This handsome giant Abruzzenhund is Italian, from the Abruzzo area, on the central east coast of Italy. That area still has a lot of sheepherding, while it has been phased out in many other areas.
They are also known as the Maremma Sheepdog. There were suggestions the Maremma and Abruzzenhund were two separate breeds, but now they are officially recognized as one breed.
Obviously, they are a sheepdog, bred to protect the sheep from wolves that are common in the area. It is an old breed, as seen in this illustration from 1833, from the Penny Magazine “Wolf dogs of the Abruzzi.”
The video on the next page shows the dogs at various stages of growth, including two very young, but definitely not small, puppies.
This video is Italian. I haven’t found any of these in America. The dogs seem to be really very placid, almost sleepy, at least around people, unless threatened, which is a good thing, as you can see in the video.
Wow, huge dog. I see why they are good for protecting sheep.