Welcome aboard... I agree, he looks like he has alot of Anatolin in him.

There was lady named Jan, from PA, that used to post here about 4 years ago that had 2 Anatolin shepherds. They were very big dogs. I believe that she had said that they could be a bit strong-willed. But then I don't think that it is all that uncommon of breeds that are bred to work on their own, like stock guardian dogs.

I'm thinking now that he must have lab in him too. He loves the water, especially 'diving' with his nose to pull things out of the bottom of the puddle, stream, river, ocean, etc. It's really funny to watch. He was learning to swim last summer, pretty much because I was in the water and he wanted to follow me.

He's not that interested in retrieving. He understands the concept, it doesn't turn his crank. What he does love is jumping and catching things from out of the air - not flying through the air (yet) - more like a 'fox on a stick' type toy. I found this grabber device for picking up trash. Turns out it is perfect for waving things in the air so Jethro can jump to catch them. He will try a few times and then I let him get it. Then he drops it and waits for me to get it into the air again. It is amazing to see such a big dog clear all four feet from the ground.

I don't want him to damage his hips, so we don't do it too much, and only on the grass field.

I'm always on the look out for active games to play with him. He likes the social interaction of the play as much as he enjoys running and jumping. Right now I have my eye out for a basketball so we can play soccer.

He's so cute, Jenny. I like the signature pic of his eyes.

I took him to the vet today for our monthly weigh in and sure enough, he has gained another 5 lb. That has been his monthly increase since we adopted him. He is now 10 months and 75 lb. I thought his collars were getting a little snug...

Welcome to the forum!