When we first started breeding Maremmas we raised our puppies in our dairy goat barn , so that the puppies could be socialized with the goats and other animals from birth. We had one litter a year and this worked very well for a while, even though it was a lot of work to continually set up and then take down the whelping equipment when we needed the space for goats. But when we became Maremma Sheepdog Club of America Code of Ethics Breeders and began having more litters and bigger kid crops, all this moving back and forth and sharing space became harder and harder. Then beginning in 2020 we experienced some challenges due to extremes of weather (too hot or too cold) and extremely bad smoke from nearby forest fires. We realized that raising puppies in the barn was no longer ideal since we have no control over nature, nor over when our dogs were ready to breed. (Goats come in heat roughly every 3 weeks so it's not hard to time kidding for when it's convenient or when the weather will be nice. Dogs are much trickier with less options other than breed now or don't breed at all this year.)

​But yet we were committed to ensuring that our puppies were whelped and raised in close proximity to livestock so that they wouldn't miss out on that very important early socialization period. Whelping in our house was not an option for this reason. That might be an acceptable choice for breeders who don't feel that raising their puppies with livestock from an early age is important, but for us it we were not willing to sacrifice proper socialization for health (both are important), or for our own comfort and convenience. We wanted it all, and we were determined to have it!

Did you know that the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends ONLY reward based training and is 100% against aversive training methods? Why? Because veterinarians are SCIENTISTS and SCIENCE supports positive training. It’s not only about what works or what’s “fast and easy”, it’s about what’s scientifically and ethically in the best interest of the dog. Here are just a couple of quotes from the AVSAB position paper on dog training:

“What techniques should be avoided in training?
An appropriate trainer should avoid any use of training tools that involve pain (choke chains, prong collars, or electronic shock collars), intimidation (squirt bottles, shaker noise cans, compressed air cans, shouting, staring, or forceful manipulation such as “alpha rolls” or “dominance downs”), physical correction techniques
(leash jerking, physical force), or flooding (“exposure”). The learner must always feel safe and have the ability to “opt out” of training sessions. All efforts should be made to communicate effectively and respectfully with the learner.

Why should aversive training techniques be avoided?
The consequences and fallout from aversive training methods have been proven and are well documented. These include increased anxiety and fear-related aggression, avoidance, and learned helplessness. Animals may be less motivated to engage in training and less likely to interact with human members of the household.”

We agree with the experts at AVSAB. At Prancing Pony Farm we are Positive Reinforcement Trainers and only use reward based training with our Maremma Sheepdog adults and puppies. We are so committed to seeing our puppies treated humanely that we put it in our puppy contract that all our puppy owners sign. The use of aversive training methods such as shock collars, choke chains, dangle sticks and other punishment based training methods is prohibited.

The puppies barking at what they perceive as an "intruder" (my son, Noah, getting hay for the animals) in the barnyard. The puppies see Noah feeding every day but apparently  something was different about him this night, setting them off. Again, no need for me to do anything. The puppies can tell that I'm not concerned so they soon relaxed.

Polar's and Marisa's 2022 litters met the horses for the first time on this day. Apparently Blossom, the mini donkey, was a concern for this puppy. Notice how patient and calm Blossom is with the puppies. She's a seasoned puppy trainer and there's no need for me to say or do anything. I just let Blossom's calm behavior reassure the puppies and they soon accepted her.

I know that Temperament Testing is very popular among companion dog breeders so out of curiosity I took a course in Puppy Aptitude Testing last year. It was very interesting but after doing much research, observing my own dogs and multiple litters of puppies I’ve bred and trained, as well as talking with breeders and trainers of LGD’s that I greatly respect, I decided that choosing a LGD puppy for a particular job/home based on how it behaves at exactly 7 weeks old is ridiculous. So many things go into the shaping of a LGD and many of those things haven’t even happened to a 7 week old puppy, so how can that one test be the be all, end all of choosing a puppy? It can’t.

But the idea still persists and some non-LGD breeders and trainers, not understanding that LGD behavior and training are very complex, still try to push this PAT idea, insisting that we need to test pups at 7 weeks old to determine if they are LGD’s or pets. Again, a ridiculous idea. Not all LGD’s guard the same and how a puppy behaves at 9 weeks or 9 months doesn’t automatically predict how it will behave once mature. And a puppy that chases stock occasionally or even kills a chicken or two is not ruined for life. LGD puppies often go through a rough "teenage" stage and then, like a lightbulb coming on, they suddenly mature into calm, dependable LGD’s. What can affect that switch is not some test done when they were 7 weeks old but everything they've been exposed to before and after that.

Another thing non-LGD breeders don't get is this: "play drive" is not the same as "prey drive". All LGD's love to run and play and chase to some degree because they are dogs and because they are practicing skills they will need as LGD's. Every one of my Maremmas loves to chase me on my ATV, they all chase each other, roughhouse and play fight. If a strange sounding vehicle comes down the street they all race along the fence line, CHASING it. Like they would chase a predator. Your LGD won't catch many predators by walking calmly. They need to practice chasing. 😆

Maybe the misunderstanding is because almost all breeders of non-LGD's place a large percentage of their puppies in companion homes. Whether this is because there really are such wide differences among puppies in a litter in their breed or simply because they don't have enough homes looking for working dogs I do not know. But some of them do use PAT to determine which pups go to which kinds of homes. Whether this testing is a valid tool for their breeds I can't say. I can say, as of right now, I don't feel it's a valid tool for placing LGD puppies. Or for Maremmas, anyway. Maybe one day I'll change my mind but there are only so many hours in a day and I prefer to spend my time doing things I feel are more productive with my puppies.

Most non-LGD breeders seem to place pups at 8 or 9 weeks old, so maybe the 7 week temperament test is the best tool they have. I keep my puppies a minimum of 12 weeks and often much longer. I have a lot of time to observe my puppies as they grow and mature.

Can a LGD puppy “fail” as a LGD? Certainly. But if it’s a well bred dog from proven working parents from proven working lines who have consistently produced puppies who matured into excellent LGD’s then how likely is it that the puppy is “badly bred” or “doesn’t have the aptitude” for guarding livestock? I’d say it’s pretty slim and that there’s something else going on. Improper socialization, training and management by the breeder OR the new owner. I firmly believe it takes nature and nurture to produce an excellent LGD and that you can screw up an otherwise well bred LGD by poor management and training at any step of the way. But not doing a PAT at exactly 49 days is not going to ruin a LGD or spell doom and gloom for its future.

I don’t breed pets. I breed Livestock Guardian Dogs. Period. A few of my pups have gone to companion homes and most are general farm dogs who are very loved and serving a dual role as LGD and family dog. But I'm not selecting puppies specifically for LGD's or pets because I don't breed for pets. In fact, I believe the same traits that make a good LGD are usually also traits that can make a good companion dog, in the right home. After all, if a dog can't be trusted with chickens are you really going to trust it with children?! I'm not!

So while Puppy Aptitude Testing may or may not be a useful tool for some breeds (and that's a highly debated topic) I don't feel it's all that helpful for LGD's. And from what I can gather the research says the same. But who knows, maybe someone will do more studies on the topic and prove me wrong. If so I'll be the first to sign up to test my litters. For now I'll be relying on other tools, such as the CARAT course I'm working on completing. That seems much more useful than PAT and can be applied to pups or dogs of any age.

Two year old Olaf and his 8 month old daughter, Polar, exhibiting normal “play” behavior of LGD’s. Maremmas, like most LGD’s play rough and hard. This is their normal way of burning off that excess energy in an appropriate manner (not directed towards the stock) and it’s also a way for them to practice fighting with potential predators. And this is also a prime example of why all LGD’s need a working partner and need to live WITH that partner 24/7. If your LGD doesn’t have an appropriate outlet for play such as this, they are much more likely to engage in inappropriate play with the livestock.

Polar and Olaf are both adult LGD’s now who are both excellent with stock of all kinds. Part of why they matured into such excellent LGD’s is because they were properly managed as puppies, getting both lots of exposure to livestock of all kinds from birth, and getting plenty of time to just be dogs and have fun.