
Maremma Sheepdog
Sturdy and muscular, the Maremma is a large and heavy dog, with a coarse protective white coat, and dense warm undercoat. The broad head and small high set ears give the Maremma a kindly yet dignified expression.






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The Maremma Sheepdog breed can be prone to:
- Hip dysplasia
- Elbow dysplasia
- Gastric dilatation volvulus
Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing:
- Hip dysplasia screening scheme
Lifespan: | 11 – 13 years |
Weight: | 30 – 45kg |
Height: | 60 – 73cm |
Colours: | White |
Size: | Large |
UK Kennel Club Groups: | Pastoral |
Family-friendly: | 4/5 |
Exercise needs: | 4/5 |
Easy to train: | 1/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 2/5 |
Likes other pets: | 4/5 |
Energy level: | 4/5 |
Grooming needs: | 4/5 |
Shedding: | 5/5 |
Given their history as a flock guardian breed, it should be no surprise that the Maremma is independent, intelligent and likely to be suspicious towards strangers.
Completely devoted and loyal to their family, but constantly alert to suspicious activity, the Maremma demands a very dedicated owner. They can be trained to a high standard, and should be, as a bored Maremma will be extremely difficult to live with.
Early socialisation with other people and animals is vital as is ongoing management of such a protective giant.
Country of Origin: Italy
Originally bred to protect flocks of sheep from wolves, bears and later, packs of feral dogs and human thieves, the Maremma Sheepdog can trace its origins to dogs of a similar type and function over 2000 years ago. Writing in the 1st century BC, Varro describes the type in detail, mentioning that the white colour was preferred to facilitate spotting them in the dark. Despite their size and weight, the Maremma was still at risk from bears and wolves and to protect them from injury to the neck and throat, they wore broad leather collars with large protruding spikes.
Sharing the same ancestry as the Hungarian Kuvasz and the French Pyrenean Sheepdog, the Maremma we know today is an amalgamation of two distinct types, the shorter coated Maremmano and the longer backed Abruzzese. Brought together as one breed in the 1950’s under the name Cane da Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese, they have remained known as the Maremma Sheepdog or simply Maremma, elsewhere.
First brought to the UK as an exhibit at London Zoo in the late 1820’s, listed as the Italian Wolf Dog, and occasionally imported during the Victoria period – Queen Victoria owned a pair named Boldia and Ruffo – it was not until the 1930’s that serious attempts were made to breed them or recognise them. Recognition came from the Kennel Club in 1936 and the UK breed club was formed in 1950