Yes, that very large dog giving me a smooch is Aaron, our second Maremma livestock guardian dog. And he is, at 8 months of age, still very much a puppy! In early December, when we last weighed him, he clocked in at 104 pounds, and he's grown quite a bit since then. Over on the right is our original Maremma, Gina, who I wrote about last June. In that blog post I spelled her name "Gena," but since then I've decided -- for no reason I can recall -- to spell it Gina instead. (She says, "Hey, I don't care how you spell it as long as it sounds the same to me.")
We got Aaron last August when he was almost 3 months old, and he looked like a polar bear cub. Cutest thing I've ever seen. Because Gina was already pretty well advanced in years when she came to us (she's 9 now), the plan all along was to have her "train" the next generation of Maremmas for us. Although there are two excellent books on livestock guardian dogs -- see this and this -- the best way for an LGD puppy to "learn the trade" is by pairing him or her with an experienced dog. They are born with the instincts, because they've been bred for this duty for centuries. But to hone those innate skills, there's nothing more effective than having an adult to show the youngsters the ropes.
Even at just a few months of age, it was clear Aaron was going to be a great livestock guardian dog. We'd take the goats out to the browse paddock in the woods first and turn them loose, then go back and get Gina and Aaron and take them down to the paddock. We'd watch this big, white fluffy puppy go bounding through the woods, racing up to each group of goats, observing for a few seconds, and then running off to check out the next group. We swear it's like he was counting noses to make sure all the goats were accounted for at the beginning of his shift.
Both Gina and Aaron are incredibly sweet, sensitive and affectionate dogs. Aaron is a pure lovebug and a real kisser. They are very wary -- but not aggressive -- with strangers who approach the goat pens or browse paddocks, but with Alayne and me, they just want to be loved up. Here's a close-up of Aaron:
In the first shot, you can see we've already been at it and he's circling around to come at me ... while I'm clapping my hands, which is the signal we've worked out to tell him it's okay to jump on me:
Even so, he's so quick he catches me off-guard, as you can see from my expression (I had to laugh when I saw this shot on the computer):
I grab the big lug and start trying to wrestle him to the ground:
The rules say you can't do this, but he decides right then and there that this is as good a time as any to sneak a kiss in:
I go back to trying to get a bear hug on the polar bear:
We house Gina and Aaron in a large fenced pen adjacent to the goat pen. When we first got Gina she stayed with the goats, which is standard practice for livestock guardian dogs, but we discovered that some of the dominant goats were head-butting her. The livestock guardian dogs have been bred to be submissive to livestock, and Gina simply wouldn't protect or defend herself, let alone give one of the offending goats a nip. This happened only in confinement in the pen, and not out on the browse paddocks, so we set Gina up with her own quarters. Here is where Gina and now Aaron live:
That's a 12' wide by 14' deep Quonset hut -- very cheap, portable livestock housing that will last for decades. We constructed a hay bale "house" inside (think "straw bale house" and you get the idea). The walls and roof are made of hay bales, and the floor is made of several pallets covered with rubber stall mats, and filled with several bales of loose hay for an extra soft and comfy bed that's about a foot thick. We created a narrow "tunnel" in the front for access into the deep interior of the house, which keeps out any wind, snow or rain from getting inside:
The double-envelope design of the hay bale house inside the Quonset hut makes it surprisingly warm.
But the Maremmas go crazy if we don't take them out. The exceptions are if it's raining, sleeting, or snowing hard -- in which case we want them to stay in and have shelter, even if they think they'd rather be out in the woods. If it's below zero but otherwise calm and clear weather, we'll put them out for a couple of hours before bringing them back in early. It's like they get cabin fever!
Here's our beautiful Gina:
Bear in mind that Gina is a big girl in her own right -- she weighs 94 pounds herself -- so you can see how much bigger Aaron is than she is at this point. And I don't think he's done growing!
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New Shelter Challenge Contest -- Please Vote for the Farm!
The latest Shelter Challenge started Monday, January 7 and ends on April 28. Grand prize in this round is $10,000, $3,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories ... please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
*** You will find us listed as Rolling Dog Farm. The state is NH for New Hampshire. ***
Please remember, you can vote every day ... consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
We just won $1,000 as a weekly winner in the last contest, and thousands more in the previous contests. The Shelter Challenge really does bring in a lot of money for the animals here!
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
Thank you for your votes!
That last picture is the money shot! Awesome dogs, thanks for sharing (and educating!).
Posted by: patty c | February 08, 2013 at 09:00 PM
Wow... Beautiful dogs. Very similar to the Great Prynees I used to have. They were also great LGD's. Never lost a lamb to a predator when we had them.
Posted by: John Carver | February 08, 2013 at 01:23 PM
What gorgeous dogs! That's one breed I am not familiar with, but they sound fabulous. They do the work and have such good natures. I'm glad you have them. My dog would certainly agree with their love of cold weather. The colder it is the better she likes it. Thank you so much for sharing this and the pictures!
Posted by: Kathy Greene | February 05, 2013 at 10:35 AM
I've never seen this breed before. Beautiful dogs --incredible humans for the care you give to all the animals at the farm.
Posted by: Mary T. Brasseaux | February 03, 2013 at 02:04 PM
Looks like your goats are VERY well taken care of, not just by you and Alayne, but by your gorgeous co workers. You have given 2 working dogs their dream job. Dogs like them are happiest when they can do the job they are bred for. Enjoy your "little" puppy now, while he is small ;) they tend to keep growing for a while.
Posted by: Anne in FL | February 02, 2013 at 09:40 AM
I have never heard of this breed but boy are they beautiful. They are so large and yet seem so gentle. I love their sweet faces when they look at the camera.
Posted by: Betsy | January 31, 2013 at 10:53 PM
Gorgeous dogs and photos! I'd love to know how tall Aaron is when he stands on his hind legs.
Posted by: Moon Rani | January 31, 2013 at 04:38 PM
BEAUTIFUL DOGS & DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE BREEDS THAT DON'T MIND COLD WEATHER. MY ALASKAN MALAMUTE IS THAT WAY - CAN'T BE COLD ENOUGH FOR HIM. AND I HAVE LEARNED TO APPRECIATE THE WINTER'S HERE IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS SINCE HAVING MALAMUTE'S IN MY LIFE. I ALSO THINK THE LARGER BREEDS DON'T STOP GROWING UNTIL MAYBE 3 YRS OLD SO BRACE YOURSELVES FOR A BIGGER BOY.
Posted by: FELICIA | January 31, 2013 at 01:12 PM
Aaron and Gina are beautiful! They look so happy, what a nice way to start the day to see this! Thanks!
Posted by: Dawn | January 31, 2013 at 11:16 AM
I LOVE this blog and I love Aaron and Gina!! I wanted to jump in the picture and hug them--I adore BIG dogs!!!!! GREAT,GREAT pictures and blow!!!!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | January 31, 2013 at 10:54 AM
Awesome! Most people around here use Pyranese. I'm certain I misspelled that! They have about the same temperment though. Working dogs have such drive to do their job!
Mamma Heartbeat
Posted by: Heartbeats | January 31, 2013 at 10:02 AM
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story of your guard dogs and their work. It was very interesting and they are quite beautiful dogs.
Posted by: Dee in KY | January 31, 2013 at 06:01 AM
Gina is the correct Italian spelling (as in Gina Lollobrigida;-)). So, well done, Steve!:-)
Gina & Aaron are just gorgeous (and very sweet, too)!
I bet Alayne must be careful not to be knocked over by such a big guy!:-)
Posted by: Carla Polastro-Nigro | January 31, 2013 at 04:18 AM
Gina and Aaron are simply gorgeous! Thank you for updating us on them. It is so interesting to find out what they do and how they do it. I learn something new every time I read your blog.
I don't know who is enjoying playtime (and kiss time) more...you or Aaron!
Posted by: Ann | January 30, 2013 at 11:26 PM
They are gorgeous! I want one!!! Or two! Thanks for the story on them - very fascinating.
Posted by: Leila K. - Western Wash. | January 30, 2013 at 08:31 PM
I had the pleasure of meeting a Maremma guardian dog when I stayed at a working farm in the Tuscan countryside. What a superb breed! Sweet, calm, aloof to strangers, ever-watchful. So glad RDF has it's own pair now to help out.
Posted by: Roxie | January 30, 2013 at 07:15 PM
Gina and Aaron are beautiful! I used to have English Mastiffs. Aslan, my male rescue, topped the scale at 225 lbs. I have never lived with such a gentle giant. Ditto for our Pyrenees rescue, Teddy. Thank you for sharing info and pictures of your gentle giants, Gina and Aaron, with us.
Posted by: Mary H./Washington state | January 30, 2013 at 06:06 PM
Oh my goodness, Aaron might be the biggest dog I've ever seen. By the time he's done growing, I'm sure he will be. They are both so beautiful. Great photos of you two playing, and I love their hay bale/quonset house!
Posted by: Tonya Allen | January 30, 2013 at 04:58 PM
Wow, what beautiful dogs! That really brings me back to being a kid when we had both a Newfoundland and a Great Pyranees named Beau - who looked just like Aaron! I remember we had to remove the coffee table from the living room because their tails just swept everything off when they wagged them, not to mention when they were both laying down there wasn't much room left. We used to camp in the Adirondacks all the time and you had to get there by a 17 mile boat trip - so my family and the tent and supplies would go first, then my Dad would come back for me and the dogs waiting at the dock because we couldn't all fit in the boat! I sure had a ball with those guys! Thanks for the memories and have fun!!!
Posted by: Katy | January 30, 2013 at 03:48 PM
Those two are truly beautiful dogs. And they have sweet and gentle faces. I guess with those coats to keep them warm they don't mind the cold. Although maybe at some point in the future when Gina is an older lady she may want to be in the house and retire, although I realize it's not her natural instinct to do that. But they certainly seem happy. Have they ever meet some of the other dogs?
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | January 30, 2013 at 12:07 PM
I'm curious if you adopted or bought your maremmas. I found several on Petfinder which surprised me.
Love their nest. Another clever use of resources to meet a need. You always amaze me Steve and Alayne!!
Great post. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | January 30, 2013 at 11:40 AM
Good Morning from British Columbia! Oh my goodness...what absolutely *fabulous* dogs Gina and Aaron are!! The details on these beauties were fascinating...I had never heard of this breed before! Thank you...as always, for continuing to show us more of your special farm....always delightful and interesting!
Posted by: Valerie | January 30, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Amazing dogs! They are beautiful! When you get a 'bear' hug, you really do get a 'bear' hug!!
Posted by: Linda Murphy | January 30, 2013 at 11:15 AM
Thank you Steve for sharing About Gina & Aaron Big Dog, Big heart, Big Love
Posted by: Eric | January 30, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Gosh! I wish I lived nearer to you. I love goats and Gina and Aaron are just the "vanilla" frosting on that cake. I'd be happy to be put to work. Gina looks like such a lady and Aaron is a youth all full of himself. I know you two work very hard but what a wonderful life you have carved out for yourselves. I hope there is happiness in your hard and varied work. It just sounds fascinating. Do you have any pictures of Aaron when you first got him? You go guys! :) :)
Posted by: Kathleen Rivard | January 30, 2013 at 10:54 AM