HELP! new Maremma LGD puppy owners; questions/advice please!

[Peck Johnson]

I am so glad to see that Juno is getting along well. She looks gorgeous. Sounds like she is working out exactly as she should. And she is still young!

Our boy has the same kind of routine - lazy next to the coop or the garage all day, and then on patrol when evening rolls around.

I hope your neighbor does eventually consider the danger of letting his dog loose. Working dogs, Maremmas in particular, don't behave like regular pet dogs. I would hate to see the harm they are capable of. It's funny how sometimes people, even those with dogs, really don't understand dog behavior. We had a party recently, I had the animals penned in, and I told people to just ignore them. But, of course, one guest goes bopping over to our guy all cutsie-like, thinking he wants to be pet, after seeing him sitting there alertly looking at everyone at the edge of the fence. A couple warning barks sent a pretty clear message to just go the other way. He does not accept strangers well who have not been introduced or who don't act calm. But once he is comfortable, he is a big mush who will fall on your feet so he will get pet.

I wish you and Juno continued success and hope to see more updates.

 

[Maremma Lover]

Hi Everyone,
I'm so glad to read that Juno is doing so well! I am really sorry to read about your feelings in the early days with her, getting a new puppy no matter what the reason should be a happy time and not filled with that much anxiety as it will show to the poor little pup too.

This being said our Maremma pup has just had his first birthday. I understand why people are protective of the breed as they are very special but we were told explicitly by many people that these dogs are NOT a pet, a whole heap of trouble and should not be kept. 12 months on, my boy is my best friend & I could not ask for a better dog.

Like you we did a lot of research into the breed and went into our purchase with our eyes open and knew that we were not getting a 'normal' dog. That being said armed with all the information I could find I did have a lot of anxiety about the future of our new ball of fluff. I wanted to do the right thing by the pup but could not find any positive stories or information about this beautiful breed.

I would like to point out that Maremmas are not be for everyone. But what I have personally learned from our boy is that he gives back what you put in. This is our experience:
We live in suburban south australia in a 3 bedroom house. We have been very lucky since we got our boy as we have been able to take him most places with us so he will very rarely stay home by himself for more than a couple of hours a day. We took Benny to puppy preschool and were very lucky to find a beautiful trainer. Julie Earl at nuttsaboutmutts.com.au uses only positive rewards based training. He has completed a Basic 8 week course and a Intermediate 6 week course as well as the Advanced '6 week course but did not graduate as we were interstate. Although Benny was never the quickest dog to 'obey' commands he does understand what we ask its just that he will take his time to 'perform'. One really great thing about him is that although he does not sit in lightening speed, it is not needed as we can read what his behaviour will be ie there is food on the table and he is making his way over to it, i might ask him to sit, rather than a breed like a labrador who is super speedy and would have engolfed the food before you can blink!

I believe that since Benny is stimulated each day by his outings he is not destructive around the house. He is quite a lazy dog & will lay with me and have arvo naps. As he is not super active he does not eat a stupid amount. Maremmas are 'picky' eaters, like you mentioned with Juno she did not start munching on her bone straight away, they will do it in their own time. Benny loves scoffing our leftovers but always has biscuits available and will eat them in his own time, making him not a huge eater. We will go for an hour walk at least once a week, he goes for a play at his 'friend' rory (another maremma, she is a guardian of chooks) once maybe twice a week for a couple of hours and we will play ball for 15 mins a day before he gets tired and goes for a paddle in his pond.

The other point I would like to note is the protectiveness over land. Again our story is different to one living on a farm with a flock to gaurd, but I hear over and over again of just how terrible Maremmas are. Benny only barks when he hears either mine or my partners car. He rarely barks at other cars in our cauldersack and if he does its only a couple and then he just watches what they are doing. We are lucky that all the neighbours know Benny and he goes for regular runs around the street. As he is getting older he is 'clever' and sneaks out the front door, but after running around the street and having a look around he will always come back and sit back at the door and be like 'mummy, daddy, i'm back let me in'. Therefore I am not at all concerned about him running away, even without a flock to keep him busy. Benny was born on a farm in victoria and spent his early days with his mum and dad looking after chooks and pigs. But now he is my companion dog and is hopefully going to be a volunteer with me and I can bring his happy smily face to people in care at hospital or nursing homes, which I know he will do wonderfully. He makes everyone he meets smile (unless they are concerned about his size).

In these posts it was also mentioned about Maremmas mouthing. We do have this issue with Benny. Living inside with us he loves to 'help' us clean the house or get dressed. Like you mentioned anything dangling he will want to have it in his mouth

It does get a little frustrating when you are late for work but if this is the worst thing he does I think I can live with his smily face following me around.

There are so many stories I can tell you about my beautiful boy but would be here all week!

As I see more and more Maremmas sold in pet stores (which I do not enjoy seeing) I would just like to let new Maremma owners know that they are beautiful dogs and will give you so much joy, love and companionship. I also want to give positive stories about how they interact with people, so that those who have purchased a ball of adorable fluff on the spur of the moment know that their is hope for their new friend and family member. Just make sure that you spend time with them, I think that if we left Benny in the barren backyard by himself even with a flock he would not be as perfect as what he is today.

If you would like to read more about benny's story please visit his blog: http://bennythemaremma.blogspot.com/

It is so great that Juno is doing so well in your family, like you said they are smart dogs and will really want to impress you.

PS I would like to add some photos of Benny with our family but unsure how to attach, any help???

 

[Ole rooster]

So in reading the post on Maremmas, I get they are not pets, family dogs, safe with other animals not on their place or safe with people. I knew a few junk yard guard dogs like that. They performed their job admirably, but only one or two people dared try to handle them. They do have a sweet look about them but I guess that's just the calm before the storm.

My oldest boy has one to look after his goats. The pictures I've seen of him and my grandson together sure does not give the image you folks have described.

 

[speckledhen]

This has been a fascinating read. Thank all of you for your Maremma stories!

 

[Maremma Lover]

Quote:
Hmm Ole rooster im not entirely sure on your point.
Benny is a much loved family pet who lives inside and is sleeping on the bed right next to me as I type. He is great with other dog large but especially small and is very gentle when playing with them. I would not recommend or suggest that a maremma would be a 'junk yard dog' he would not and does not go nuts at someone coming into our house. I would personally not approach a maremma in the paddock doing their job, but I would not assume that they would 'rip your head off either'.
I am a 26 yr old female who loves my dog and as I put a lot of time into him and his training I have a beautiful dog that I can take anywhere and not have to worry about.
I would recommend a Maremma to anyone as a pet who has time to put into a very loyal friend, otherwise just like any other animal that you leave home alone and bored you will have a pet that barks, destroys things and may be reactive to strangers. A maremma gets a really bad name because they are a big dog they can be very intimidating due to their sheer size.

 

[watchdogps]

Quote:
Noooo, not at all. They are not welcoming to predators or stray dogs, but if their owner says an animal is okay to be there, they are fine. Off property, they should be fine, as there is nothing to protect.

 

[Ole rooster]

Thank you Mr Watchdog. That takes care of my doubts. These post didn't relay that type of information. I just got the feeling these were a no touch, no talk, no look at dog that stays outside and doesn't like to do anything but work.

Good to know better.

 

[BirdEggs]

I have heard of the Maremma, but I did not know that they can also be a guardian of chickens. That is very interesting! I read the "LGS Seminar" link that someone had posted. Very interesting! Your dogs are beautiful! I will check this post again in the future because I am interested to hear how Juno does.