Maremma Sheepdog
The Maremma Sheepdog has guarded flocks in central Italy since Roman times, moving with them between the Abruzzo mountains and the Maremma marshes, and it is still bought as a…
About the Maremma Sheepdog
The Maremma Sheepdog has guarded flocks in central Italy since Roman times, moving with them between the Abruzzo mountains and the Maremma marshes, and it is still bought as a working guardian in Britain by people keeping sheep or poultry. It is not a herder and has no ambition to become one.
Dogs stand 65 to 73 cm, white throughout, with a dense harsh coat and a bear-like head. Character is what really distinguishes the breed: reserved, undemonstrative, awake at night, and firmly attached to whatever livestock it was raised among. A stud should be confident and calm, and it is worth establishing whether it lives and works with stock or lives in a house, because the two produce noticeably different puppies.
Hip and elbow scores should come with the pedigree, along with a current eye certificate. Beyond that the useful questions are practical: how the line has held up for working owners, whether relatives have needed joint surgery, and how long the stud's own parents went on working. Bloat is a risk in a large deep-chested dog, and so is overheating under a heavy white coat in a British summer.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Maremma Sheepdog
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 10 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 16 dogs scored — indicative only, from a small sample). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Maremma Sheepdog stud dogs
No Maremma Sheepdog studs are listed right now
When a Maremma Sheepdog on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Maremma Sheepdog litters
No Maremma Sheepdog litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
