Maremmas
do not need 'training' to do their work as guardian.
The following list are the golden rules of livestock guardian training, and are therefore
very useful to remember when raising a Maremma pup as a Livestock Guardian.
- DO Allow your Maremma to be a full time livestock guardian
dog.
- DO Allow your Maremma to follow his own instincts.
- DO NOT allow your Maremma to play with the livestock.
Maremmas may however play with
each other.
- DO NOT allow humans to play physical or chasing
games with your Maremma.
- DO NOT allow your Maremma to be in any territory
that is not, or will not become its own territory.
- NEVER strike your Maremma with hand or weapon except as a last
resort in a serious dominance conflict.
- NEVER call your dog away from his guarding duties.
- NEVER interfere unless to save your dog from imminent
death.
- NEVER pen or chain your Maremma as a punishment or
insult.
- DO NOT expect too much too soon.
It
takes 12 - 24 months for a Maremma to become a mature guardian.
The
acid test of successful livestock guarding is that the Maremma stays with
the herd because
HE
wants to, and not because
YOU
want him to.
After
reading all this information, you must evaluate your own personal situation.
Please ensure that you read as much as you can here, use the search box above to find specific information on this site to become as thoroughly educated as you can.
There is no substitute for making informed decisions.
This article is broken into topics for your convenience:
| Basics of training |
Introduction to the basics of livestock guardian training |
|
Differences in situations for guarding livestock and how this affects the training |
|
What does it mean to bond to livestock? |
|
The role adults in a pack play when bonding a new pup to livestock |
|
Starting with 2 pups to bond together |
| Obedience training |
The role of obedience training for a livestock guardian |
|
