The Anatolian Shepherd is an ancient Turkish giant that has been herding and guarding flocks of sheep and cattle since 1800 B.C. They are sometimes known as the Blackhead Karabaş, Anatolian Blackhead, Anadolulu Karabaş, Kangal, Coban Kopegi, or the Akbash Dog. There are displays of these dogs in the British Museum in London in the Assyrian rooms and they were even mentioned in the Bible. While these dogs are great at protecting the flock and the family, they are not known to be great family pets to those with children. They prefer not to fight but will protect who or whatever they consider to be their flock whether it be sheep, cattle, or people. They are stubborn and headstrong with a serious protective instinct that cannot be bred out of them. They are the 84th most popular dog breed in the American Kennel Club, where they have been registered members since 1996. The Great Dane is another ancient dog breed although it is from Germany and has been around since 3000 B.C. They were bred from Greyhounds, Old English Mastiffs, and Wolfhounds to be watchdogs and hunting companions. Unlike the Anatolian Shepherd, the Great Dane is a gentle and loving dog but can still be dangerous around small children because of their large size and clumsiness. These giants are thought to have been spread all over the world by Assyrians who traded them to the Greeks and Romans. They started out being called Boar Hounds because they were used to hunt boar. They were then changed to English Dogges in the 1500s, then Kammerhunde (which means chamber dog), and then Grand Danois, which was later changed to Great Danish Dog and Danish Mastiff. In 1880, the German judges decided they would be called the Deutsche Dogge, which means German Dog. Eventually, Americans changed their name to Great Dane, which it has stayed since then. They are the 14th most popular breed in the American Kennel Club, where they have been registered since 1887.
