The Maremma Sheepdog, in Italian Cane da pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese, usually
referred to as just Maremmano, is a breed of livestock guardian dog
indigenous to central Italy, particularly to Abruzzo and the Maremma
region of Tuscany and Lazio. It has been used for centuries by Italian shepherds
to guard sheep from wolves. The literal English translation of the name is "The
dog of the shepherds of the Maremma and Abruzzese region". The English name of
the breed derives from that of the Maremma marshlands, where until recently
shepherds, dogs and hundreds of thousands of sheep over-wintered, and
where the breed is today abundant although sheep-farming has decreased
substantially. The breed is widely employed in Abruzzo, where sheep herding
remains vital to the rural economy and the wolf remains an active and protected
predator. Similar breeds include the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, the Kuvasz of
Hungary, the Tatra of Poland, the Cuvac of Slovakia and the Šarplaninac, with
all of which it may share a common ancestor; and the Akbash Dog of Turkey.
See Mountain dog breeds. Description
= Appearance= The Maremma Sheepdog has a solid,
muscular build, a thick white coat, a large head and a black nose. According
to the breed standard, males should weigh 35 to 45 kilograms and stand 65 to
73 centimetres at the shoulder, while females weigh 30 to 40 kilograms and
stand 60 to 68 centimetres. Some dogs may be considerably larger. The coat is
long and thick; it is rough to the touch, and forms a thick collar around
the neck. It should be solid white; some minor yellowing may be tolerated.
Some divide the breed into various subtypes, largely based on small
differences in physical attributes and with subtype names based on village and
provincial names where the dogs may be found, e.g. the Maremmano, the
Marsicano, the Aquilano, the Pescocostanzo, the Maiella, and the
Peligno. However, biologists dispute this division, as well as over reliance
on minor physical differences, as the dogs were bred over the centuries for
their behavioral characteristics as flock guardians.
= Temperament= Despite their large size, Maremma
Sheepdogs can be good companion dogs in areas with adequate open space.
Centuries of breeding the dogs to be gentle with lambs but fiercely
protective of their flock has created a breed that will bond to families and
show a calm, intelligent disposition. However, the dogs may display hostility
towards outsiders and they are not suitable companion dogs for urban areas
due to their large size and need for open space. These dogs bark as a normal
part of their guarding duties and this creates problems often with owners on
small holdings or keeping a maremma as a companion in a populated area. A ranch
type environment works best, away from neighbor's property lines and road
traffic. In this environment, a dog house is not necessary because the dogs
prefer to sleep with livestock. History
= Ancient history and iconography= Descriptions of white sheep defense dogs
are found in ancient Roman literature, in works such as those of Columella,
Varro and Palladius. Similar dogs are depicted in numerous sculptures and
paintings from Roman times to the present. Among the earliest is the
series of large statues copied from a Hellenistic bronze from Pergamon.
Iconographic sources that have been identified as relevant to the history of
the Maremmano include: A Hellenistic bas-relief, of which a
drawing was published by Max von Stephanitz in 1901
A votive statuette in the Museo Archeologico of Capua
A 14th-century mediaeval fresco in the church of San Francesco in Amatrice, at
the foot of the Monti della Laga, in the comune of Rieti; the dog wears a roccale
A 14th-century fresco in Santa Maria Novella, in Florence
A 'Nativity' of Mariotto di Nardo; the dog wears a spiked collar
Abraham and Lot on their way into Canaan by Bartolo Battiloro, in the Collegiata
of San Gimignano A detail of the Journey of the Magi to
Bethlehem by Benozzo Gozzoli, c.1460 Rough ink drawings on the maps of the
pasture-lands of the Tavoliere di Foggia published in 1686 by Antonio and Nunzio
Michele di Rovere A seventeenth-century engraving of the
Roman campagna by Joannes van den Hecke An eighteenth-century maiolica of a
bear-hunt by Candeloro Cappelletti of Castelli, Abruzzo
Hunting the Wolf by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, 1746, from the collection of Louis XV;
the dogs to the left and right of the wolf are described in a catalogue of the
museum as "large dog[s] with long hair". Wolf dogs from the Abruzzo were imported
into France at about this time. They were used by François Antoine, "Antoine
de Beauterne", in his successful hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan in 1765;
according to Gobin, under Louis XV the Venerie Royale or Royal Hunt was
composed in large part of Abruzzese wolf-dogs and Sicilian mastiffs.
The cane da lupo or wolf-dog used by Vincenzo Dandolo to defend Spanish sheep
on the mountains above Varese An illustration in the Penny Magazine of
1833 An engraving by Arthur John Strutt of a
shepherd and his dog in the Roman campagna in 1843
Several engravings by Charles Coleman in his collection A Series of Subjects
peculiar to the Campagna of Rome and Pontine Marshes
= Recent history= The first registration of the Maremmano
in the Libro delle Origini Italiano of the Kennel Club Italiano, as it was then
called, was of four dogs in 1898. There were no further registrations for many
years. In 1940 there were 17 dogs registered. The first standard for the
breed was drawn up in 1924 by Luigi Groppi and Giuseppe Solaro.
Until 1958 the Pastore Maremmano, or shepherd dog of the Maremma, and the
Pastore Abruzzese, or shepherd dog of the Abruzzi, were regarded as separate
breeds. A breeder's society for the Pastore Abruzzese was formed in 1950,
and one for the Maremmano in 1953. On 1 January 1958 the breeds were unified by
the ENCI, the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiano, the national dog
association of Italy. The explanation given is that a "natural fusion" of the
two types had occurred as a result of movement of the dogs due to transhumance
of sheep flocks from one region to another, particularly after the
unification of Italy. Until 1860, the mountains of the Abruzzo and the plains
of the Maremma lay in different countries.
As sheep farming developed into an annual trek or transhumance from
mountain grasslands of Abruzzo and Molise south to lower pasture land in
Puglia where sheep were over-wintered, the dogs came to play a central role in
the centuries-old migration, an annual event vital to Abruzzese culture.
Maremmano dogs continue to be widely used by Italian sheep farmers in areas
where predation is common, such as the Apennines of central Italy and the open
range land of national parks in Abruzzo. Besides their wide use in Italy, Maremma
Sheepdogs are extensively used as Livestock guardian dogs in Australia,
the United States, and Canada. Use
The traditional use of the Maremmano dog is as a guardian for the protection of
sheep flocks against wolves. Columella, writing in the first century AD,
recommends white dogs for this purpose, as the shepherd can easily distinguish
them from the wolf, while Varro suggests that white dogs have a "lion-like
aspect" in the dark. The dogs work in groups; three or four dogs are an
adequate defense against wolves and stray dogs. Their function is mostly one
of dissuasion, actual physical combat with the predator being relatively rare.
Nevertheless, working dogs may be fitted with a roccale, a spiked iron collar
which protects the neck in combat. The ears of working dogs are normally
cropped. Training
Maremma used as livestock guardian dogs are introduced to sheep flocks as
puppies so they bond to the sheep. Some ranchers place Maremma puppies as young
as 3–4 weeks old with young lambs though beginning this bonding process at
7–8 weeks is more typical. Although it is easiest to bond Maremma to sheep and
goats, cattle ranchers have found that the dogs bond with cows and Maremma are
increasingly used to protect range cattle. Some ranchers have found success
training Maremmas to protect free-range fowl like chickens from predation from
both ground threats such as coyotes, stray dogs and foxes as well as aerial
threats such as raptors. In Warrnambool, Australia, the world's
first trial utilized a Maremma to guard the dwindling penguin population of
Middle Island. This project won the 2010 Australian Government Coastcare Award.
While using Maremma to guard an endangered species is rare, Maremma
along with other breeds of livestock guarding dogs are appreciated by
environmentalists because they make it possible for livestock to coexist with
predators such as wolves and coyotes, reducing their predation by 70% to 80%
or more. National park authorities in Italy, the United States and Canada have
promoted use of the Maremma Sheepdog, as well as other types of LGDs, to minimize
conflict between endangered predator species and ranchers.
References External links
Circolo del Pastore Maremmano - Abruzzese
Maremma Sheepdog Club of America Maremma Sheepdog Club of Great Britain
Maremmano livestock guards in Switzerland
Dog World Village Maremma site and community
Wolf Dogs Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television