, the importance of genetics and early bonding, how individual dogs work differently, and particularly what type of guardian suits our country, our livestock and our predator pressure.
Having worked with Maremmas before moving predominantly towards Anatolian Shepherds and Kangals has given us the opportunity to see those differences firsthand rather than simply reading about them.
And I think that’s one of the wonderful things about working with LGDs — you never stop learning from them.
Years later, we’re still learning, still changing things and still fascinated by the way these dogs think and work.
Different breeds. Different working styles. Different histories.
But ultimately, the same purpose — protecting the livestock entrusted to them. 🐕🐑❤️
I’d love to hear from other producers running working LGDs:
What breed do you run, what sort of country are they working in, and what differences have you noticed in the way they protect their livestock?
