Anatolians & Winter: How to House and Care for an Anatolian During the Winter Months
- barjohomestead
- Nov 24
- 3 min read
As winter fast approaches, we see more discussion regarding how an Anatolian Shepherd should be housed in the winter. Canadian winters are certainly harsher than winters in many parts of the world, and it is no wonder that owners become concerned and want to create the safest place possible for their guardian. In this article, we will cover the Anatolian breed in winter, housing options, and other routines to help your Anatolian out during the winter months.
The Anatolian Shepherd originated in modern-day Turkey, which has summer highs around 30 degrees Celsius and winter lows around minus 5; however, it is not uncommon for Turkish mountains (where Anatolians primarily guarded) to reach temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius. Hence, the Anatolian breed is known for being able to handle freezing temperatures with no problem. We can confirm this is true. Our Anatolians routinely handle nights that dip down to 45 below with no problem. Although they don't have long hair, they have a thick double coat that keeps them warm. Furthermore, they are a large breed of dog (our largest male is 185lbs and our female is 160lbs), so they have plenty of body heat to help keep them warm also. Anatolians are a working dog, and once they have a job, they are dedicated and content to protect, no matter the temperature. A misconception owners often have when caring for these dogs in winter is that they treat them like you would your average family dog breed. However, these dogs have been bred differently and can handle winters far more easily than most other breeds.
When considering a shelter for your Anatolian, you primarily want something that will keep them out of the wind and keep their paws off the snow. If your dog is a livestock guardian dog, chances are that you already have a suitable shelter available for the livestock they protect. We personally have livestock shelters that are bedded with straw, but alongside this, our dogs will often crawl into bale feeders or swaths we’ve put down for the livestock. In extreme conditions (which has only ever happened twice in the nine years we’ve owned Anatolians), we would bring our Anatolian into a heated facility to warm up for a couple of hours. Some further ideas could be barns, livestock igloos, windbreaks, or similar options. Some people offer doghouses, but we've personally never had luck with those. We find that our Anatolians prefer options where they can still see the surrounding area. Because of their guardian nature, they want to watch for predators. Unless the weather is extreme, our Anatolians often will choose to sleep in a snowbank rather than in the shelter. When we have a puppy, we will usually put them in a heated indoor facility at night or provide a heat lamp in a shelter.
There are also a few other things you can do to help the winters go smoothly. Alongside providing a sheltered area from the wind and bedding for their paws, we will increase the amount of calories our dogs are given and how often they are fed. For mature dogs, particularly, we will offer food twice a day and mix their regular kibble with a higher-fat kibble, as directed by our vet. We will feed our puppies (between the ages of 0-12 months) two to three times a day, and continue with feeding a high-quality large-breed puppy food. Since they can’t have a higher-fat option, we will increase the amount of food they are given instead, as directed by our vet. From here, we also ensure that they have clean, fresh water always available. We ensure that our dogs' condition is healthy, and we stay on top of deworming schedules, and have them checked out by a vet with any concerns.
We hope that this has helped you gain some ideas on how to care for your Anatolian best this winter.
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