AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Training a Maremma Puppy to Guard Poultry or other Stock
I have owned and bred Maremma dogs for well over 10 years now.There are many ways to train these puppies and each breeder has there own way, most are similar.This is my way and it works well for me. I have trained my dogs for goats,sheep and poultry. I do not show my dogs but, I do make sure that my working dogs show certain characteristics with work and personality before I breed with them. These dogs are called Livestock Guardian Dogs with good reason as that is what they have been bred for for hundreds of years. I do not believe in having them as pets, but that is just me. All my dogs are working dogs, as that is what I require. My dogs are on acreage which gives them the space they deserve. If you watch these dogs and let them run for a while when you introduce them into a new paddock then you will see that they will naturally rome at least 5 acres.When you own a dog be it a maremma or any dog as the owner you are totally responsible for keeping your dog on your property at all times and know where they are and what they are doing.

With this breed you can NEVER under any circumstances raise a hand to hit or hurt them. It is a breed that never forgets and never forgives. They are totally different to all other breeds of dogs. You don’t own this breed of dog, you have to earn that dogs respect and it will work for you. They are nothing like sheep dogs used for working the sheep. They don’t always come when you call them and they don’t do what you expect any other dog to do. You either love the breed or hate it. People who don’t understand how this breed works are the ones that hate them. If and when I sell pups I look for certain things in the buyer.
Do they live on property?(not a problem)
Do they have stock?
Do they want a trained dog or a pup?
Do they have children and are they saying (oh mummy it is so cute) no chance of getting a pup?
Do the people know the breed and are they willing to take the dogs needs into consideration?
What are the buyers expectations?

You will need a lot of time and patience with your pup.I will explain how to train your pup for poultry but if you want to train for sheep, goats, cattle or any other stock follow this and just use young stock of your choice when you are training them. I always say if you want the dog as a working dog then, DON'T let children play or pat them at anytime when you are first start training them. This is not to say don’t pat the pup though. When you feed your pup give it a pat. If the pup is good praise it and pat it but not for too long and certainly don’t play with it. Also feed the pup on its own, away from stock young or old,say down the opposite end of the pen to the stock (Chickens).Stay with the pup till it finishes eating. Remove all uneaten food when the pup has had enough. Do not let the stock(chickens) near the food while the pup is eating or the pup may kill them.This is not a sign of a bad pup it is just a pup defending what is his or hers. Always make sure when you start the training that it is the same person feeding the pup as who is training the pup,one master so to speak to start with.This can change once the pup is about 6 months and nearly trained.

It is your call but if you are spending good money on a pup make sure you get it vaccinated and wormed regularly. These dogs are territorial once trained so it can be very difficult to get them in a car and take them to the vet. You might have to drag and carry your dog,or have it sedated, my option would be if there are any problems ask the vet to come to you. You need to make sure you lead train and chain train your pup so you can take it to the vet,or leave it on a chain if you need to be away for a few hours.This is so he or she cannot chase the stock or even just to make walking the boundaries with the pup on the lead while training.It just makes general handling easier. Under no circumstance ever let your dog(pup) sleep anywhere but with your chickens(stock) certainly not at your house on the veranda or anywhere else if you wanting it for protecting your stock.This breed barks extremely loud and a lot through the night so you cannot have this breed in town or on to small a block of land as you will upset your neighbors with the barking. You must not try to control the barking in any way except the occasional loud NO yelled in a deep loud tone and certainly not in the night. You might think your pup is just playing up. I guarantee it is not. There is something out there you cannot see or smell and he knows this. They are amazing dogs. One more thing I will say before I tell you the basics of training I use. If your dog takes on a snake in the summer time DO NOT distract him by yelling out or running in at him as he probably will be bitten.You need to let him deal with the situation and then check the dog out for bite marks around the face and just watch him for any signs of snake bite. You will also find the dog protects you with his life when trained properly. Mine do maremma's do not like fireworks or gunshots as it will spook them badly and they may take off and hide or get caught up in a fence, hurt or worse.
You will need,
1 pup 6 to 8 weeks old
some chickens 6 to 8 weeks of age
2 pens
Patience(lots)
Time (abundant)
dog lead
dog chain
STEP 1
-One puppy 6 weeks of age ½ dozen young chickens or more off heat.I use them at that age as they get used to the pup quickly. Now you will need 2 pens one for the pup and one for the chickens next to one another where they can always see each other. Make sure that the pup has plenty of room in its pen and freshwater, shade at all times. Put the pens away from everyday traffic and away from the house but where you can still keep an eye on all. Keep the pup and chickens separate from one another for about 2 weeks to a month. Watch the pup and see how he or she reacts.
STEP 2
-Ok now we want to put the chickens and the pup in the same pen for short periods of time. At this point you need to stay with the chickens and the pup and just supervise what is going on. Do not leave them alone or you will have dead stock sooner or later. Do this for a few days,then step out of the pen and watch. Stand just outside the pen and watch to make sure that the pup does not play with the chickens in any way especially no chasing them. Do not sit with the pup or pat it. Remember the pup is bonding to the chickens first not you. If the pup chases the chickens or grabs one race in the pen and get the pup by the scruff of the neck and push it to the ground on all fours saying loudly a very firm strong NO, hold the pup for about 10 seconds this way. Then let the pup go again and just watch. After you have had the stock and pup together for about 3 weeks or more if needed for short interval through the day ,say 4 times a day for an hour each time and you feel all is going well you are fairly confident that the pup is not going to hurt the chickens while you are there.Then move on but a word of warning. Do not rush the pup through this process.Go off what the pup is doing,not what you want. Let the pup do this in its own time.
STEP 3
-Next is to leave the pen and go stand out of the sight of the pup and watch. Also at this point in time introduce your pup to bones,chews,dog Kong's full of food which will also help to entertain him or her. If the pup tries to play with the chickens yell that very firm NO out and if the pup continues to chase or hurt a chicken you will need to get in the pen asap and push the pup back to the ground and saying NO again. This is the most time consuming part of training. You always have to have one eye on them when you first start this process. It will take a while sometimes it can be a few weeks and some dogs it could be a few months. Some pups are just slower to catch on to what is expected of them.
STEP 4
-Add some more chickens to the mix with the pups chickens. Remember those first chickens are the pups family so they must always be with the pup while it is young. Watch them and the pup and make sure they are all getting on. Keep disciplining the pup if need be for any unwanted behavior. If the pup has accepted all well and it has been a few weeks then things are progressing nicely. The pup now should be around 6 months of age or so and starting to do a bit of thinking for him or herself.
Once all is well at this point in time if you need to go away and leave the pup in the pen you can go and come back every half hour and check them. All going well you can make in an hour and gradually longer each week. If you need to go to town put him or her on a dog chain.That will restrain them from the chickens but they are still with them. They should not be able to chase them. Once you see the chickens walking over the pup you know the battle has been won if the pup is not reacting.
There is also another little trick I use at this age and it is because it is natural for the pup not to come to their name when called. I leave the chain on them in the pen dragging on the ground between there legs.You must make sure there is nothing they can get snagged in though.When I go into the pen I walk to the end of the chain I call the pup by its name. If it doesn't come I pick up the chain slowly as to not to scare the pup and gently pull the chain till the pup comes.Sometime you will have a real tug of war with the pup when you first start,have a treat in your pocket and when you get the pup to you pat the pup,praise him or her and give him or her the treat. Do this even if you have to drag the pup to you.When the pup works out what is happening it will get easier and it the end you wont need the chain so put it away and the pup will come to you when called. Drop the treats to but continue the pat and plenty of praise.
STEP 5
-Now is the time to bring your family in to meet the pup and anyone else that you want the pup to know,a person who will feed the pup if you go away for any reason. Let them have regular contact with your pup and pat,praise and talk to the pup. Also if you own a pet cat. Let the pup get to know that cat when the pup starts with the chickens. Let the pup see the cat or any other dog or animal everyday. If you do this the dog will not see that animal as a threat to the poultry. First through a fence between them and then in the same yard. You can have several animals in with the chickens. Do not let them play together with the pup as this is teaching the pup bad habits.
STEP 6
-This is the time I teach my pup the boundary of the yard that the chook pens are in. I put them on a lead and walk them around that yard sometimes up to 3 times morning and evening. Make sure that the yard is well fenced and the dog cannot get out. When this is done return the dog back to his chickens. I do this for a few weeks. Then I walk the dog around the yard starting with the lead and I remove the lead gently and the dog will continue to walk around the yard with me as if it is still on the lead. Don’t be upset with the dog if it starts to walk off when you are walking the boundary, just continue to walk.The pup is just starting to think for themselves. They are checking out strange smells on the ground or in the air.They will follow you when they are finished.The pups will roll on fox droppings so you know they are learning quickly and are learning their turf.You then know your dog is working everything out and knows his territory that you want him to look after. These dogs know what a fox,a hawk or feral cat is instinctively.

-Now your young dogs is learning well and will start to look after your stock. Let your dog take control now and guard all your stock, not just the selected few. You will still have to keep an eye on the dog for some time as he has to work out for himself different events that may happen and how to handle them himself. This is the beauty of these dogs they can think for themselves and handle many different situations well. By just keeping an eye out you are ensuring that he does handle things the right way. If something happens and things don’t go right you have the advantage of that very strong loud NO and they will stop.Usually by 12 months of age they are right and in full control.
Well done it has been a long hard road.
Something else to ponder. If you want 2 working dogs as you have big stock loses due to dingoes and foxes then I would suggest that you get the 2nd one when you're first is about 9 months old. I certainly do not recommend getting 2 pups the same age from the same litter as working dogs. It is too hard to train 2 and you won't be able to stop them from trying to play with one another. It will give you to many issues. With your first dog being older once you have trained the 2nd one he or she will take their lead from the first and work very well together.






Re-training an Adult Maremma as a Working Dog for Poultry.
To re-train a Maremma dog is along and very slow process with many pitfalls along the way. This is the way I train them.There is no right or wrong way. It may just help anyone who needs some advice. Firstly when you get the dog and it is the first night and a strange place. It is best to shut it in a safe secure shed for the night. The person who is going to be handling the dog will need to go and reassure that dog several times through the night. Remember it has been torn from all it knows and loves for some reason. It is scared and frightened and cant understand what has happened. Talk to it before you even attempt to go in the shed so it knows you are there. Your first job will be to win over the dogs trust. It is easier said then done. With the dog being an adult you can set aside 15 minutes to ½ hour everyday to sit with it,talk to it and pat it, just reassure the dog that it will be ok and you are aware that it is very confused.Walk it around its new yard on a lead a few times morning and evening, when you are having time with it. Make it a special time for the dog so it will look forward to you coming out to spend time with it. Ok the first day take the dog out to where you want it to live. If it has been with goats or other stock and you want to train it for poultry then you need to start with 2 pens and some adult poultry. The dog in one and some poultry in the other. Adult birds not chickens as it is an adult dog. Leave the dog in one pen separate for about two weeks where it can watch and get used to the poultry noises. If you are worried about the dog getting out of a night then lock it in the shed over night for the first few nights. Remember night time is there active time when they normally work. All this dog will be thinking is everything is strange to it. Just keep on reassuring the dog through the day and night. Alternatively you can chain the dog up in or near the pen to make sure it cant get away. If it is not used to a chain it will play up and bark all night.That is ok, it will only take a few days for it to get the idea. Also make sure it cannot get the chain caught up in anything. Make sure the chain can handle that size dog. Maremma’s are very good at slipping there collars,so be aware of this. Ok after the first two weeks the dog and poultry can be put together. Be careful doing this. You must supervise all, as with adult dogs there are no second chances for the birds. You will have to find the biggest hardest voice you can and if the dog wants to play with the birds yell NO at the dog and push it to the ground from the scruff of the neck onto the chest and belly. Put the dog with the poultry for an hour say 4 times a day. After a week gradually extend this time a little. As the weeks go on give the dog and poultry more time together till they are together all the time.You will see the dog eating and rolling in the droppings of the poultry, don’t worry it is part of getting to know the birds. This process will take a couple of months or longer to happen because remember the dog was bought up with different stock or even as a pet. Just always keep an eye on the dog at all times.Do not have the dog near your house it must be in the yard it will live in It must be away from all traffic so the dog will not get distracted. Once the dog has settled with the birds and you are sure that it is safe to have the two together all the time then we add more birds to the mix. Remember though the original birds are the dogs new family and must stay with the dog at all times now. Once the dog has excepted new birds, this may take some time so don’t worry. When you are happy and sure the dog has excepted the birds, it is time to give the dog full run of the poultry yard and sheds. Remember you have been walking the dog around this area daily so it knows the area. When the dog has full run and you are feeding and watering your poultry let the dog wander in and out of all sheds and check everything out. This is the way that they learn there is more birds then just there family.

Things that could be a problem with adult dogs.
First thing I notice is some of the dogs do not know what a lead is and will not come to you at all. The way I fix this is to have a long chain dragging along the ground.It can be 5 metres long.Make sure there is nothing the chain can snag up on.You walk over to where the chain is on the ground and you put you foot on it.Kneel down so you are nearly at the dogs level and call the dog by its name.This is fine if the dog is not aggressive. Most bitches are timid at first. Pick the chain up in your hand and as you call the dog you slowly pull the dog closer to you saying ‘’come on girl or whatever the name is’’till the dog is in front of you.Make sure you have that chain every time you call the dog that way you are teaching the dog to come to you and always give the dog a good pat when you have done this.This also teaches the dog to be lead easier.This will all take time.Once the dog come every time you dont need the chain anymore for that.

Aggressive dogs are much harder to deal with but you must not show them you are scared of them or they will rule.These guys need to be put in a secure small yard and you will need to spend many hours talking with them.Working around them not in there yard but where they can see you and when you feed them you must always in a very big deep firm voice tell them to sit.You must teach them to sit for there meal and you will in time be able to pat them and handle them.You have to win them over first. Under no circumstance get in that yard with them till you know you have won there trust.You will know because maremma’s smile when they are happy.They are accepting of change then.This will be the time you then start your training. If however months have gone by and you haven’t won there trust than you never will and it is time to consider another alternative.As sad as it is the dog has been badly mistreated and needs to be destroyed in most cases.

You may have wring-lock fencing and your dog is getting through it and escaping to a neighbor or wear it should not be. If this is happening, you will need to consider a special collar.You will need 3 pieces of pvc pipe at about 50cm long each and wired together about 15 to 20cm from each end depending on how big the dogs neck is.Then attach this to a leather collar around the dogs neck with heavy cable ties.End result you should have a neat triangle of pvc around the dogs neck with lengths of pvc pipe hanging out to catch on the wring-lock to stop the dog from going through the fence.If you see the dog trying to get through the fence also so NO very to it. Remember that is is your responsibility to keep your dog on your property at all times.

It is also recommended that working dogs be desexed to eliminate problems with stray dogs, dingos and foxes when the dog comes into season. Also to stops any unwanted puppies.

There are many other problems that will be en-counted but I think these are the main ones I have had with training dogs.I have trained about 12 now and it is different with any dog. Some of my dogs have gone to an organic turkey farm at Byron Bay.Also out to a reserve to guard Bilby’s. I have had my dogs with goats, sheep and poultry.

Yvonne

poultryonthegwydir
I have done these articles for a newsletter and just thought I would post them on here.It may just help someone who is thinking of getting a maremma dog.Anybody who has maremma's please feel free to add to this post anything they think is important that I have missed.

Wow that is seriously good, I had heard many good things about Maremma's but not read such detail on them. I have 2 dogs at the moment but when the time comes to replace one I will seriously look at the Maremma

thank you mummaroo - not many know but it is thanks to this woman and her patient help nearly 3yrs ago that I was able to train my Maremma to the excellent level they are at now
I used the method mentioned above and endorse it fully

12 months ago I got my first Maremma he is the best dog I have ever owned and he does an amazing job of riding us of foxes. 3 months ago we got our second Maremma this time a desexed female because we don't want to breed them. I enjoyed your article mummaroo

Terrific post - thankyou! I have a 5 month old Maremma pup who is an amazing fellow. Our poultry free range around the house and off into the paddocks during the day and he does his 'patrol' every 20 minutes or so and checks out where everybody is. He has kept a large feral cat at bay, and warned off a number of foxes in the month that we have had him. It is quite different from having other dogs - while he does have a puppy enthusiasm for life, he only plays with the pet dog briefly when they're together, and while he loves a pat, it is only if it isn't interfering with his work! He is a very serious young fellow, really... He has alerted me when some young heifers had done a houdini on their paddock, come and got me when goats were kidding, and if I'm a bit late for milking in the morning and the goats are demanding my presence he lets me know just in case I haven't heard them Any spat between the chooks is investigated carefully, and he will position himself between roosters if they're getting too carried away with themselves.

He does sleep on the verandah if there are no goats in the shed at night; if the girls are in the shed he bunks down with them.


They are an amazing dog...

Another good article Mummaroo, I don't have a Maremma but I have used some of these techniques to transfer to my own dogs regarding leaving chickens alone. You seriously should think about writing a book with all your knowledge.

Thanks sebducks, but no one would buy it.Glad you enjoyed the article.

I would! This and your other article I read just this afternoon on fox trapping are brilliant! Don't underestimate how difficult it is for people to access this knowledge!

Alison, I know what you are saying but – it isnt always that easy to write a book [been there done that doing it again atm]

I would also buy it I find this sort of information invaluable. I have added a article here as well that I found also very good