Last Updated on January 27, 2026 by Kim Crawmer, KPA CTP, LFDM
Prancing Pony Julian
Exceptional Value 3-Year-Old Neutered Male Maremma
Julian represents an unusual opportunity: pick-of-the-litter quality with exceptional genetics, nearly ready for full livestock guardian duty, priced at only $3,500 (the same as our puppies). He’s 95% there – just needs an experienced owner to guide him through his final maturity stage. If you’re willing to invest some supervision time during his transition, you’ll save $1,000-2,500 compared to a fully trained adult while getting a dog with superior conformation and proven bloodlines.
Julian was born January 10, 2023, and was our pick of the litter male – the nicest quality puppy with exceptional conformation. We originally considered placing him as a breeding candidate, but when we didn’t have the right breeding home available at the time he needed to be neutered, we made that decision rather than keeping multiple intact males on our property.
Being neutered doesn’t diminish his quality or working ability. It simply means he’s available as an outstanding working livestock guardian dog or companion rather than a breeding dog. His conformation, temperament, and working instincts remain exceptional.
Benson Ranch Pax & Sky Island’s Gianna
Julian’s Parents
Parents’ Health Testing:
- PennHip/OFA hip & elbow scores outstanding
- Both parents DNA tested
- Both parents MSCA-registered
- Full health records on the parents’ pages
Julian’s Specifications:
- Born: January 10, 2023 (just turned 3 years old)
- Size: Large (estimated 120-130 lbs)
- Status: Neutered
- Registration: MSCA registered
Benson Ranch Pax
Sky Island's Gianna
What Julian IS:
- Sweet-natured and affectionate with his people
- Experienced with goats, horses, miniature horses, and mini donkeys
- Exposed to chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys
- Good with multiple female dogs (both intact and spayed)
- Well-socialized to farm life and various livestock
- Past the most challenging puppy stage
- Nearly ready for full livestock guardian work
What Julian NEEDS: Here’s where I’m being completely honest with you: Julian is at that stage where he’s almost fully mature, but still needs some supervision and continued training. He can get a bit “zoomy” with certain livestock – especially flighty, skittish goats – and needs an owner who understands this is normal for his developmental stage and won’t just throw him in with livestock unsupervised.
Think of him like a talented teenager who knows all the rules but sometimes forgets them when he gets excited. He’s not aggressive or dangerous – he just has playful moments where he needs redirection.
Why This Happens: Livestock guardian dogs mature at varying rates, with most not being fully mature until around 2 years old. Some dogs mature sooner, and some take longer to settle into the LGDs they are destined to be.
Julian’s development is actually tracking perfectly with his sire’s timeline. Pax was the same way at this age – generally good with livestock, but playful and bouncy, occasionally getting overexcited and rowdy. Pax matured into an incredible LGD, with trustworthiness at an age that was just slightly older than Julian is now. I expect Julian to follow that same positive trajectory.
What “Supervision Needed” Means:
- Not “plug and play” ready the day he arrives
- Side-by-side acclimation with your livestock at first, so they can get used to each other
- Supervised exposure to your livestock during the acclimation period
- Careful selection of the first stock you allow him to interact with – no flighty stock that might trigger the zoomies in him
- Consistent reinforcement of appropriate behavior during his transition to your livestock
- Gradual increase in freedom with livestock as he proves trustworthy
This is NOT unusual. Even fully trained adult LGDs need careful acclimation to new livestock and new properties. Julian just needs a bit more active training during that process than a fully mature dog would.
Livestock Experience & Potential
Confirmed Experience:
- Goats: Extensive exposure since birth; currently needs supervision but showing steady progress
- Horses & Miniature Horses: Does very well, appropriate behavior
- Miniature Donkeys: Good exposure and appropriate behavior
- Large Livestock: Strong potential for cattle or sheep based on his behavior with horses
- Cats: Julian has been exposed to our barn cats since he was a puppy
Likely Potential for Poultry: We haven’t specifically trained Julian with our chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys (they’re in a different area than where Julian works), so we can’t make guarantees. However, the indicators are very positive:
- His dam is exceptionally good with poultry
- His sire is also excellent with poultry, now that he is fully mature
- Two of his brothers (Bear and Chief, featured elsewhere on our website) have been protecting a 300-bird free-range chicken flock since they were 10 months old, with outstanding results
- The genetic potential is definitely there
Bottom Line: Julian would likely do well with goats, sheep, cattle, horses, and possibly poultry. He just needs an owner who understands they’re getting a nearly-mature dog, not a finished one, and is willing to provide appropriate supervision during his final development.
Temperament & Socialization
With People: Julian is very affectionate and loving with people he knows. He bonds deeply with his family. However, he’s naturally a bit reserved with strangers – which is actually appropriate for a livestock guardian dog.
What this means for a new owner: Julian will need time to warm up to you. Don’t expect him to be your best friend on the first day. Give him space, let him observe you, let him approach on his timeline. This patience period is completely normal for adult LGDs moving to new homes.
We don’t expect aggression, but rushing the bonding process would be unfair to him. The right owner will appreciate his careful, observant nature rather than seeing it as a drawback.
With Other Dogs: Julian has been with numerous female dogs (both intact and spayed) and does well with all of them. He could be an excellent companion for:
- One of our older available females
- Our 6-month-old female puppy (she’s large enough to match his play style)
- Your existing female LGD
With males: Unknown. We don’t keep adult males together unless they’ve bonded well, so we haven’t tested this. He may do fine, but we can’t confirm.
With puppies: Probably fine with puppies 6+ months old. Younger puppies would be a mismatch in size and developmental stage.
With Non-Maremma Companion Dogs: Julian has not been exposed to other breeds up close, though he sees our three non-Maremma pet dogs from a distance. We can’t say how he would do with other breeds, so we would suggest caution in introducing him to other pets.
The Value Proposition – Let’s Talk Numbers
Typical Pricing:
- Our Puppies: $3,500
- Fully Trained Adult LGD (3 years old, immediately ready for duty): $4,500-6,000
Julian’s Price: $3,500
What You’re Getting: ✓ Premium genetics (pick of litter quality)
✓ Outstanding conformation
✓ Excellent health testing in bloodlines
✓ 3 years of raising and basic training already done
✓ Already neutered (saving you $1000+)
✓ Past the challenging puppy stage
✓ 95% of the work completed
✓ Just needs final guidance to maturity
What You’re Saving:
- $1,000-2,500 compared to fully trained adult
- $300-500 in neutering costs
- 3 years of puppy raising and basic training
- Dealing with puppy behaviors and teething
The Trade-Off: You need to invest some supervision time during his acclimation and final training. For an experienced LGD owner, this represents tremendous value – getting superior genetics and quality at a significant discount in exchange for modest additional training time.
Ideal Home for Julian
You’re the Right Fit If You:
- Have LGD experience or a strong positive reinforcement dog training background
- Understand developmental stages in livestock guardian dogs
- Are patient with the bonding process
- Want to save significant money compared to fully trained adults
- Appreciate exceptional genetics and quality
- Have goats, sheep, cattle, horses, or possibly poultry, or are looking for an awesome companion
- Have time to supervise during acclimation
- Preferably have (or want) a female companion for him
- Value honesty about a dog’s current stage
You’re NOT the Right Fit If You:
- Need a dog who’s immediately ready with zero supervision
- Want a dog who’s instantly friendly with strangers
- Don’t have experience with livestock guardian dogs
- Can’t invest time in supervised training during his transition to your farm and livestock
- Are looking for an immediate plug-and-play livestock guardian dog
Success in His Bloodlines: Julian’s brothers Bear and Chief have been successfully protecting 300 free-range chickens since 10 months old. His parents have outstanding health testing results and proven working ability. His genetics are solid.
Our Commitment: We provide honest assessments of our dogs because we want successful placements. We could easily oversell Julian, but that wouldn’t serve you or him. The right match matters more than a quick sale.
Ongoing Support: Purchase includes our lifetime phone and email support. We’re here to help you through his transition and final training stage. You’re not figuring this out alone.
Ready to Meet Julian?
Julian needs an experienced owner who sees his potential and appreciates the value he represents. If that’s you, let’s talk.
Next Steps:
- Fill out our application – We’ll send you more info on Julian and help you decide if he’s a good match for you.
- Schedule a phone consultation – Let’s discuss your situation, your livestock, and whether Julian is the right fit
Current Status: Available immediately to approved home
Ready to Protect Your Homestead Dreams?
Join scores of happy families who sleep peacefully knowing their beloved animals are protected by reliable Prancing Pony Farm Maremmas.
✅ Health-tested bloodlines ✅ Proven working genetics ✅ Lifetime support included
