Owning dogs, in particular providing care for the maremma sheepdog, is a specialty of people. Zoologists postulate that dogs were originally domesticated between twelve thousand and 25,000 years ago—and that all canines evolved from the wolf. Since then, people have selectively bred more than 400 breeds, ranging in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, who have earned the distinction of tallest canine. But the most preferred canines are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The maremma sheepdog is another popular pick with dog owners. Some owners are oblivious, however, of many crucial maremma sheepdog care tips.
Typical cost of care for your maremma sheepdog
The yearly cost of providing for the maremma sheepdog—including everything from nutrition, veterinary care, toys and license—can vary between four hundred twenty and seven hundred eighty dollars. This is not even counting capital expenses for sterilization operations, collar and leash, dog carrier and crate. Tip: Be positive you have all your supplies before getting your maremma sheepdog home for the 1st time.
Basic maremma sheepdog Care
Feeding the maremma sheepdog
- maremma sheepdog puppies between 8 and twelve weeks need 4 bowls of food every 24 hours.
- Feed maremma sheepdog pups 3 to 6 months old three meals in a day.
- Feed pups six months old to 1 year 2 times every 24 hours.
- By the time the maremma sheepdog reaches his first birthday, one meal every 24 hours is all that’s required.
- Some maremma sheepdogs, however, eat 2 smaller helpings. It is your duty to adapt to your maremma sheepdog’s eating tendencies.
Excellent-quality dry dog food provides balanced nutrition for adult maremma sheepdogs and may be mixed with broth, canned food, or water. Your maremma sheepdog may also dig cooked eggs, cottage cheese, and fruits and vegetables, but these additions should be less than 10 percent of his or her daily nutrition. maremma sheepdog pups ought to be fed top-quality, name brand puppy food. Try to cut down on “table food”, though, because it can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, tooth and bone problems, and might create extremely finicky food choices and obesity. Give fresh, clean water only, and make certain to clean water and food bowls regularly.
maremma sheepdog Care Tips: Your maremma sheepdog needs exercise daily
maremma sheepdogs must have some daily exercise to stay healthy, stimulate their brains, and maintain good health. Daily activity also really helps maremma sheepdogs fight boredom, which often leads to destructive behavior. Getting out will satisfy most of your maremma sheepdog’s desires to chase, retrieve, chew, dig and herd. Activity needs will depend on your maremma sheepdog’s level of health and his age—but just a walk around the block every day and 10 minutes in back of the house probably will not be sufficient. If your maremma sheepdog is a 6 to eighteen month adolescent, his requirements will probably be greater.
maremma sheepdog Grooming
You can help keep your maremma sheepdog clean and reduce shedding with brushing. Check for ticks and fleas daily during warm weather. Sometimes maremma sheepdogs don’t need to be bathed more than a few times per year. Before the bath, cut out or comb any and all mats from the maremma sheepdog’s hair. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to soap residue.
Handling Your maremma sheepdog
Pups are clearly the easiest to manage. When carrying the maremma sheepdog puppy, take one of your hands and place it beneath your dog’s chest, either with the forearm or other hand supporting her hind legs and rump. Never attempt to grab or lift your pup by his or her forelegs, tail or nape. If you need to lift a bigger, full-grown maremma sheepdog, lift from underneath, supporting his or her chest with 1 arm and rump with your other.
maremma sheepdog housing
Your maremma sheepdog needs a cozy peaceful location to be able to rest away from all the breezes and away from the ground or floor. You may wish to think about buying a dog bed, or think about making one out of a wood box. Put a clean comforter, blanket, or pillow inside the bed. Wash your maremma sheepdog’s bedding often. If the maremma sheepdog will be outdoors frequently, make sure he has covering and plenty of cool water in hot weather, and a covered, dry, warm area in winter.
maremma sheepdog Identification
Your area has licensing regulations to follow. You should connect the license to the maremma sheepdog’s collar. The license, together with an ID tattoo, may help you recover your maremma sheepdog should she go missing.
maremma sheepdog Temperament Information
About Training Your maremma sheepdog
A well-mannered, companion maremma sheepdog is truly a blessing to have. However, left untrained, your maremma sheepdog can easily be troublesome. Training your maremma sheepdog on the basics—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—will strengthen your relationship both with your maremma sheepdog and your company. If you own a puppy, begin training her on the right behavior immediately! Meals can be used as incentive and recognition. Pups can commence obedience class when they have been sufficiently vaccinated. Contact the community humane society or SPCA for information on training courses. Always walk your maremma sheepdog leashed while in public, even while a puppy. Be certain your maremma sheepdog will come back to you whenever you tell her. A disobedient or aggressive maremma sheepdog should not play with kids.
About your maremma sheepdog’s Health
maremma sheepdogs should visit the vet for a complete check-up, innoculations and heartworm screening annualy, and promptly if he is ill or hurt.
maremma sheepdog Oral Health
While many of us may simply dislike our maremma sheepdog’s halitosis, we should be aware of what it may be telling us. Bad breath is a sign that your maremma sheepdog should get an oral examination. Plaque , which is caused by bacteria results in a bad odor that requires the help of a professional. After a professional oral cleaning, his mouth may be kept up by brushing regularly, feeding a special diet focused on dental health, and eliminating table food. Your vet can show you additional tips on eliminating oral diseases and halitosis. You can easily brush your maremma sheepdog’s teeth with a dog toothpaste or a baking-soda-and-water paste a few times per week. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched over your finger. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, often affects maremma sheepdogs. Frequently, teeth loss occurs as a result of gum disease. Diseases can sometimes also spread to other areas of your maremma sheepdog’s body. The doctor will sometimes brush the maremma sheepdog’s teeth during her regular health test.
Bad maremma sheepdog Breath
Even though halitosis brought on by periodontal disease may not be too serious if detected early, some bad breath may indicate serious, long-term causes for concern. A sweet, fruity smell may usually be indicative of diabetes, while diseases of the liver or intestines may cause foul breath. If your maremma sheepdog’s breath smells like ammonia or urine, kidney disease may be the reason. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your maremma sheepdog has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
Dealing with Fleas and Ticks in maremma sheepdogs
During the warm seasons, it’s important for you to perform daily inspections of your maremma sheepdog for fleas and ticks. Remove and find fleas using a flea comb. There are several new techniques of tick control. Speak with your maremma sheepdog’s doctor about her or his options.
Heartworms in maremma sheepdogs
This parasite lives in the heart and passes from a contaminated dog to your maremma sheepdog by way of mosquitoes. Heartworm infections can be deadly. Your maremma sheepdog should have a blood test for heartworms each spring—this is crucial for detecting infestations from the prior year. A monthly tablet taken throughout the course of mosquito season will help to protect your maremma sheepdog. Your maremma sheepdog should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. There are some areas, usually the areas with milder temperatures, where the veterinarians recommend heartworm pills be given continually.
Poisons and Medications
Never give your maremma sheepdog medicine that has not been prescribed by her veterinarian. One little ibuprofen tablet can initiate stomach ulcers in maremma sheepdogs. Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your maremma sheepdog. Make sure to call your maremma sheepdog’s doctor if you have reason to suspect your maremma sheepdog has eaten poison. You should also immediately call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24 hr. help.
Neutering and Spaying maremma sheepdogs
Female maremma sheepdogs should be spayed—which is the removal of the uterus and ovaries—and males neutered—extraction of the testes—by six months old. You will usually greatly reduce your female’s chance of breast cancer by spaying prior to adulthood. Spaying also eliminates the chance of a diseased uterus, a very serious condition in more mature females that demands surgery and intensive medical care. Prostate diseases, testicular cancer, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior can be prevented by neutering males.
maremma sheepdog Innoculating
- Your maremma sheepdog puppy should be immunized with a combo vaccine (called a “five-in-one”) at two, three and four months old, and then once each year. This innoculation immunizes your puppy from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Your maremma sheepdog must be innoculated for at least the first 4 months of his life.
- If your maremma sheepdog has not been vaccinated and is older than 4 months, she will need to be given two immunizations immediately, two or three weeks apart. Then you must vaccinate annualy.
- maremma sheepdog pup immunization and socialization should coincide. Most vets advise that new owners bring their maremma sheepdog pups to socialization courses, as early as eight or nine weeks of age. At this age, they should have received at least their first immunizations.
Rules vary so much between different areas, that it’s best to contact your neighborhood vet to get rabies vaccination details. In NYC, for example, the rule requires any pets older than three months must be vaccinated for rabies. After the initial innoculation, you must get another immunization the next year, and then every three years. There are several immunizations that may effective for your maremma sheepdog. Your veterinarian can tell you about them. Take note, if your maremma sheepdog gets sick because she is not properly vaccinated, the immunization should be administered after your pet is better.
Intestinal Parasites in maremma sheepdogs
maremma sheepdogs are often exposed to worms—in all areas, both urban and rural. Eggs that carry hookworms are transmitted through a dog’s feces. Even the healthiest of maremma sheepdog puppies carry intestinal worms. Getting an accurate, early detection is the secret to treatment. This will maximize the possibility that the medicine is highly effective against the parasite your maremma sheepdog has. A dewormer that eradicates hookworms, for example, won’t kill tapeworms. Your maremma sheepdog’s doctor can best define the culprit—and decide the effective medicine.
maremma sheepdog Care Tips: Additional Information
maremma sheepdog Supply Checklist
- High-quality dog food and treats specifically for maremma sheepdogs and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water bowl
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Comb & brush for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with license and ID tag
- Leash
- Carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Dog bed or box with comforter or towel
- Child’s toothbrush
The no-no list
The following items should never be fed to maremma sheepdogs:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Coffee, tea, or chocolate
- Grapes & raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Chicken, turkey, or any other poultry bones
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit & stems
- Dough
The “Bottom” Line
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in place, always keep your maremma sheepdog on a leash. Whenever your maremma sheepdog does #2 on a neighbor’s yard, the sidewalk or any other public location, please take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about maremma sheepdogs
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