Housing, Feeding, and Grooming Requirements

Anatolians are generally hardy and tolerant of extremes in weather. They can adapt to living outdoors, indoors, or both.

Because Anatolians must be calm enough to live with livestock without frightening them, these are low energy dogs compared to many other breeds. This means that Anatolians may not eat as much as other giant breeds and often can maintain themselves in good muscular condition on a moderate amount of exercise.

Not every Anatolian requires a huge acreage to do its job; some can be happy protecting a house with a good-sized yard. However, this breed absolutely is not suited to living in a cage, in a kennel, or on the end of a chain. An Anatolian in such a situation would be unsatisfied - it would lack a territory and a "flock" to patrol and protect - and consequently thoroughly miserable - it wouldn't be able to do its job.

In virtually all situations, it is necessary to confine an Anatolian in its home territory with escape-proof fencing. As we said, Anatolians work by patrolling their area several times a day, whether it's your pasture or your house and yard. Except on remote ranches, an Anatolian that is allowed to run loose will continually expand its territory, to include your neighbors' properties in addition to your own - regardless of whether your neighbors appreciate the protection services of the dog. Furthermore, it is a virtual certainty that a dog running around loose will eventually be killed or lost in some tragic accident.

The Anatolian has a double coat for protection from the weather. Anatolians need only minimal grooming. Their fur sheds dirt and burrs and resists tangling. They generally just need to be brushed during shedding. (Dogs with long coats may need to be brushed more often than others.)

Shedding of the undercoat occurs in spring and fall. In climates with cold winters and hot summers, the spring shedding is much heavier. Dogs that live in warm climates may not grow heavy undercoats at all.

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