Live Life Team
This is an old Italian breed of stock guarding dog, originally bred to keep wolves away from sheep flocks. Its name is derived from the Maremma district of Italy where foreign travellers first saw the dog. However, the breed originated in the Abruzzo region and, indeed, the official Italian name for the dog is the Pastore Abruzzese.
Maremma dogs are described in ancient Roman manuscripts as being used by shepherds in the Apennine Mountains to drive away wolves. Later, herding developed into an annual droving event with sheep being brought down to lower pastures to overwinter. One such place was Maremma.
The Italian wolf population is almost extinct. However, Maremma dogs are still used in Abruzzo where wolves are widespread and a protected species. They are also kept for companionship and showing. They are also widely used in English-speaking countries for guarding of both flocks and rarer species. Recently, HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maremma_Sheepdog” Maremma Sheepdogs were used to guard penguin flocks in Australia.
The Maremma is a large, muscular, and solid dog that is similar to the HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrenean_Mountain_Dog” o “Pyrenean Mountain Dog”Pyrenean Mountain Dog or the Hungarian HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuvasz” o “Kuvasz”Kuvasz. It weighs 30-50kg (65-110 pounds) and stands 60-75cm (23-29 inches) at the shoulder. The dog has a large head and a broad, black nose. It has a thick, heavy double coat, which is always white in colour although pale flecks are allowed. Coloured dogs are gradually becoming more popular. It is a docile, but fiercely protective, breed that makes a good, if not oversized, companion.
