MAREMMANO: May 2014

Having been breeding angora goats since 1987 we became aware of the use of maremmas quite early on and got our first pup in the early 90s. Unfortunately she was hit and killed by a car in 1994 just when she was maturing nicely. Electric fencing (useful for containing dogs as well as goats) is now standard. Even though she was only there for about 18 months this was long enough to see how well these dogs fitted into the running of the farm.

We’ve had maremmas ever since. There are a lot of unregistered pups being produced, many “by accident” but with such a small gene pool in

Australia

more careful breeding seems warranted. (up to 2011 only 28 maremmas have been imported into Australia and at least 2 did not produce offspring)

In 2009 applied for a prefix and jokingly put ‘Maremmano’ as the first choice since this is almost never approved. Amazingly it was!

Traditionally in

Australia

maremmas have often been used with minimal contact resulting in a dog that is semi-feral and difficult to handle. Also it was often recommended that the some of the animals a pup was bonded to remain with it permanently.

After seeing these dogs in Italy both whilst visiting breeders and seeing them out in the hills it became clear that this is not the only way.

Being very impressed with the nature, intelligence and independence of these dogs already it was natural to re-evaluate the status quo.

The minimal contact approach does seem to result in dogs that are very attentive to their livestock which is a good thing but also promotes animals that are shy, nervous and timid (possibly aggressive) which is not so good. It also creates dogs that are used to a limited range of experiences.

In a paddock that is hundreds of acres it is important that the maremma stays with the flock. But my paddocks are much smaller so that even if the dog is not beside the flock the animals are always within surveillance range. With the current trend to smaller properties and more populated rural areas it is important that maremmas fit into this pattern. The dogs in

Italy

seem to fit this, being more relaxed, confidant and tolerant.

To this end it is important to look at temperament as well as physical attributes when selecting for breeding.

With a relatively small property (approx 20 acres) and more than one maremma it is important that the dogs be versatile. Because the property is on a busy highway it is usual to have at least one marem

ma in the ‘house yard’ for security reasons. To make sure that they have a broad range of experience I rotate the dogs. So as not to interfere with the bonding process young dogs are not included in this rotation until they are around 18 to 24 months old.

Because the stock locations are constantly changing with the weather/season, husbandry needs and feed availability a dog needs to be able to be moved to a different situation/group of livestock with minimal fuss if required.

Currently the ‘house’ dogs are out in the paddocks and one of the ‘paddock’ dogs is in the house yard. The whole situation is deliberately kept quite fluid! Also being on house yard duty allows more frequent contact and gives more chances to observe his or her temperament.

Once a young dog has progressed from the bonding pen stage (often with the same animals initially) it is useful to have an older dog with it. This mentoring gives an outlet for youthful playfulness other than the livestock and helps promote good habits generally. It is important that the dog is used to being alone as well as being with a partner.

Another thing that helps promote flexibility is the feeding regime. What and when stays roughly the same from day to day but where and what in does vary. Because of this ‘no that’s not yours’ is used often and works!

It is worth noting that the older dogs seem to be more likely to be out with the flock while the younger ones seem less inclined to do so which is why they need to be the sole dog ‘in charge’ sometimes.

Maremmas by their nature like things to be in order and constant change doesn’t suit them but they don’t need everything to be perfectly static either. Getting the right balance is the key. The fewer changes a dog is exposed to the less well he will cope with change