What If You’re Not Ready When Your Maremma Puppy Is?

You've done the research. You've found the right breed, the right bloodlines, the right breeder. You know a Prancing Pony Farm Maremma is exactly what your farm needs.

And then real life shows up.

Maybe you're traveling this summer and don't want to hand a brand-new Maremma puppy off to a farm sitter. Maybe your fencing project is two months from done and you'd rather not bring your new LGDs home to an unfinished setup. Maybe you've just been honest with yourself about what you can manage right now — and a 12-week-old puppy isn't it.

This comes up more often than people think. And until recently, there wasn't a great answer for it.

The Problem with Puppy Timing

Maremma litters don't wait. They happen when they happen, and puppies reach their go-home window whether your calendar is ready or not.

Most buyers in this situation face the same uncomfortable choice: take the puppy on the breeder's timeline and figure it out, or pass on that litter and hope the right dog comes available when the timing works better. Neither option is ideal. Passing means you might be waiting another year — or longer — for the right combination of bloodlines, litter size, and availability. Taking the puppy before you're ready means starting off on the wrong foot.

I've seen both play out. Neither is a great way to start off with LGDs.

Introducing the Extended Stay Program

Here's what I built instead.

The Extended Stay Program at Prancing Pony Farm is exactly what it sounds like: your puppy is yours, matched to you, paid for — and stays right here on the farm until you're truly ready to bring them home.

This is not boarding. It's not a kennel. It's not your dog sitting in a run waiting for you to show up. It's your Maremma sheepdog doing exactly what they would have been doing anyway — living on a working farm, spending time with livestock every day, learning from the environment they've been in since they were born.

The only thing that changes is the pickup date.

What Your Puppy Is Doing While You Wait

This is the part that really matters.

Extended stay isn't a pause on your puppy's development — it's a continuation of it. During their time on the farm, they're getting:

• Daily livestock exposure — the same passive learning with goats and other animals that has been shaping them since birth
• Ongoing socialization — with people, children, the rhythms of a busy working farm
• Consistent care — same nutrition, same health monitoring, same environment
• No disruption, no adjustment period — because there is no transition yet

A puppy that leaves at 12 weeks has 12 weeks of farm experience. A puppy that leaves at five months has five months of it. When you're talking about a livestock guardian dog whose job is to know and bond with a piece of land and the animals on it, those extra months are not nothing. They're a head start.

I'm also a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner and Licensed Family Dog Mediator. Extended stay dogs aren't sitting with a hired hand — they're on a professional dog trainer's farm, being seen and handled daily by someone who knows what healthy Maremma development looks like.

Who This Program Is For

The Extended Stay Program isn't right for every client — but for the right client, it changes everything.

The planner. You know you want a Maremma. You also know you're not quite ready yet — infrastructure, schedule, season. You don't want to lose a well-matched puppy just because your calendar needs a few more months. Extended stay lets you secure your dogs now and bring them home when you're actually set up for success.

The buyer who wants an older puppy. Some people specifically want a dog that's past the youngest, most demanding stage — a bit more settled, more developed, with more hours of livestock exposure already under their belt. Extended stay makes that possible without waiting and hoping an older dog becomes available at the right time. You pick your puppy young, and you bring home the dog at the age that actually works for you.

The buyer whose timeline is close but not quite right. The litter is announced. Your gut says this is the one. But the go-home window lands in a stretch that just doesn't work. Without extended stay, you'd have to talk yourself out of it. With it, timing becomes a logistics question instead of a dealbreaker.

How the Pricing Works

Extended Stay is priced at $200 per month, per puppy, billed in half-month increments of $100.

A full month: $200. The first or second half of any month: $100. That's it.

The fee is paid in full at the time of your final puppy payment — not in monthly installments, not after the fact. One payment, everything settled, a confirmed pickup date on the calendar. No monthly reminders. No awkward follow-ups.

For context: short-term boarding at PPF runs $30/night. Two weeks of daily boarding would run you $420. The half-month Extended Stay rate of $100 covers the same 15 or 16 days — at a fraction of that cost — in the same farm environment your dog has been developing in since birth.

Extended stay fees are calculated from the day after your go-home window closes to your confirmed pickup date. You'll know the number before you commit.

This is introductory pricing. As the program grows and demand develops, rates will be evaluated. Buyers who arrange extended stay now are locking in at the current rate.

A Note on Availability

Extended Stay is a limited program. Not every litter will have availability, and not every puppy in a litter will be eligible. Farm capacity, litter dynamics, and what each group of puppies needs are all factors.

Spots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis to buyers who are already in the reservation system. If you know you're going to need more time, the right move is to say so early — ideally during your discovery call, or at least before your go-home window closes. Don't wait until the last minute and hope there's room.

How to Get Started

If you're already on the Master Reservation List and think you might need extended stay, bring it up now. We can look at your timeline, estimate your fee, and build a plan that actually works.

If you're not in the system yet but this program changes your math — that's exactly the kind of thing to talk through on a discovery call. We'll look at upcoming litters, figure out whether the timing works, and get you a real number to plan around.

The full details — pickup window timelines, pricing tables, what's included — are on the Extended Stay Program page. Read through it, and then let's talk.

Book a Free Discovery Call →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Extended Stay Program at Prancing Pony Farm? It's a structured option that lets committed buyers delay their Maremma puppy's pickup date without disrupting the puppy's development. Your puppy stays on the farm in the same environment they've been raised in, continuing daily livestock exposure and socialization, until you're ready to bring them home.

How much does extended stay cost? $200 per month, per puppy, billed in half-month increments of $100. The full fee is paid upfront at the time of your final puppy payment — not in monthly installments.

Does my puppy fall behind on development during extended stay? No — the opposite, actually. They continue the same farm-based routine: daily livestock exposure, socialization, consistent care. A puppy that stays longer leaves with more experience, not less.

How do I know if extended stay is available for a specific litter? Ask during your discovery call or when you're confirming your final payment. Availability is limited and first-come, first-served for buyers already in the reservation system.

Can I use extended stay just because I want an older dog? Yes. Some buyers specifically prefer a more developed puppy rather than taking one home at 12 weeks. Extended stay makes that possible without waiting for an older dog to become available separately.