Shepherds turn to dogs to defend sheep from wolves on the Veluwe

Shepherds in the Veluwe region have come up with a novel solution to deter wolf attacks by hiring Italian mountain dogs to guard their sheep.

Stichting Schapedrift Ermelo, a volunteer organisation that tends a herd of sheep on the heathlands in Gelderland, acquired two Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdogs this summer to protect the herd from prowling wolves.

The forested Veluwe region has the biggest concentration of wolves in the Netherlands, with seven packs living in an area of 1,000 square kilometres, since the predators returned in 2019.

The organisation has put up eight-foot electrocuted fences around its sheep enclosure to keep wolves out, but the animals are still vulnerable when they are being herded across the heath.

“We see an increasing threat from wolves,” shepherd Marion Derks told Omroep Gelderland. “And there are a few walking round here that were interested in the sheep.”

The two white-haired dogs have been used for centuries to defend sheep. They are valued for their non-aggressive nature and alertness, Derks said.

“As soon as they see danger, you see their attitude change and they go into defensive mode,” she explained. “They make themselves bigger and more imposing and start barking.”

She said the dogs were not expected to confront or attack wolves. “Their presence is meant to stop the wolves approaching,” Derks explained. “Wolves will take easy prey but if they think it’s going to be too difficult, they’ll look for something else.”