Puppies expected the end of August  2014.  They will be available to go to their new homes in November

And now the last pup has left to it's new home....

Picture
September 2, 2013  

We had a wonderful time in the weeks leading up to the pups departure to learn about the farms the pups would be going to, and the people to whom the pups would be entrusted to.  It was a very enjoyable process!  I can feel so assured that they will be raised correctly for their and their flock's best good.


To the owners of Atlas, Selene, Ceres, and Kaylee, we at Old Schoolhouse Creek Farm say "Thank You! Keep up the good work of building the dream, one project at a time"
Lace and Tux have had their babies!!! 

ALL ARE SOLD FOR 2013 - A LIST IS STARTED FOR NEXT LITTER - SEE BELOW...

All puppies will leave the farm at the earliest 10 weeks old to get a few extra weeks of socialization and exposure of our farms' and their parent's teachings.  All will be Micro chipped  and received the recommended vet care for the age.  All are registerable and will have their 5 generation pedigree.   

With each puppies deposit we will get Jackie Church's 'Maremma Manual' into your hands.  This is an absolutely wonderful manual that we have turned to again and again.  Why not start out prepared and knowledgeable as to what to have in place both mentally and at the farm so there isn't that "If I would have only known" conversation in the future.  This vital piece will be so those awaiting their puppy can mentally prepare for how to best implement their new charges for the best outcome.  

**We now have the option to send a hard cover or an electronic manual about LGDs  from Jackie Church with the deposits.  

Let us know if you want to reserve a pup from next year's litter

Tuxedo and Lace our two Maremmas in charge

They are so integral to our farm that they are on each
animal's page, so look around!


When I woke up one morning to my husband jumping out our upstairs bedroom window onto the porch roof at the crack of dawn shouting "HOOO-AHHHHH!!! HOOOAHHHH!!!!" I thought the world as I knew it was over.  Well, it was and it wasn't.  A coyote was after the livestock and the llama wasn't able to protect them all.  A lamb was down.  This is where my research into Livestock Guardian Animals started. Soon thereafter we were introduced to 5 month old "Lace" a Maremma LGD (Livestock Guardian Dog). It's always better to have two Maremmas to work together and so we added Tuxedo. We have been predator free since!  We now have Dexter cattle, Kune Kune pigs, a Cashmere goat plus a pair of Boer goats, with chickens in the mix and call ourselves settled in regards to animals... For the time being.... but turkeys are calling my name again.

The Maremma's heritage is caring for livestock in the hills of Italy for centuries. They were in charge of protecting them from wolves and other predators in accompaniment with a Shepard and alone when the shepherds would leave the flock for weeks at a time.  Through the generations the traits to guard independently, their attentiveness to the flock,  and trustworthiness,  were selectively bred for; resulting in the magnificent animal we can employ today.

There is much rich information about Maremmas out there that anyone interested in a Maremma will no doubt research. I'd like to put our own experiences here to round out the facts.

As with all of our animals, how they interacted by natural design with people was of top priority for us.  Maremmas are known for their innate friendliness and that fills out with the environment they are placed in.  We  have young children as well as many visitors and are in and out of the pasture a lot.  We needed to start with a genetically better suited breed, and enhance that with the environment and patterns as to have a LGD that would suite how we live here on the farm.

Each LGD needs to be set up for success.  A responsible owner will do through research to ensure that they can provide the proper environment and training to ensure success.There is a bit of misleading information out there saying that a Maremma does not need training to be a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD).  It's true that the natural instincts are there to do a very admirable job, but with training they can excel.   The details of human/dog relationship are also benefited with training.  I am fortunate enough to come across Jackie Church and her valuable work on documenting Maremmas, how and why they do what they do and how to work with them to create that strong partnership and trust you want in your LGD.  Read up about Maremmas and her on her site: www.windancefarms.com.  Her training is so through and spot-on that with the purchase of each pup we are including her training manual.  You'll find it'll be an incredible resource.  If there was a behavior I wasn't understanding, I could find out the particulars in her manual and see how it benefited the LGD, and/or find out how I could help mold that behavior to greater benefit.

Our Maremmas are in the pasture and guard Dexter cattle, goats, chickens, and KuneKune pigs. They like to sit up higher on the hill to overlook their charges.  They prefer to bark as a natural first defense but are not all night barkers.  There have been coyotes, bear, cougar, deer, run amok neighboring dogs, raccoon,  opossum  and the like spotted around our property.  Our Maremmas have done their job well and we have not seen them here in our pastures.  As I've learned about the diseases that wild life can introduce to the flock, I've realized another level of protection the Maremmas are providing to us by keeping them out.


Check out these references:
The Maremma Club is a wonderful resource: http://maremmaclub.com/
The above mentioned Jackie Church at: www.windancefarms.com


With careful consideration as to placement we will have some pups for sale next summer.  Contact us and we'll begin the conversation!