PUPPIES & ADULTS AVAILABLE!
As we only sell to working homes with livestock, we ask that you fill out our Maremma questionnaire if you have an interest in our puppies and if you would like to be kept updated on any future litters. Read more about our litters from Fid and Bolo, below!
MAREMMAS
Partners Not Pets | Livestock Guardians Not Companions
Visso & Ausonia
We started breeding Maremmas with the thought of bringing in some strong outside bloodlines. Our goal is to concentrate on working animals to make sure that we would have an asset to any ranch or farm looking for livestock protection. After experimenting with a few different girls, we think we picked a winning combination to begin our breeding program:
VISSO
What a stud!
Visso came to Unfinished Acres from Italy when he was 1.5 years old. He was the biggest dog we had imported and needed a huge, handmade wooden crate. Fortunately we have a truck, as the crate was way too big to fit in any car!
Visso weighs in around 140 pounds. Visso’s birthday is 2/14/2016 and he truly lives up to everything a valentine should offer. He is a friendly, loving, studly big white ball of fur. Visso watches over horses and poultry, he takes his charges seriously and although he prefers the horses he has access to the orchard where the ducks are kept. We no longer lose ducklings to the ravens now that Visso is in charge.
Visso has fathered multiple litters for Unfinished Acres and we plan to continue to use him in the future.
Visso
Visso and Horses
Visso and friends
Visso and a beautiful view
AUSONIA
This lady is a world traveler! She was born in Italy and flown to Finland as a young pup, then to Unfinished Acres as an 11-month-old. Ausonia was born 12/16/2016 and arrived here on 11/23/2017 - what a whirlwind!
Ausonia’s temperament has always been so very sweet. She is very respectful of the goats, sheep , kids and lambs. Ausonia has given us 3 beautiful litters; her pups are the best! Great black pigment around the eyes and nose, long flatter nose that blend with the forehead, and nice, leggy pups.
Ausonia has EXCELLENT hip ratings from the OFA and is negative for elbow dysplasia
Ausonia and her pups, October 2020
Ausonia and her Boers
The beautiful Ausonia
Ausonia and her little ones
Now that we’ve determined our Foundation Pair, we will begin breeding some of the daughters to our new stud dog, Mano. Mano gave us two great litters in 2023 and 2024 is turning out just as well.
FIDELIA:
Fid is on track to have puppies in Mid March 2024. Stay tuned.
Once we determined our foundation line, we started waiting for the right girl to begin the next phase of our breeding program. Our breeding girls not only have to look good with good hips and elbows; we also watch for intelligence, aptitude and behavior that will lead us to believe we will have a solid, independent thinking, bold with predators but with the social aptitude to exist with neighbors.
Fidelia and her pups!
Fid with new puppies
Fid & Bolo
Fid with her Kikos and sheep
BOLO (Be on the Lookout!): Puppies Available!
Bolo has provided us with some gorgeous, big and healthy pups, born 1-1-2024. Six girls and Two boys.
When we have a litter and hold a puppy back for future breeding, we look for LGD skills, structural soundness and, as an added bonus, good looks. Bolo checks every box and the combination of Bolo and our stud dog Mano we feel has been impressive.
Bolo 1-20-24
Bolos pups - 2-16-24
Bolo nursing - 2-14-24
Bolos pups and friends- 2-14-24
To complement these girls for what will hopefully be amazing LGD puppies, we brought Mano in from Finland in January, 2022. We are looking forward to the future and being able to provide some gorgeous and effective Maremma guardians.
MANO
We have had such a good experience with Ausonia, we decided to go back to Finland to the same breeder who had sold us Ausonia (unrelated to Mano). You can achieve handsome and you can achieve a good working dog, but it takes a good breeder to be able to provide both, so welcome to:
Pecchio, aka Mano, came to us from Finland, February 2022. Mano was chosen for his playful yet loving temperament and genetic diversity. We feel Mano exemplifies the Maremma Breed Standard. Our goal is to breed our own line of Maremma and Mano will be our #2 man in line after Visso. While in Finland Mano watched over goats and chickens and will continue watching goats, sheep and chickens here at Unfinished Acres.
Mano
Mano, Momo, and Charlie
Mano and his goats
Mano and his Kiko goats
Many people come to us because they need a LGD immediately for some recent threat to their herd, and then they ask about purchasing a puppy. LGDs are not true guardians until they are 18 – 24 months old. Asking a puppy to protect your herd is like asking your 12-year-old little league pitcher to step up to the majors. Nothing good will come of it.
An option we provide on a limited basis is to provide an 18 – 30 month old LGD and pair it with one of our puppies. In this way you have a solid guardian that can also work and teach the puppy.
Essentially a starter kit, you can continue to buy puppies after this as you will have present and future mentors and coaches.
Maremma Teams
Puppy Education
1 – 3 months
Our puppies are born with their charges and stay with them 24/ 7 for as long as they are with us. We keep the puppies for a minimum of 12 – 14 weeks as we feel it is very important for moms to provide the initial instruction when the puppies becoming aware. This is another reason it’s so important to have a working LGD as a mom.
4 – 12 months
Education continues. Always in a pasture, always with charges. Basic socialization, tying, leading but treated always as an LGD never a pet.
