Maremma Sheepdog

Summary

The Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog or Maremma Sheepdog (Italian: Cane da pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese), usually referred to simply as the Maremmano or Abruzzese Sheepdog, is a breed of livestock guardian dog indigenous to central Italy, particularly to Abruzzo and the Maremma region of Tuscany and Lazio. It has been used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves. The literal English translation of the name is "The dog of the shepherds of the Maremma and Abruzzese region". The English name of the breed derives from that of the Maremma marshlands where, until recently, shepherds, dogs and hundreds of thousands of sheep over-winteredand where the breed is today abundant, although sheep herding has decreased substantially. The breed is widely employed in Abruzzo, where sheep herding remains vital to the rural economy and the wolf remains an active (though protected) predator. Similar-looking dog breeds include the Pyrenean Mountain Dog (known as the Great Pyrenees in North America), the Kuvasz of Hungary, the Polish Tatra Sheepdog, the Slovenský Cuvac of Slovakia and the Šarplaninac (although this breed is not only coloured white like the others are), with all of which it may share a common ancestor; and the Akbash of Turkey.

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Also known as

This breed is also called Abruzzenhund, Abruzzese Mastiff, Abruzzese Sheepdog, Abruzzo Sheepdog, Cane da Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese, Cane da pastore Maremmano-Abbruzzese, Maremma Sheepdog, Maremma and Abruzzes Sheepdog, Maremma-Abruzzese Sheepdog, Maremmano, Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog, Mastino Abruzzese, Pastore Abruzzese, Pastore Maremmano as well as Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese.

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