MORPHOLOGY AND DISPOSITION OF MY ABRUZZESE SHEPHERD DOGS

The morphology of my Abruzzese mastiffs is heterogenous, although they share some features. In fact, every dog comes from an ancient working bloodline. The bone structure is impressive and, at the same time, graceful.

They are white coloured and there is no a common texture of the hair, that can be woolly and just a bit long in some subjects and curly, not too long, in others. Usually, the ears are set on the high part of the head and the nose is black coloured, black and pink coloured, or liver coloured. Usually they are provided with scissor bite (reverse or regular) and level bite. Rarely, some subjects are equipped with a reverse scissor bite, which is typical of Molossian type subjects; they are brown eyes cleared, sometimes eyes yellow coloured.

Many of my dogs have got the double dew claws and those who are not provided with it they are anyway carrier of this genetic trait. They have got a suspicious way to approach the strangers, but they are very friendly with family members and guests; They are very protective towards property, animals whom they take care of and family, although they have got a nature more independent than other dogs that belong to all other breeds.

If one decides to become owner of this dog, he should be aware of his proud and independent nature.

We are talking about a dog that works together with the human leader without being obsequious: he has got his own nature and personality indeed. His stability is extraordinary, as well as the respect and the tolerance towards the family members, in particular kids, although they are not particularly fond of joking.

According to a rumour, a very big nonsense actually, the shepherd dog is a slow, misanthropic dog, unwilling to cooperate with man. I have had the opportunity to see for my part the natural aptitude of this dog in learning a lot of things: walking on a leash, living in a home and learning to execute their bodily functions outdoor in a few days, going close when you command him to heel and , in a very few time, learning the “sit command”. So, it's time to dispel the myth that the shepherd dog is a stupid, stubborn and even bad dog !!

During all my life I have had the opportunity to know very deeply hundreds of them, I have got some dozens as owner, They all gave me the opportunity to know them very deeply and it is not by chance that there is no one of them that I can define a dumb, slow or savage dog. To the contrary, we are talking about very sensitive dogs, particularly towards human beings or animals whom they think weak: They try to be as useful as they can and they show a natural aptitude for pet therapy without any kind of training. This fact can convey an idea about their intellect, their perception and their adaptability to some different situations and tasks. They haven't got particular needs: they are not weather sensitive at all. They are provided with a strong immune defence system because of the natural selection that is due to the working activities in the rural world throughout the centuries; my Abruzzese Mastiffs belong to the bloodlines whose forefathers have been forged by this natural selection.

There's nothing much to say about the diet: They are used to eat and to assimilate everything, provided that you respect their genetic peculiarity. Their diet should be austere, based on milk products or farinaceous products, fruits and vegetables; more generally, the diet should be low proteic, especially when the dog has grown up and during the warm seasons.

Usually, the subjects of this breed are long-lived: they are unlikely to be affected by any diseases. They have been shaped by a very hard selection during thousands of years.

This is the reason why I supply the health guarantee for the Abruzzese Mastiff puppies against all genetic health problems.