Training Maremma Sheepdogs

There is a lot of information out there about Maremma Sheepdogs and there is a lot of information about the best training methods. Here are a few things that we have found helpful.

We love this book. It is a 50 day step by step training program for Maremma's. Our Maremma's have responded very well to this training program. We recommend beginning this training program after 16 weeks of age. Our puppies go to their new home at 10 weeks, so, between 10 weeks and 16 weeks, you might be wondering what you should be doing. We recommend having them get used to their new home and their new environment. Each person and dog will be different, depending on the job that they will be doing.

At 10 weeks old, puppies aim to please. You will have received a packet from us on what Puppy Culture techniques to be continuing between 10-12 weeks. You will continue many of the things that we have been working on with your puppy, which is, introducing him/her to lots of new things. Your puppy has been strategically and very purposefully handled by using a specific sequence of experiences from birth. Often it takes a puppy being introduced to something one or two times as a puppy and it will be imprinted in their mind for life. The more positive experiences that are imprinted in your puppy before the 12 week window, the more well-rounded he/she will be.

If you continue what we have only just begun with your puppy, he/she will be set for life and should make an amazing dog for you.

A method that works great for Maremmas if you plan to have them working around chickens, sheep, goats, or other animals, is to have a 10 x 10 kennel for them that you put inside your existing fencing where they will eventually guard. Let them get used to the ducks, chickens, or other livestock from within that fenced area. This way they are getting used to the noises of the animals as well as learning what their job is eventually going to be.

When you are doing your daily chores with your animals, that is a great time to pull them out as well and work on training.

We have found that when you feed your puppy from your hand (for the most part), rather than from a bowl, you are teaching your Maremma to trust you. You are forming a relationship with your puppy and will be bonded for life. Even if you want them guarding your livestock, it is helpful that they also obey your commands and you form a relationship with them. Different people have different opinions on this, so do what works best for you...we are just sharing what has worked for us in our situation.

If you plan on crate training, we have found that by making the crate a positive experience, rather than a negative one...this helps a lot with crate training. For example, you can give your Maremma Sheepdog a delicious raw bone only when they are in their crate. Start off with shorter amounts of time and increase it. You will want to pull your puppy out of the crate before they are unhappy. When you take the bone back from them, when they come out of the crate, hand them another treat....you are doing a trade. And then they can come out. This is very helpful if you ever need to keep them in a crate for any reason. If you purchased a puppy from us, they will have already begun training with a crate.

Leash training actually begins without a leash. We do not recommend putting a leash on your puppy until about 12-16 weeks. First work on trust. A puppy wants to please you. Make sure you have high protein treats and reward your puppy often for giving you good eye contact and staying right with you. Once they have this down, you can introduce the leash. You do not want to pull the puppy around by the leash. It is best to think of a leash as a last resort to protect your puppy from getting into harms way. Before you introduce the leash, your puppy should be pretty good with staying with you. You do not want to yank your puppy around. When your puppy begins pulling on the leash, use the "puppy, puppy, puppy" recall that is discussed in your puppy packet. Reward your puppy when he/she continues to stay with you.

If your puppy begins to run after the livestock that he/she is supposed to protect while you have him/her on the leash, say sternly, "leave it". Be sure to reward your puppy with a delicious meaty treat when he/she obeys and looks you in the eye. This also will have been practiced before the puppy goes home with you, but you will need to continue teaching these methods if your Maremma Sheepdog will be guarding your animals. We have found this method to be very effective.

This is another book that we have found helpful. It is for all livestock guardian dogs, not specifically the Maremma Sheepdog, but, parts of it are very helpful nonetheless.

Every Maremma Sheepdog is different. They are all unique and have different personalities. No dog is perfect, just like no human is perfect. But, with consistent and loving training, your puppy should grow up to be a dependable and loving pet/guardian for you, your family, and your animals.

You will not want to leave your Maremma with livestock until you know that you can trust them completely. Usually that is between 1-2 years of age.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions, we are always here to help if we can :)