Maremma sheepdogs do not fetch!

Great value ebook -maremma sheepdog manual maremmano.com/how_to/ebook.html
See www.maremmano.com for full information on the maremma sheepdog as a livestock protector.
In this video, this young dog is in a backyard and not with livestock, you can see the typical behaviour of the maremma sheepdog when you try to engage in fetch play as this play is based on predator motor patterns which are absent in the maremma

[@bethdovalsantos318]

I have a Maremma too and she is exactly the same with toys! Even though they're not as energetically playful as other dogs, they're so calm and gentle. Love them!!

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@mwatercress]

"Silly human, if you wanted the toy, why did you throw it?" I knew a dog like that. She would play keep-away but not fetch.

[@KoalaGardens]

that's such a good summation of their thinking :)

[@EbonyAMV]

it's logical. you throw the stick. he MIGHT bring it back but thats just because he loves you. if you throw it again then he'll stand there like "why would you do that? i just brought it to you. seems like you dont need it my friend."

[@KoalaGardens]

😂

[@danielapeilstoecker7948]

So my Maremma actually loves to play fetch. It took quite some time for her to lern it. About 2 months. You have to be very encouraging with them. It is no wonder that they do not want to play fetch if one person is to only stand there and make no sounds or sudden movement. (sorry about my english - it is not my first language)

[@KoalaGardens]

I'm guessing your maremma does not guard livestock :) thanks for commenting!

[@danielapeilstoecker7948]

Yeah just the property =) She needed something to do other than digging thru our garden and eating the plants.

[@kympridham8267]

@@KoalaGardens ours does and also has a job as a guard dog you need to train them as a puppy

[@KoalaGardens]

@@kympridham8267 interesting, thanks for chipping in with your experience

[@chkngrl]

Dog: Well fine, if you want to throw away a perfectly good toy then I will take it somewhere where it can be appreciated. My Akita would do the same thing, however most of the time he would just look at me like I'm stupid and lay there. lol

[@asganaway]

+chkngrl same here with my female maremma

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@desleytisdale2313]

i so love maremmas my girl is almost 11 months old she still likes to chew just about anything and i think shes trying to dig to the center of the world but i love her regardless i cant get her to play fetch shell chase something but then sniffs it and walks away however if im out the back and chasing her around she will happily play with me the other thing she loves is her walks

[@KoalaGardens]

Desley Tisdale All such typical behaviour you are describing Debra :)

[@asganaway]

+Desley Tisdale you are describing my Maya :D

[@tysonmoore5909]

I have a maremma x bull Arab. So he gets very confused on whether he should chase a duck, or protect me from the duck. It’s quite funny the way he behaves. I have some videos on my channel of him from a little while ago

[@KoalaGardens]

✅

[@pamlawrence7565]

I have a maremma as well and she loves to fetch and she will bring it back to you and she also loves tug a war She is very active and very easy to train she is very well behaved best dog I have ever had she loves cuddles

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for sharing, they are the best dogs for sure!

[@jasonnikolic]

Mine plays fetch and she also protects a property with ducks and chickens - as there are many foxes here. Fetch was learnt from my friends dog when he visits, that dog would play fetch and our Maremma picked it up pretty quickly. All dogs love toys, there needs to be toys on your property if the Maremma is young, it WILL get bored and misbehave behind your back if there's no toys around. They're not miracle dogs that just guard livestock flawlessly from birth (trust me some people actually think this and wonder why their chickens are dead) they need puppy stimulation like any good doggo even though they're basically ancient wolves.

[@KoalaGardens]

puppies are not guardians that is for sure, and training maremmas is easiest if done with a pack of other maremmas. not really possible in Australia of course where people want to have a single maremma come and guard alone. certainly I would say most 'failed' maremma guardians were placed as puppies in a situation where they were not understood. thanks for commenting with your experience!

[@jasonnikolic]

​@@KoalaGardens I found out a fun fact you likely know already but I'll share for anyone else who reads: Great Pyrenees are 50% Maremma (why they are so similar and often mistaken) but the Maremma itself has an unknown genetic heritage. So basically an ancient domesticated roman mountain wolf! This helps explain why they can be weird about things like fetch.

[@KoalaGardens]

@@jasonnikolic the history is so fascinating - thanks for this little snippet that connects dots I think that in the current way the world works it is hard to really imagine how the transhumance unfolded. shepherds throughout Europe travelled through the countryside during the winter months when fodder for livestock was the lowest and they travelled across what we now think of as hard borders there is beautiful evidence that all the european shepherds from all countries used 'big white dogs' to guard their flocks. during months and months of wandering to graze the livestock, of course the bitches would come into season and genetic diversity by breeding between all the big white dogs occurred. in fact they would often mate with other dogs that were in these flocks. the shepherds used 'white coats' as the way to select which puppies to keep as it meant 'pure lines'. now I'm paraphrasing a lot for brevity, but it is certain that all those european white dogs of the shepherds were breeding at times and the patriarchal bloodlines were unknown. today, country borders and fences mean less genetic diversity and more certain patriarchal lineage of puppies and records kept and registration requirements give us 'breeds' there is so much more to the story ...

[@jenmcelhannon4302]

My Maremma doesn’t fetch. Or move when she’s in your way. She doesn’t get up when she flops on top of you in the morning. She doesn’t do anything unless she feels like it 😂 But she is very loving and fiercely defends our home though, and I sleep well at night because I feel safe ❤️

[@KoalaGardens]

and THAT describes the maremma as bred in Italy so perfectly! thanks so much for stopping by to tell me about your beautiful maremma

[@EOTA564]

I think they’re sometimes mistaken for Goldens which might confuse people because they have such a different nature. Of course any sporting breed is literally bred for fetching.

[@KoalaGardens]

great point, thanks for chipping in on the conversation!

[@shellsea9520]

MY MAREMMA Pup LOVE to play ball He will fetch and happily brings the ball back to me 😁

[@KoalaGardens]

I've noticed the traits carefully selected for as working dogs by the Italians are slowly being lost as they are bred for pets. I hope you have much joy with your pup 😊

[@shellsea9520]

@@KoalaGardens Maybe ,But my pup is from purbred working parents and are from a long line of work dogs too I am training him to protect stock animals But my first intention are to train him.as a family dog as well I am also trained as a dog trainer that probably helps 😁

[@KoalaGardens]

@@shellsea9520 fascinating. best of luck with your pup 😊

[@RIKARDOMACHIO]

My Maremma Fetch all the time. I think he just need to be trained with more love and more patience .

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for the feedback!

[@reklawj9]

my best game with my dogs is to get my border collie mix to play fetch, and my maremma will run after the border collie to see whats up..and then runs back with her, this is the closest I have ever got her to playing fetch

[@KoalaGardens]

lol that is so totally maremma - chase a border collie wondering what game they are playing - love it!

[@ivyutube695]

Hello,have taken in a stray.Do you have any infofmation on curing hart worm?As the vet's treatment would cost 1,000$and can have health side effects.I was hoping someone knew of a way to cure it naturaly.Thank you in advance for any info you may provide.

[@KoalaGardens]

Hi Ivy - I don't know of a 'natural' cure for heartworm - I'm very sorry you are facing this. do you mean you have taken in a stray maremma?

[@Senghe]

I think this is a general LGD thing. My Tibetan Mastiff, which to be fair are more people guardian dogs, did a very good job at teaching me to fetch. If I threw a toy for him, he'd pick it up and run a fair distance with it before he dropped it. I always had the sneaking suspicion he was a lot smarter than me!

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@kordell201]

I am getting one and I would like to know what are the best toys for them

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@peaceandlove5214]

Do they bark alot?

[@KoalaGardens]

They sure do, it is part of the behaviour hard-wired into them to repel predators :)

[@gsproc55]

I live on a small 6 acre farm. I have about 60 fixed and vaccinated barn cats that I have rescued over the years. I currently have no dogs or livestock. I occasionally lose a cat to coyotes out in my pasture area. Would this breed of dog protect my cats and not harm them if socialized as a puppy to the cats? And by socialize i mean watching the cats walk around and hang out on the property. I doubt they would tolerate physical contact.

[@KoalaGardens]

Certainly is a good possibility for you to explore :) see lots more information here maremmano.com/

[@triciaduncan1324]

Mine plays fetch. He loves it. Sometimes I have to hide his ball so he will leave me alone.

[@KoalaGardens]

👏

[@farmerfurry4156]

I spent 20 min teaching mine to fetch today and managed to get her to retrieve her stick/log repeatedly.

[@KoalaGardens]

Farmer furry loved to see video of her doing this! thanks for the comment :)

[@viviane716]

ours plays with balls by tossing them around, jumping after them and batting them with her paws, almost like a cat

[@KoalaGardens]

oh wow you have maremmas? they are so smart and do like to invent their own games ✅

[@lilliesu]

My shiba inu is like this. He might get excited about a toy or ball but never brings it back...it's more like I have to chase him and I guess we play in this way but that is whenever he decides he wants to play. LOL

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@777dingo]

you have to reward them by saying good boy and petting them when they go after the toy, then they will learn that if they get the toy they will get more attention

[@KoalaGardens]

yeah not maremmas, they are not motivated the way many other breeds are :)

[@michellestoppa6162]

I know this video was years ago but would love to chat and pick your brain about me training my girlfriends Meremma Duke who is now 8 months!

[@KoalaGardens]

lovely to hear from you! Did you see that I have a book about maremma behaviour on my website, that may help you a lot in working through his training?

[@stevenfox2060]

Hello, im from Denmark, so id like to say sorry in advance for my english. Ive recently bought a maremma puppy, its 3 months old, and i hope you could help me. First of all his weight is just 10 kg, he is very active indoors, but totally inactive outdoors, for feeding i choosed acana large breed puppyes, he doesnt follow me on a leash and so on. I dont intend to use it as lsg, i live in apartment, but i have over 8 hours per day for walking with puppy) thank you inadvance

[@KoalaGardens]

Sorry Steven I'm not sure what help you want. 10 kg is very underweight. An apartment is not a place for a maremma to live, even with time to walk him. You need to go to a puppy school so you can learn some things but I hope you know what a strong minded breed this is. good luck :)

[@Bonnie_Lou]

Lol 😂❤ ours does fetch x but it is a look at item, look at you, look at item, sigh, fetch lol 😂

[@KoalaGardens]

exactly!!!!!

[@Ohmz_i]

My meramma loves playing chase. He is freaking fast.

[@KoalaGardens]

very different game to fetch - I presume too your maremma is a pet as one would never play chase with a livestock guardian :) I hope you enjoy your maremma, they are wonderful dogs indeed :)

[@KoalaGardens]

I agree Mia and Labwally - they love to play, they will often enjoy tug of war, and they will chase a ball, but that's not fetch ;) Labwally Aslin, what does your maremma do when he/she chases the ball? What happens if you throw the ball several times? I had one who loved to chase and catch a tennis ball when my children played cricket. But she then ran off with it feeling that she had caught it so it was hers now. Was funny to watch!

[@kajah8294]

Mine have a LOT of toys BUT only plays with one

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@BelindaGoedecke]

My maremma plays fetch :) she loves it! 💗💗

[@samw5414]

Our near 8 month old loves it too!! Though most times out of ten just goes gets it n chews on it lol

[@KoalaGardens]

👏

[@Foxxx-01]

Why is that? were they bred not to fetch?

[@KoalaGardens]

Hi Lexxypexxy, they are not specifically bred not to fetch, but fetch behaviour is based on predator behaviour, and this behaviour is indeed bred out of maremmas so that they are trustworthy with livestock. for more information please see the following link: www.maremmano.com/maremma_temperament/playing_fetch_behaviour.html I hope that link and others there on my site concerning predator behaviour help make sense of it all

[@metalfacedoom4820]

My Maremma loves to fetch! Hahaha. He will bring his toys to me to throw, expects me to wrestle it off him and can't wait for me to throw it and repeat the process.

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for adding to the conversation!

[@ednagonzalez5601]

love them great dogs

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@patriciagraham5222]

Lady, you need to actually teach your dog fetch. My maremma lovvves fetch.

[@KoalaGardens]

👏👏👏

[@christinemscully]

My Maremma loves fetch and tug of war, toys are brought to me to play every day

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for the comment Christine that's really interesting. I wonder if you know if you have a full blooded maremma, as if you read my website information on the behaviours bred into them you will see it is linked to behaviour that has been bred out of them in Italy. I hope that the more they are bred for non-working uses we won't see their behaviour change.

[@christinemscully]

Oh she is a full blooded Maremma!!!! Extremely well bred!!!! She is almost 12 months old, plays fetch, plays tug of war, always bringing me things to play with, she is highly interactive - very rarely will she just go and sit - her energy levels are high and she is always full of fun and cheekiness! lol!

[@KoalaGardens]

Thanks for commenting back Christine :) Interesting that she displays unusual behaviour by playing fetch. Does she fetch just a couple of times or will she play it over and over? Maremmas do typically love tug of war :) She sounds like a real joy to have in your life

[@christinemscully]

She will play with one item for a few minutes and then find another and bring it to me to play fetch with it. After around 15 or so minutes, when she is sick of it, she puts her toys back in her kennel! A kennel she rarely uses, except for toy storage lol! She is quite a character, and a great dog to have around - although I am still waiting for that calm Maremma personality to arrive. She sits quietly near her ducks most of the day (she still has a fence between her and them when I am not there), but as soon as any of us enter it is time to play. She is good with the ducks when off lead, but is still a terror with my cat - in fun, but the poor cat just freezes to the ground in fear!

[@stevenfox2060]

As a dog lover from the very childhood i had a pleasure of owning a giant schnauzer and black russian terrier as well as german sheperd in various times of my life, i am not comparing these dogs to maremmas, i just want you to know, ive choosen maremma over caucasian ovcharka because i wanted to be sure i can manage lsg before going to the hardest dog breed to raise, and i just want to meet some people who have a maremma, cause in Denmark its next to impossible) so could you please tell me what exactly whrong with maremma living in appartment?

[@KoalaGardens]

I just think that large breed working dogs need to be able to exercise over a large area doing their job. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your maremma for many years, they are amazing dogs. It is your choice and you may very well raise a wonderfully happy dog, and I hope you do as you will both be happy then.

[@lucianabombelli2899]

Steven Fox Hi, I am an Italian lady owner of a 9 months old maremma, waiting to move with him to a farm with land that my family owns. At the moment we are living in a small-medium size villa but with no garden attached and I can say he is happy the same as long as he stay in my company but... it wouldn't be a good idea to keep them in a house( or flat ) with no garden becase it would annoy you in the kitchen to have your food when you just sit down to have your meal( you give them their food but they try to grab your food, I guess it has something to do with search of power )and if you allow it to stay in the bedroom, it will try no stop all the time you are in the room to get on the top of the bed when it's still a puppy(no relaxing at all )and when it grows enough to succeed to jump and to stay with u on the bed it will feels like the absolute king of the house! So remember that even if it is a smart, independent and well-balanced kind of dog, it could be also a bit bossy, or at least assertive... the best way to made it a bossy type is to let it take place on your bed! Hope that my experience can be helpfull for you so... better u move into a house, if not a farm, with a bit of garden outside to keep this dog OUT of your home. Keep in mind it was developed in mountaneous areas, since ancient times left all alone in the wilderness to watch out sheeps even for days without the sheperd, no wonder it has a vein of wild in it. It definitely needs to stay out!

[@stevenfox2060]

Hello and thk u for your replay. My pup is 6 and a half months now, his height is 61 sm and weight is 17 kg, i feed him 3 meal per day after each walk, i feed him orijen adult dog. I walk him 3 times a day, so far i dont even need a leash and this is strange cause ive heard what lsg dogs have a tendency to roam, he knows sit, stay, no, place, follow, come, he sleeps on his place and without my permission never gets on a bed, i made it clear for him what he is not allowed into the kitchen, so now as i prepare his meal he waits patientlyby the door, before i give him his meal i make him sit and he eats only i tell him he can, he doesnt try to protect his meal, but maybe he is youg after all. As a summory im very happy with lsg dogs and hopefully ill be able to get komondor and kuvazch later. So again thank you for a replay and im looking forward to more comments

[@user-ev3si8hg7k]

Yes, they really do !!! 👍👍👍

[@KoalaGardens]

💚👏😊

[@captmicha]

Looks like well bred dogs! That's what people should want with a LGD. I can't believe how many people get mixed breeds or poorly bred dogs with prey drive and then get pissed at the dogs when they kill livestock.

[@KoalaGardens]

captmicha sadly true, and then proudly say they do play fetch ...

[@madiday5504]

My Maremma fetches!!

[@KoalaGardens]

👏

[@marylougardiner7833]

Norwegian Elkhounds are exactly the same, not interested in balls, sticks etc

[@KoalaGardens]

oh that's interesting! thanks for stopping to comment ☑️

[@michaelcipriani87]

Mine does!

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for the feedback

[@AgentZ46]

Don't know what your talking about. Our one does and he's very playful. Loves tug of war.

[@KoalaGardens]

👏👍

[@EbonyAMV]

Same here lol, 1x is totally fine, but then nope not gonna fetch that xD

[@KoalaGardens]

🤗

[@rachellepeslier1241]

My Meremma pup do fetch and bring it back. Go for swim. Catch. Ball in the water. Sometime she become a Meremma ........... And become very stubborn ...

[@Jolandatommy]

It's not stubborness it's intelligence and self-dignity which is typical of ancient cultures breeds

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@labwallyaslin2934]

My maremma loves to play tug of war and chases balls.

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@domenicoscarpa1292]

Italy Dog. Bellissimi

[@KoalaGardens]

🤗

[@wtfmf91]

They are guardian dogs not retriever....

[@KoalaGardens]

most definitely 😊

[@queefiemcbox]

We spent hundreds on pet toys and our maremma would destroy them. They love rope we went to bcf and got a thick boat anchor and tied knots in it it's cheaper and stronger then using pet shop rope toys

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@hotsex12007]

So true... can totally relate to this with my boy he sits shakes hands thats it! runs away if off lead untrainable o think if they see no purpose to your commands they wont obey your requests lol

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@ruthannjohnson1640]

Looks like dog is teaching human to fetch.cute

[@KoalaGardens]

I know right, humans take a lot of training!

[@sebas8132]

la mia es igual jaja

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for letting me know

[@queefiemcbox]

My boy will get his toy and bring it back sometimes he will bring it back but want to play tug of war there the best dog

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@scottphillips2420]

I have the same problem I can't get my stupid humans to do anything productive they just want to play to games.

[@KoalaGardens]

😂

[@tammyelliott8032]

Oh please.. My 13 week old Maremma plays fetch, not perfectly, but she's getting there. It's not about the breed, any breed can have any personality. It's all about consistency and a positive attitude.

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for commenting :)

[@OpinionatedChicken59]

They think they're better than humans.

[@KoalaGardens]

😊

[@domenicoscarpa1292]

Marstino napoletano maremma levriero ECC forever

[@KoalaGardens]

👋💜

[@kympridham8267]

They will play fetch if taught as a puppy

[@KoalaGardens]

thanks for taking time to give your view!

[@blindtoby8967]

Red monkey and dog.

[@KoalaGardens]

😂

[@lauraadacerri1311]

e' evidente che non sono per nulla interessati...ogni razza e' a se stante, la cosa bella e' proprio questa

[@KoalaGardens]

KZbin seems to have lost my replies from 3 days ago 🤭

[@KoalaGardens]

💚💚💚

[@Davez621]

I don't like these dogs. Labradors are better.

[@KoalaGardens]

+CheesyTV that's such an odd comment. These dogs are bred to guard livestock from attach by predators. A labrador can't do that but makes a wonderful companion and pet. They are such different dogs one can't really compare them. I hope you have a labrador in your life :)

[@johnfa51]

CheesyTV maremma have much selfestiime,if he think that is a stupid game,he don t play. He s a real dog. Strong,calm,sure about himself. He never will be your slave. And this video don t show how to play with maremma sheeperd. I play everyday with my dog

[@halfbakedc00kie]

maybe you can upload a video playing with them. i'd like to see how they bond with humans