Maremma Sheepdog

The Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog, also known as the Maremmano, Maremma Sheepdog, or Abruzzese Sheepdog, among other names, is an Italian breed of livestock guardian dog. The Maremma is a large white or sometimes cream colored dog, usually weighing between 70 and 100 pounds and standing 25 to 30 inches tall. It is described in the Breed Standard as being majestic, lively, sturdy, distinguished, intelligent, and courageous without being aggressive. When they are properly trained, they bond closely with sheep and other livestock, with which they assume a protective parental role, and demonstrate an aloof awareness as leader of their family. A Maremma accepts the leadership of humans, but not their mastery. While being a good friend to man, the Maremma will not willingly be his slave. This is because they need to be able to think for themselves if a predator attacks their flock. Unlike most livestock protection dogs, the maremmas have a low wanderlust. They would prefer to stay with their flock or family and let a predator come to them instead of chasing after it. This makes training easier and keeps them safer. The maremmas are very smart. They can detect whether a predator is really coming to attack the flock or if they are just walking by. If trained from a puppy around their family, and socialized properly, they can also tell if a human has good or bad intentions.

About Maremma Sheepdog:

How to pronounce Maremma

Maremma is an American version of the Italian name “Maremmano-Abruzzese”. It is pronounced: ‘Mare’ as it is pronounced for a female horse, and ‘Emma’ as it is pronounced for a girl’s name. They are a unique breed that is difficult to find in the United States.

Are Maremmas Affectionate with their Family?

Yes! Their bond with their family is unbreakable and this is what made us fall in love with this wonderful breed. They adore their family! And they are very physical about it. They want to know where all family members are and to be close to them. The dogs lean on you, body block you, paw you; and some even want to hug you or nibble you affectionately; yet, they are also not needy.

They are independent, but obey commands they are taught as puppies. They are loyal

Will Maremmas protect my family?

The Maremmas primary role is that of a guardian. This guarding is instinctive, needs no training, and will probably intensify with age. They have an inborn knowledge to guard their property, people, and livestock.

Maremmas are Excellent Working Dogs

We think they are the best livestock guardian dogs because they have a low prey drive and a low wander-lust, which is high in most other livestock guardian dogs. They are also known to be one of the calmest breeds. We absolutely love their temperament! Usually two or three per flock are adequate to protect livestock from wolves. They have instinctive nocturnal awareness. They are around the clock alert.

Understanding the Maremma Sheepdog

The Maremma will guard and defend his family (pack) and his/her property (territory) even if the owner doesn't want him to. They are independent thinkers. This is inborn. This is why it is crucial that your Maremma is taught well from birth what you want him/her to do.

How Long Does a Maremma Sheepdog Live?

Maremmas generally live up to 10-14 years. Purchasing a Maremma Sheepdog is a long commitment.

You will need two years to train your Maremma. You cannot just throw them out on your farm, it will require training and interraction several times a day. You will want to correct unwanted behavior and give praise for good behavior.

Stages of mis-behavior are generally: 10 weeks, 4-6 months, 11-13 months, 18 months, where supervision will be needed most.

How Big Do Maremmas Get?

A female weight between 65-90 pounds and can be up to 27 inches at the shoulder. A male weighs between 75-140 pounds and can reach 29 inches at the shoulder.

Maremmas are big, strong dogs, but if they are trained well, they make incredible additions.

Do Maremmas Shed a Lot?

Maremmas have a double coat, so yes. Twice a year, they shed their undercoat. It is important to brush them regularly.

Overall, they are very easy to take care of. Their hair has a softer, hair-like feel than the rough hair of a Great Pyrenees.

If they get dirty, their coat dries and the dirt falls off easily and they stay white.

Do Maremma Sheepdogs Have Any Health Problems?

Maremmas can have degenerative myelopathy. At two years of age, they can be tested for hip and elbow dysplasia. This is common for larger dogs. It is helpful to feed Maremmas twice daily to help them to not get bloat from eating.

Is Socialization Important for Maremmas?

Absolutely! See our other blogs which discuss our training more. It is crucial to introduce puppies from birth to varied stimulus: Sounds, Farm Animals, People, Surfaces, Children, Activities, Toys, Environments, etc. in order to have a well-rounded, confident LGD that has good judgement around your family, animals, and farm.

What Kinds of Animals Can Maremma Sheepdogs Guard?

Maremmas can bond to any type of animal. They are friendly to their family and animals and versatile. Maremmas have been used for goats, sheep, poultry, alpacas, llamas, ostriches, emus, rheas, swine, cattle, horses, cats, other dogs. It is especially important that they have been around a variety of animals, people, and experiences from birth.

Why Get a Maremma Sheepdog?

In our opinion, they are the absolute BEST LGD out there. They have proved to be excellent working dogs. They are affective against guarding against predators, including feral dogs. They bond with and show motherly love for the livestock in which they are guarding. Maremmas have had a great relationship with man for the past 2000 years....they will provide security to your farm and family.

Our Goal: To breed the healthiest, most balanced, lifelong partners for your family and farm that we can!!!

Meadow (Mother)

Tundra (father)

Meadow's puppies are purebred Maremma Sheepdogs. They are true working line, livestock guardian dogs from Canada. Two or three Maremmas are known to be able to take out a pack of wolves and other predators; yet they are gentle with their families and the livestock in which they are guarding.

Meadow and Tundra's puppies are born!!! All of their puppies are spoken for. Please contact us to go on a waiting list for the next litter. These sweet puppies can go to their new home around September 5th, 2026.

We are now adding people to the waitlist.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire. We want to be sure that a Maremma is the best fit for you and your home/farm. Filling out the questionnaire also helps us to place families with the right puppy. It helps us to know more about you and the job you would like your Maremma to be doing for you. We will work to train them for those purposes before you bring them home:)

Please sign up for our updates or follow us on FB. If you would like to see lots of cute videos and pictures from our previous litters with Meadow, see our FB page or YouTube channel.

See our Sales Policy page for more information.

To place a deposit, click here. Maremma Deposits are $500.00.

Meadow is an incredible mother. She has a perfect temperament (we may be a little bias); she is excellent with all livestock, only barks to alert of predators, she is great with our children, and her puppies are amazing! Everything we could ask for in a working Momma.

Meadow and Tundra are both clear of Degenerative Myelopathy (which is the only disease that is common to Maremmas).

To our knowledge, we are the ONLY BREEDERS that uses an extensive puppy culture method and Raw Food Diet:

Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)
Early Scent Introduction
Puppy Culture
Empowered Breeder (Badass Breeder) programs with our training-This is an advanced training program.
Raw food diet.
All of our puppies are trained with chickens, geese, guineas, turkeys, and sheep. They will be around children of all ages, bunnies, and cats. They are also mentored by older livestock guardian dogs.

Our goal is to instill a lifelong teachable spirit into each puppy. We want to produce the healthiest, most balanced, faithful, and trustworthy partners for you. This puppy should have excellent judgment as he/she works independently to protect your livestock and home.

We work very hard to partner each family's needs with the puppy that will be best suited for them. We are continually with our puppies, testing, teaching, and working with them, in order to evaluate them, to produce quality puppies for you, your family, and your farm, so you can have peace of mind. We are continually reading, learning, and growing, to produce the healthiest and best of this breed possible.

All of our fully pedigreed (limited) puppies go to their new home at 10 weeks. See more details on our Sales Policy page.

What's Included?

Since the most common reason dogs end up in the pound, is that they are not trained well and become difficult to manage. And, often, the reason they are not trained well because people don't know where to start or what to do; we want to see you be successful with your new puppy. It is very important to us that you feel equipped.

What's included in the package?

Bag
Binder of your puppies life and details of the training he/she has received:
- Health Certificate from our veterinarian
- Pedigree from Maremma Sheepdog Club
- Raw food menu
- Informational Packets to train and keep your new puppy happy.
With Open Arms and a Level Head DVD: How to Welcome a Puppy into Your Life is a comprehensive guide to those crucial first weeks with your new puppy. From transporting a new puppy home to setting up a routine to crate and house training, it’s everything the new puppy owner needs to know.
Attention is the Mother of All Behaviors DVD lays down solid foundations for attention and focus in the face of overwhelming environments.
Spay/Neuter Booklet
When Pigs Fly: Training Success With Impossible Dogs. When Pigs Fly is the best way to train ANY dog!
Two Puppy Culture Clickers and Wrist Coils!
Bone
Transition Food
Small Bag of Treats
Homemade Bar of Soap
Microchips
Leash/Collar
Parvo and Distemper Nosodes
Resource Recommendations to help with continued education

It's an awesome package!!! We hope you can see that we truly want you be successful. We want this to be a smooth transition for you and your puppy!

Verity Farm Puppies are $2,900 for puppies with a full pedigree (limited). Contact us for pricing if you would like a breeding pedigree. We are registered with the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America. Deposits are $500. All deposits are put towards the price of the puppy. We have more information about this on our Sales Policy page.

What are others saying about us? Please see our Testimonials page.

Read about why Maremmas are our favorite livestock guardian dog here.

Please fill out the Maremma Sheepdog Puppy Questionnaire above so we can get to know you better :) This will also help us to match you with the right puppy. We do extensive testing on our puppies to do our best to match you with the puppy that fits the job that you have for him/her. We are working with each puppy individually each day using the puppy culture and early sensory methods, so we know these puppies personalities very well to know who will be the best fit for you, given your situation. We will make suggestions based on this, but, ultimately, the choice will be yours.

Blessings,

Verity Farm

amberic.holmertz@gmail.com

Call or Text: 816-882-6779

Maremma Sheepdog Questionnaire