DMAR Alpaca and Maremma Blog

Gianna Due Anyday Now:

Gianna has just hit her 8th week. Her litter is due literally anytime now. I know you probably can’t tell much from the photos but she is really quite wide. At this time I have no problem feeling a pup kick everytime I lay my hands on her.

  We finished Gianna’s whelping area. I used to use a whelping box but Gianna is just too big to fit in it. Instead I took my friend’s, Deb Dallara of Brookfarm Alpacas, idea and ran with it. The room is actually the horse wash room in the barn. Since I don’t have horses it was easy to transform it. We lined the walls with hay bales and out in front we are using one side of a chain link dog run with a door. The table inside is where I weigh the alpaca feed and underneath has a fan to keep Gianna cool. The entire cement floor was topped off with coastal bermuda to keep Gianna and the pups comfy. Once the time is here for Gianna to whelp I will keep towels and blankets on top of the hay floor as I don’t want any puppies getting it caught in their eyes.

Gianna is a very good eater. She’s never one to pass up on food. At this time I am feeding her one cup of adult and 3 cups puppy dry food all topped off with 1/2 can of puppy wet food. She gets this twice a day and sometimes she even gets an additional cup at noon. This morning was the first time in a long time, I’m not counting when her face got stung by a wasp, that she didn’t finish her meal. All signs that I am observing.

I am starting to take her temp twice per day. This morning it was still over a 100. Once it drops to 98/99 I will be on full alert as she will start to whelp 24/48 hrs afterwards. At least this time the whelping area is large enough for me to lay down with her comfortably. Also, what a nice change to have puppies in the summertime vs. the winter. I guess I won’t be freezing my butt off this time around!

  Santino, the dad to be, is taken things in stride. He loves Gianna and protects her but isn’t stopped from doing his other guarding duties on the ranch. Once Gianna gives birth she won’t have any love left for Santino until the pups are old enough to be introduced to the others. Santino knows the deal as this will be his third litter.

Puppies will all be for sale. Females go for $850 and males at $750. All go with first shot, first deworming, microchip, and registration paperwork.

Tom and I are registered with the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America. We have been breeding these dogs for 4 years. We truly believe in them and would not sell them if we didn’t. We are ethical breeders and only breed each female once per year. We do not care to be a puppy mill but do believe in providing these working dogs to the farms/ranches needing them.

You can read more about my dogs by Clicking Here. You can view pictures of past puppies on the site or you can also click on the maremma tab off the blog menu.

Looks like Maremma LGD Puppies are Coming to DMAR:

  Mom to be is Gianna who is currently 20 mths old. This will be Gianna’s first litter. Gianna is a direct import from the Abruzzi region in Italy. She is a big girl weighing at 101 before her pregnancy. Gianna’s temperment is very loving and truly loyal to her herd and family. At the moment I can see changes in both Gianna’s attitude and physical changes in her mammary glands. She is quite hormonal and won’t tolerate any messing around from the other maremmas. She loves to spend her days in front of the fans trying to cool down from this Georgia heat and humidity.

Gianna is due at the end of August or early September. We are quite busy preparing for the birth of her pups by setting up a whelping area in the barn.

  Santino is Gianna’s mate. Santino is a first generation import. He is currently 4 years old and this will be Santino’s third litter. Santino is a wonderful guard dog and spends most of his day marking and patroling his territory. We sleep peacefully knowing that Santino will take care of the alpacas.

Santino is a great partner for Gianna. He makes sure he leaves a little something in his bowl for Gianna at every feeding. He is very attentive to Gianna even though she can turn and snap at him for absolutely no reason at all these days. He simply ignores it and keeps going about his business. Like the rest of the Maremmas at DMAR he is very loyal and loving towards his alpacas and family.

Both parents guard 24 alpacas at the DMAR ranch in Mansfield, GA. Puppies will be raised alongside the alpacas. Initially they will only share a fenceline but will begin to be introduced slowly starting at approx. 5 to 6 wks old under heavy supervision.

For more information on maremmas Click Here or you can read more about past litters and view photos by clicking on the maremma link from the menu on the blog. Puppies are available for purchase and will be ready by early November. Females sell for $850 and males for $750. Please contact us for more information.

Maremmas – Santino and Gianna

Santino                                      Gianna

Our next breeding pair will be Santino and Gianna. Santino is first generation of Italian imports. Santino is just under 4 yrs of age and has fathered two litters so far. He is very loyal and loving with his family that includes 25 alpacas. Santino has been guarding alpacas since he was 8 wks old. He was our first maremma and never had to be taught how to guard. It was all instinct. Santino is a large sized male weighing 103 lbs.

Gianna is an Italian import right from the Abruzzi region. She is currently 18 months old and this will be Gianna’s first litter. Gianna loves to play catch and run around. She too is very serious about her guarding duties. Gianna came to us when she was 9 wks old and learned from the other dogs what to do. Gianna is a big dog weighing 101 lbs. She has now become the alpha female and demands respect from the others.

We expect Santino and Gianna to breed this summer as early as July. Puppies are born 2 months later and ready to go to new homes in 4 months. We expect this pair to produce gorgeous puppies that will be big just like all the prior litters we have had to date.

We are currently accepting names for our waiting list. Price per female puppy is $850 and price per male pup is $750. Discounts will apply on multiple puppy purchases. Take $50 off the list price if you send a deposit prior to breeding. Included in the pups’ pricing is first shots, first deworming, microchip, and registration paperwork.

Previous litters have gone to goat, sheep, and alpaca farms in the western states. Since we are moving we do plan on this next litter to be born in Georgia.

For more information on maremmas Click Here.

Maremma Pup, Aspen, Finds Home in CO:

Aspen, female Maremma pup, left this past Sunday with new owner, Ish Phillips of Walls Edge Alpaca Ranch, to live in Colorado. She is the first puppy to leave our ranch, but she is in good hands and will be guarding approximately 10-15 alpacas. Before she left we had her vaccinated, dewormed, and microchipped. Tom said she didn’t even cry when he placed her into the kennel. She was well behaved all the way to the airport and then even more behaved when she met Ish. It really has paid off to introduce the kennel to the pups when they were 3 weeks old. Keeping it in their area for playing and sleeping has made it less stressful on the pups.

On Monday I sent Ish an email to see how Aspen was liking her new place. Ish was kind enough to allow me to post a direct quote from his email back to me. Here is what he said: “Aspen seemed to be happy with her digs.  It looked like she slept in her coop on the straw.  I introduced her to the boys this morning.  They are a bunch of wimps.  Everytime she would get up and take a step, Max would alarm call and he wasn’t even in the same pasture as Aspen.  She seemed right at home in the pasture, just keeping her distance from the boys but always watching.  Chris took her over to the girls tonite and they were quite curious.  We saw more smarts in one day from her than we have seen in a lifetime with other dogs.  Chris absolutely adores her and can’t wait to see her full size because she probably wants another one.  In fact, put us on your waiting list for Gianna’s litter.  All i can say is aspen has really wowed us on day 1.  Thanks again to you and tom for everything.” 

What else can I say? I love happy customers and am thrilled that Aspen has a good home.

I still have puppies left. 3 males and 1 female. They are 9 weeks old now and ready to go take care of your herd of alpacas, sheep, goats, etc.. Contact me for more information.

Update on Maremma Pups:

The Maremma pups are now 3 weeks old. As you can see their eyes are fully open and they are quite mobile. I know their ears are open since they wake up each time I walk into their area. Personalities are becoming apparent. The males are all pretty much laid back where the females all seem to be little trouble makers. They are vocal and launch attacks against their litter mates. Teeth are now coming in and I expect that a few yelps will come to help them learn how to curve their bite.

The pups are being given puppy gruel. A mixture of crushed up dry puppy food mixed with hot water and milk. They all like it, but it is still quite messy as they walk, sit, and fall into the pie plate that holds the cream like mixture. On a good note…most are now lapping it up from the plate versus waiting for me to feed them. Donatella, dam, waits patiently until I give her the go ahead to lick the plate and clean off the pups.

The Maremma puppies are for sale and will be ready by the end of January. Females are $850 and males are $750. Costs include first shot, worming, micro-chip, and registration paperwork. To reserve a pup we require a $100 non-refundable deposit. Contact us to reserve a pup today!

Other DMAR News:

Breached Dystocia: This past Saturday Tom and I were called to aid a fellow alpaca rancher. She had a dam in heavy labor with no progress being seen. The rancher said she went inside and couldn’t find the head.

On the drive over I played in my head how I would proceed to determine the position of the cria. I took the neo-natal wet lab twice, so my confidence level is slightly more than most.

Once there I gloved, lubed, and went in. Immediately I felt two pointy elbows and a little knob on top. No neck or head was found. I followed the leg to find it was z-shaped and knew immediately the cria was breached. I contacted the vet and advised the owner with alpaca would be on their way shortly. The vet had me warn the owner that the situation didn’t look good and to be prepared. Even though the cria is still attached at the umbilical cord once the water breaks the cria may still try to take a breath. This could lead to drowning. Knowing all this made the situation seem more dreadful as the vet is approx. 45 minutes away when driving swiftly.

It was about two hours later when I listened to my messages where the alpaca owner advised that the vet had delivered an alive, alert, female cria. The owner was thankful for my help as she was struggling trying to figure out the position of the cria. She probably would have wasted a lot more time and possibly could have lost the cria.

Kaitlyn-Rose: Kaitlyn is due next month with her fifth cria. To date she has had birthed in this order a female, male, female, male. According to her history we are hoping for a female from her. Kaitlyn is a remarkable dam and has produced all blue ribbon offspring so far. Two of them have even won reserve color championships, DMAR Athena and DMAR Magnum. DMAR Athena is currently for sale and goes with her 2009 Fall female cria, DMAR Chanel. DMAR Chanel’s sire is HRAZ Lock & Load who is out of Xanadu’s Presidio. Chanel is a white beauty with dense, beautiful crimp, and lock structure that is already apparent in her cria fleece. Chanel was born in October 2009. Click Here for more information on Athena. Click Here for more information on HRAZ Lock & Load who is available for stud.

Alpha Carina: Carina too is due next month with her 3rd cria. To date she has given us a male and a female. We are excited to find out what it will be this time. Carina’s first offspring, DMAR Armani, is a 2x reserve color champion. We are currently looking for a partner in taking 1/2 interest of Armani. Click Here for more information on Armani.

Christmas at Desert Mountain Alpaca Ranch: Is this Saturday, Dec. 19th from 9 am to 4 pm. We hope you can come out and visit with us. Take a self guided tour of the alpacas and crias. View our Maremma livestock guardian dogs and the 4 week old litter of pups. You will be sure to fall in love with all the creatures of our ranch. Afterwards go into the DMAR Store where you can sip on eggnog and munch on cookies while you shop, view spinning and needle felting demos, or meet with the vendor Premier Designs and their line of beautiful, high fashion jewelry.

Can’t make it out to our Christmas celebration? Don’t fret. You can shop online at www.dmarstore.desertmtnalpacas.com. Hurry as time is running out to receive gifts in time for the holidays.

Maremma Puppies for Sale – One Week Old

 The maremma pups are now a week old. I weighed them yesterday and the average weight was 2.5 lbs. They are now quite fat and happy.

 Almost all of the noses have turned black and most of the pads on the feet have turned black as well. There are a few pups who are now using their back legs to walk around. Not sure if you know, but when pups are born they mostly drag their back legs around. Eyes are just beginning to open slightly in the corner closest to their nose. I suspect in the next week or so they will have their eyes and ears completely open. Yes, puppies are born blind and deaf as their eyes and ears are closed.

I only have a few more days of the maremma pups being helpless. Soon they will be climbing on each other trying to get out of the box. Yikes! That means pups between my feet as I walk and having them run and grab my pants with their mouth as they play.

Donatella, the mom, is doing well. She is a great mom and has plenty of milk for her pups. I couldn’t be happier with her.

Sidenote: We did lose one female puppy due to Donatella’s inexperience. She accidentally layed on top of her. It was sad, but after watching Donatella carefully we decided it must have been a fluke since she is very careful with the other pups.

If you are needing or wanting a maremma livestock guardian dog, please contact us to reserve one of these pups. Females are $850 and males are $750. Click Here for more information on the parents and about maremmas in general. Pups will be ready to go to new home by the end of January.

*****Transport Special: We will be going to TxOLAN Alpaca Spectacular in February 2010. We can and will transport pups to the show at no charge. *****

Maremma Puppies for Sale at DMAR:

Donatella gave birth on Friday night, Nov. 20th. It was a long labor with the actual birthing beginning at 7:20pm and lasted through 11 am Saturday morning. The litter consists of four females and four males. All were born vibrant, loud, and hungry.

This is Donatella’s first litter and she is proving to be a very attentive and caring mother. She is constantly in her whelping box pulling the pups to her, so she can clean them. Milk is of no issue and the pups can be found suckling at any time of the day.

 The sire of the puppies is Vincenzo. He is a first generation American with his parents coming directly from Italy. Vincenzo takes his guarding duties seriously and looks out for Donatella as well as the other maremmas on the ranch.

The puppies are for sale and will be available at the end of January. For more information Click Here.