I Have My New Maremma Sheepdog Puppy, Now What?

Maremmas are an incredible and unique breed. If you are receiving a puppy from us, they have gone through Early Neurological Stimulation, Puppy Culture and the Empowered Breeder Programs. You are going home with lots of teaching tools to continue what we have started with your puppy. You should have been emailed training videos as well. You may be thinking....why am I doing this training, when my dog is supposed to be outside? This training will be crucial for you and your puppy and set you up for life. It is important to establish from the beginning, a relationship with your puppy. As they get older, they become more stubborn and set in their ways, so this relationship and them learning obedience is important for you and your new addition. They will be a much bigger blessing to you, if you don't have to chase them down for 3 hours trying to catch them, because they are obedient....or if you don't have them killing your livestock. This training is worth it, so I encourage you to trust us. We have been doing this a long time and want to see you be successful. So please, try to follow the advice in the videos while you are training your puppy with your livestock/family/farm environment.

Everyone will be taking their puppy to a different environment, so this is not comprehensive, however is meant to help those who have a smaller homestead as well as those who have a large farm. Take away what is helpful and don't do what is not helpful to you. You can choose to do what works best for you and your family or farm.

You are a stranger to your new puppy, but, in no time at all, your puppy will get acclimated to you, their new permanent home and family. Give your puppy time to adjust by giving him time to rest. Puppies still need a lot of rest and a new home can be over-stimulating for a puppy. When your puppy is resting it is best to not wake them, unless absolutely necessary. Puppies that are over-stimulated are destructive puppies.

When he/she is awake, you can slowly show your puppy his/her new surroundings and begin introducing him to the different animals you have in your home and on your farm so they understand the job they will be doing and who they are protecting. We recommend no visitors for about three or so days, so your new addition can begin learning that you are his family and he is to protect you. Give lots of treats from your hands so your puppy knows that you are the new hands to feed him/her and your puppy begins bonding and connecting with you. Look your puppy in the eyes and praise him/her when he/she does good things with treats.

Once your puppy is used to his/her new environment, it is important to remember that whenever he/she is awake, it is time to learn something new. Something that might be helpful to know is that at age 16 weeks and younger, your puppy will be motivated about 50% of the time by loving on him/her and telling your puppy that he/she has done well and by petting him her...and about 50% of the time will be more motivated by food. Beginning at around 16 weeks and older (when your puppy's teeth start coming in), food will become more of the motivator and your puppy will begin to think more independently.

From three weeks of age to sixteen weeks, a puppy's brain is primed to accept new experiences with minimal fear. The experiences your puppy has during this sensitive time has the capacity to modify his/her brain. What your puppy experiences (or doesn't experience) during this stage of development has a profound impact on his/her adult character, temperament, and behavior. This is a sensitive period and a powerful molding time period.

A great way to start out is by taking your new puppy for walks around your property. Allow the puppy to sniff and explore for a couple of minutes. Allow them to do this at least a couple of times a week. Go to parks, stores, introduce your new puppy to family members, friends, and animals. Remember that your puppy will go through different changes until he/she is two years old; and is still in training until then. Your puppy will go through an adolescent stage anytime between 6 months to 18 months; where they test you. It is important to be consistent, and patient in your training when this hits. You will want to be firm/kind and continue reiterating what you want him/her to do.

Puppy Chewing:

Puppies have needle sharp teeth and this can be tough! Some tricks to help you avoid becoming a pin cushion are to have chew bones, ropes, and other toys always close by. At 16 weeks puppies begin getting their adult teeth. Do not ever let them chew on you and do not play rough with them. If you do not want a large dog to be chewing on you all the time, or knocking you over, do not teach bad habits to the puppy now. Be sure that you only reward the puppy when he/she is doing right things. All it takes is one family member that allows this behavior. As a family, keep your rules and boundaries consistent. If your puppy chews on you, offer them a rope or another toy to chew on. If they persist, turn your back to them and ignore them. Anytime a puppy shows any behavior that is not something that you want to promote, you turn your back to them or ignore them. They are at a stage where they want to please you. This stage will pass because Maremmas are independent animals, so train them well now and it will form healthy habits between you and your new addition. If your puppy bites you, you can also cry out a yelp noise of "ouch", just as a puppy does when it has been hurt or bit by another puppy...they will understand this and know that they bit too hard or shouldn't do that. It is best to not teach by saying no, but by ignoring them when they produce unwanted behavior.

Jumping:

Jumping is another problem that young puppies may struggle with. We have been working with your puppy on manding. Your puppy has been taught that when you approach him/her, he is to sit in front of you and look you in the eyes. Sometimes they forget this. If they forget, you will ignore them until they mand and then give them a treat to continue with what we have been teaching them. A puppies excitement and overwhelming love for their people can make jumping difficult to teach, but all of our puppies are very good with this. Do not reward, pet, or praise a puppy that jumps on you. Ignore them, turn your back, or walk away. A calm puppy that is sitting is a puppy that is ready for praise and love! Teach calm, self-controlled behaviors now; it will pay off as they get larger and stronger.

Feeding:

We have provided you with a variety of transition food, feel free to continue what we are doing or adapt it however you would like. Mushy poop is common with stress, if they have this, you can feed them raw meat, canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling with other ingredients), and white rice or oatmeal for the first three days if your puppy develops loose stools. Your puppy should not have mucus or blood in the stool. He/she should not be lethargic and should be offered lots of water through the transition so that the puppy does not become dehydrated.

We are currently feeding your puppy 2 cups of raw food twice daily. If you have told us that you are planning to feed your puppy kibble, he/she has been introduced to kibble. We have not done that with those who are planning on continuing with feeding raw. You should find a raw food sample menu in your binder and you should have been emailed sample menus if you told us you were planning on feeding raw. We hope this helps you navigate, if you are new to feeding raw. This is a great website for natural rearing.

We feed raw yogurt and home-fermented vegetables for building up good bacteria and building a strong immune system. You can also give probiotics. We prefer human grade probiotics, but any kind is fine...we switch to different brands so they are receiving different strands. You do not need probiotics if you are feeding yogurt and fermented veggies. This will help keep their digestive system healthy.

We are currently adding about 1 tsp. of diatomaceous earth to their food once a day. We put it on their fur about once every two weeks to make sure they do not get any mites or fleas.

We give them a 1 1\3 teaspoon of colloidal silver every day to boost their immune systems. Your puppy is used to taking this by syringe in the mouth.

We give them a nosode every fourth day, alternating between Parvo and Distemper. Once they are 7 months old, you will start doing them every two weeks still alternating between the two, until they are a year old, when he\she should be safe for life. There is information about this, including dosages in your packet as well as on our website.

For worm prevention we give two herbal powders called GI Soother and DWA (They can be purchased on firmeadowllc.com) pumpkin seeds, grated raw carrot, cumin and turmeric, and diatomaceous earth. We will provide dosages and more information with the daily menu included in your go-home puppy packet.

Tick/flea prevention: We spray neem oil (1/3 of squirt bottle) 2/3 water on their fur once a week to keep them free of ticks and other parasites. We use beneficial nematodes around our property. This is extremely effective!

There is an herbal guide in your packet for ideas in helping their immune system and keeping them healthy. We feel that preventing disease is always better than having to treat it.

Maremmas shed their coats with the season change. In spring, their undercoat comes off and only their upper coat is left and this helps them stay cool in the summer. Brushing them about once a week is helpful; but at a minimum once a month to make sure they stay pest free get all the knots and undercoat shedding or any ticks. They would feel better and would have a higher chance of remaining pest free if they receive regular baths.

There is a Facebook page that might be helpful called: Training Support for Livestock Guardian Dogs. They recommend keeping LGD indoors with outdoor training until they are two years old. Of course you need to do what works best for you. A mix works really well for us....switching it up and continuing to give your pup new experiences and exposures so they can easily adapt to new situations. There are two books that might be helpful: Livestock Protection Dogs by Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims, and Maremma Sheepdog Confidential by Michele Caricato.

Negative Behavior: If you begin to notice negative behavior...take him/her out of that situation, and begin training again. You do not want to lose chickens or allow bad behavior...allowing it to go on, can cause it to escalate. It is best to nip it in the bud as quickly as possible, with consistent, firm, and kind training. They will get it, and usually it only takes a couple of lessons as a reminder. It is best not to punish, but to focus on training the behavior that you want them to do, in order to have the best outcome. Your relationship with your puppy is very important and his/her trust for you.

Potty Training:

Some of you may have your puppy outside and may not need to know this information. If so, you can skip it. For those who will have your puppy indoors and outdoors or just indoors, this might be helpful.

Your puppy has already begun potty training. You should have received a video download about this as well. This will be very helpful in addition to this summary. Depending on your bedtime schedule, remove food and water 2-3 hours before your bedtime to allow the puppy to have a greater chance of holding it all night. Remember that your dog's bladder will not be fully developed until he or she reaches five months old. As your puppy gets older, he/she will be able to hold it longer. If you do have to take your puppy out at night, you will not want to make this a play session. Be matter of fact (as little talking as possible) and get down to business. Praise the potty behavior and right back into the kennel. These puppies are very bright and if they know that you will get up in the middle of the night to play, talk sweet and love on them, they will start waking you for this attention alone. I strongly suggest kennel training, and potty training is one of the biggest reasons why. Puppies will rarely potty where they sleep. this is one of the main reasons I begin "potty training" puppies at three weeks old by dividing their whelping box into 2 sections-one for a nurse and sleep area and one for a potty area. When you bring your puppy home and put him or her into an appropriate sized kennel (not too large, just enough room to turn around and lay down) they will fuss when they have to go potty! If you cannot watch your puppy or it is naptime, tuck them into their kennel. When it is time to go out, place the kennel by the door and let the puppy walk him or herself out. In the beginning you may need to place the kennel right at the door, sometimes they squat just after a few steps! Over time, you can move the kennel farther and farther away from the door. While puppies understand the concept of a den vs. an elimination area, you are bringing them to a new "den" and you will have to show your new puppy the ropes.

When your puppy has an accident, please just clean it up thoroughly. We use industrial grade vinegar. If you scold them or rub their nose in it, you are only teaching your puppy that they should be afraid to go potty in front of you and you are creating a whole new problem. Your puppy will potty train a lot faster if you do not scold. Remember to reward the good behavior. When they go potty as they are supposed to, reward them with a treat and praise. If you see your puppy sniffing or circling, they usually have to go potty. They usually have to go potty soon after being taken to a new environment, after vigorous play, when exiting the kennel, or within 30 minutes of eating or waking up from a nap. In general, your pup will need to go potty every 45 minutes. When in doubt, take them out :) Remember, if you can't watch your puppy, in the kennel they go!

Kennel Use:

We have already been working with your puppy on kennel training. Your puppy loves kennels and sees them as a positive thing coming from us. To keep this up, you will want to provide your puppy with a dog bone or treat whenever you place him/her in a kennel. We do not recommend any type of bone that can flake apart and get caught in their intestines, like rawhide and other things similar. We recommend only real bones. Dogs are den animals and actually prefer sleeping in small places. The cost of a crate may initially seem expensive, but when you compare it to the cost of ruined rugs and/or chewed up furniture, it is well worth it. When you bring your puppy home, it is best to begin using the crate right away. Kennel training can make potty training easier, give you and your puppy a few breaks throughout the day, and helps keep your puppy safe when you can't watch him or her. I suggest putting a small plastic bin on or near the kennel, filled with many different toys to keep your puppy occupied while he or she is inside the kennel. Toys like Kongs, ropes, raw meaty bones, etc. are all great options. Puppies will enjoy getting into their kennel to see what special surprise you have for them!

Resource Guarding:

All livestock guardian dogs are known to resource guard. This means that when you try to take their bone or food away they may growl or act aggressively. We have been working with your puppy since birth on this. We feed each puppy individually. When we feed them, we give them their food, but we always keep an even better food in our hand. Several times while they are eating we take their food away, then give the reward treat....take it away, give the reward....take it away, and then give the reward. This will go a long way with resource guarding.

Another thing we do is while they are eating we are a few steps away from their food and we say, "Take it." We are asking them to walk away from their food (of which they are very interested in) in order to obey us. When they come to us we give them a high protein treat of which we know they will enjoy. You can also feed them their food by hand, so they understand that you are the one who feeds them.

Take It:

We teach take it, so if they are ever going after an animal, such as a chicken, while they are in training, they will learn when we say "Take it," they are to leave that animal in order to come to us. This has been a very helpful thing to teach.

Obedience Training:

Now is the time to train your puppy. Puppies critical learning period is age 12 weeks and younger. This does not mean that they cannot learn later...they can, but, it is more difficult. So, before they are 12 weeks, you will want to work with them a lot on what you want them to do. Expose them to what they will be doing as much as possible. Begin training right away (after they are used to their new home). This blog may also be helpful to you. Between 12 and 16 weeks it is a little bit harder for them to learn new things, and that continues to be more difficult the older they get; which is why we have been working so hard to train your puppy beforehand. It truly makes a difference in their lives.

Veterinarian Care:

You have received in your packet a booklet about spaying/neutering. Please read it so that you can make an informed decision about this for your puppy. If you would like to find a holistic vet near you, go to ahvma.org/find-a-holistic-veterinarian/

Puppy "Massage":

This is a 10 step puppy handling exercise and just takes a few minutes. This approach is performed to improve your pup's ability to handle different types of touch, handling, and sensation. We have been doing this with your puppy since birth. It is helpful to continue it until they are 12-16 weeks and then every month or so (maybe when you cut your puppy's nails, after that). The steps can be performed in any order. Do not put your puppy down if they are agitated or upset, you don't want to teach them that if they complain, they get what they want. If they are displaying resistance, stop until the puppy calms and then resume! Reward with positive praise and snuggles, and treats when done!

1. Rub and gently tug on their ears

2. Cover their eyes for 3-5 seconds

3. Open their mouth, inspect their teeth and place your finger inside of their mouth. You can rub their tongue and gums.

4. Rub their belly and chest in a wide circular motion.

5. Run your hand up their back (from tail to head) a few times to ruffle their fur. Also practice "heavy petting." patting your pup's back like you are burping a baby.

6. Gently tug and twist their tail.

7. Rub your fingers in between all of their pads on their paws.

8. Tap on the tip of their nails

9. Put your hands on their collar and apply a slight tug or pressure

10. Touch their nose!

This is an excellent time to check the puppy over from head to foot each day ensuring everything is forming correctly and the pup's conformation looks and feels good. We use our hands and fingers as a way to explore and touch every part of them. You can be standing or sitting. Don't always perform the "puppy massage" in the same room at the same time. As pups age, it helps to do this exercise when they are sleepy-after a solid play session is a great time. It is also CRUCIAL to have others do the massage as well. You want your dog to be tolerant to touch by friends, strangers, kids, the elderly, veterinarians, groomers, etc. This is not just a "fun" thing to do...as your puppy gets older, he/she may become aggitated or aggressive if you touch his/her nails, butt, tail, mouth, etc., so this is to help prevent that. We have been doing these things since your puppy has been 3 days old, but, we have found that it is best if this continues as they get older.

The Puppy Crazies:

FRAP (Frenetic Random Activity Periods) is the technical term for what we call the "puppy crazies" or others call the "zoomies." These FRAP sessions typically occur approximately two to three times a day. This is when your well-mannered puppy goes absolutely crazy! He or she will run around, jump on furniture, attack everything, spin in circles, bark and quite honestly act like they have gone off the deep end. This is totally normal! The good news is that these periods of high energy only last a few minutes and your dog will grow out of them. With that being said, this is a time when young children need to be picked up and placed in a safe location! FRAP and young children are rarely a good mix.

During this time, it is best to not have your Maremma with your livestock; unless you feel you can truly trust them when they are getting their energy out. Sometimes it is best to allow them to run around a bit and then put them back in their area.

We have found that doing a 15 minute training session is the BEST REMEDY for the puppies crazies :) It's a lot easier to wear them out with brain exercises, than to wear them out with lots of running because you will get worn out a lot faster than they will, haha! This is a good time to do training: Puzzles, Snuffle Mats, Commands...training with whatever you feel they need to work on.

Love and Patience:

You have made the important decision to let a puppy into your heart and home. We sincerely thank you for trusting us to give your puppy the best start possible. We know that there will be frustrations and patience will be tested in having a puppy, but we also know the rewards are wonderful and exponential. Enjoy the complete innocence of a puppy, their ability to stop and smell the flowers, and maybe even tasted them, their curiosity is contagious, and playfulness is humorous. I can promise you that you will gain a comedian, confidante, work partner, companion, and ultimately a new family member. Maremma's are such loyal and incredible dogs...we hope you love them as much as we do. Please do not hesitate to call, text, or email us if you have any questions, and of course please send us LOTS of updates and pictures!!

We hope that this helps to make the transition for your puppy easier and you have a happy healthy puppy. Thank you for choosing to purchase a puppy from us. We hope that this puppy is a tremendous blessing to your family.

Feel free to contact us with any questions :)

Warmly,

Verity Farm

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