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Originating in Italy, these majestic dogs have been used as livestock
guardians, primarily of goat and sheep herds for over two thousand years,
a history that on its own commands a certain amount of attention.
The correct way to pronounce the name of the breed is shown phonetically as mar - EMM - ah. So there is a slight emphasis on the middle of the word, and you will notice that it is not a hard E as in sleep, but a soft E as in pen.
The
correct Italian name is: Cane Da Pastore Maremmano Abruzzese.
This is literally translated as "the dog of the shepherd of the
Maremmano and Abruzzese regions". In most english speaking countries
the dog is known as the Maremma Sheepdog. However this name can
be misleading as 'sheepdog' brings the connotation of a dog that herds
sheep. The maremma will NOT herd your flock, though they may be seen
leading a flock to feeding areas, or the flock may run to the dog if
they sense danger and then even follow the dog to a safe place. This
behaviour is amazing to watch - seeing a herd of animals, naturally
fearing dogs, run to their dog and follow his lead!
Throughout
this web site you find the dog referred to as either the Maremma, or
the Maremmano Abruzzese and you can consider them to be one and same dog..
These dogs are unique, but do share some characteristics with
the other breeds that are classed
" Old World Breeds "
Italian
shepherds have laid their very lives in these dogs hands, by having
to sleep out in the wild, when needing to take their herds out for
feeding. The lifestyle was wild and rugged, and the dogs have a disposition
allowing them to seem quite oblivious to the harshest of weather conditions,
whether the summer heat or the winter snow, and even today they retain
their rustic character, requiring little food for their size and little
training and supervision.
The
predators were ominous and life-threatening to both shepherd and sheep
alike, consisting mostly of wolves and European brown bears.
Now many
people raise a viable question immediately upon being presented with
the duties of the Maremma - "Since dogs themselves are predators,
how can they be trusted to guard ? "
Perhaps the
studies carried out at the School of Natural Science in Massachusetts
have come up with the best explanation. The behaviour of animals is
directly related to the way they are built. The most obvious example
is that wings are for flying and feet for walking. Animal breeders select
two animals with the characteristics they desire, breed them together
and so strengthen these desirables. Now in the case of breeding Maremmani,
the desirable is a dog with a strong instinct to guard, no instinct
for herding, coupled with a physical size comparable to the predator
at large. This breeding selection of course is not achieved within one
or even two generations, but over more than two thousand years of such
breeding selection the characteristics are well defined within the Maremmano
Abruzzese.
You
will find information here describing what the Maremmano is to look
like and how the Maremmano is bred to behave.
The combination of these two factors are what makes up 'BREED TYPE'
Type
is not just physical conformation, nor is it just temperament conformation.
As you move through these pages, you will find answers to many questions
that you may have come searching for. If you need a more active approach
to learning about the Maremma, you may find it very helpful to subscribe
to the Maremma Community (free) where
you can talk to other Maremma owners around the world, ask questions
and have them answered by people of varied experience and situations.
These pages are arranged according to topic as much as possible, since
many of the topics are intertwined you will find links within the site
to allow you to move around the site following threads, and each topic or article is broken into parts to allow you to find the specific information you need as quickly as possible.
Use the drop menus at the top of each page to move directly to what you need to know, or use the search box to quickly find information on this site using Google.
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