Biosecurity Queensland has found that Maremmas, one of several guardian dog breeds, prevent wild dog attacks by staying close to the sheep, yet still allowing wild dogs to roam inside sheep paddocks.

Biosecurity Queensland senior zoologist Dr Lee Allen said it was expected that Maremmas worked like a placebo wild dog in the sheep paddock, occupying and marking a territory that wild dogs recognised and kept out of.

“In fact, Maremmas are doing the opposite of what we expected, but still achieving the ultimate goal of keeping sheep safe from predators,” Dr Allen said.

“Maremmas stay close to the sheep as a protector rather than patrolling the boundary of the paddock and aggressively chasing off intruders.

“Although wild dogs frequently entered sheep paddocks, no sheep were attacked or killed on the study property and the sheep appeared to be generally quiet and calm while under the protection of the Maremmas.”

Maremmas are a breed of livestock guardian dog that originated in central Italy and have been used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves.

Dr Allen said researchers used GPS data loggers on the Maremmas, located on a property in northwest Queensland, and were able to record the location of the dogs every 30 minutes.

“Six wild dogs were also trapped and collared with satellite transmitters to record the movement of the pack every hour,” he said.

Dr Allen said researchers were also continuing the study on Maremmas on a Desert Uplands cattle property in central west Queensland.

“The Maremmas used in this year’s study are managed differently to those managed in the previous study,” he said.

“Maremmas have not been specifically bonded to the cattle but are believed to identify with the property.

“The other fundamental differences are that the male Maremmas are not neutered and they only patrol the paddock at night.

“It will be interesting to see if both methods of managing Maremmas achieve a similar result of keeping livestock safe.”

To download a copy of the ‘Best Practice Manual for Using Guardian Dogs’, or on the impact of wild dogs in Queensland, call the Biosecurity Queensland Business Information Centre on 13 25 23 or visit www.deedi.qld.gov.au and click on 'Biosecurity' under the 'Protecting Queensland' box.