DMAR Alpaca and Maremma Blog

Maremma pups for sale now a week old:

The pups are getting bigger including little Sofia who is now weighing a whopping 10 1/2 ounces. Eyes are not opened yet but I do notice them trying to use their back legs more. It’s been very cold here in Georgia but the pups are under a heat lamp, have another heater next to the whelping box, and can curl up into each other to stay warm. Not to mention that they can snuggle right in with mom. It is a sight when all of them are lined up in front of Donnie’s belly. All the pups are well and have the curious alpaca females peeking in at them daily.

Update on Sofia:  Sofia is nursing well off the bottle. When I first started feeding her she could only nurse 1/4 of an ounce of milk at each feeding. Today she can drink a little more than 1/2 an ounce. She used to be able to fit in the palm of my hand. Today she is definitely larger. I feel her belly getting bigger too. After each feeding I notice her almost rolling to one side or the other. Her belly putting her off balance. Other than Sofia’s cleft lip and her smallness she is definitely all puppy. She kneads her paws into the air as she feeds and then is off to plow into her siblings trying to squeeze into the middle of them all. Sometimes I find her underneath a pup or two and other times I see her riding away on top of her siblings heads as they are nursing off mom. Sofia is very strong willed and voices her opinion openly.

All the maremma lgd pups are available. If you have a farm or ranch and need a working dog please contact me at info@desertmtnalpacas or you can call 520-220-2778.

For more information on maremmas and the parents of  this litter, Donatella and Santino, Click Here.

Donatella, Maremma LGD, whelps 10 pups on 11/29/10:

On the 28th Donatella refused to eat all day. I knew that the time of labor was upon us. At times while walking she would whimper. I sat with her for what seemed like endless hours just waiting for her to begin. After the evening chores I grabbed my laptop and some magazines. I figured I would spend the night in the barn with her. At 9pm Donatella was resting peacefully. It was cold so I decided to go into the house and would return at 11 pm. At 11 I went back to the barn to find Donatella sleeping. That’s it I was coming in for the night.

At 4:30 am I got up to go check on Donatella. Sure enough she had 4 puppies already on the ground. I had left the small heater on but it was still too cold so I went to turn on the overhead heat lamp. I sat with her helping to dry off the pups. While I sat with her she had 2 more pups. After cleaning them off I went back to the house to feed house dogs and the cat.

At 6:30 am I returned to the barn to find another pup was born. I helped Donatella clean up the pup and then proceeded to feed the alpacas and the other maremmas. Each time I did a feeding I would check on Donatella to make sure she was ok and look for the puppies to nurse. Sure enough she gave birth to another pup. My count was now seven, four girls and three boys.

By 10:30 am I was now just about done with my outside chores and Donatella was up to nine pups. I went to sit with her and give her plenty of attention for a job well done. As I did so out popped the 10th pup! This is where she finished. Vincenzo and Donatella are the proud parents to six males and four females. All of the puppies are doing well.

I am spending more time with the runt of the litter, a little female, who was born with a cleft lip. The lip doesn’t allow her to suck as well as her siblings but she is getting the hang of it. I supplement her with a bottle that she eagerly drinks. She is quite the character. I brought her into the house the 2nd night so I could feed her around the clock. I thought this would be easier but my goodness she can scream when she is hungry! I thought the bottle would never heat up. Last night I left her in with her mom and she did just fine.  The vet said that she will be fine and we can probably stitch up the lip. Today I will take pictures of her and forward them to the vet to get the final opinion.

Now all I can think about is to complete our puppy proofing of the area. With the last litter of five pups I was running around like mad. I can only imagine the nightmare it will be chasing after 10 curious pups!

All the maremma lgd pups are for sale. They are $850 each which includes the first vaccination, first deworming, microchip, and registration paperwork. Our maremmas are registered with the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America. Both parents are onsite and guard an alpaca herd of 26. Initially the pups are raised sharing a fenceline with the alpacas. Eventually they are integrated with the alpacas.

The pups will be ready to leave for their new homes by the end of January 2011. Contact Janice at info@desertmtnalpacas.com if you are interested in getting your own maremma lgd puppy. To view more info on Donatella and Vincenzo please visit my page at www.desertmtnalpacas.com/maremmas-livestock-guardian-dogs.html.

Four Maremma Pups Still Available:

We still have 1 female and 3 males to select from. These adorable pups are 9 wks old and have had their first vaccination and deworming. Included in the price is micro-chipping and registration paperwork.

The pups have been living and observing their parents, Donatella and Vincenzo. They also have 3 other adult Maremma role models. They are already showing their guarding instinct. They bark when the adults bark and if they hear something first they sound off the alarm.

The pups are very healthy and quite playful. They are fast to roll onto their backs to expose a belly to be rubbed.

Contact us if you are interested in attaining a Maremma lgd.

Remember we will transport for free to TxOLAN and SWRAS.

Christmas with the DMAR Maremma Puppies:

Here we are Christmas Eve and the puppies are growing so quickly. Now at 4 weeks of age they are fully mobile. Yesterday when I took them out of the whelping box they stormed the area in front of the feed room, the feed room itself, and the attached deck that is quite a step up. They no longer walk, but run with short hops. I told Tom remember how they say they stormed the beaches of Normandy…..well the puppies stormed the wooden floor of the feed room. All of them were exploring and loving their time out of the box.

After eating they decided to take a nap, however on the sides of the paddock everything was damp from melting snow. I decided to put them back into the warm, dry box. A little while later Tom asked me if I forgot to put a pup back in. Of course not I told him. Sure enough Tom watched as the pup climbed on the guide rail and fell out onto the feed room floor.

It is all downhill from here. The pups know who we are, so they run over to us getting in between our feet. We have to walk carefully as to not step on them. The whole time their little tails are wagging away. When you hold one they are quick to give you a little puppy kiss that will melt you instantly. Now that they can fall out who knows where we will find the little devils….I mean angels.

We have lots of interest in these puppies. If you are interested in one please don’t hesitate to contact us. All the puppies are for sale. To read more about the parents, Donatella and Vincenzo, Click Here. Both parents are on site.

The maremmas currently watch over 30 alpacas. The puppies are sharing a fenceline with them and will be introduced to them slowly over the next few weeks.