{"id":29430,"date":"2017-02-17T08:34:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T13:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=29430"},"modified":"2019-07-30T14:30:34","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T18:30:34","slug":"changing-of-the-guard-maremma-sheepdogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/changing-of-the-guard-maremma-sheepdogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Animal: Maremma Sheepdogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prized for its loyalty, independent nature, and instinctive protective-ness, the Maremma sheepdog (cane da pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese<\/em>) is named after its homeland, a hilly region in Tuscany. While the dog has been around for centuries\u2014the canis pastoralis<\/em>, its classical predecessor, appears in several 14th-century frescoes\u2014it wasn\u2019t until 1958 that the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiano<\/em><\/a> (Italian Kennel Club) recognized the Maremma as a single breed.<\/p>\n

Initially, the pastore Maremmano<\/em> was considered distinct from the pastore Abruzzese<\/em>, but the unification of Italy in the mid-1800s led to the mixing of shepherds and flocks\u2014and, consequently, guardian dogs\u2014between regions. By 1950 no morphological differences remained between the two breeds, and in the 1970s Maremmas made their way to the United States, where they remain a popular livestock protector on dairy farms.<\/p>\n

Appearance<\/h3>\n

Muscular and majestic, Maremmas often intimidate predators with their size. Standing tall at 25 inches and typically weighing between 70 and 100 pounds, they make formidable opponents for wolves and coyotes. Their dense, white coats are coarse to the touch and almost woolly, like the sheep they protect\u2014this promotes trust and encourages strong interspecies bonds, says David Major of Westminster\u2013based Vermont Shepherd<\/a> (he has four guard dogs, including one Maremma, that watch over the farm\u2019s 300-plus sheep).<\/p>\n

Personality<\/h3>\n

First and foremost, Maremmas aren\u2019t lapdogs. They are workers, and their top priority is protecting any livestock entrusted to them, not pleasing humans. But this independence and confidence in their own decision-making is exactly why they are ideal guard dogs on large farms where they don\u2019t get constant instruction and feedback. They are, however, deeply loyal to their owners. If socialized from a young age, they can be affectionate and very protective of their pack, while still wary of strangers. \u201cShe particularly loves baby animals and children\u2014she is present for every goat birth and loves to clean the babies . . . [But] she can be quite fearsome looking to strangers that approach the gate without permission,\u201d says Jessica Hussman, co-owner of Devil Goat Farm<\/a> in Buxton, Ore., about Artemis, one of her Maremmas.<\/p>\n

Activity<\/h3>\n

Maremmas are livestock guardian dogs, or LGDs. Rather than having the pups herd or drive, dairy farmers task them with 24-hour animal protection. Maremmas accompany livestock from pasture to pasture and are often present for milking, feeding, and other daily tasks. For this reason farms usually have more than one LGD to split the burden.<\/p>\n

At Big Picture Farm<\/a> in Townshend, Vt., two Maremmas stand watch during different hours, says co-founder Louisa Conrad. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see how they\u2019ve worked out a day and a night shift,\u201d she says. \u201cJosie works days, and Elvis works nights.\u201d Being such dedicated laborers with a strong disinterest in following commands for the sake of it (in other words, they aren\u2019t tempted by treats to \u201csit\u201d or \u201cstay\u201d), Maremmas are not suited to be house pets or city dwellers. \u201cThey have no desire to come inside,\u201d Conrad says. Working on farms allows the breed to employ their natural self-reliant streak and keeps them from getting bored or mired in routine.<\/p>\n

Maremma guardianship on dairy farms enables livestock to stay on pasture\u2014weather permitting\u2014at all times. \u201cThe does will graze until close to sunset and are up before we are, snacking away,\u201d says Hussmann. \u201cThis saves us a lot of money on hay supplementation, and . . . less confined feeding time is always a benefit to [the goats\u2019] health and well-being, as well as the quality of the milk.\u201d Which, in turn, leads to great cheese.<\/p>\n

Feature Photo Credit: Shutterstock<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fiercely loyal Maremma sheepdogs work together to watch over flocks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":29431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[18836,18831,18839,18834,18832,7231,108,12760,18833,18835,18838,17620,18837,4024,1068,7833],"coauthors":[875],"class_list":["post-29430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-farm-animal","tag-big-picture-farm","tag-cane-da-pastore-maremmano-abruzzese","tag-caroline-fenn","tag-devil-goat-farm","tag-ente-nazionale-della-cinofilia-italiano","tag-farm-animal","tag-herding-dog","tag-italian","tag-jessica-hussman","tag-livestock-guardian-dogs","tag-louisa-conrad","tag-maremma-sheepdogs","tag-townshend","tag-tuscany","tag-vermont","tag-vermont-shepherd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFarm Animal: Maremma Sheepdogs - 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