Keeping Your Maremma Sheepdog Cool in the Summer Heat
We often get questions about how Maremma Sheepdogs fare in hot summer temperatures and people assume that with their heavy coats they wouldn't do well in hotter climates. We live in Central California where summer temperatures get up around 110-115 at the height of summer and our Maremmas actually fare quite well. Better than our dairy goats, who don't enjoy water so can't use that to cool off like the dogs can! But in order to keep your Maremma Sheepdog cool you will need to do a little planning and invest in some basic supplies. Please read on for our tips on how to keep your Maremma cool and comfortable, no matter how hot it gets outside.
Proper Grooming
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The first step to keeping your Maremma Sheepdog cool is proper grooming. Contrary to what some people think this does NOT mean shaving down their heavy double coat! The double coat acts as an insulation against heat and shaving them down can make them hotter and put them at risk for sunburn and even heat stroke. That being said, a dirty, matted coat is bad insulation because it doesn't allow good airflow to the skin. So proper grooming of your Maremma is important, especially in the spring when they are shedding their winter coat. Some Maremmas shed out their winter coats naturally, while others need some help. Proper brushes and deshedding tools, as well as a high powered dog dryer, will get out your dog's loose undercoat and help him be ready to keep cool in the summer heat! To learn more about how to properly groom your Maremma and to find links to the tools we recommend please see our Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs page.
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Proper Shade
The next thing your Maremma Sheepdog needs to keep cool is proper shade. Contrary to what you might think, your Maremma does not need to come inside and stay in an air conditioned house or building to be healthy and comfortable. The only exception to this would be young puppies and their dams or perhaps elderly or sick dogs. Because we live in a climate with such high summer temperatures (and smoke from nearby forest fires) we did invest in constructing a dedicated whelping facility in 2021, which we call our Puppy Parlor. After whelping a couple of litters in the summer, during fire season and in the coldest part of winter we knew we had to do something to keep our puppies and their dams more comfortable and healthy. Our Puppy Parlor has two Air Conditioner/Heating units and two large commercial fans, so we can keep the temperature just right during this critical stage. Usually we don't have to use the AC/Heat much, but it's there if our dogs need it. We occasionally use it to kid goats and it's also a great place for us to work when the weather is bad. (I'm sitting here now writing this post, because it's 105 degrees outside! 😅
The rest of our dogs use more "conventional" methods of staying cool. Unfortunately Central California had been in a severe drought for about a decade, so most of the trees that once lined our property (30-40) have long ago died and either fallen down or had to be cut down. Most of the shade for our dogs is man made and man made shade is perfectly acceptable for LGD's, even if it's not as pretty as trees. Besides our two large metal barns and our Puppy Parlor we have a variety of shade structures throughout our pastures. (I believe it's close to 30, last time I counted.) Our main barn has a very high roof and no solids sides so we use shade sails and tarps to block the sun. It looks like a "tent city" (people often ask if our goats live in tents) but it works. Function before beauty.
We also have several metal horse shelters, which are the most heavy duty as not much can destroy them, though we did once have a dead tree fall on one and crush it. It's still there and still functional, but looks bad. One of these days we will get it fixed but it still provides shade just fine.
Another way we have provided shade is by using tall t-posts and shade sails to make a canopy. We have quite a few of these, but what we have discovered is that the t-posts have to be REALLY tall or our silly goats will somehow manage to turn them into hammocks, eventually destroying them. And they are really hard to get straight and tight enough to make them look good, no matter how hard we try.
Our most recent discovery is using dog kennels with roofs and canvas sides. These are great because they can function as shade and shelter with the doors propped open, but if we need a place to temporarily contain a dog or goat then we are set. We have been adding kennels to all our pastures, bit by bit as finances allow. We have a few of the Retriever brand kennels from Tractor Supply. What we discovered is you get what you pay for. they are cheaply made and not that great, but they're ok. Our favorite kennels are the basic 6' kennels from K-9 Kennel Store. These are sturdy, the roofs and canvas sides are very nice and attractive looking and, best of all, the kennels and the roofs are super easy to assemble. They go together with pins, like horse corral panels, so they are so easy to move, rearrange and expand. We upgraded to whelping doors in our puppy pasture, which allows mama dogs to come and go while small pups are contained. We can also shut only the bottom doors so our dairy goats have a place to get away from rambunctious puppies if they need to.
You can also have metal or wooden shade structures built or build them yourself if you're handy. I am NOT the handy type and unfortunately finding someone to do that kind of work has proven very difficult where I live, and my county requires permits and a lot of hoop jumping for the most simple construction project (my neighbor got a cease and desist construction letter for building a roofed dog kennel) so for me using these temporary and portable options gets my animals the shade I need without all the hoop jumping or waiting for someone to have time to help me. My shade structures may not be pretty but my animals are comfortable and that's all that really matters.
The rest of our dogs use more "conventional" methods of staying cool. Unfortunately Central California had been in a severe drought for about a decade, so most of the trees that once lined our property (30-40) have long ago died and either fallen down or had to be cut down. Most of the shade for our dogs is man made and man made shade is perfectly acceptable for LGD's, even if it's not as pretty as trees. Besides our two large metal barns and our Puppy Parlor we have a variety of shade structures throughout our pastures. (I believe it's close to 30, last time I counted.) Our main barn has a very high roof and no solids sides so we use shade sails and tarps to block the sun. It looks like a "tent city" (people often ask if our goats live in tents) but it works. Function before beauty.
We also have several metal horse shelters, which are the most heavy duty as not much can destroy them, though we did once have a dead tree fall on one and crush it. It's still there and still functional, but looks bad. One of these days we will get it fixed but it still provides shade just fine.
Another way we have provided shade is by using tall t-posts and shade sails to make a canopy. We have quite a few of these, but what we have discovered is that the t-posts have to be REALLY tall or our silly goats will somehow manage to turn them into hammocks, eventually destroying them. And they are really hard to get straight and tight enough to make them look good, no matter how hard we try.
Our most recent discovery is using dog kennels with roofs and canvas sides. These are great because they can function as shade and shelter with the doors propped open, but if we need a place to temporarily contain a dog or goat then we are set. We have been adding kennels to all our pastures, bit by bit as finances allow. We have a few of the Retriever brand kennels from Tractor Supply. What we discovered is you get what you pay for. they are cheaply made and not that great, but they're ok. Our favorite kennels are the basic 6' kennels from K-9 Kennel Store. These are sturdy, the roofs and canvas sides are very nice and attractive looking and, best of all, the kennels and the roofs are super easy to assemble. They go together with pins, like horse corral panels, so they are so easy to move, rearrange and expand. We upgraded to whelping doors in our puppy pasture, which allows mama dogs to come and go while small pups are contained. We can also shut only the bottom doors so our dairy goats have a place to get away from rambunctious puppies if they need to.
You can also have metal or wooden shade structures built or build them yourself if you're handy. I am NOT the handy type and unfortunately finding someone to do that kind of work has proven very difficult where I live, and my county requires permits and a lot of hoop jumping for the most simple construction project (my neighbor got a cease and desist construction letter for building a roofed dog kennel) so for me using these temporary and portable options gets my animals the shade I need without all the hoop jumping or waiting for someone to have time to help me. My shade structures may not be pretty but my animals are comfortable and that's all that really matters.
Dirt and Holes
Another often overlooked way of keeping your Maremma Sheepdog cool is the most basic - good ole' dirt! Maremmas love to dig and will dig themselves some nice hidden holes for keeping cool. Of course these holes aren't much good if they are out in the full sun but you'll probably