Three Vital Elements in Producing Outstanding Livestock Guardian Dogs

The First Two Vital Elements

There are three key components that are required in order to produce an outstanding Livestock Guardian Dog. The first two - genetics and early training and socialization (or Nature and Nurture) - are the responsibility of the breeder. If you've bought a puppy from us (or are considering doing so) you can rest assured that the first two are covered. We have selected our breeding stock from outstanding working dogs with the genetics that produce great LGD's. And our puppies are given the best start possible as future Livestock Guardian Dogs as well as members of their future families. We have a very careful and intentional puppy training and socialization program, which includes intensive early socialization with livestock as well as positive reinforcement training and socialization with humans (including children) and exposure to a wide variety of sights, sounds and experiences. What happens in the first 12-16 weeks of a puppy's life is vital to their success and a breeder can make or break a puppy as a LGD. Therefore we do our best to give our puppies an outstanding start and are always looking for ways to improve our program. If you haven't yet decided to buy a puppy from us you can learn more about our Puppy Training and Socialization Program by clicking the link below:

The Prancing Pony Farm Difference

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The Third Vital Element

But the breeder is only part of the equation when it comes to successfully raising and training a LGD puppy. The third and equally important part is a dedicated owner with a well thought out plan of continuing the job the breeder started. There are tools, resources and information out there that will make that job much easier for the new puppy owner. Below are the top three resources I recommend for all of my new puppy owners:

• Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations Course This online, science-based course in dog training will teach you the how to communicate with your Maremma (or any dog) in a fun way and to build a partnership with your dog. The multi-sensory program uses all the learning modalities (visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic) through reading, charts and diagrams, videos and hands on practice with your dog. There is absolutely no substitute for this program our no better preparation for owning a Maremma. We have found that people who only read about this training method in books or online aren't nearly as successful as those who take the course. So do yourself and your dog a favor and sign up today. You won't regret it!
• Livestock Guardian Dog Training Manual, by Cindy Benson This outstanding book by Cindy Benson goes hand in hand with the KPA Dog Trainer Foundations Course, outlining how to adapt the program to LGD's, which have different needs than companion dogs. There's no better book on training a Maremma available, but it MUST be used in conjunction with the Dog Trainer Foundations course. It is not a standalone book, though Cindy is working on one of those and it will be amazing!
• Benson Maremmas Training Blog and Training Services Cindy Benson is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner who specializes in training Maremmas. She's completed many courses in dog training in addition to her KPA course work. She was secretary of the MSCA for three years and was a MSCA Code of Ethics breeder of Maremmas before she retired from breeding. She is the breeder and trainer of four of our outstanding breeding dogs: Pax, Marisa, Celeste and Circe. She continues to train Maremmas and other LGD's in person and via Zoom Training Sessions. I refer people to her regularly, including my own puppy customers. There is not anyone in America that knows more about training Maremmas than Cindy. ​Her extensive blog posts are a treasure trove of educational material and her Zoom training sessions have been invaluable for so many people and their dogs. I highly encourage my customers to read her blogs and if there's ever something I can't help them figure out Cindy can do it. If she can't help nobody can!

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And Now For Something Really Special

We are thrilled to announce that we now have one more new and exciting bonus element available to our puppy customers that will truly make the difference for them and their puppies and help their pups reach their full potential. This is something that no other Maremma Sheepdog breeder offers and is free with every puppy. Stay tuned for our next blog post where we will share this wonderful new resource!