Pastore Maremmano - Maremma Sheepdog
The
official breed name in Italian for these majestic dogs is the pastore
maremmano abbruzzese or pastore abbruzzese and they originate from
the mountains of Abruzzo in central Italy. Abruzzo, which hit the headlines
recently because of its terrible earthquake, is located below Umbria and Marche
between the calf and the ankle of Italy’s ‘boot’.
The dogs
were first used by shepherds of the region thousands of years ago to help them
protect their flocks from predators and that is still their principal use
today. Maremma sheepdogs love protecting things. This is worth bearing in mind
if you decide to get one, as they will first establish their territory (whether
a hundred hectares or a back garden), their family (the shepherd and his sheep
or you, your children, cats and chickens) and then take the protection of
everything very seriously indeed. This means they are gentle with other pets,
particularly vulnerable ones, but distrustful of anything they see as a threat.
This can range from bears and wolves (they can kill a wolf) to the postino.
They are not guards dogs in the sense that German Shepherds or Dobermans are,
but will try to outwit or scare off aggressors first. Remember their origins –
they were used to protect the shepherd’s only asset – his sheep – and would do
so regardless of cold, heat, hunger or thirst.
The Maremma
is a cute fluffy puppy but a large adult dog. They weigh between 40 – 55 kilos
depending on whether they are male or female and the height is between 63 and
73 cm. Their full mature size is reached about two and a half years old. They
are white and long haired with black muzzle and very dark eyes. Some say the
white colour was maintained by the shepherds to differentiate them from wolves
in case of an attack, some say it was to help them blend in with the flock of
sheep and give the predators a shock. A beautifully poetic description
on an Italian Maremma website says: “Bianco è bello. - Bianco è mistico, e i
montanari abruzzesi hanno uno spirito religioso molto profondo. - Bianco è
pratico ,facilita il controllo della razza; è lo stesso colore della lana delle
nostre pecore.”(White is beautiful, white is mystical and the Abruzzo
mountain people have a very deep religious spirit. White is practical, it helps control breed
standards and it is the same colour as our sheep’s wool.)
When used
as a sheepdog, the puppy is traditionally placed in the middle of the sheep as
soon as possible in order for him to quickly learn his job. He has to keep calm
and avoid frightening his precious charges, for panic spells disaster in a
flock. He learns to be cunning and self confident and to hide from the sheep
any tension he feels. He would ultimately sacrifice his life to protect them.
He licks the lambs, literally lies down with them, eats and sleeps with them.
A Maremma is part of the flock as well as its protector
and stays close to them, never moving more than a few hundred metres away.
The Maremma
sheepdog was created with a sole role in mind – to guard a flock – and that
must be uppermost in your thoughts if you decide to get one. They are not like
other dogs. The Maremma Sheepdog Association of America states clearly on its
website ‘the Maremma is not recommended for use as a pet.’ This
is because the dog is bred to be independent, use his initiative and be self
sufficient and so does not respond to orders in the way other dogs (for example
German Shepherds) do. He is obedient to a certain extent on his own terms. He
will view you and your family as his sheep and may become noisy and territorial
as he tries to protect you. He is not a subservient dog and does not go
overboard on demonstrations of overt adoration, yet he would die for you.
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