The Anatolian Shepherd originated on the peninsula of Anatolia, perhaps 6,000 years ago. It was here that sheep and goat herders developed a dog to protect their livestock from wolves and cheetahs in the scorching summers and frigid winters. These were the ancestors of today's Anatolian Shepherd dog. It is likely that the shepherds' dogs referenced in the early books of the Bible were local variations of the Anatolian Shepherd.