How to Raise and Train Outstanding Livestock Guardian Dogs - How we Integrate Our Maremma Puppies into Our Dairy Goat Herd

Our Maremma Sheepdog puppies are born in our Puppy Parlor, where they have a safe, climate controlled environment in which to grow. The Puppy Parlor sits in one of our goat pastures, and is also used for milking the goats, treating any sick or injured goats and even occasionally for kidding if the weather outside is bad. Because of this our puppies are surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of the goats (and other livestock) from birth. But once the puppies reach about three weeks old their eyes and ears are fully open, they are steady on their feet and are climbing out of their whelping box. This is when the Socialization Phase of puppy development starts, and when the real fun begins! The puppies are now able to navigate the dog doors (with a little help) and begin going outside and exploring the wide world of our farm. We have carefully designed our Puppy Parlor and its attached pasture so that the puppies make a safe, smooth transition from tiny little fur balls to Livestock Guardian Dogs. Watch the video below to see the beginning stage of this journey. We’ve added a voiceover to the video to further explain the process. Enjoy!

Starring in the video are dairy goats Honeybee (brown Mini Nubian), Aurora (white and brown Nigerian Dwarf) and Pearl (white Mini Nubian). The dog stars are Benson Ranch Marisa and her litter, sired by Unfinished Acres Sevro. The dogs in the background are Marcella and Gianna. There are other goats far in the background, as well.