Building Incredible Livestock Guardian Dogs

with

Prancing Pony Pups!
 

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In 2022, I wrote a booklet for Kim Crawmer, Prancing Pony Farm, at her request. She asked me to write a set of instructions for buyers of her pups so that they would have a better understanding of what she teaches her pups in the time she has them, and how they can step in and continue this training as the new owner of one, or more, of her pups.

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Kim is the top breeder of Maremmas in the industry today, in my opinion. I am closely involved in her breeding program, having contributed to it with dogs from my own breeding program:

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Benson Ranch Pax
Benson Ranch Marissa
Benson Ranch Celeste
Benson Ranch Circe

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I am closely involved in her training program with her pups, having visited her farm many times and done training with her pups myself. Her purposeful, comprehensive training of her pups begins even before they open their eyes, with the smells of ranch life, and then when their ears open, the sights of a busy ranch life full of a variety of animals and adult Maremma mentors. It takes A LOT of work to raise puppies well and Kim puts in the time, and money, to do just that. She raises the bar for other breeders.

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Many of the buyers of her pups come to me as training clients because they understand the value of raising and training LGDs well before training problems exist. Together, we train young Maremma LGDs well right from the start!

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If you are considering the purchase of a Maremma pup, I hope you will take a look at the information in this booklet. If you have Maremmas of any age, this booklet may help you find a starting point with clicker training with your dogs through the four training exercises in the back of the booklet.

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Have fun! And ask a lot of any breeder you are considering purchasing pups from. A breeder selling purebred, but unregistered, pups may be breeding their dogs without the permission of the breeder they bought the dogs from. That isn’t ethical, and may be a breeding practice you choose not to support. A breeder should be willing and able to show you the hip certificates on any dog they breed. You should expect to be provided with the paperwork necessary to register your pup when you take possession of your pup, not promised the paperwork later. Really read the health guarantee that should be part of your purchase agreement. And there is so much more!

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I am a trainer, and the booklet I wrote for Kim is about training. For much more information about the traits of a good breeder, and the questions a responsible buyer should ask, please go to her website and blog post library.

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