The Maremma Breeder's Responsibility
by Mary Jarvis

       At Groveland Farm, we made a carefully considered decision to breed Maremmas. When we purchased our first dog, in 1990, we were proactively moving to provide guardians for our dairy sheep, purchased in 1989. We are located on the South Shore of Lake Superior, in a heavily wooded area populated by many black bears and coyotes. Timber wolves and cougars are thrown in to make life even more interesting. We knew we needed to provide protection for the flock, and determined that guardian dogs and good electric or woven wire fencing would be the best method. Our rotationally grazed sheep are moving in several groups across several pastures all summer. We wanted to have at least one dog on pasture with each group. Our first dog, a neutered male, impressed us so much that we purchased a full brother to him in 1991, and a completely unrelated female joined the team that fall.

       Otto, our first dog, arrived when he was 18 months old; and fortunately, he was wiser than we were! Over the years he and the others have taught us a lot about guardian dogs and their stewardship. We took advantage of membership in the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America, and the Livestock Guard Dog Assn., and read available books on the subject. We have a good working relationship with APHIS, in particular Roger Woodruff and Jeff Green. The ADC (Animal Damage Control) in Wisconsin know our dogs from our being asked to give presentations about predator control. The DNR know our dogs because Rusty, my husband, is a member of the Endangered Species Committee of the Resource Management Council of the American Sheep Industry Association. Rusty is ASI's "sheep in wolves clothing" as he represents ASI at annual timber wolf meetings in the Midwest. I also had an opportunity to hear Dr. Coppinger speak on guardian dogs. All of these outsourcing factors have been helpful, but perhaps none so much as the daily instruction that our dogs provide. After five years I still find the hair on my arms stands up when I observe the interaction between the guardian and his charges.

       The MSCA recommends spaying and neutering of guardian dogs not used in a breeding program. If you are not going to breed, we also recommend spaying and neutering at 6 months (NOTE: Spaying and Neutering can safely be done at 8 weeks and would be recommended as a definitive way to maintain your spay-neuter contract). There is some evidence that spaying before a female's first heat will help reduce the incidence of mammary tumors. Neutering is a good solution to sexually originated problems, yet we have seen no diminishing of guardianship. He (or she) may even be better, because he/she can concentrate on the job at hand instead of on raging hormones.

       All this being said, I'd like to get down to talking about the responsibility of being a Maremma breeder.

        Your first responsibility is to your dogs; to keep them in good health and body condition, and to allow them the "time off" to breed and raise puppies. Having a family takes time away from the job of guarding the sheep. Cindy and Monte are out of action during the time that Cindy is in heat, and during her gestation and lactation, she is out of commission, as her time is spent with the puppies. This isn't a problem for us because our neutered dogs give Cindy and Monty this luxury. We whelp one litter a year to give Cindy an opportunity to recover condition, as well as to begin the training of her pups. Pups to be retained are neutered for ease of handling so as not to impregnate their mother during her 'off' heat. Rearing a litter of pups is time consuming and expensive. Puppies are regularly de-wormed and toenail trimmings are done, as well as vaccinations and vet checks. Not all puppies will be sold at 7 weeks (our optimum time), so bonding of the remaining pups must begin for them to become successful guardian dogs. For this to be accomplished successfully, time and energy must be expended, and possibly money as well, to prepare your facilities to accommodate a litter of upward of 8, potentially unsold puppies.

        Your second responsibility is to your livestock. In the winter, when we plan our litters, our animals are eating round bales in a dry lot. This works well, because Cindy whelps in a den made of straw bales in our barn, which is adjacent to the dry lot. The puppies' first smells, sounds and sights are of our stock. It would be tough, however, to whelp a litter without extra dogs to help, if we were pasture lambing and Momma Maremma was in the barn with puppies. As mentioned above, we have one litter per year, but Maremmas usually have two heats per year. That summer heat needs to be dealt with as well, so that unplanned pregnancies don't occur. Restraining an intact Maremma dog from breeding a bitch in heat is NOT an easy task. A responsible breeder will have an escape proof pen or other means of controlling the activities of the stud dog, as well as the bitch. If you want intact dogs, be prepared for sudden challenges to the pecking order. Your dog (male or female) may become unfriendly to livestock that wander near the feed bowl, even if it is empty. Or they may even get crabby with the stock (I call it PMS). Interaction with your other dogs may become more threatening, especially if you have females in heat. Cindy, when in heat, does not like our intact female border collie, and makes her feelings known. When females are in heat, the male will become very touchy as his testosterone kicks in. The intact male may even challenge human authority. Be prepared to remain in control of the dog; don't let the dog get away with dominance tactics, innocent as they may seem - it'll come back to haunt you when you have a bitch in season. An intact male is more likely to roam in search of females. We found that having Cindy here has kept Monte at home. This isn't the case with every breeding pair; others have told us that they BOTH take off for parts unknown.

       Your third responsibility is to the breed. Not every maremma is suitable as breeding stock. Conformation and physical attributes are important, it is true. Perhaps more important is whether the dogs are good guardian material. Are they working well for you? If not, Don't Breed! Remember Ray Coppinger's trio of traits: Protective, Attentive, and Trustworthy. Another consideration is temperament. We no longer live in historic old-world situations. Particularly as affects humans, are your dogs and/or their off-spring likely to be the subject of a law-suit? If so, Don't Breed! Do you have a 3-generation pedigree (NOTE: The Club now provides a 5-generation pedigree) on your breeding animals? Are you positive that they are unrelated? The original gene pool was quite small. Albert Huber, Ray Coppinger, and Sue Drummond brought in unrelated blood lines, and a lot of breeding has taken place since then. (NOTE: More dogs have been imported since this was written, but still we find that people are unknowingly breeding very closely related dogs.) A responsible breeder will be aware of the lineage of his dogs. If you're not, Don't Breed!

       Your fourth responsibility is to your customer. Do you have the time and expertise to advise new puppy owners? If not, Don't Breed! Most people purchasing guardian dogs are not familiar with their characteristics, and will need a lot of hand-holding. We provide a book of materials along with LSDA and APHIS information, but still (because we encourage it) have phone calls. We ALWAYS tell people that we are only as far away as their telephone if they are having problems of any sort with their puppy. First time puppy buyers will be the most in need of help, but even so-called experienced guardian dog owners can screw up. Are you prepared to rescue dogs of your own breeding that other people mess up? If not, Don't Breed! If you are a responsible breeder, you will maintain contact with your 'family' of puppy buyers, to be sure that all is going smoothly. Usually, no news is good news, but we do an annual 'check' to be sure that there are no unanswered questions. Some buyers require weekly or monthly advice. This is a heavy time commitment, but well worth the effort if our participation results in dogs who excel.

       Your fifth responsibility is to your puppies. You don't need a degree in marketing to sell guardian dog puppies, but you do need to have (1) knowledge, (2) a plan, (3) advertising savvy and budget, and (4) a reputation (a personality helps!) Maybe that's what a degree in marketing is! For the first criteria, knowledge, you need to be informed about your product: the dog. If you are brand new to guardian dogs, this may be a stretch. You must inform yourself about the breed, the style of guardianship, the pro's, and con's and be prepared to share that with potential buyers. For example: we know that Maremmas aren't suitable as pets, and you get a call asking about it. Quiz your buyer as to his expectations, and determine if in your experienced and considered judgment, this person is a suitable owner. As a responsible breeder, you will make a decision to sell or not to sell. I know of one Great Pyrennes breeder who demands (and gets), MORE money for dogs going into pet situations than into guarding situations. Often, a high price tag will deter a frivolous buyer. We also ask as many questions of the potential buyer as they do of us, sometimes even more! If we determine that the situation will be unsuitable for a guardian dog, we tell them so. I have turned down many inquiries this way, and a responsible breeder should never be afraid to do so! Why doom that puppy to failure, when you have a choice between being responsible or seeing a return on your investment in the puppies? To me the answer is clear. Keep in mind always, the welfare of the puppy, not the welfare of your pocketbook (and I don't care how much money you've spent on advertising dollars, etc.!)

       Then you need to think about what your plan is; in our case we determined to fill our needs for guardian dogs, and we have. From here on, we will be breeding for puppies ordered - there are, so we are readying ourselves for a winter litter again (NOTE: written in 1994). In your planning, which can be defined as 'management', remember that sheep numbers in America have declined since the Wool Act was written out of the Farm Bill. Marketing opportunities are still available, but in lesser numbers; as numbers of Maremma owners indicating an interest in breeding increases. This has the potential to spell disaster to the guardian dogs, as more and more desperate 'breeders' DUMP puppies to 'puppy dealers' who may sell them as pets. I know one guardian dog owner who had a dog stolen, which was later determined to have been used in a 'dog fighting ring' which while illegal, still exists, more's the pity. Is this the fate you wish for your pups? If not, are you prepared to keep all unsold dogs? If not, Don't Breed! Assuming that you have unsold dogs after 5 or so months; what plans have you made for their confinement and training? If you don't have a plan, you will be begging people to buy these dogs for very little money. With a plan and management system, a responsible breeder will be prepared to pre-train and start dogs for future owners, which will command a comparably higher price. We currently have a dog which will be going to his new owners at 18 (+/-) months of age, (complete with his flock of ewe lambs from our breeding,) which we have brought along from puppy-hood with the future owner's needs in mind. When you prepare yourself for this sort of a situation, you need to consider your facilities and management so that you are able to contain the puppy and start him the way he should be started. The LAST thing you want is for a group of unsold pups to make their way into the woods and tangle with a porcupine, another sorry tale we heard. Confinement and bonding and training and management are all factors which need to be considered as you embark on your breeding career.

       A reputation as a responsible breeder is difficult to build and easy to lose. Being sure that you are selling the right dog into the right situation will help to ease the formation of your reputation. To make choices for buyers will necessitate your informed knowledge about the buyer's needs and the puppy's personality. Sometimes this is difficult at 7 weeks of age, but we do our best. Often, buyers are on the other side of the country, and asking us to choose a pup for them. Having a reputation as a respected breeder of livestock is conducive to being recognized as a breeder who will stand behind dogs as well.

       Following the recommendations above won't make you into a responsible breeder overnight. The commitment and tenacity are more bred in the bone. To those with the intestinal fortitude and desire to make the Maremma breed a name we can all be proud of, take good care. Know your stuff; plan your action; and manage your animals in a way that will be the most beneficial to the breed.