<<< When autumn arrives, the flocks can no longer stay in the mountains because of the snow, so they are brought down to the milder climates of the coastland plains. mostly in northern Puglia and Lazio. Today this journey is made by special trucks, but until forty years ago the migration between summer and winter pastures used to be made on foot, when it was quite a sight to see thousand upon thousand of sheep making their way along tracks hundreds of kilometres long. So from October to June our dogs are to be found on the grey stretches of land lashed by the tramontana north wind in the southern Maremma and the lower Tevere valley. To carry out its role, the Maremma Sheepdog must show certain qualities. First and foremost, it must feel a strong sense of allegiance to the flock, and be relied on not to harm the sheep. The shepherd may need to attend to business elsewhere and leave the dog in charge of the flock, and while a dog’s natural instincts would be to wander and to attack sheep, the shepherd can be certain that the Maremma will keep things under control. An equally important - and natural - trait in the sheepdog temperament is to be found in the protection of its master and its master’s property against outsiders. It will use any vantage points in the vicinity to keep a watchful eye on the surrounding area, and it’s all too easy to be taken in by the sleepy appearance of a dog following a flock, when in fact it is always alert to threats so it can ward them off in advance. A third all-important quality is the courage and physical strength required to face up to such formidable adversaries as wolves, bears and livestock thieves. These can all strike terror into dogs in general, so an encounter in which two or three dogs launch themselves against a bear which is attempting to steal a sheep and - dodging its paws - drive it back into the wood has to be seen to be believed. And despite their stocky appearance given by such a lush coat of hair, two or three dogs working together are agile enough to catch a fox. Last, but by no means least, is their ability to withstand bad weather and illness. With no treatment, vets, or prevention of diseases, natural selection rules in the life of a sheepdog, which either has to resist illness with its own resources or inexorably succumb.