Dog of the Day!

I decided to do this dog because I saw it over the weekend in Italy, and it bugged me that I didn'T know what it was. A friend of mine told me that they pretty much only lived where we were. I thought they looked a lot like great pyrenese, but way too small. Anyway I found them very interesting, hopefully you will too!
Pastore Maremmano Abruzzese

More pics found here
http://www.puppydogweb.com/gallery/maremmasheepdogs/e.htm

The Pastore Maremmano Abruzzese is described as strong, active, robust, intelligent, courageous, devoted having a very unique character. They are a large strongly built white dog. Some say a rustic appearance, others have said noble and distinguished, but all agree they are quite impressive. They move with a calm, majestic dignity and their eyes have an intense, inquiring look. This is a dog that has always been outdoors and therefore the coat has to be thick and weatherproof. Their bodies are longer than the height at the withers. Even though their coat looks very rich and lots of fluffy white hair, it is actually rather harsh to touch. The standard is a white color, though it is well known that sparkling white coats do not have enough harshness, but tend to be too soft. It is often the cream-colored coats that have the best textures. The coat is very rich but the length may vary. It is always short on the head and at the front of the legs. The hair is longest on the tail and around the neck where it forms a rich collar that protects the neck in fights with wild animals or other dogs. The big mane of hair also makes them look more impressive when attacking. The breed standard calls for the nose and eyelids to be black, black eyes are also preferred.
This breed is from Maremma and Abruzzi regions of Italy. It is very old, tracing back to BC. There are actual records (from BC) of these same type dogs. It has been bred for its excellence in flock guarding (There is a vast difference between "guardian" dogs such as our Maremmas and "herding" dogs such as Border Collies.). Four to five dogs with one shepherd can herd a flock of 500 sheep The sheep are left alone with the dogs in between the milking and when guarding the herd is crucial. Predators like wolf, bear and stray dogs still exist which is why the shepherds need them. The dogs are left alone to guard the sheep under the dark hours. They follow the sheep and when the herd stops to graze, the dogs strategically lie close by to keep an eye on the surroundings.
Maremmano Abruzzese should not easily follow or be eager to please. They should warn, guard and protect with no commands from the shepherd. For a Maremmano Abruzzese everyone who is not part of the flock or the household is an intruder, this applies for adults and children alike. Everyone should respect what these dogs were originally bred for, use as a guardian. In today's modern society, densely populated, it is of the greatest importance that one is aware of the background of this breed. Everyone must remember this breed developed for thousands of years with certain desired characteristics, which do not cease to exist, just because they appear cute and cuddly. They have a strong distrust of strangers. This dog should not be around too many strangers as it is bred to protect from strangers, because of this the most suitable environment is a very remote area. If you know and understand to live with them, Maremmano Abruzzese is a devoted family dog and a faithful watchdog. Normally at home their character is very docile. Your own family will become the herd. The breed is not a wild attacking beast, but a dog that is supposed to warn and guard. New people should be introduced and for every time the dog will meet them, they will be accepted a little bit at the time. This dog can, even if strongly not recommended, live in city surroundings but you must put great effort into socializing your dog.
The name of the breed is in fact a local conflict. These white shepherd dogs have always been known in the area of Abruzzo where they are called “Abruzzese”. The landowners in Toscana had offspring’s to these dogs on their farms in the plain of Maremma, who they called “Maremma” or “Maremmano”. Both areas claimed that their variant was the right one, and one even talked about two different breeds. At last, 1953, ENCI (the Italian Kennel club) decided that the name of the breed should be Maremmano Abruzzese and belong to the group of Pastore (shepherd dogs). It should be mentioned that the issue of the name still lingers, as the people of the Abruzzi region dislike that the name of the breed is often shortened to only “Maremma” or “Maremmano”, which is incorrect.
Quick Facts
Height: : 25.5 - 28.5 ins (65 - 73 cms); Females: 23.5 - 26.5 ins (60 - 68 cms).
Weight: : 77 - 99 lbs (35 - 45 kgs); Females: 66 - 88 lbs (30 - 40 kgs)
Colors: Solid white. Shades of ivory, pale orange or lemon are tolerated but only in certain limits.
Coat: Very well furnished. Hair long, rather harsh. Slight waviness is tolerated but only in certain limits.
Temperament: Maremma Sheepdogs are courageous, intelligent, sturdy, proud
With Children: Yes, very protective, also with children's friends once they get used to them. Best if the owner makes a formal introduction. They object to strange children being physical with their children.
With Pets: Yes, they were bred to care about sheep and goats. Quite tolerant with family's pets. Trouble is to be over food. If more than one dog is kept it is important to feed separately.
Special Skills: Family pet and herding guard-dog.
Watch-dog: Very high. Intuitive, watchful and has a strong sense of territory. Bark a lot. Unsociable and reserved with strangers.
Guard-dog: Very high. Incomparable. Might guards you too much. They have strong guarding instincts. Destructive to intruders.
Care and Exercise: Maremma Sheepdogs are exceptionally clean in their habits. Brushing once a week and dry shampoo when necessary. Bath would damage the undercoat. Maremma Sheepdogs needs no training for guarding.
Training: House training is easy for the Maremma Sheepdog. Social and obedience training is a necessity with a dog of this size and it should start at an early age. Maremma Sheepdogs must be heavily socialized before the age of 6 months and must get used to meeting strangers. A 10 months puppy may weight 100 pounds! By the first month, working puppy dogs should get in touch with some subjects of the flock to develop their senses of smell. They must be involved in working with the stock before the sixth months.
Learning Rate: Medium. Has to learn very young. After they are slow in responding to a command.
Activity: Medium. Puppies are large and active and their growth rate is fast. Free running will be especially beneficial for muscle development.
Living Environment: Rural is the best or suburban with a big garden with enclosure. Quite happy to be out of doors in all weathers.
Health Issues: Very healthy, may suffer from hip dysplasia and eye disease.
Life Span: 10 - 14 Years
Litter Size: 6 - 10
Country of Origin: Italy
History: The Maremma Sheepdog belongs to the stock of the large White Dogs of central Europe. Maremma Sheepdogs have a history in Italy that can be traced back over 2000 years. They were already described by the Roman Varrone (116 B.C.) in Rerum Pastoralis. Two regions in Italy have always claimed this dog as their own, the Maremma and the Abruzzo, hence its native title " Maremmano Abruzzese".
Class: Flock Guarding
Registries: ANKC (Group 5), FCI (Group 1), UKC, ENCI, ARBA
I gathered this info from these sites, who offer more info on the breed

http://www.tlp.nl/maremma/Beschrengels.htm
http://w1.320.telia.com/~u32003115/e-breedinfo.htm
http://puppydogweb.com/caninebreeds/maremma.htm
that last ones also has a funny and extensive list of names for all dogs
Rescue
http://devoted.to/maremmas

 

What beautiful dogs!


Jamiya

 

Very pretty. I would have thought a great pyr too.

 

they look just like a pyre!!!!! How cool!

 

yea maybe instead of a great pyranese they could be a mini pyranese!! or because they weigh only between 70-100lbs they could be toy pyranese! or tea cup pyranese, only meaning the tea cups at Disney!

 

Beautiful Breed. Thanks for the infomation.

 

:love_y_t_much: They're so beautiful!!! I want one!!!

 

How gorgeous! The puppies look like baby polar bears.

 

Gorgeous dog...good choice.

 

HOw cute, although would be hard to keep clean.